[LINK] Sneakernet rules

[Chris Johnson]

On  Tue, 22 Mar 2016 10:32:01 +1100 TomW wrote:

> TomW wrote
> On 20/03/16 10:25, JanW wrote:
>
>> At 10:03 AM 20/03/2016, Tom Worthington wrote:
>>> .... When I signed up for a DE Masters of Education, one questions
>>> on the enrollment form asked was if I was a prisoner.
>>
>> You do understand why they ask that question, don't you? ...
>
> No. It may be the institution has special procedures for
> students who are prisoners.

The reason is that prisoners are not in general allowed internet access.
The prisons make the rules, NOT the institution. I ran a program that
included federal prisoners taking distance ed classes pre-internet. We
managed to include them in phone conference classes JUST delivered to
them as a group, with the teacher not having to travel to the facility.
It was a challenge. But to put prisoners on the net? No way. They could
take face to face classes delivered in the prison. It's too long ago to
remember if they could take other forms we offered.

> I only discovered last week they have a separate cohort for Greek
students (because there is a Greek campus). As far as I know I am the
only Australian in the program and so get put in the group with the
North Americans.

> Since it appears you were in with students in the US, this is why - it would be a standard question there.
> 
> Jan

USQ has a large research/delivery contract for education in prisons in
Queensland. It's still in terms of "digital learning without access to
the Internet" - but it's digital.
See Helen Farley's research projects page at
<http://www.usq.edu.au/research/research-at-usq/institutes-centres/adfi/team/helen-farley>.
"Digital learning without internet access: The Learning Management
System (LMS) is almost always central to the e-learning landscape of a
university. This reliance on the LMS presupposes access to ubiquitous
connectivity. With some 61% of the world’s population without any access
to the internet, this assumption can’t be made. Helen envisaged a
version of the LMS that didn’t rely on an internet connection and has
worked with colleagues to develop the USQ OffLine StudyDesk. This allows
those people without internet access, access to the digital learning
possibilities afforded by e-learning through the LMS. It is currently
deployed in eight correctional centres across Australia."
-- 
Chris Johnson
onetime Interim Director, Digital Futures CRN (USQ, ANU, UniSA)