The challenge of HIV/AIDS: Where does agroforestry fit in? - World ...

160World Agroforestry into the FutureTable 4. Interest in different methods of e-learning.Method of ICT delivery Most useful method (%)News and current events about agroforestry research 32.5On-line databases of agroforestry information, including research papers and training materials 29.4On-line courses covering news and current events about agroforestry research 19.7On-line communities, using group e-mail and special web sites to share information with agroforestrypractitioners worldwide18.2Source: Tossel (2003).On-line communitiesVarious types of e-learning methods can becategorized as on-line communities. Theyrange in complexity from very simple listservesto more complex interactive conferencingor live chats. Recent workshops andcourses hosted by the Centre have usedon-line communities to give internationalcourse participants access to informationbefore the course (for example, backgroundinformation on course topics, preliminaryreading and contact informationof other participants). After the course, theon-line community can act as a venue forfollow-up discussion and resource sharing.The concept of the on-line community wastested after two Centre training courses andthe investigators found that most membersparticipated at least once, but problemswith Internet access limited the consistencyof participation.Developments in ICT allow CGIAR centresto work together when developing learningresources. This helps avoid overlapand duplication of effort in subject matter,such as experimental design, participatoryresearch, scientific writing, data analysisand training methods. Using software suchas MicroSoft SharePoint Team Services (seewww.microsoft.com/windowsserver2003/techinfo/sharepoint/wss.mspx) or Internetservices such as D Groups (see www.dgroups.org) gives research and resourceteams the ability to create and manageweb sites where they can communicate,share documents and work together ondeveloping training materials of mutualinterest, regardless of the physical locationof team members. Issues surroundingaccess to the server from different regionsprevents interregional collaboration due tobandwidth restrictions and varied Internetinfrastructure. D Groups was designed withlow bandwidth regions and limited Internetaccess in mind. It provides a service forinternational collaboration, provided theappropriate type of community is implemented,depending on where communitymembers are located. Communities can bebased on particular topics relevant to developingcountries. For example, a globalcommunity was formed to discuss the useof scenarios as a decision-making tool forcommunities located at the tropical forestmargins.In rural areas, on-line communities can beas simple as a listserve accessible throughan internet cafe or telecentre. Recent Centreactivities for teachers from eastern andsouthern Africa used listserves to follow upthe course and to share and exchange information.Most participating teachers werebased in rural areas with limited access tothe Internet. They overcame this by havingInternet-based e-mail addresses and usingInternet cafes in nearby cities. Thus, the onlinecommunity, in this context, suited theaudience and information could be shared.Virtual universitiesAdvances in ICT have allowed open anddistance learning universities to change theway they provide formal education. Correspondencecourses can now be deliveredvia radio, television, fax, telephone and theInternet. Virtual universities are an alternativeto open universities and administertheir courses over the Internet as interactiveweb sites, on-line seminars, e-mail discussions,CD-ROMs and on-line video conferencing.Many of these concepts are used inuniversities in developed countries and themodel is being adapted in an attempt toincrease access to education in developingcountries.The CGIAR centres have generated largeamounts of scientific knowledge, have theresource persons to impart such knowledgeand have contributed to the education of avast number of students. The CGIAR GlobalOpen Agriculture and Food University(GO–AFU) aims to extend collaboration