Colorado State Takes Computer Science To Africa Via Computer
Friday, April 10, 1998
FORT COLLINS--Thanks to satellite technology and World Bank
funding, Colorado State University is providing instruction in
computer science to more than 100 students at seven African
universities.
Delivery of Colorado State's computer science foundation
course, "Data Structures," began with the current spring term.
Instruction originates at the Fort Collins campus and is
broadcast live to universities across the African continent.
Students viewing the broadcast interact with the instructor in
real time using two-way telephone conferencing, facsimile
machines and e-mail.
Colorado State is one of several North American universities
providing academic programming to the World Bank-funded African
Virtual University. The African universities that downlink the
Colorado State broadcasts include Kenyatta University in Nairobi,
Uganda Polytechnic in Kampala and Uganda Martyrs University in
Nkosi, all in Uganda; University of Science and Technology in
Kumasi, Ghana; Addis Ababa University in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia;
National University of Science and Technology in Bulawayo,
Zimbabwe; and the University of Zimbabwe in Harare.
Each of the seven universities has its own instructor or
tutor facilitating the computer-linked course and will award
academic credit to participating students.
Etienne Baranshamaje, director of the African Virtual
University, said 12 African universities are participating in the
two-year-old African Virtual University program and are
interested in receiving instruction in various areas of
technology from United States and Canadian institutions.
John Ebersole, associate provost at Colorado State, said
participation with the African Virtual University is part of a
larger effort to distribute Colorado State's programs worldwide.
"We have recently launched the Colorado State University
Network for Learning and want to demonstrate our ability to
deliver instruction worldwide," he said.
Colorado State was a pioneer in the use of video for the
delivery of graduate education. Since its beginnings in 1967,
enrollment has grown to more than 1,200 students in all 50 states
and 11 foreign countries. Students are participating in 11
different graduate degree programs. The Colorado State University
Network for Learning also features online and mixed-media
courses.
The African universities already have requested additional
broadcasts from Colorado State, which offers both a master's and
a second bachelor's in computer science entirely through distance
technology.
According to Dale Grit, associate professor of computer
science and the African Virtual University course instructor,
students have shown interest and involvement in this form of
distance learning.
"The worst part is having to get up in time to initiate 7
a.m. classes (Mountain Daylight Time)," he said. "While the
technology covers the distance very well, it still can't fully
mitigate the 8-10 hour time differences involved."
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