Elearning and Human Resource Development
Prof.Dr. Srisakdi Charmonman
Board Chairman and CEO, College of Internet Distance Education
Assumption University of Thailand
charm@ksc.au.edu
Abstract
As of the year 2006, there is no field of study in which eLearning is not used. For
example, it was said that eLearning could not be used in courses which required
laboratories or practices like nursing. However, the University of Phoenix in the US
offers eLearning in the field of nursing and there are over 4,000 students. Times
magazine stated that by the year 2020, eLearning will be in the main stream and
classroom learning the supporting part, i.e. more than 50% of learners will learn thru the
Internet and less than 50% will learn in the classrooms. Human resource development
may be done both thru formal education and short courses, either in the classroom mode
or the eLearning mode. A case study is Assumption University of Thailand which offers
degree programs majoring in Human Resource Development as well as short courses,
both in the classrooms and thru the Internet. In the year 2006, Assumption University has
about 20,000 students in the classrooms and about 300 students in the College of Internet
Distance Education. However, it has been announced that the number of eLearning
students at Assumption University will eventually be 100,000. This paper will present five
generations of distance education; definition of eLearning; sample trends of eLearning
such as EDUCAUSE Issues about eLearning in 2006, eLearning and International
Education in the Netherlands, Stanford’s new online high school, and legal requirement
to take eLearning; issues from Sloan Foundation report; a case study at Assumption
University; courseware development; podcast and vodcast; eLearning for K12; and
eLearning short courses and training.
1. Introduction
One of the best sources of information is www.google.com where there are over 8
billion entries. For example, searching for “charmonman”, over 15,000 entries
were found as shown in Figure 1. Clicking into <www.charm.ksc.au.edu> and to “List of
Publications” found more than 1,000 entries and over 50 of those publications are
1. Position Paper for the Panel Discussion on “Elearning: Towards a Learning Society”,
World Teacher Conference, Impact Muang Thong Thani, Bangkok, Thailand.
October 6, 2006.
2. Board Chaiman and CEO of the College of Internet Distance Education of
Assumption University of Thailand, President of the Computer Associatio n of
Thailand under the Royal Patronage of HM the King, President of Thailand Chapter
of the ACM, and President of Thailand Chapter of the Computer Society of the IEEE.
1
on eLearning [1-54]. Searching for “eLearning”, over 21 million entries were given as
shown in Figure2. Similarly, searching for “eLearning trends and issues gave over 2.5
million entries as shown in Figure 3. For “eLearning trends and issues 2006”, over 2.3
million entries were given as shown in Figure 4.
Figure 1. Over 15,000 entries
found when searching for
“Charmonman”
Figure 3. About 2.5 million entries
found when searching for
“eLearing trends and issues”
Figure 2. Over 21 million entries
found when searching for
“eLearning”
Figure 4. About 2.3 million entries
found when searching for
“eLearing trends and issues 2006”
Searching “define: human resource development” from Google as shown in
Figure 5, “An organized learning experience, conducted in a definite time period, to
increase the possibility of improving job performance and growth”. The organized
learning could be done in the classroom mode or in the eLearning mode. Searching
“Human Resource Development eLearning” yielded 10.6 million entries.
From about 2.3 million entries on eLearning trends and issues in the year 2006 as
shown in Figure 4. Only some of them will be discussed in this paper, namely, five
generations of distance education; definition of eLearning; sample trends of eLearning
such as EDUCAUSE Issues about eLearning in 2006, eLearning and International
Education in the Netherlands, Stanford’s new online high school, and legal requirement
to take eLearning; issues from Sloan Foundation report; a case study at Assumption
2
University; courseware development; podcast and vodcast; eLearning for K12; and
eLearning short courses and training.
Figure 5. HRD
Figure 6. HRD and eLearning
2. Five Generations of Distance Education
As shown in Figure 7, distance education or distance learning may be classified
into 5 generations. The first generation started in the late 1800’s and early 1900’s and
was known as “correspondence study” using postal mail. The students and instructors
communicated through writing and postal mail. Baltimore’s Calvert School was the first
elementary school and the University of Chicago was the first university to offer
correspondence study in the early 1900’s. As a matter of fact, this kind of distance
education can be offered through the Internet by using e-mail instead of the postal mail
which is referred to as “snail mail” to indicate its slow speed comparing to the Internet.
The second generation of distance education is the “Open Universities” which
started in 1970’s. The British Open University delivered the course information via radio
and television.
The philosophy of “anyone, anytime, anywhere” was adopted by open
universities, meaning that
 any person may enroll in courses without regard to prior experience or education,
 a student can begin and complete a course without time restrictions, and
 course work and study is done anywhere the student chooses.
The third generation of distance education started in 1980’s with videotape,
broadcast, satellite, and cable. Large organizations like the US Department of Defense
invested large sum of money to set up satellite network for training purposes. In 1981,
PBS Adult Learning Service (ALS) joined with 190 public television stations and about
2,000 colleges to offer over 80 telecourses for credit with enrollment of over 470,000
students. In addition to telecourses for college degree, ALS also offers more than 1,000
hours of satellite programming for professional development, adult literacy and other
distance learning topics.
The fourth generation of distance learning is “Web-based” or through the Internet.
By providing instructions via the World Wide Web, business travelers and students in
isolated areas can enjoy interactive classrooms no matter where they are and what time it
is.
3
First Generation

The Correspondence Model
Print
Second Generation
The Multimedia Model





Print
Audiotape
Videotape
Computer-based learning (e.g. CML/CAL)
Interactive video (disk and tape)




Third Generation
The Telelearning Model
Audioteleconferencing
Videoconferencing
Audiographic Communication
Broadcast TV/Radio and
Audioteleconferencing



Fourth Generation
The Web-based Learning Model
Interactive multimedia (IMM)
Internet-based access to WWW resources
Computer-mediated communication
Fifth Generation
The Internet Distance Education Model
 Interactive multimedia (IMM)
 Internet-based access to WWW resources
 All facilities of the Internet
Figure 7. Five Generation of Distance Education Models
The fifth generation of distance learning or “Internet Distance Education” offers
the potential to decrease significantly the cost of online learning and thereby increase
significantly access to education and training opportunities worldwide. The fifth
generation of distance education delivers a quantum leap in economy of scale and
associated cost-effectiveness. All existing and any new facilities of the Internet could be
used.
