APRUNet Projects

Distance Learning Partnership Project >>

APRUNet Grid Graphics Competition >>

APRUNet/Internet2 Videoconferencing Workshops >>

East Asian Studies Videoconferencing Project >>

Global Infectious Diseases Project >>

Tibet Early Archaeology Project >>

Distance Learning Partnership Project

The University of Southern California (USC) leads a consortium of several APRU members to extend the distance learning (DL) networks being developed among APRU universities to include high schools.  The Lucent Technologies Foundation has provided APRU with a $50,000 planning grant to enable APRU to develop a detailed proposal for a three-year long, $1.5 million project.

The Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC)'s Industrial Science and Technology Working Group (ISTWG) is very interested in supporting this project.  An APEC grant was recently received to further this project.

APRU's overall goal for DLPP is to substantially improve the capabilities of leading research universities and their high school partners to successfully utilize the growing stream of advanced information technologies to improve distance learning, both within their own national cultures and with international partners across cultures.

Five Important Activities of APRU-DLPP

• Produce an inventory of the "best practice" DL courses being taught in high schools in each participating economy and share this information via a project website and meetings.

• Develop high school research DL course modules in science, information technology and business on issues of real global concern that will be used by cross-national high school teams and faculty mentors.

• Develop recommendations to optimize the design of new DL courses so that it will be easier and more educationally effective to translate and culturally adapt these courses for multiple national audiences.

• Stimulate the development of networks of university-high school distance learning partnerships in order to encourage the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank to finance the expansion of the DL experiments of this APRU-DLPP Project.

• Develop recommendations as to how the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) might direct some of the efforts of its Industrial Science and Technology Working Group and its Human Resources Development Working Group to utilize results of this APRU-DLPP Project to help bridge the growing "digital divide" among APEC member economies.

APRUNet Grid Graphics Competition

A Grid Graphics Competition, open to all undergraduate and graduate students, is the latest project organized and sponsored by APRUNet.  It has the objective of using advanced technology and artistic expression to investigate and explore virtual learning environments and distance learning.  Details at http://ntu-cg.ntu.edu.sg/Grid_Graphics_Competition/.