The Ministry for Investment, Industry and Information Technology has recently announced that an e-learning vision and strategy will be published by the end of this year. A consultation exercise with stakeholders is being carried.

While many of use would simply consider e-learning as yet another word with an "e-" in front, the Minister for IT seems to have embarked on a serious task of launching e-learning at a national level.

I-Tech caught up with Minister Austin Gatt to explain what he understands by e-learning and its implications for the Maltese educational establishment and society at large.

First we heard a lot about learning ICT skills in view of SmartCity, and now we have started to hear about learning through ICT. What's the difference?

Promoting learning through ICTs is a distinct effort from the promotion of professional ICT skills. Since 1990s, we introduced computers, projectors, digital cameras, and electronic white boards in schools to assist teachers help our students learn. ICT is already used across the curriculum.

We now want to gear up all our efforts to maximize the use of technology by promoting a more blended approach to learning by complementing traditional classroom-based training with e-learning. ICT is already integrated in the teaching of most subjects at primary and secondary level. However, a concerted drive to increase the availability and application of e-learning technologies will be made across all of our schools.

Does learning through ICT simply mean giving a computer with internet connection?

Giving a "decent" computer with a good broadband connection is where you start. I emphasise the word 'decent' because today our students are hampered by the quality of the computers they are using. It suffices to say that 31 per cent of the computers are 486s and Pentium 1s. Promoting the use of ICTs for learning is not merely about giving the technology, but empowering teachers and pupils to use it when it is most appropriate to meet the different needs of learners and reduce the risk of exclusion for hard-to-reach groups. This is the vision which Minister for Education Louis Galea and I share and are keen to deploy.

But on the other hand, how important is the human factor in education through ICT?

Completely. Students cannot learn with books only, neither with just computers. Teachers are, and, will always remain the locus of learning. The transfer of knowledge relies on their sense of mission, their charisma, enthusiasm and willingness to learn new things and pass them on to their students. ICTs can only help them do this and cannot replace them.

ICTs can also create more room for collaborative and group work between students. We can offer a connected classroom that has a more inclusive environment, where teachers are leaders, helpers, partners and evaluators. In addition to the traditional role of subject experts, teachers become facilitators of learning and managers of their own digital classrooms.

So why have a national e-learning strategy?

Because that is the link between having a vision (which we have) and realising it. There are some scattered e-learning efforts undertaken by some local stakeholders that are early adopters, however the efforts are fuelled by enthusiasm and risk falling through if they are not backed up by a coherent strategy. We need to define our strategic thrust with regards to e-learning and drive this project on a national scale.

So what's the first feedback gathered from this consultation exercise?

Early days, still. The challenge I see ahead of us is to identify the best way to work together to build on the good will that everyone has. A consultation exercise is a process that needs its own time and I don't want to emaciate it by jumping the gun too soon.

Why do you think e-learning in Malta is still in its very early stages when you take into account that we have very good internet broadband take-up rate and our schools are all equipped with internet access?

E-Learning is not all that new in Malta. There are some good, but independent, examples of good practice in e-learning in Malta. For instance, the University of Malta is working on a project with schools, teachers and pupils as part of a European project that will examine the use of Personal Digital Assistants in learning; and the Institute of Tourism Studies has set up an e-learning centre to offer online support for its students. There is lots of work to do to promote a concerted effort to increase the use of e-learning. Our focus in this area will be primary and secondary schools.

What do you think will be the main benefits of having the Maltese educational system with a strong e-learning component?

Brighter, savvier, more articulate children for whom technology is a fact of life they know how to exploit to live full lives.

When used well, e-learning can be particularly motivational and engaging for all learners including the more challenging pupils. Everyone learns in different ways and at different rates. Through e-learning, teachers can develop pedagogies that personalise learning to reflect these differences and give greater opportunities of success in e-learning. Though we do not suffer distance problems, e-learning overcomes distance and builds links between learners and teachers that go beyond the classroom and school hours, and our shores.

Moreover, the e-learning deployment will drive technologies further into homes and will facilitate the e-engagement of parents into the information society. Essentially, it is the fulfilment of our vision throughout these last six years.

Is it true that MIIIT and the Ministry for Education will provide a national e-learning platform and all primary/secondary school teachers will have to provide notes and courseware on this platform?

That is only the basic proposition of what we have in mind. Although we are still at the strategy development stage, we are after integrating the full educational cycle involving parents, students and teachers into a single cutting-edge virtual educational space. This means that students will be able to access resources from multiple schools and colleges, while teachers will be able to share courseware and collaborate in its development. Parents can monitor the educational progress of their sons and daughters in real time.

Which e-government services are currently being offered in the educational sector?

There are quite a few. To mention some, there are the application for part time courses with the University and the examination results. Application for exams and the notification of Matsec results this year rose above 90 per cent take-up. This percentage is not only encouraging but, should be the benchmark for all e-government and m-government services. This figure also indicates the way in which the coming generation is technologically savvy, an important change from the present generation.

There are new e-government services in the educational sector that will be rolled out; these are currently being identified in the context of our drive for a new wave of services.

So what's the bottom line?

E-Learning is a tool. The end we want is to equip our young with all the tools they need to live a full, prosperous life in the future; to be prepared with the skills and resources the information society and economy of the future requires of them. We can get there. We will get there.

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