e-Learning Study Trip Web Log

This is a short summary of the Swiss eLearning study group who visited several US Universities in May 2005. The tour was organized by Ulrich Gysel from the Swiss Embassy in Washington, D.C.

Sunday, May 22, 2005

Flight from Zurich to Boston Logan international airport. Connection flight to Detroit. Transfer to Ann Arbor.

Informal Dinner with Dr. Thomas Zurbuchen, Astrophysicist, University of Michigan

Monday, May 23, 2005

Visit of the James and Anne Duderstadt Center, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.

Presentation and discussion of several eLearning initiatives, such as eCollaboration, SAKAI, Google and Digital Library Production Service. With Dr. Dan Atkins ,founding Dean, and Olivia Frost.

Tuesday, May 24, 2005

Presentation and discussion of the vision and operation Pennsylvania State University, State College by Dr. Peter Foster, Associate Director Penn State University, Outreach.

Transfer to Washington, D.C.

Model for distance education and lifelong learning, University of Maryland University College, Washington D.C. Discussion with Dr. Theodore Stone, Acting Associate Provost, Office of Distance Education and Lifelong Learning ODELL.

Wednesday, May 25, 2005

Seminar at FDIC Seidman Center with different presentations, e.g. on collaborative learning, medical education, e-learning and e-science, SCORM and CORDRA. With representatives from George Mason University, Carnegie Mellon University, National Science Foundation, Defense Acquisition University and several firms.

Presentation and reception at the Swiss Embassy, Washington D.C.

Thursday, May 26, 2005

Flight to Boston, Transfer to Swiss House for Advanced Research and Education (SHARE).

Discussion with Elliot Masie about the future of eLearning, Presentation of the University of Massachusetts Online initiative, Public presentation of some Swiss eLearning initiatives.

Friday, May 27, 2005

Visit of MIT Media Lab. Presentations of the Open Knowledge Initiative (OKI), the SAKAI Project, and the MIT Open Courseware Initiative (OCW). With Vijay Kumar, Vice Provost.

Thursday, June 2, 2005

Meeting with Reinhold Steinbeck, Associate Director, Learning Design, Stanford Center for Innovations in Learning (SCIL), Stanford University.

Friday, June 3, 2005

Meeting with Jon Conhaim, Director of e-Berkeley program, University of California, Berkeley.