Communiqué to Education and Training Agencies

Context:
At one of the first conferences convened specifically to address issues of delivery of education across national boundaries, delegates concluded their discussions with an agreed-upon communiqué.

Source:
Thompson, Melody, ed. 1994. Communiqué to Education and Training Agencies from The International Distance Education Conference, The Pennsylvania State University, June 1994." In Melody Thompson, ed., Proceedings of Conference on Internationalism in Distance Education. University Park: The Pennsylvania State University, The American Center for the Study of Distance Education, 1994, 76–81.

Copyright:
Reproduced with permission.

The first conference on distance education in an international context declares that

It is in the interests of students and society to promote and facilitate distance education across national boundaries.

In support of this declaration the conference recommends that education and training agencies

• promote greater understanding of the cultural, linguistic, pedagogic, administrative, and technological issues associated with studying across national boundaries;

• develop strategies and financial support for further research and the effective dissemination of information about different approaches to distance education in an international context;

• place greater emphasis on minimizing barriers to participation in distance education across national boundaries, including those relating to transfer of course credits, academic calendar and schedule restrictions, and residency requirements;

• ensure that potential students have access to the databases listing distance education courses available to them from outside their country of residence;

• encourage the appointment of sufficient suitably trained and experienced senior staff in posts to develop and facilitate international collaboration;

• seek additional resources and more advantageous financial arrangements, including reallocation of existing resources, for the development of international distance education and for increased student participation in such education;

• initiate a review of the agencies, procedures, and strategies in place for promoting global co-operation in order to ensure their appropriateness for current needs and priorities;

• give careful consideration to the needs of underdeveloped nations and disadvantaged people and encourage their participation in international planning; and

• encourage further collaboration between educators, learners, international agencies, governments, and business and industry in order to develop effective partnerships for promoting accessible, effective distance education.

Please feel free to photocopy and distribute this document to relevant individuals or agencies.

For more information, please contact any member of the Communiqué Advisory Committee at the fax numbers listed below.

José Manuel Alvarez Manilla, Mexico	525 550 1801	Susan Clayton, UK	44 0272 255215
Satyanarayana Polu, India	91 0842 212822	Barbara Grabowski, USA	1 814 865 0128
Lalita Rajasingham, New Zealand	64 04 495 5235	Sonja Nilsen, Norway	47 22 564311
Michael G. Moore, USA	1 814 865 5878	Melody Thompson, USA	1 814 865 5878