3. Definitions of eLearning
There are many definitions of eLearning. Searching for “define: elearning” from
Google, four sources were founded.
From <en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eleaarning>, “E-learning most often means an
approach to facilitate and enhance learning through the use of devices based on computer
4
and communications technology. Such devices would includepersonal computers,
CDROMs, Digital Television, P.D.A.s and Mobile Phones. Communications technology
enables the use of the Internet, email, discussion forums, and collaborative software.”
Figure 8. Definitions of eLearning
From the web <www.conferzone.com/resource/glossaryop.html>, “Online
Learning” is the same as “eLearning”. From the web <www.intelera.com/glossary.html>,
“Online Learning” has the same meaning as “eLearning”.
Another important definition of eLearning was given in the report “Growing by
Degrees: Online Education in the United States, 2005” released in November 2005.
Four types of learning were defined as shown in Table 1:
1) Traditional Learning. Course with no online technology used. Content is delivered
in writing or orally. Proportion of content delivered online is 0%.
2) Web-Facilitated Learning. Course which uses web-based technology to facilitate
what is essentially a face-to-face course. Use a course management system (CMS) or
web pages to post the syllabus and assignments. Proportion of content delivered
online is 1-29%.
3) Blended/Hybrid Learning. Course that blends online and face-to-face delivery.
Substantial proportion of the content is delivered online, typically uses online
discussions, and typically has some face-to-face meetings. Proportion of content
delivered online is 30-79%.
5
4) Online Learning or eLearning. A course where most of all of the content is
delivered online. Typically have no face-to-face meetings. Proportion of content
delivered online is 80-100%.
Table 1. Four Types of Distance Education
Proportion
of Content
Delivered
Online
Type of
Courses
0%
Traditional
1 to 29%
Web
Facilitated
30 to 79%
Blended/
Hybrid
80+ %
Online or
eLearning
Typical Description
Course with no online technology used. Content is
delivered in writing or orally.
Course which use web-based technology to facilitate
what is essentially a face-to-face course. Use a course
management system (CMS) or web pages to post the
syllabus and assignments, for example.
Course that blends online and face-to-face delivery.
Substantial proportion of the content is delivered
online, typically uses online discussions, and typically
has some face-to-face meetings.
A course where most of all of the content is delivered
online. Typically have no face-to-face meeting.
4. Sample Trends of eLearning
From about 2.3 million entries about “eLearning trends and issues 2006” as
shown in Figure 4, only samples will be given here, namely, EDUCAUSE Issues about
eLearning in 2006, eLearning and International Education in the Netherlands, Stanford’s
new online high school, and legal requirement to take eLearning.
4.1 EDUCAUSE Issues about eLearning in 2006. As shown in Figure
5. EDUCAUSE is “a nonprofit association whose mission is to advance higher education
by promoting the intelligent use of information technology”. Assumption University is a
member of EDUCAUSE. EDUCASE has established the 2006 EDUCAUSE Current
Issues Committee to select top-ten IT issues for the year 2006 and Issue #9 is “ELearning/Distributed Teaching and Learning”.
Figure 9. About EDUCAUSE
Figure 10. Top-Ten IT Issues for 2006
6
The 2006 EDUCAUSE Current Issues Committee stated that at the beginning
eLearning was an add-on to traditional education but by the year 2006 it has become a
mission-critical component of education. Sample critical questions for eLearning include
the followings:
 How will the changing demographics of students affect the delivery of education?
One answer is to use eLearning so that a student can study anywhere at his
convenience. For example, an eLearning student at the College of Internet
Distance Education of Assumption University is an airhostess. She could not go
to the regularly schedule class in the classroom mode. So, she enrolled in the
eLearning program and study at whatever airport she has to wait for the flight to
continue.
 How will eLearning respond to the integration of higher education, training, and
work? One answer is that eLearning can be used in all the 3 types of environment.
For example, at the College of Internet Distance Education of Assumption
University, an M.Sc. in Management require 36 credits or 12 of 3-credit courses.
A 3-credit course includes 45 hours. The 45 hours are divided into 3 of 15-hour
training program. A student who completes a 15-hour training program gets a
certificate. Once he completes 3 of the 15-hour training program, he gets another
certificate for completion of a 3-credit course. Once he completes the first 4 of the
3-credit courses, he gets another certificate for a 12-credit training program. Once
he completes the second 4 of the 3-credit courses, he gets a diploma. Once he
completes last 4 of the 3-credit courses, he gets the Master’s degree. All of those
certificates, diploma, and degree can be earned while he is working full-time.
 Where will eLearning fit in the institution’s attempt to expand its outreach to new
populations? One answer is that eLearning fits very well. For example, at
Assumption University, there are about 20,000 students from 69 countries. To
have more students in the classroom mode, the university would need a lot more
classrooms. In the eLearning mode, the university hopes to have 100,000 students
in the eLearning program, i.e. without building any more classrooms.
4.2 eLearning and International Education in the Netherlands.
From EDUCAUSE Quarterly, Volume 29, Number 2, 2006, there is an article about
eLearning and international education. It was said that from the year 2001 to 2006
eLearning has advanced significantly in Europe and that eLearning could play a key part
for new and better forms of international education.
In one case involving the course “Analyzing Digital Journalism”. There were
students from 3 countries. They are the Netherlands, Spain, and Sweden. Each student
was assigned to analyze the quality of 50-100 digital newspaper sites in their region.
They were required to appraise the sites’ interactivity, content, and usability. Three
international teams, each including students from the Netherlands, Spain, and Sweden.
