RELATED

RELATED was funded in 1997, it is a community of universities which collaboratively work in the development, use and evaluation of Technology Enhanced Learning (TEL) environments for the advancement of public education in Latin America.

RELATED is actually conducted by an executive committee composed by representatives from Carnegie Mellon University (CMU), Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile (PUC-Chile), Escuela Superior Politécnica del Litoral, Ecuador (ESPOL), and Instituto Iecnológico de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey, México (ITESM).

One of the main products of RELATED is the ATEES Diploma program for educators and managers, focused on the development of sustainable TEL projects in primary and secondary education throughout Latin America. ATEES has been delivered by RELATED in several Latin American countries, as a B-Learning program since 2000, with the support from Ford Foundation, Hewlett Foundation and participating universities.

Since 2009, RELATED is working in a project for enhancing learning of Math, through a Cognitive Tutoring Systems for secondary schools in Latin America. A technology developed in Carnegie Mellon that behaves as a tutor, allowing students follow a self-paced approach, and sequentially tackle progressively more difficult tasks and freeing up teacher time to work with slower students and on more difficult problems.
 

Overall Objectives of RELATED

	• Improve the quality of primary and secondary education for underserved populations in Latin America (L.A.).
	• Create new opportunities through education to reduce poverty and improve economic development.
	• Demonstrate (by example and assessment) the usefulness of technology enhanced learning (TEL) to improve quality and to expand educational opportunities.
	• Empower primary and secondary school teachers with the appropriate use and development of technology enriched teaching-learning environments.
	• Create, maintain and expand a L.A. dynamic virtual community for the advancement of TEL in all levels of education.

 

Strategies of RELATED

	• Use of technology enhanced learning (TEL) to improve the teaching learning processes.
	• Create, maintain and expand a L.A. network of universities to develop, share and transfer educational & TEL knowledge: to be an agent of change.
	• Build and apply multilevel (e.g., university, school) assessment models to evaluate educational innovations and improvements.
	• Create and distribute TEL diploma programs by means of b-learning on the network.
	• Design, implement and collaboratively improve the ATEES b-Learning Diploma which is focused on the development of TEL environments. Since 2000, ATEES has been delivered yearly in Argentina, Colombia, Ecuador, El Salvador, México and Chile, in collaboration among the RELATED universities and with support from Ford Foundation and Hewlett Foundation. ATEES would be delivered in the future through O.A.S Portal of the Americas.

 

Distinguished Characteristics of RELATED

	• Since 1997, as an initial network of 7 universities, we have been building a TEL virtual community and delivering, since 2000 in a yearly basis, a b-learning diploma focused on TEL applied projects.
	• This experience has been improved and packaged as the ATEES Diploma.
	• Extensive follow-up and assessment has been done, to determine change and impact in the schools. There is clear evidence of improvements.
	• Schools from six different L.A. countries, ranging from El Salvador to Argentina and Mexico, have participated in the TEL network giving us a wide range of experiences and broad knowledge of TEL design, implementation and deployment in different contexts.
	• In the participating countries we, as universities, have built strong relationships with the Ministries of Educations and Public School networks. We have also strong relationships with other L.A. universities in order to extend our network to other countries.
	• We have a strong and distinguished background in b-Learning, with the ability of “blending” on-line materials and interactions, with face-to-face activities within the associated universities.
	• CMU is a worldwide leader in technologies and its applications to education; the associated RELATED universities rank among the best in Latin America. Collaborative work within RELATED has crystallized in a unique group with world-wide implications.
	• We have on-going R&D projects in TEL tools, environments and their assessment: e-learning, cognitive tutor software systems, mobile technology in the classroom, LCMS (Learning Content Management Systems), electronic blackboards and video-conferencing, among others.

 

Contacts

Dr. Paul Goodman
Professor School of Administration
Director Institute for Strategic Development
Carnegie Mellon University
pgoodman@cmu.edu

Dr. Ignacio Casas
Professor of ICT, School of Engineering
Director LACCIR Virtual Institute
Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile
icasas@ing.puc.cl

Dr. Enrique Pelaez
Professor of Computer Engineering
Director of the Information Technologies Center
Escuela Superior Politécnica del Litoral, Ecuador
epelaez@espol.edu.ec

Dr. Laura Ruiz
Professor of Education
Director of Social Programs, Virtual University
Instituto Iecnológico de Monterrey, México
pgoodman@cmu.edu

Marcia Barrera
Systems Manager
COMCOR - DICTUC
Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile
mlbarrer@dictuc.cl
 

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