Dr. Guenter Podlacha is head of the e-Learning Division of German InWEnt – Capacity Building International, Germany. InWEnt currently supports the Mongolia Development Gateway and Mongolian e-Knowledge in establishing an e-Learning Center in Mongolia – the Mongolian e-Knowledge CAMPUS. Read what he has to say about Mongolia, e-Learning and the work of InWEnt:

-Dear Mr. Podlacha, thanks for this interview. Could you briefly inform us of InWEnt gGmbH and especially its activities in Mongolia?

- InWEnt - Internationale Weiterbildung und Entwicklung gGmbH, and the former organisations Carl Duisberg Gesellschaft - CDG and Deutsche Stiftung für Internationale Entwicklung - DSE, are well known in Mongolia. We are working in close cooperation with various public and private institutions in Mongolia developing capacities since years e.g. in all business related fields, in natural resource management, and in public administration. At present we are carrying out a project in establishing e-learning resources in close cooperation with Mongolia Development Gateway - MnDG and newly formed Mongolian e-Knowledge NGO - MeK.

- InWEnt also has its own e-Learning platform, the Global Campus 21. Could you tell us, what this platform aims at?

- Global Campus 21 is the knowledge portal for international advanced training and cooperation of InWEnt and its partners.
On Global Campus 21, experts and managers from all over the world have the opportunity to get further training beyond national borders.

They can exchange information and experience, establish contacts and work together on projects. In 2006 almost 40.000 participants worked on Global Campus 21, either in one of our more than 60 online training courses, or in one of the thematic virtual workspaces and forums covering the whole range of development related topics. It's one of the largest international e-learning platforms all over the world.

- The E-Learning Center of InWEnt plans to assist Mongolia Development Gateway, Mongolian e-Knowledge and partners that are currently identified, in setting up an own Campus in Mongolia. Why did InWEnt select Mongolia as a target country?

- Since years we are working in closed partnership with national development gateways of the Development Gateway Foundation - DGF, e.g. in South East Asia, Southern Africa, Latin America, and Middle and Eastern Europe. In 2006 we trained some participants of Mongolia Development Gateway in one of our international e-learning training programmes called eLDI - E-Learning Development and Implementation.

Very quick we realised the potential of MnDG, and check out the institutional and technical readiness of MnDG to run its own e-learning center. The results showed that MnDG could be a quite innovative partner in our international network of e-learning centers we already established all over the world. That's why we have chosen MnDG as partner of our Global Campus 21.

- Don't you think Mongolia's infrastructure is still too weak for e-Learning?

- In autumn 2006 we carried out a fact finding mission - in cooperation with MnDG - identifying partners for a national e-learning center in Mongolia. In our meetings e.g. with experts of the Technical University of UB and some national Internet Service Providers we got a quite interesting picture that was different to what we expected: Mongolia is ready for e-learning! There are already some e-learning initiatives and projects running, not only using common technologies in e-learning but as well as sophisticated technologies like voice and video conferencing. Even remote Aimags are connected to such e-learning initiatives, and good practice examples are available.

However, even we would not have found that readiness; we would have started establishing a joint e-learning center. E-learning is a spearhead technology and methodology, and needs to be implemented before people are asking for it. You need to be ready when people are asking for it.

- What are your experiences with e-Learning in developing countries? Are people interested and where is the special advantage for participants esp. in Mongolia in e-Learning?

- We are very often facing the same situation: Partners are asking us to support them implementing e-learning. It's demand driven. And most important, it's not a question of “last mile” but of “first mile”. The partners want to be prepared for e-learning before potential participants are asking for it. Not all over the world the needed infrastructure is given. But e-learning is not only technology. More important is its methodology. That is why we often start implementing e-learning resources before going online.

The advantages are as simple as impressive: Supporting traditional forms of learning and teaching with new means of technology. Learning, communicating, and networking independent from time and space.

- Will the training topics and contents be "Mongolian contents" or international knowledge? How can international knowledge be applied in Mongolia?

- We train our partners to develop their own e-learning training courses. Therefore they are free to introduce their own content. On the other hand some of InWEnt's e-learning training courses are based on a open content license (creative commons license), and can be taken over by our partners, and freely adopted, e.g. our management training courses such as project management, consultancy, or decision making. These contents are based on international standards, and international knowledge, but need to be adopted by implementing local examples, scenarios and case studies.

Something personal: You have visited Mongolia in September for the first time. What was your impression? Will you come back?

- I have been working internationally for years, but never have found such a great hospitality as in Mongolia. Last time I had some time to explore the surrounding areas of UB, and it was most impressive too. I will come back, definitely!

- Are there any special advises or hints you would like to give the relevant authorities and decision makers in Mongolia regarding the e-
strategy of our country?

- Only one: Make e-learning a part of your national ICT policy. And, please support e-learning, and the right institution to establish it nationally, an institution that works as a transmitter and mediator between traditional and new forms in teaching and learning, support MnDG and MeK.

Thank you very much for the interesting interview.

For more information on InWEnt, please visit www.inwent.org or www.gc21.de for the Global Campus 21

  Resource:

  UB post, weekly english newspaper, No. 8(10), Apr 2007

 Zuunii medee, daily newspaper No.107(2555), May 3, 2007