Elsevier

Computer Communications

Volume 26, Issue 5, 20 March 2003, Pages 481-486
Computer Communications

CARNet: educated users for effective utilisation of information technology

https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-3664(02)00171-8Get rights and content

Abstract

Croatian Academic and Research Network CARNet and University of Zagreb, University Computing Centre have been successfully co-operating in providing training in information technology for 8 years. Both institutions see this type of education as an absolute necessity in the academic and research community in the future, too. Enabling users to fully utilise both physical network and provided network services is the only way for them to benefit from the development of the technology. Only competent users can work with specialists on developing applications of information technology.

Introduction

Have you ever bought flowers over the Internet and sent them to your mother in Croatia, because her birthday is just on the day when you are on the conference on the other side of the world? Have you found an e-mail address of your old friend whose name you vaguely remember and asked him to come to the class reunion 20 or more years after graduation? Have you downloaded your favourite Beatles hit from Napster to your computer? Have you tried attending a virtual workshop with participants from 20 different countries that have never seen each other but are working together on group assignments? Have you set your computer clock according to the NTP server for the precise synchronisation? Is it easy? The answer is yes and no. Yes, if your eye is quick in finding the right buttons on the computer screen, yes if your fingertips are used to finding the right keys almost without looking, yes if the Internet is your tool in your everyday work. But, ‘No’ it is not easy if you only ever learned to use a pencil or a chalk and a blackboard or the typing machine at most. They showed you the Internet, but it looked like it is too much for you. The icons on the computer screen look confusing, the banners change at the frightening speed, your attention is drawn from one advert to another, and you forget what it is you are looking for.

You do not think you want to try again; it makes you feel stupid…. Unless somebody has the time and patience to show it to you slowly and if they would not use the casual language of computer freaks you cannot understand, then you might try again.

This is where Croatian Academic and Research Network CARNet with University Computing Centre (SRCE) are coming into the story. Both CARNet and SRCE are involved in a variety of activities such as network operations, security, monitoring, research and pilot projects. This list of activities also includes production and maintenance of the University information systems and services, infrastructure support to scientific research projects, publishing manuals, books and journals, maintenance of software required by the academic and research community. Nevertheless, both institutions see their role in giving adequate support to their users highly on the list of their priorities. As a way of pre-active support, training in information technology is available to the users from academic and research community free of charge, as the Government is financing it. This in a way compensates the lack of systematic training in information technology in the regular, compulsory education in Croatia.

Section snippets

Tradition of training in CARNet

SRCE and CARNet have been acting as partners in providing training courses for applications of IT since 1994. CARNet, being a government institution and an Internet Service Provider for academic and research community, acknowledged the experience gained in SRCE, where courses were held since its very beginning, and joined the operation. Education activities carried out in this partnership were reported on in several publications [1], [2]. The main points are repeated here and data presented for

Challenges

The statistics presented above showed that around 25,000 attendees received some form of training organised by CARNet and SRCE in the last 8 years. Although the number sounds high, when compared with other demographic information it is obvious that additional actions are needed [3]. Speaking about computer literacy, which is already becoming a pre-condition for further education, employability, social recognition, in Croatia we are speaking about a large number of people who should achieve at

Constant improvement policy

There is a strong awareness in CARNet of constant need for change and improvement in training system. As information technology is changing the content of training offered must change, and the tools (software and hardware) are different, too. Also, the knowledge, habits and needs of users alter with every new generation. At last, trainers themselves and the methods they use should be adjusted accordingly. Therefore, even if remaining is devoted to the established policy, which means keeping the

Establishment of the education centre for advanced applications of information technology—EDUCA2IT

CARNet's response to the required changes is establishing the Education Centre for Advanced Application of Information Technologies,2 where new ides are to be implemented. Reasons for this action were:

  • a need for one complete, organised and integral training system,

  • a demand coming from academic and scientific community for high quality training in new information technology, recognised by the same community,

  • a request for flexible system that can respond to present needs for

Training in the academic year 2000/2001

Establishing an education centre is a demanding task and is taking time. The process started in the summer 2000 has given first results during the academic year 2000/2001 (Fig. 4), but more is expected in the following year.

Conclusion

Based on the tradition of training in CARNet and permanent re-investigation of users needs and actions taken, training for information technologies will be needed in the years to come. Further development of training has to be planned while trying to keep up with technology development. Nevertheless, a large number of (potential) users who are not familiar with the Internet have to be taken into account and training for them provided for as long as this role is not taken by the regular

References (3)

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