1. SDLEARN.NET SDLEARN and Its Activities Buenafe R. Abdon 26 January 2006 21st APAN Meeting, Akihabara Convention Hall, Tokyo

2. SDLEARN.NET Who We Are? » Affiliate member of APAN » An independent nonprofit organization committed to the promotion of sustainable development » Consider agricultural professionals (knowledge intermediaries) as key players in bringing about needed behavioral changes at the farm level » Use eLearning to upgrade the skills and knowledge of target audience » Activities supported through donor contributions

3. SDLEARN.NET Collaborating Institutions » International Institute of Cambodia (IIC), Cambodia » Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, India » Govind Ballabh Pant University of Agriculture & Technology (GBPUAT), India » International Center for Soil Fertility & Agricultural Development (IFDC), USA » Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Research Network (MAFFIN), Japan

4. SDLEARN.NET SDLearn Activities » Continuing educational opportunities for agricultural educators/professionals in the GMS –Funding from Rockefeller Foundation in support of “Learning across boundaries” project - http://www.rockmekong.orghttp://www.rockmekong.org –Delivery of online courses on “Digital Literacy”, IPM & ISFM » Establishment of a distance learning program at the International Institute of Cambodia –Funding from Asia Foundation in support of “Community Information Centers” project –Program design –Teacher training (face-to-face and online) –Course development and implementation (Khmer)

5. SDLEARN.NET Provincial Business Education Project » Keen demand for access to higher education among rural youth and working adults » Major centers for post- secondary school education are mainly located in the capital city and therefore not viable options for many learners » Particular needs in rural Cambodia for business education » Existing network of Community Information Centers (CICs) provided ideal platform for delivering online courses

6. SDLEARN.NET SDLearn’s Involvement » Orientation of IIC administration and teaching staff » Develop faculty skills in designing and delivering online courses » Develop technical skills of IT support staff » Develop a learner/content management system capable of handling Khmer Unicode » Ensure reliable hosting for courses and course management system » Backstopping implementation of courses by IIC faculty

7. SDLEARN.NET Participation

8. SDLEARN.NET Key Outcomes » The project demonstrated it is possible to bridge the opportunity gap for higher education existing between Phnom Penh and provincial areas through online learning. » IIC successfully delivered two “semesters” of on-line business courses in Khmer for 250 students in five rural provinces » Development of an open source Khmer Unicode course/learner management platform » Evaluation: http://www.dot-com- alliance.org/newsletter/article.php ?article_id=141 http://www.dot-com- alliance.org/newsletter/article.php ?article_id=141