Session 10

Co-operation in Learning: Distance Education in the Andes

Session Description:

Carol Stroud participated in a six-month volunteer work exchange in La Paz, Bolivia, between September 2005 and March 2006. The goal of the program was to build capacity in Canada and the South by promoting an exchange of skills and knowledge between individuals and organizations.

The need for the work exchange was established through the work of four partner organizations – two in Canada and two in Bolivia. The goal of the project was to develop a distance education delivery infrastructure for professional development courses to be taken by micro credit loans officers situated throughout rural Bolivia. The micro credit loans are for impoverished rural communities and rural women. The loans are intended to provide assistance in establishing improved agricultural processes and the development of small businesses. The ultimate result of the project is to assist in reducing poverty in one of poorest countries in the southern hemisphere.

This session will explain the steps followed in achieving the goals of the work exchange project in an environment that presented many political, social, economic, cultural and linguistic challenges.

And there will be many great pictures of beautiful Bolivia and its people – and a description of surviving a 3 hour trip along the “world’s most dangerous road”!

Presenter: Carol Stroud, MDE

Carol has been active in the field of Distance Education in Winnipeg since 2000. As an e-learning instructional designer, Carol has been involved in the design and development of web-based courses for academic institutions, professional associations, and commercial organizations. She is very experienced in the instructional design of courses for delivery using Learning Management Systems such as WebCT and Desire to Learn as well as proprietary commercial systems. Prior to her work as a private consultant and Program Officer in the Business and Management Studies in Distance Education at Red River College, Carol was employed as an Acquisition Editor and Online Course Development Specialist for U.S. based publisher Human Kinetics. Working in a telecommuting position from Winnipeg, Carol initiated and managed the overall development of the Distance Education Division’s web-based courses.

Carol completed her undergraduate studies at Ottawa University in 1997, earning a B.Sc. in Kinesiology. She graduated from Athabasca University in 2000, with an Advanced Graduate Diploma in Distance Education (Technology) (AGDDE(T)) and a Master of Distance Education (MDE) degree. She was co-winner of the Governing Council Scholarship for completion of studies with highest GPA upon graduation and received the Alberta Heritage Fund Graduate Scholarship in 1998 for academic excellence. In 2004, Carol completed a Web Design Certificate from the University of Winnipeg.