The students stayed in their countries. They made collaborations entirely online,
by using video conference, ICQ chats, email, and phone calls. The students did not meet
face-to-face but they produced respectable reports.
In the Netherlands, eLearning has been used to attract foreign students. Video
conferencing used to be expensive and unreliable until the Internet came along and made
7
video conferencing cheap and simple and working well. To engage with foreign students,
a teacher need cultural knowledge which could be acquired thru the Internet. In summary,
eLearning in international education is challenging and promising.
4.3 Stanford’s New Online High School. From Google search, there is a
story that Stanford University is opening its virtual doors to 30 sophomores, juniors, and
seniors.
The high school is called “The Education Program for Gifted Youth Online High
School (EPGY-OHS)”. It is a 3-year, fully accredited independent high school which
grants diploma and provides education in the eLearning mode. It plans to enroll 300
students from around the world. The students are gifted in the sense that they can study at
the college level without high school diploma because they can gain knowledge by
themselves or home schooled.
To apply for a seat at the high school, an applicant must fill an 8-page form and
pay 50 US$ application fee and supply information about experience with online classes,
summer programs taken, academic competitions, extra-curricular activities, community
service hours, and an essay about himself.
The Stanford’s High School uses voice and share whiteboard conferencing
software to create a real-time interactive environment.
4.4 Legal Requirement to Take eLearning. The State of Michigan of
the US is the first to pass a law requiring every student to take at least one eLearning
course. The State Superintendent of Public Instruction and the State Board of Education
made a history by recommending a change in State law to require every Michigan student
to be able to meet the global demands of the 21st Century. In September 2005, the State
Board of Education commissioned the High School Graduation Task Force to research
the graduation requirements of 5 states, namely, Arkansas, Indiana, Massachusetts,
Oregon, and Rhode Island.
On December 13, 2005, the State Board of Education adopted a plan requiring
that all Michigan students cannot graduate with a Grade 12 certificate without completing
18 credits in English, Mathematics, Science, Social Studies, Visual and Performing Arts,
Health and Physical Education, and World Languages.
Bill Gates said in his February 2005 speech to the US governors that US high
schools are obsolete, “Training the workforce of tomorrow with the high schools of today
is like trying to teach kids about today’s computers on a 50-year-old mainframe. It’s the
wrong tool for the times. Our high schools were designed 50 years ago to meet the need
of another age…”
Effective April 2006, all Michigan students must take at least one eLearning
course to complete all the requirements for Grade12. Michigan Virtual University (MVU)
joined with Blackboard Inc. to deliver eLearning to 450,000 Michigan high school
students during the next 3 years thru Michigan Virtual High School (MVHS). MVHS is
the largest virtual high school in the US and earned accreditation in 2005. It was
established in 2000. It has supported over 23,000 course enrollments. It has also served
more than 125,000 students with online testing.
With Michigan passing a law requiring high school students to take at least one
eLearning course, other States will probably consider similar law. If the US Federal
8
Government passes a law to require eLearning, other countries may also have serious
consideration to compete.
5. Issues from Sloan Foundation Report
As shown in Figure 11, the Sloan Consortium is a consortium of institutions and
organizations committed to quality online education. Its purpose is to help educational
institutions improve quality, scale, and breadth of their eLearning programs. In
November 2005, Sloan Consortium released a report entitled “Growing by degrees:
Online Education in the United States, 2005”.
Figure 11. Sloan Consortium
The report was based on survey results from over 1,000 colleges and universities
in the US. Summary of results are given below:
5.1 Have the Course and Program Offerings in Online Education
Entered the Mainstream? The answer is definitely “Yes”:

65% of schools offering classroom-based graduate courses also offer graduate
courses in eLearning mode.
 63% of schools offering classroom-based under graduate courses also offer under
graduate courses in eLearning mode.
5.2 Who is Teaching Online? Staffing of eLearning courses does not come at
the expense of classroom-based staff:
 65% of higher education institutions use full-time classroom-based instructors to
teach in eLearning mode, while only 62% use full-time classroom-based
instructors in classroom mode.
 74% of public colleges use full-time classroom-based instructors to teach in
eLearning mode, while only 61% use full-time classroom-based instructors in
classroom mode.
9
5.3 Is Online Education Becoming Part of Long-Term Strategy for Most
Schools? There is a strong trend upwards in considering eLearning
as a part of long-term strategy:
 In 2005, 56% of schools identify eLearning as a critical long-term strategy,
compared to 49% in 2003.
 In 2005, 72% of Associates Degree institutions identify eLearning as a critical
long-term strategy, compared to 58% in 2003.
5.4 Have Online Enrollments Continued Their Rapid Growth?
Growth has continued at a good rate of 18.2%:
 Overall eLearning enrollment increased from 1.98 million in 2003 to 2.35 million
in 2004.
 eLearning enrollment growth rate is over 10 times that projected by the National
Center for Education Statistics for the general postsecondary student population.
5.5 What Else Do Chief Academic Officers and Faculty Believe About
Online Education? There are some good news:




It is no harder to evaluate eLearning course than classroom-based course.
It takes more effort to teach online.
64% believe that it takes more discipline for a student to succeed in eLearning
course.
82% believe that it is no more difficult to evaluate the quality of an eLearning
course than a classroom-based course.
6. A Case Study at Assumption University
Assumption University is the first university in Thailand to establish a collegelevel organization specifically to offer eLearning, the first university in Thailand to offer
complete eLearning degree programs, and the first university in the world to offer a Ph.D.
program in eLearning Methodology. The College is housed in a 15 US$ million building
named “Srisakdi Charmonman IT Center” as shown in Figure 12. Searching for “Ph.D.
eLearning Methodology” from Google resulted in the first five entries about Assumption
University as shown in Figure 13.
Figure 12. Srisakdi Charmonman
IT Center
Figure 13. Searching Google for
“PhD eLearning Methodology”
10
The author proposal to establish the College of Internet Distance Education was
approved by the Board of Trustees of Assumption University on April 25, 2002, with the
author as the Chairman of the Board and CEO of the College. The author also wrote the
first draft of the decree to legalize eLearning in Thailand which was later published in the
Royal Gazette in October 2005.
