Final Conclusion

In conclusion, I believe our decisions should be based on the sound research and resources that have been presented. Each category listed below should be evaluated within budgetary constraints to which option provides the best learning product using the most valid and accurate information available, that provides security and privacy that is in line with Coast Guard standards and that can reach all of the 40,000 Coast Guard members. Priority should be given to budget, quality, security and avialability of each option so that we can provide users of Coast Guard e-learning and the American taxpayer with the best value for their money.

Final Policy Briefing

Executive Summary

The U.S. Coast Guard is currently upgrading its General Military Training (GMT) curriculum from traditional, on-site classroom training to an online based, distance education program. There are four separate issues facing developers of this online delivery of instruction. These four issues are listed below:

1. Accessibility and the Digital Divide issues in the Coast Guard.
2. Use of copyrighted material and the determination of fair use policies in development of these courses.
3. The Accuracy and Validity of resources used in development of these courses.
4. The privacy and security of the online material used in the development of these courses.
   

All four of these issues must be addressed to ensure the success of the e-learning program. Oversights on any of these issues could lead to expensive litigation, ineffective training, wasted funding and time, and breaches of information. Careful consideration must be given for each option presented for each issue.

Access and the Digital Divide Overview

How do designers and developers ensure that these issues are addressed in the development of e-learning courses?

The development of General Military Training for the Coast Guard’s e-Learning system will no doubt include material that is retrieved from the World Wide Web. The issues that our designers and developers will be faced with will go a long what in determining the success of the e-learning program. Procedures and directives must be in place to ensure both design teams are adhering to standards. What follows are options that should be used to determine Coast Guard e-learning policies in reference to the issues listed above.
How do Access and the Digital Divide affect the performance of a distance education system? There are three issues that must be addressed, they are:

Access: The act of approaching or entering. In the context of distance training, access is our ability to ensure that all intended users have the ability to enter and use materials and technology required to participate in the training.

Digital Divide: The website below defines the term “digital divide” as it refers to the gap between those people with effective access to digital and information technology and those without access to it. The four population areas that are mostly affected by the imbalances in skills and resources to access digital information are:

• Socioeconomical (rich vs. poor).
• Racial (majority vs. minority).
• Generational (young vs. old).
• Geographical (urban vs. rural).
  

These elements make up the greatest differences in the digital divide and must be addressed.

For more on the Digital Divide see: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital_divide

Special Populations: These are the underserved population in the Digital Divide and include the economically disadvantaged, minorities, elderly, and those people who live in rural areas.

In the Coast Guard, we must pay particular attention to those personnel who fall into these special populations, not just at their home, but their access at work as well. The divide in the Coast Guard also encompasses the job type. Those who work aboard a ship (operational) may not have equal access to digital resources like those who work in an office building due to bandwidth restrictions and limited computers aboard cutters. This is similar to geographical elements of the digital divide. To truly harness the power of the digital revolution, our organization must develop training that can be accessed from home, work, or while traveling on assignment. Currently, all Coast Guard members and civilians employees have access to internet and intranet-connected standard workstations (computers). One issue will be to determine an effective solution(s) for reaching those members and employees that are underway or traveling away from their standard workstations. The second issue will be to develop a solution to overcome the major tenants of the Digital Divide listed above for home users of the distance training system.

Option #1 (at work)

Produce online distance training that is effective using low bandwidth communications technology. This will allow the training to be transmitted over shipboard satellite systems for use by crew aboard an underway cutter. The training would also be provided in a high bandwidth version and the user will have the choice of high or low bandwidth versions. This will enable the training to be delivered anytime, anywhere there is a computer with access to the internet. The disadvantages to this option would be high development costs since two versions of each distance training course would have to be developed. Also, low bandwidth versions would not provide media options for different learning types (visual, auditory, kinesthetic).

For those traveling, local Information Technology (IT) offices have a limited number of laptops for travel use. Commanding Officers should review their temporary assignment duty (TAD) schedules to ensure that the compliment of laptops meets the needs of the number of employees on TAD at any given time. If not, laptops should be procured through standard IT procedures to meet the needs of the TAD schedule. A number of wireless cellular cards should be purchased for those units that require internet access in the field or in remote areas (no hard line available). This will ensure that all personnel that are TAD have access to the distance training. The cost for these purchases should be relatively low and can be funded by the Coast Guard distance education initiative at Coast Guard Headquarters. Not all places where our personnel travel are covered by cellular internet, so this solution may not work in these areas. Training must be given to those TAD employees on how to access the internet and distance training from their laptops to ensure they have the skills to connect.

