Wawasan Open University hosts talk on 'ICTs in Higher Education: Who Stands to Gain?

PENANG: Wawasan Open University (WOU) welcomes all interested to a free public lecture on the use of information and communication technologies (ICTs) to promote lifelong learning at its main campus on May 18th. Prof Asha Kanwar, Vice President of the Commonwealth of Learning (COL), will present the talk entitled ‘ICTs in Higher Education: Who Stands to Gain?’ at 7pm. The talk will address the phenomenal growth of ICTs in education and who stands to gain, whether the government, the institutions of higher learning due to improved productivity and effectiveness, the educators who have to deal with a diverse student group, or the students themselves. She will also offer suggestions on how to harness ICTs for maximum benefit for the relevant parties. Prof Kanwar is a leading expert in the field of open distance learning and has over 30 years experience in teaching, research and administration. For her outstanding work in leading the creation of low cost technology options for delivering education to the developing world, she received the International Council for Open and Distance Education (ICDE)’s Individual Prize of Excellence in 2009. The Professor has also conducted studies on the impact of distance education on the lives of Asian women, demonstrating that better educational opportunities and access to new technologies can make a difference to their attitudes, values and concerns. The COL is an intergovernmental organisation created by Commonwealth Heads of Government to encourage the development and sharing of open learning and distance education knowledge, resources and technologies.