As of October 2006, the College of Internet Distance Education of Assumption
University offer four complete eLearning degree programs. They are Master of Science
in Management, Master of Science in Information and Communication Technology,
Master of Science in eLearning Methodology, and Ph.D. in eLearning Methodology.
The Master of Science in Management includes a major in Human Resource
Management. The courses available are:
MS6501
MS6502
MS6503
MS6504
MS6505
MS6506
MS6521
MS6522
MS6523
MS6524
MS6525
MS6526
MS6527
MS6528
Organization Management
Marketing Management
Financial Management
Operations Research
Research Methods
Strategic Management
Human Resource Management
Leadership and Interpersonal Dynamics
Organization Design and Behavior
Motivation and Productivity
Employee Development and Training
Negotiation
Advanced Topics in Human Resource Management
Seminar in HRM Management
7. Courseware Development
One of the most important parts of eLearning is courseware development. A question
which has been asked is whether or not to develop a new courseware. There are two main
types of eLearning, namely,
 short courses and training.
 university-level degree programs.
For short courses and training, new courseware should be developed for the large
number of students. When the number of students is large, the cost of producing the
courseware per student is very small and highly justified.
For university-level degree programs, the cost per student for the production of new
courseware depends on the number of students. If the number of students is small, the
cost per student may be high and not justifiable. In another words, a new courseware
should be developed for university-level program when the expected number of students
taking that course is high.
A courseware may be developed in a similar way to a software and thus the term
“courseware engineering” similar to “software engineering”. For example, the process
could be divided into 4 phrases:
 Problem Investigation or Analysis
11
 Planning or Design
 Development or Production
 Implementation and Evaluation or Testing
The MSc in Management program at the College of Internet Distance Education
of Assumption University is the first complete eLearning degree program offered in
Thailand. The College would like it to be the best and decided to develop new
courseware for 23 courses. Three parties played the key roles. They are (1) the content
expert, (2) the production team, and (3) the facilitating instructor.
The content expert has many functions. He has to create the course syllabus with
course description, course objectives, list of textbooks and journal articles, additional
reading materials, course assessment, and etc. He has to establish the contents of the
course and the powerpoint presentation. He has to deliver the lectures in the studio to be
videotaped and taped in voice. He has to create the handout for students to download. He
has to set up online activities. He has to define all activities such as exercises,
assignments, reports, quizzes and examinations. He has to set up assessment guidelines
for the facilitating instructor to follow. He has to develop many sets of examinations. He
has to provide a list of glossary. The College paid the content expert 180,000 baht per
course, totaling over 4 million baht for 23 courses in the MSc in Management program.
The production team includes instructional designer, video and audio technicians,
web programmers, web developers, etc. For the MSc in Management, several million
baht worth of services were provided by the production team.
Each facilitating instructor carries a teaching load of 3 sessions, each session with
not more than 40 students (comparing to the load of two sessions for a classroom-based
instructor). As the name implies, a facilitating instructor has to provide facilitation for the
students to study in the course. For example, the facilitating instructor has to post the
course announcements on the web, monitor the students’ participation, reply every email
from any student within 24 hours, comments on the reports, grade the assignments and
exams, etc.
The MSc in Management program needs about 30 students per term to breakeven.
If there are 100 students per term, the amount of income over expenses would be about
20 million bath per year.
The College of Internet Distance Education announced that MSc in eLearning
Methodology program would start in September 2006. If the program is in Thai language,
there would be more than 30 students per year. However, Assumption University is the
first international university in Thailand, i.e. English has been the medium of instruction
from the very beginning. Therefore, the MSc in eLearning Methodology has to be
conducted in English and the number of students would be less than 30 per term. So, it
was decided that new courseware would not be developed. Other alternative like textbook
or eBook would have to be used. For the meaning of eBook by searching Google for
“define: eBook”, “eBook is short for ‘electronic book’. eBooks can be downloaded and
read on an electronic device like a desktop or noteBook computer. eBooks are versatile,
portable and convenient.”
In courses where the contents do not change at all like Calculus, a new
courseware could be developed and used for years without any modification.
In courses where new contents, technology, methodology, and etc. are changing
real fast like courses on the subject of the Internet itself, by the time a new courseware is
12
developed, it is already obsolete. In this case, a textbook or eBook plus current articles
from academic journals may be more appropriate.
Successful virtual universities in the US, e.g. Jones International University which
was the first to be fully accredited and University of Phoenix do use textbooks in many
courses. Similar to the case of the classroom mode, the facilitating instructor announces
in the web for the students to read Chapter 1 of the textbook for Week 1, Chapter 2 of the
textbook for Week 2, and so on.
A lot of information about eBook are available. For example, instead of paying 50
US$ for a textbook, a student may pay 25 US$ to use an eBook for 6 months. The eBook
may include the text like in the textbook but in digital form, powerpoint presentation,
video clips, assignments, quizzes, and examination questions, etc.
8. Podcast and Vodcast
From <en.wikipedia.org/wiki/podcast>, “Podcasting” is a word derived from a
combination of Apple’s “iPod” and “broadcasting”. It is a method of publishing files to
the Internet, allowing users to subscribe to a feed and receive new files automatically by
subscription, usually at no cost. It first became popular in late 2004, used largely for
audio files.
From <en.wikipedia.org/wiki/vodcast>, “Vodcast” is an emerging term derived
from the audio “Podcast” and “Video” .
Stanford University was the first to make podcast of all lectures available to
students. Therefore, instead of listening to a lecture in the classroom only once, a student
can have the lecture stored in his “thumb drive” together with all his favorite songs. So,
he can listen to some songs, the lecture, the songs, and the lecture as many times as he
wishes. Listening to the lecture many times, he can remember it better and make a better
grade in his examination.
“Podcasting” is changing the face of instruction. It can be used to supplement the
lecture, and in some cases, even replace the lecture in the classroom.
