Extending education beyond the blackboard

prospective

With this software, we established non-formal adult education and started to develop formal adult education. We also benefit from a virtual learning environment that is centrally maintained and supported by the LieDM coordinating centre.Danutė Vizmanaitė, supervisor of Trakai Education CentreThe main goal of the project ‘Development of an information and communication technologies based Distance Learning Network in Lithuania’, was to create an information society in a country where the use of IT for education was lagging behind. Some 60 key facilities essential for distance learning benefited.Network buildingLithuania faces several major development challenges. These include ensuring that all its citizens can successfully compete in the international labour market and master modern information technologies.The nation quickly recognised the potential of distance learning to address some of these issues, and set up the Lithuanian Distance Education Network (LieDM) in 1998. The network expanded during the project’s lifetime to include numerous national educational institutions, as well as science institutions in the country.Work carried out during the project – some three-quarters of which was funded by EU money – included enlarging the network of distance learning classes throughout Lithuania, establishing new distance learning centres, and developing the LieDM network's technical capacities. Video conference equipment was also upgraded.Parallel learningFacilities were upgraded in three video conference studios, six ministudios and 12 video conference classes. The project also established 10 new ministudios, plus 28 new distance learning classes – 15 in colleges and schools and 13 in education centres. The new ministudios and classes were established as part of LieDM institutions’ structural departments.The centralised software support was much appreciated. According to project manager Aleksandras Targamadzė, this lowered costs, allowed secure functioning and maintenance, and above all equally high quality of service for all users.The original goal of providing parallel learning to an almost unlimited number of classes has now been realised. Thanks to the project’s achievements, the LieDM can today simultaneously connect up to 100 classes with video equipment.