Option #2 (at work)

Produce a hi-bandwidth version of the distance training and provide a CD-ROM version of the training curriculum for personnel aboard underway cutters. The functionality can be set up so differences between CD-ROM and internet training would be invisible. This could be accomplished by instructing cutter IT personnel to load the training into the cutter local intranet. The only difference between the training would be in the web address. The advantages to this method would be the training would need to be developed in one version, but the distribution/broadcast of the training would be through different means (internet and CD-ROM). Students aboard the cutters would still have access to instructor and other students through asynchronous means (email). The disadvantages would be distance training version control. A system would need to be developed to ensure the training CD-ROM being used was the most current version available. Regularly scheduled updates must be known to the cutter’s educational officer so they can expect the updated training CD-ROMs and query the development team when the CD does not arrive. Another major advantage of this method is the CD-ROMs training can be loaded into the same laptops mentioned in Option #1. This will ensure that the training can be accessed no matter how remote the TAD location. Instructor/student or student/student communications would be nearly impossible for those personnel in remote locations.

For home users, the tenants of the digital divide (socioeconomic, racial, geographic, and generational) apply. Both options include motivational training that encourages and educates the special populations in the use of digital technology at home and at work. This addresses the some of the socioeconomic, racial, and generational elements of the divide.

Option #1 (at home)

Any proposed solution to closing the digital divide at the home of our members is to ensure access from home and the skills to connect to the training. Using the same laptop issuing program listed above, units could allow members without a home computer to sign out a laptop to use for completing training from home. These computers should be equipped with either option #1 (wireless card) or option #2 (CD-ROM) above. IT personnel should provide training and a job aid for connecting to distance training. This option provides a low cost solution to the Coast Guard and the member/employee as well as training for those personnel who are not familiar with connecting to the internet or the distance education program. One of the disadvantages to this option is when the unit experiences high TAD loads, or surge operations (such as hurricane relief), laptop availability will decrease or even disappear. This option will also suffer from the same disadvantages listed for option #1 and option #2 above for wireless and CD-ROMs.

Option #2 (at home)

The Coast Guard could provide subsidies for those without home computers. Using the Coast Guard exchange system, the Coast Guard could offer monetary compensation to those qualified members for purchasing a laptop or home computer and internet access. The advantages of this option are:
Cost sharing with the member would provide a low cost solution for the Coast Guard.
Purchasing through this program would take place solely through the Coast Guard Exchange System or the American Armed Forces Exchange System (http://www.aafes.com). These funds would assist the exchange system with lowering prices throughout the system by increasing profits.
The member will have a personal computer to use in other endeavors (education, personal business, communication, etc.), thus increasing knowledge, economics, and morale on the employees.
The major disadvantage of this program would be that the member would have to pay for a portion of the computer. The member may still not be able to afford a computer. Solutions for payment assistance would need to be researched to overcome this issue.

Copyright Overview

How does the use of protected (copyright) material affect the Coast Guard’s ability to design, develop and implement online training for its personnel? Does the Coast Guard have a claim to “fair use”?

The development of General Military Training for the Coast Guard’s e-Learning system will no doubt include material that is protected under U.S. copyright law. The issues we are confronted with is what effect these protections will have on the quality of the curriculum and can the government, a non-profit organization, claim fair use of limited protected material for educational use. The “fair use” question should be answered first. In the Coast Guard, designers, developers and trainers regularly develop training material to deliver to mass audience in monthly training sessions. The e-learning system looks to take this burden off these individuals by developing a standardized core of general military training. The bulk of this design and development will take place amongst two teams located at different ends of the country. Procedures and directives must be in place to ensure both teams are adhering to copyright laws and are consistent with their actions when using copyrighted materials. What follows are options that could be used to lead these design team in their use of copyrighted materials. Fair use, in law, applies to the government just as it applies to educational organizations. In practice, fair use in the government is much less common.

Option #1

All copyrighted material must have permission from the originator to be used in the development of GMT on the e-learning system. This would ensure proper use of copyright material and possibly prevent costly litigation against the Coast Guard. The downside to attaining permission for every copyrighted material included could mean expensive delays, higher costs, and less continuity in development leading to low morale of the developers.

Option #2

Develop the GMT for the e-Learning System using the necessary copyright materials. Since the Coast Guard fall under the government use of copyright material, “fair use” practices will apply. Utilize Coast Guard Legal Specialists to determine what material falls under “fair use” policies (See: http://www.cendi.gov/publications/04-8copyright.html#511). All other copyright material would require the permission of the originator for use in the e-Learning curriculum. This option could save the Coast Guard development time and royalty money, but could also cause unwanted litigation to determine if copyright material was infringed upon. If litigation were to occur, the process could be slower and more expensive than Option 1.