With “podcasting”, it is convenient to automatically download and synchronize
digital audio files from the Internet to devices that can play digital audio files. The audio
files can be easily created with a computer and a microphone. What are needed to
download podcasts are Internet connection and some free software, such as Apple’s
iTunes. Howcever, the Apple’s iPod is not needed to listen to podcast. An alternative is to
use a computer with speakers or a device that can play the downloaded digital audio files.
“Vodcasts” are similar to “podcasts” except that vodcasts are video-based
podcasts. An appropriate digital video player installed on the computer can be used to
play a vodcast. For example, a computer with iTunes, QuickTime, or Windows Media
Player , or a portable digital video player, e.g. video iPod, would be acceptable.
In addition to using podcast and vodcast for the lecture, they can be used for many
educational purposes:
 Educational news
 Guess lectures
 Special interviews
 Student presentations
13
 Reading lessons
 Virtual field trips
 Tours
 Educational Recruiting
 Educational Marketing
There are many benefits in using podcast:
 Students can listen many times.
 Students can access the course contents any time and any place.
 Instead of reading text on screen, student feel better with audio and video
communication.
 Podcast can be used by the blind, and Vodcast by the deaf.
 Podcast and Vodcast are inexpensive to develop and to use.
9. eLearning for K12
In the US and Canada, K12 is used to refer to kindergarten to grade 12. Searching
Google for “K12 eLearning” resulted in 282,000 entries as shown in Figure 14. For
example, from the press release March 2, 2005 “Landmark Study Yields First-Ever Data
on Distance Education in Elementary and Secondary Schools” as shown in Figure 15:
Figure 14. K12 eLearning
Figure 15. K12 Distance Education
The survey results released in March 2005 were obtained from the year 20022003. Eighty percents of public school districts in the US said that the most important
reasons to provide distance education are:
 To offer courses not available in the classrooms at their school.
 To make college-level courses available to all students.
Other findings are:
 Distance education in high school are gaining popularity across the US.
 Distance education is more prevalent in rural districts, where distance learning
may be the students’ only available option.
 In 2002-2003, there were an estimated 328,000 enrollment in distance
education course among students regularly enrolled in the classroom mode.
14
 Of the total enrollment in distance education courses, 68% were in high
schools, 29% in combined or ungraded school, 2% in middle or junior high
school, and 1% in elementary school.
Figure 16. Searching
“Virtual School 2006”
Figure 17. 2006 Virtual School
Symposium
Searching for “Virtual School 2006” from Google yielded 106 million entries as
shown in Figure 16. For example, there will be the “2006 Virtual School Symposium”
with the theme of “Next Generation Education: Redesign Powered by Online Learning”
as shown in Figure 17. The curricular offerings to be discussed at the symposium are:










College-prep online high school courses
Advanced Placement (AP) classes
English as a second language (ESL) courses
Math and Science courses with qualified teachers
Credit recovery opportunities
Summer school
Foreign languages
Professional development and teacher training
Customized curriculum
Hundreds of rigorous academic courses for K–12
10. eLearning Short Courses and Training
Searching for “eLearning Short Courses and Training” from Google yielded 3.08
million entries as shown in Figure 18. There are many organizations offering eLearning
short courses and training. There are many eLearning companies providing all kinds of
short courses and training. Learned societies also offer eLearning services to members,
usually free of charge. For example, most of the computer-related societies offer
computer-related short courses. The author of this paper is the founding President of the
Computer Society of the IEEE Thailand Chapter which is located at Srisakdi
Charmonman IT Center of Assumption University.
15
As shown in Figure 17, the Computer Society of the Institute of Electrical and
Electronics Engineers offers free access to 800 course modules covering Java, Cisco,
UNIX, Microsoft, Oracle, XML, and etc. A partial list of courses by subject is given
below:






Business Strategy
Databases
IP Communications
Management
Programming Languages
Security
Figure 16. eLearning
Short Courses and Training
 CISCO Networks
 Desktop
 Leadership
 Operating Systems
 Project Management
 XML
Figure 17. IEEE Computer Society
eLearning Short Courses
10. Concluding Remarks
Human resource is one of the most important factors for the success of any
organization. New knowledge and techniques are occurring all the time. Therefore, one
must be retrained from time to time in order to be retained in his job. Education and
training may be done either in the classrooms or in the eLearning mode. The eLearning
mode also makes it convenient for lifelong learning. This paper presented five
generations of distance education; definition of eLearning; sample trends of eLearning
such as EDUCAUSE Issues about eLearning in 2006, eLearning and International
Education in the Netherlands, Stanford’s new online high school, and legal requirement
to take eLearning; issues from Sloan Foundation report; a case study at Assumption
University; courseware development; podcast and vodcast; eLearning for K12; and
eLearning short courses and training. More information related to eLearning and human
resource development may be found by searching Google, and all parties should do so in
order to prepare themselves to make significant contributions for the benefits of all
concerned.
16
References.
1. Charmonman, S. “Computer and Information Technology”. United Nations Asian and
Pacific Development Institute Seminar on Information for Development Planning.
Pattaya, Thailand. January 1978.
2. Charmonman, S. “State of Computer Technology in Thailand in 1980”. Final Report of
Unesco Regional Meeting of Computer Center Directors in Southeast Asia. Jakarta,
Indonesia. October 20-24, 1980.
3. Charmonman, S. “Informatics for Development in Thailand”. ICID/Unesco Consultative
Meeting. Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. October 1982.
4. Charmonman, S. “Computer Hardware, Software and Peopleware: Selection and
Maintenance for Library Applications”. Proceedings of the Sixth Congress of Southeast
Asian Librarians. Singapore. 30 May - 3 June 1983.
5. Charmonman, S. “Computers for Education in Thailand”. Unesco-Asia Electronic Union
Workshop in Computer-Assisted Instruction. Jakarta, Indonesia. October 1983.
6. Charmonman, S. “Computer Laboratories in Thailand and Their Needs”. Final Report to
USAID. August 1984.
