NZ Web site takes international trophy

By Adam Gifford

A New Zealand site which allows people anywhere in the world to take free lessons in information science and technology has won the life-long learning section of a prestigious international competition.

The Life Long Learning on the World Wide Web site at www.cit.ac.nz/smac/csware.htm is the creation of Brian Brown, principal lecturer in education technology at the Central Institute of Technology (CIT).

Mr Brown was on hand to receive his Global Bangemann Challenge trophy from the King of Sweden in a ceremony at the Nobel Hall in Stockholm on June 9.

In all there were 18 winners in 11 categories, drawn from 700 entries.

New Zealander Earl Mardle, who was one of the judges of the education section, says the awards were the initiative of European Commissioner Martin Bangemann, who in 1994 warned the EU it was failing to come to grips with the Internet revolution. He says the judges were looking for sites which make a real contribution to the information society.

"Some sites may have flash use of technology, but if they are not going to be widely used they don't get marked as high."

Mr Brown's site impressed judges, he says, because of the way CIT persisted with it after a rocky start five years ago when its original intention to be a site for other institutions to share course materials didn't work.

"They said, 'OK, it's still worth doing and we'll keep putting materials on line'.

"They also showed a commitment to providing accessible material, including disabled access. They show a really good approach without getting hung up in over-technical ideas and trying to make everything perfect," Mr Mardle says.

"What it get back might not have been obvious in the beginning, but it's now clear the CIT is getting international exposure and credibility it could not have got through advertising."

Mr Mardle says CIT management has been right behind the project after its chief executive, on a study visit to Canada, walked into a lab and discovered students logged onto the CIT site to supplement their own learning.

It now gets about 25,000 visitors a week. CIT pays for traffic and there is also support from Upper Hutt City.

Mr Brown says the information society places many new demands on its citizens, and learning its tools and technology is important for everyone.

From what he learned from the project, he advises site developers to start small.

"Develop material one piece at a time. Enable users to make comments and suggestions. Incorporate simple navigation with examples and interactive tests. Develop relationships with similar organisations to trial and test your work. Allocate adequate time for regular updating of the guides," Mr Brown says.

"Listen to feedback. Often, others suggest different ways of presenting the same information. People from other cultures and countries may see information differently. Letting others use your material is a good way to gain access to a much wider collective wisdom."