Option #3

The Coast Guard would refrain, when possible, from using any copyright material that it does not already have usage rights to. This would leave only a few instances of copyright material, to which the Coast Guard would seek permission to use this material from the originator. This would mean the Coast Guard development teams would design and develop the majority of the curriculum and media it will be delivered on. The benefits of this option are 1) litigation would be avoided, 2) Material developed would be usable in future module of the e-Learning system, 3) Project completion would be more predictable. The disadvantages to the option are 1) the learning experience may not be as effective as Options 1 & 2, obtain material rights will still come at an expense, 3) In house attempts to develop dynamic educational experiences may be poorly constructed because the developers would be out of the realm of expertise.


Accuracy and Validity Overview

The issue that our designers and developers are faced with is what constitutes accurate and validated internet information. Criteria must be established and promulgated to these designers and developers to ensure that (1) all information retrieve from the internet is accurate and valid and (2) this information has standardization criteria so that all information is judged fairly against the same criteria.

Option #1

Internet resources can only be used to overview a topic and discovery primary resource material. Only primary referenced material shall be used in the curriculum. This will ensure that all information contained within the e-learning curriculum is accurate and valid with primary references included in the implemented courses. This option could slow the development process as well as increase cost due to expanded research time and copyright purchases (see copyright summary).

Option #2

Allow only those internet resources that are primary resources. Other resources may be used only as to overview a subject. This will allow designers the option to use internet resources that are primary works. All other internet sources will be exclude in reference, but may be used to gain information about primary resourcing of information. This will ensure that the information in the curriculum is accurate and valid. This option, although more flexible than option 1, will be costly in time and money because research for information on primary subjects will require subscriptions to online libraries and databases. This option will still severely limit the use of the internet by our designers.

Option #3

Based upon the criteria developed in the moderated discussion on accuracy and validity, provide guidelines for accuracy and validity of internet resources to the designers. Resources would require approval from the administrator before use in the design. The criteria for validity and accuracy are included below:

• The domain extension (.edu, .gov, .com, .uk)
• Spelling and Grammar
• References
• As much about the author and his/her authority in the subject matter.
• Currency (date)
• Bias
• Quality of content

Also, the list of techniques for identifying these criteria (or lack thereof) shall be given to the designers. These are listed below:

• Distinguishing between Facts and Opinions
• Recognizing Generalization -Testing Hypotheses
• Weighing the Adequacy of Data and Evidence -Evaluating Persuasive Material
• Recognizing Persuasive Language -Identifying Biased and Slanted Writing
• Evaluating Arguments
• Asking Critical Questions

This option allows our designers more freedom to find accurate and valid resources at a lesser cost to our organization. It will also reduce time in the design and development stages because the resources will be only a few keystrokes away on the World Wide Web. The disadvantages to this option are that mistakes in judgment can be made and thus inaccurate or invalid information would be included in our design. This could bring discredit to our e-learning program and reduce user confidence in our curriculum.

Privacy and Security Overview

The privacy and security issues we face in Coast Guard e-learning lead us to several options. Our first decision is whether we should host the e-learning system on the World Wide Web or the Coast Guard intranet. Second, we need to decide what security and privacy standards to follow if we provide material on the World Wide Web.

Option #1

Post all learning material on the CG intranet. This would confine use of the material to personnel at CG standard workstations or utilizing remote access security (RAS) tokens. This option would provide the best security for our information and our personnel's personal information since all transactions would be conducted behind the vail of CG intranet security. Tracking usage could still be attained through the use of our LMS. On the other hand, this option would severely limit the amount of access our learners will have because they will either need to be physically at work, or have one of a few RAS tokens.

Option #2

The second option is to make our e-learning available on the World Wide Web. This would allow our e-learners the ability to access the learning material 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. To do this, the site would have to be password protected and a privacy document would have to be created. This document could be modeled after the Coast Guard global privacy policy.

References:

The Information Age. Online at: http://encyclopedia.thefreedictionary.com/Information+Age
The Rural Digital Divide. Online at: http://www.digitaldivide.net/articles/view.php?ArticleID=159
Economics and the Digital Divide. Online at: http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/features/2000/04-05wh.mspx
The Digital Divide. Online at: http://www.edutopia.org/digital-divide-where-we-are-todayhttp://uscg.mil/global/disclaim.asp
Limitations on exclusive rights; Fair Use. Online at http://www.copyright.gov/title17/92chap1.html#107
U.S. Copyright Office. Online at http://www.copyright.gov/fls/fl102.html
Use of Non-Government Copyrighted Works in a U.S. Government Work Online at: http://www.cendi.gov/publications/04-8copyright.html#511
Copyright Law and Fair Use. Online at http://www-sul.stanford.edu/cpyright.html
http://www.sc.edu/beaufort/library/pages/bones/lesson5.shtml
http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/TeachingLib/Guides/Internet/Evaluate.html
http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?artid=78996
http://www.lib.purdue.edu/ugrl/staff/sharkey/interneteval/accuracy1.html
http://www.accuracyproject.org/