7. Charmonman, S. “The Merger of Informatic and Telecommunication: Development and
Prospects for the Future”. Proceedings of the Joint Thai, IDRC, UNCTC, and IBI Asean
Regional Seminar on Transborder Data Flow Impacts. 1987 Special Issue of ABAC
Journal. 1987.
8. Charmonman, S. “Transborder Data Flows and Thailand”. Final Report of a Project
Supported by IDRC. Published by United Nations Center on Transitional Corporations.
1987.
9. Charmonman, S. “Computer Educational Software in Thailand”. Unesco Asia and
Pacific Seminar in Educational Software Development, Evaluation and Dissemination.
Tokyo, Japan. 12-22 September 1988.
10. Charmonman, S.
“Telecommunications in Thailand”. Presented to the Pacific
Telecommunication Conference. Tokyo, Japan. October 1988.
11. Charmonman, S. and Pin-Ngem, O. “Reasoning under Dynamic Knowledge Base with
Application to Traffic Routing”. Proceedings of the ‘93 Korea/Japan Joint Conference on
Expert Systems, Seoul, Korea, February 1993. pp. 268-277.
12. Charmonman, S. and Chiraphadhakul, S. “Computer Human Resource Planning for a
Developing Country”. Proceedings of the 1993 ACM SIGCPR Conference, St. Louis,
Mo., USA, April 1993. ACM Press, pp.370-378.
13. Charmonman, S. and Bijaisoradat, N. A “Decision Support System for Nursing Care”.
Pacific Conference on Information Systems, Taiwan, R.O.C., May 1993.
14. Charmonman, S. “The Internet and AUnet Proposal”. Submitted to and Approved by the
Board of Trustees, Assumption University, Thailand. August 1993.
15. Charmonman, S. “Internet to be Compulsory at ABAC in 1994”. Ku-Kang Durakit
(Business Competitions) Weekly Magazine, 11-17 October 1993, p35.
16. Charmonman, S. “Internet Computer Access in Thailand”. International Conference in
Globalization of Computers and Communications. UNESCO, Bombay. 25-27 November
1993.
17. Charmonman, S. Network Formation in Thailand in Telecommunication in the Pacific
Basin, edited by Eli Noam, et.el., Oxford University Press, 1994, pp.201-216.
17
18. Charmonman, S.; Anaraki, F.; and Nalwa-Sehgal, V. The ABCs of the Internet.
Assumption University Press, 1994, 186 pp.
19. Charmonman, S. and Anaraki, F. “An Internet Project for 100,000 Users in Thailand”,
Proceedings of INET’94, organized by the Internet Society, held in Prague, the Czech
Republic, June 15-17, 1994, pp. 434.1 - 434.9.
20. Charmonman, S. “KSC: The First and Largest Commercial ISP in Thailand”. Invited
paper presented to Asia Pacific Carrier & ISP Executive Forum, Phuket, Thailand. March
10-11, 1999.
21. Charmonman, S. “Internet Market Situation in Thailand”. Invited paper presented to the
Workshop on Internet Policy and E-Commerce organized by Asia-Pacific
Telecommunity, Hua Hin, May 11-13, 1999.
22. Charmonman, S. and Rear Admiral Sribhadung P. “Internet Industry in Thailand 1999”.
Invited paper presented at the 1st International Asia-Pacific Telecommuni-cations Forum,
28-29th Oct. 1999, ETRI, Taejon, Korea.
23. Charmonman, S. and Chorpothong, S. “E-Learning for Human Resource Development”,
a paper presented to Thai Telephone and Telecommunications Public Co., Ltd. Annual
Seminar at HR Training Center of TT&T, Ayutthaya Province. December 8, 2000.
24. Charmonman, S. and Chorpothong, S. “Internet for Searching of Intellectual
Property Information”, a paper presented to the Seminar “Internet and Intellectual
Property”, organized by Assumption University and Thailand Internet
Association.
March 5, 2001.
25. Charmonman, S. and Chorpothong, S. “E-Education”, a paper presented to the
Seminar “Education Technology in the Future”, organized by King Mongkut's
University of Technology Thonburi. March 9, 2001.
26. Charmonman, S. and Chorpothong, S. “E-Commerce Law”, a paper presented to
“Assistant Judges Training Program” organized by the Judicial Training Institute. March
30, 2001.
27. Charmonman, S. and Chorpothong, S “Mobile Internet”, a paper presented to “CITE
2001” organized by NCC Management and Development Co., Ltd. at Queen Sirikit’s
National Convention Center, Thailand. March 30, 2001.
28. Charmonman, S. and Chorpothong, S. “Asian Family Adjustment to Information
Technology”. Invited Paper present to “Asian Youth Forum” organized by the Student
Union of Assumption University in co-operation with UNESCO at Assumption
University Bangna Campus on May 22, 2001.
29. Charmonman, S. and Chorpothong, S. “Internet Security Solution for E-Business” Panel
discussion organized by Asia Pacific Technology Co., Ltd. at Sofitel Hotel. June 28,
2001.
30. Charmonman, S. and Chorpothong, S. “Copyright Violation in E-Commerce”, Micro
Computer Magazine, Volume 19, No. 193, August 2001.
31. Charmonman, S. and Chorpothong, S. “Electronic Communication: An Evolving Tool in
Teaching”. Invited paper presented to “International Perspectives on Learning Skills
Development” at the Hall of Fame, Assumption University, September 8, 2001.
32. Charmonman, S. and Chorpothong, S. “Intellectual Property Rights and the Internet”,
Training Program organized by the Law Society of Thailand, October 28, 2001.
33. Charmonman, S. and Chorpothong, S. “Intellectual Property Rights and the Internet”,
Training Program Batch 1 organized by the Bar Society of Thailand, October 28, 2001.
18
34. Charmonman, S. and Chorpothong, S. “Graduate Study in the Future”, a paper presented
to seminar in “Graduate School Efficiency in Thailand for the Next Ten years”, organized
by Rangsit University, November 15, 2001.
