Panels

Virtual University Challenge
(Wednesday 2 May 2001)

A discussion on managing universities in the information era.

Synopsis

There are numerous challenges facing both public and private universities and other established higher education institutions today.  These challenges include increased demands for accountability from national and state legislatures and other authorities, pressure for increased access for a wider range of students at different age and ability levels while at the same time reducing per student unit costs, competition from non-traditional providers, including commercial institutions and corporations, operating on an international and even global scale, and above all the challenge of using information and telecommunications technologies effectively.

Universities are also challenged by their own governing bodies and other stakeholders to "do more, with less", to maintain and improve the quality of teaching and learning, to produce high quality research, both basic and applied, and to serve the community in a variety of other ways. Using a recently developed piece of virtual reality software, specifically designed as a learning and training aid, this workshop will explore some of these challenges through "Virtual-U" game-play and a panel discussion.

Highly experienced senior university leaders from Hong Kong and the U.S. will watch Prof H K Chang, President of the City University of Hong Kong, play "Virtual-U" (the game developed by Prof W F Massy of the Jackson Hole Higher Education Group and Stanford University in the USA) and then discuss the issues arising and the lessons learned from the game.? You are also invited to contribute to the discussion of strategies.

This (EN2) panel discussion promises to be both entertaining and educational - a Virtual University Challenge!

Vision on e-Learning: Dot-Com Rising?
(Thursday 3 May 2001)

A discussion on fee-based on-line education.

Click here for details.