On Russian Simulation Models, Pacific Rim Grids, and E-Classes That Never End
Vice Provost for Information Services and CIO
cio@uoregon.edu
The 2006 Association of Pacific Rim Universities (APRU) "Distance Learning & the Internet" conference in November offered many opportunities to explore cooperative ventures between leading universities.
I was pleased that Cindy Kieffer joined me at the conference and gave a presentation on the work of the UO’s American English Institute, where she serves as director of academic programs and research. Other presentations ranged from an overview of current projects at Stanford’s Center for Innovations in Learning and the use of mobile and ubiquitous learning approaches in Japan, Mexico, and Singapore, to better understanding the pedagogical issues of using technology in education. In this article I’ll touch on three presentations I attended.
Simulation modeling has been an interest of mine since I was a graduate student. In those days I would build and run economic models from California on the Cornell University mainframe, often working in the middle of the night to get cheaper computer rates. Today modeling is much easier and our friends at Saint Petersburg Polytechnic University have incorporated] model building as a major part of their business and engineering curriculum. Students build and run models on everything from medical epidemic simulations to flow studies of the Moscow subway system. One of the primary goals of the activity, according to Dr. Alexander Glebovsky, is to introduce students to the science and art of model building. Since modeling often involves problems that cross international boundaries (e.g., weather simulations or environmental impact of pollution), having international teams of students engaged in model building seems fitting. Dr. Glebovsky is currently looking for international partners to join their efforts in St. Petersburg.
Grid computing involves networking a number of computers together and setting them up to be able to share their compute cycles with each other. Because most computers are never fully utilized, it is possible to "harvest" these unused cycles and create a supercomputer by linking together many less powerful machines, including typical lab workstations.
At the University of Oregon we have excellent examples of computing grids being set up by some of our faculty and graduate students. Some of these even go beyond individual labs and extend to other computers on the campus network and beyond. The presentation from the National University of Singapore took this a step further and posed an interesting question: Could we build a computational grid among Pacific Rim universities to support the work of faculty within those institutions? Making use of existing computing resources and established networks, the University of Singapore team is seeking interested parties to participate in this activity. With APRU member schools spanning 13 time zones, this might be a very interesting way to put some unused computing cycles to work.
"A Pacific Rim E-class Exchange Program" was a presentation given by Hosei University in Tokyo and the University of California at Davis. While this program offers all the basic elements of modern distance learning environments (e.g., video/audio link, synchronized slides, transmission from a tablet PC to video screen, and asynchronous interactions with a learning management system), there were other elements I found interesting. One was their incorporation of an automatic subtitle system that provided English subtitles for Japanese students who may have trouble following the lecture of an English-speaking professor. Utilizing a "repeat talker" who restated the lecture in a monotone voice, the voice recognition system had increased accuracy in providing subtitle text. These universities also made use of their Internet exchanges to facilitate communication between students outside of the defined class times. In one musing about the future they even proposed a never-ending "worldwide e-class exchange," wherein students around the world would hand off discussion from one group to another around the clock. Since we know that, at least in the U.S., college students are nocturnal, perhaps they will be able to converse with their Chinese colleagues in real time.
The follow-up from the conference is to explore whether there might be interest in some of the ideas put forth by presenters. If you have read something in this article or see something in the conference proceedings that you would be interested in discussing further, please drop me a line at cio@uoregon.edu. Being a member of APRU is a great benefit for the University of Oregon and we should continue to explore ways we can work more with our colleagues within the Pacific Rim.
Additional information: To learn more about the ideas presented in this conference, visit the conference website at http://apru2006.dir.u-tokyo.ac.jp/ Presentation papers are listed in the "Program" menu link.