35. Charmonman, S. and Chorpothong, S. “E-Learning as a Revolution in Education”,
St. John University. December 12, 2001.
36. Charmonman, S. and Chorpothong, S. “E-Learning as a Revolution in Education”,
St. John University. December 12, 2001.
37. Charmonman, S. and Chorpothong, S. “IT Jobs in the Digital Economy”, Thammasat
University and Standard Chartered Nakornthon Bank, Thammasat University. January
14, 2002.
38. Charmonman, S and Chorpothong, S. “Computer Network and Educational Reform”,
a paper presented to the “Graduate School Seminar”, organized by Sukhothai
Thammathirat University, April 6, 2002
39. Charmonman, S. and Chorpothong, N. “IT in University Registrar Office” Invited paper
presented to the Seminar on “MIS in University Registrar Offices”. Lotus Hotel, Chiang
Mai, Thailand. 25 March 2004.
40. Charmonman S. and Chorpothong, N. Accreditation of eLearning Degree. Proceedings
of the International Conference on eLearning for Knowledge-based Society. Bangkok,
Thailand. August 4-5, 2004. Pp. 235-241.
41. Charmonman, S. Cross-accreditation of eLearning Degree. Presented to the
Inaugural TELMIN-e-ABC Meeting, Shangri-La Hotel, Thailand. August 5, 2004.
42. Charmonman S. Will eLearning Swing Up or Down. Invited Luncheon Talk at the
Second International Conference on eLearning for Knowledge-based Society. Bangkok,
Thailand. August 4-7, 2005.
43. Charmonman, S. University-Level eLearning in ASEAN. Proceedings of the Second
International Conference on eLearning for Knowledge-based Society. Bangkok,
Thailand. August 4-7, 2005. Pp. 11.1-11.5.
44. Charmonman, S. "Leadership Reflection in ICT in Education in Asia". Keynote Address
presented to Digital Learning Asia 2006, organized by the Ministry of Information and
Communication Technology and the Ministry of Education of Thailand, SEAMEO, and
SIPA, at Rama Garden Hotel and Resort, Bangkok, Thailand. April 27, 2006.
45. Charmonman, S. “Success Factors in Cyber Education”. Invited to be Guest Speaker in
Session presented to “Digital Learning Asia 2006”, organized by Southeast Asian
Ministers of Education Organization (SEAMEO), at Rama Garden Hotel and Resort,
Bangkok, Thailand. April 28, 2006.
46. Charmonman, S. “Autonomous Systems and IP in Thai Universities”. A paper for the
Panel Discussion on "Thailand IPv6 Status, Deployment, Applications, and Policy", at
Thailand IPv6 Summit, Sofitel Central Plaza Hotel, Bangkok, Thailand, May 4, 2006.
47. Charmonman, S. "What Thailand Should Do to Promote Knowledge Economy?". A
paper for the Session chaired by S. Charmonman on "Information Technology in Japan
and Lessions for Thailand". Organized by the Office of National Economic and Social
Development Board of Thailand and the World Bank, Four Seasons Hotel, Bangkok,
Thailand, May 19, 2006.
48. Charmonman, S. “Assumption University is the Leader of eLearning in Thailand in the
Year 2006”. Invited to be Guest Speaker in Session to presented to “Annual Faculty
Seminar 2006", Assumption University at Assumption University Bangna Campus, May
22, 2006.
19
49. Charmonman, S. "University-Level eLearning in ASEAN and Thailand". Invited paper
presented to Euro-Southeast Asia 2006 Forum on Information Society-EUSAEA2006,
Shangri-La Hotel & Convention Center, Singapore. June 20, 2006.
50. Charmonman, S. and Chorpothong, N. "To Develop or Not to Develop New Courseware
for University-Level eLearning". Keynote Address, Proceedings of the Third
International Conference on eLearning for Knowledge-Based Society (Special Issue of
IJCIM, Volume 14, No. SP1), organized by the Ministry of Information and
Communication Technology, at IMPACT Muaung Thong Thani, Thailand. August 3,
2006.
51. Charmonman, S. "Trends and Issues in Open and Distance Learning". An Invited Paper
for the 9th SEAMOLEC Governing Board Meeting, Hanoi, Vietnam. September 13,
2006.
52. Charmonman, S. "Open and Distance Learning Policy". Keynote Address presented to
the International Seminar on “Policies and Technologies in ODL: Issues and
Implementation”, Hanoi, Vietnam. September 14, 2006.
53. Charmonman, S. “Customizing eLearning to Local Realities”. Invited Paper presented to
the “Asia-Europe Colloquy on University Co-operation” with the theme “e-Learning for
Higher Education: Challenges and Opportunities”, Seoul, Korea, 24-28 September 2006.
54. Chorpothong, N. and Charmonman, S. “University Curricula for IT Related Human
Resource Development”. Invited paper presented to “Workshop on e-ASEAN
Implementation”. Assumption University. March 5, 2002.
55. Chorpothong, N. and Charmonman, S. “IT and E-Learning in Thailand.” Invited paper
presented to IT Management Program, 2002, “e-Learning Utilization in Southeast Asia”
organized by the Center of the International Cooperation for Computerization. Tokyo,
Japan, July 22-27, 2002.
56. Chorpothong, N. and Charmonman, S. “Information Technology” Invited paper
presented to “R & D in Hospital and Future Trends of Information Technology
(in Management Perspectives)” at the Hotel Dining Hall, Assumption University
Bang Na Campus on May 21, 2003.
57. Chorpothong, N. and Charmonman S. An eLearning Project for 100,000 Students per
Year in Thailand. Proceedings of the International Conference on eLearning for
Knowledge-based Society. Bangkok, Thailand. August 4-5, 2004. Pp. 111-118.
20
Short Version of CV for Prof.Dr.Srisakdi Charmonman
Professor Dr.Srisakdi Charmonman has extensive and well-rounded experience in
education, business, government, and learned societies.
