Distance Learning Facilities

Project #2:

National Information Learning Center
Partners for Health

in collaboration with

United States Partnership for Peace Information System

Purpose: to establish distance learning capabilities in Tbilisi and evaluate the effectiveness of distance education and teleconferencing in the project areas included in the "Agents of Change" proposal.

Goals:

To build upon existing facilities in Tbilisi and Atlanta in order to provide lectures, interactive sessions and teleconferences over the Internet in support of the remaining project areas in this proposal

To equip three distance learning classrooms in Tbilisi (one each at the National Information Learning Center, Caucasus School of Business and the School of Military Medicine at the Tbilisi State Medical University) with student computer workstations, high speed Internet connectivity, audio/video capability and appropriate software

To install teaching materials on the server at the NILC and to facilitate their use by developing user interfaces in Georgian and Russian languages as well as in English

To track and evaluate the use of these facilities throughout the course of the project and report on the adequacy and acceptability of distance education and teleconferencing in meeting the objectives established in the other project areas of this proposal


To develop distance education and videoconferencing between Tbilisi and Kutaisi and other Georgian cities, and to include additional western partner institutions (Pittsburgh University, University of Maryland, Virginia Commonwealth University, and Tromso University in Norway)

To develop on-line testing for graduate specialists and students


Background:

The projects that follow in this proposal are information intensive. The educational projects (e.g. business administration, nursing, public health and continuing education for physicians) require a continuous set of opportunities for lectures and interactive sessions between faculty and students. The development projects (e.g. strategic planning for informatics, electrical energy and telecommunications) require opportunities for ongoing, face-to-face interaction among the members of the working groups to facilitate planning and implementation. All projects require ready access to the wealth of information available in the western literature or through Web sites at collaborating institutions. Much of the information that will be needed can be provided through the services of the National Information Learning Centre or in the form of courses designed by U.S. Universities for delivery over the Internet.

The National Information Learning Centre (NILC) has been supported by over $180,000 in funding from several sources, principally the U.S. Agency for International Development. Since its opening in 1996, the NILC has demonstrated the capability to deliver consistent Internet-based services to health professionals and students in Tbilisi. The staff of the NILC includes physicians and computer scientists who have had training in telecommunications and library science. They are committed to the vision of bringing change in the way health professionals in Georgia access and utilize information resources in their patient care, education and research. The leadership of the NILC has been with the project since its inception, providing evidence of a strong commitment to its mission, remarkable given the fluid social and economic situation in Georgia.

As part of a collaborative agreement with the Partnership for Peace Information Management System (PIMS), the NILC will serve as the linchpin for a multi-site network providing high-speed wireless connection among the participating sites. In February the NILC will have access to the satellite dish provided by PIMS to deliver biomedical distance learning materials prepared in cooperation with the International Medical Program of PIMS and faculty in Atlanta. With the additional funding requested in this proposal, the skilled technical staff at the NILC will be able to increase bandwidth to 256Kbps and provide a central node for Tbilisi, the beginnings of a national health information network. PIMS will also provide a mobile telecommunication unit for telemedicine and distance education purposes, which will enhance our ability to provide the best of medical informatics to hard-to-access districts in high mountains. One immediate application of this technology is for videoconsultation in the management of difficult cases.

The participating universities in Atlanta (Georgia State University, Georgia Institute of Technology and Emory University) have developed and taught courses using the distance learning facilities at each institution. "e-Learn" is the system used at the Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University to deliver both certificate- and degree-level courses over the Internet. The Robinson School of business at Georgia State University has developed courses that could readily be adapted for delivery over the Internet as part of the Caucasus School of Business course offerings. Georgia Tech's Center for Distance Learning has active programs in Electrical and Computer Engineering, Telecommunications, Electric Power/Systems and Controls, and Environmental, Industrial and Mechanical Engineering.


Milestones:

Completion of the planning phases relating to facilities development, content development, and staff training

Renovation and furnishing of the three sites

Staff training and course readiness

Successful trial of lectures, interactive sessions, test modules and teleconferences

Periodic evaluation of the technology and the courses delivered

Expansion of the distance learning network to include additional sites in Georgia and additional western partner institutions

Deliverables:

Establish a project team to inventory existing capabilities, determine additional needs and plan the renovation and furnishing of the three sites

Establish content consultants for each project area to determine educational content and/or teleconferencing capabilities needed to support the various projects and identify the staffing needed in Tbilisi and Atlanta to support these programs

Create a comprehensive plan for renovation of sites, training of staff and delivery of distance education modules and teleconferencing events

Renovate and furnish the three sites and install hardware and software

Conduct staff training, both on site and through the use of distance learning facilities

Conduct classes and teleconferences in each of the project areas

Business administration

Nursing

Allied health

Kindergarten through high school teaching

Public health

Continuing education for primary care and specialty physicians

Health Information / Health Promotion for public representatives (teachers, journalists, etc) and the general public

Emergency Medicine

Military Medicine

CAD CAM technology for production of leg prostheses

Strategic planning for informatics, electrical energy and telecommunication in Georgia

Create a variety of instruments to measure the effectiveness of distance learning facilities in each project area.

Budget:

Distance Learning Budget Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 Year 4 Year 5 Total cost for 5 years
Create Distance Learning Classrooms
At the NILC 129,000 8,500 8,500 8,500 8,500 163,000
At the Caucasus School of Business (CSB) 51,000 27,000 4,000 4,000 4,000 380,000
At the School of Military Medicine (SOMM) at TSMU 51,000 27,000 4,000 4,000 4,000 90,000
Internet Service 106,000 83,000 83,000 83,000 83,000 500,000
Staff 55,000 47,000 52,000 58,000 65,000 227,000
Other expense 90,000 77,000 52,000 52,000 49,500 49,500
Total Annual Costs 482,000 246,000 226,500 209,500 214,000 1,731,000
Total Project Cost (5-Year)            
CONTACT

Zviad Kirtava <zkirtava@nilc.org.ge>

Ken Walker <kwalk04@emory.edu>

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