In education, he is the first Thai national to earn a Ph.D. in computer-related area
and that was from Georgia Institute of Technology in the US in 1964. Then he became
Assistant Professor of Computer Science at McMaster University in Canada, Associate
Professor of Computing Science at the University of Alberta-Edmonton in Canada,
Director of Graduate Studies in Computer Science at the University of MissouriColumbia in the US, Full Professor of Computer Science at the State University of New
York at Brockport in the US, Professor of Applied Statistics and President of the Staff
Association at the National Institute of Development Administration (NIDA) in Thailand,
Professor of Computer Engineering and President of the Faculty Council at King
Mongkut’s Institute of Technology Ladkrabang in Thailand, and Professor of Computer
Engineering, Chairman of the Boards of the computer-related Ph.D. and MS programs,
Founder and Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the College of
Internet Distance Education (www.eLearning.au.edu), and Founder and Chairman of
ABAC Poll (www.abacpoll.com) Research Center of Assumption University of Thailand.
Prof.Srisakdi Charmonman has over 900 publications, lectured in more than 30 countries
and served as Director of Grants from many organizations such as the Canadian National
Research Council, the US National Science Foundation (NSF), the NSF-CBMS
(Conference Board of Mathematical Sciences), IDRC (International Development
Research Centre), UNCTC (United Nations Center for Transnational Corporation),
UNESCO, Ford Foundation, Asia Foundation, etc.
In business, Prof.Srisakdi Charmonman was Chairman of Computer Professional
Services Co., Ltd. providing consulting services to many organizations such as BAHINT
(Booze, Allen and Hamilton International) in the Metro Water Work project, and Siam
Commercial Bank in the project to computerize the bank for the first time. He was
Chairman of ASK Consulting Group providing consulting services to companies with
loan from Bangkok Bank such as Thai Garment Industry. He was Founder and Chairman
of KSC which was the first and largest ISP (Internet Service Provider) in Thailand. He is
the Chairman of the Charmingmall Group including Charmingmall Co., Ltd. and ABACKSC Internet Education Co., Ltd. KSC was once valued at one billion US$ but could not
get that price because the DOT Com business collapsed worldwide.
In government, Prof. Srisakdi Charmonman was one of the few highest-ranking
civil servants, i.e. C11 (the same rank as the highest-ranking Permanent Secretary in any
Ministry, the same rank as Field Marshal in the armed forces, one rank higher than the
Provincial Governors) and stayed in that rank for 11 years (longer than most other civil
servants). He was Chairman of the Computer Working Group at the Office of the Prime
Minister, Chairman of the Committee to Use the Internet to Display Traffic Conditions at
the Office of the Prime Minister, Member of the University Civil Service Commission
chaired by the Prime Minister, IT Expert in the Committee to Integrate and Revolutionize
the National Records chaired by the Prime Minister, Deputy Chairman of the
Extraordinary Committee on Copyrights of the House of Representatives, Chairman of
five Subcommittees on National Professional Standards at the Ministry of Labor, Director
of eCommerce Pilot Project and Chairman of the Committee on Specifications of
21
eRegistration Project at the Ministry of Commerce, Expert Member of the National
Copyright Committee, Chairman of the Subcommittee on Software Copyright in the
National Copyright Committee, Chairman of the Committee to Establish Rules and
Regulations for Thai Font Software Contest (Resulting in 3 ancient Thai Fonts: Srisakdi
Font, Charmonman Font, and Charm of Au Font), President of the Club of the Associate
Judges of the Central Intellectual Properties and Int ernational Trade Court, etc.
In learned societies, Prof.Dr.Srisakdi Charmonman was a Founding Member of
the Special Interest Group of University Computer Centers of the ACM (Association for
Computing Machinery) in 1962, Vice President and Seminar Chairman of the Rochester
Chapter of the ACM, Founder and President of Thailand Chapter of the ACM, Founder
and President of Thailand Joint Chapter of the Computer Society and the Engineering
Management Society of the IEEE (Institute of Electronic and Electrical Engineers),
Founder and President of Thailand Chapter of ISOC (Internet Society), Founder and
President of the Thai Internet Association, Founder and President of ATII (Association of
Thai Internet Industry), Founder and President of Asia-Pacific eLearning Association,
Former President of the Computer Association of Thailand under the Royal Patronage of
HM the King. He was also elected one of the 5 Directors of APNIC (Asia-Pacific
Network Information Center), one of the 15 members of the Board of Trustees of ISOC,
and one of the 10 members of the Board of Trustees of IFIP (International Federation for
Information Processing).
Prof.Dr.Srisakdi Charmonman was named Asian Computer Man of the Year
1981 and appeared on the front cover of Computer-Asia magazine published in Hong
Kong. He was named Father of the Internet in Thailand by Bangkok Post and several
other publications. He was named Man of the Year in 1996 and 1997 by GM Magazine,
and Person of the Year 2004 by EconNews (Vol. 15, No. 449, September 2004), Man of
the Year 2004 by the American Biographical Institute based on his outstanding
accomplishments to date and the noble example he has set for his peers and entire
community. On 7 June 2006, the Illuminated Diploma of Honour was given to him by the
International Biographical Centre of Cambridge in England in recognition of outstanding
achievements as the Father of Thai E-Learning. On 17 July 2006, the Meritorious
Decoration was given to him by The International Biographical Centre of Cambridge in
England for an Outstanding Contribution as the Father of Thai E-Learning.
Assumption University of Thailand honored Prof.Dr.Srisakdi Charmonman by
constructing a 15 US$ million, 12-floor and 12,000 square-meter building with more than
1,000 computers opened by HRH Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn in August 2004 to be
one of the best IT centers in the world. The building was named “Srisakdi Charmonman
IT Center (www.scBuilding.info) ” and declared “Center of Excellence in IT Education”
by the Ministry of Information and Communications Technology of Thailand.
For the full version of the CV, please see <www.charm.au.edu>.
Email: charm@ksc.au.edu
Mobile: 6681-621-4526
Tel: 662-723-2925 – 6
Fax: 662-723-2927 – 8
22