Vol 2 No 1 (2008) Research Development In Open and Distance learning

Pham Minh Tuan

Nguyen Hoal Glang

Nguyen Phung Minh Hang

Thal Minh Hanh

Abstract

TOPIC64 is a project to develop a national system of sustainable and locally adaptable e-learning centers that targets hundreds of thousands of trainees in the next 5 years. During 2006-2007 to date, the project has trained 10,446 students in its 64 member centers, 40% of whomfree of charge, 474 teachers, benefited 70,692 other students in 426 affiliate centers,  and helped 15 out  of 64 member centers reach economic sustainability.  The project involves a 7-party public-private-partnership including Microsoft, USAID, Qualcomm, EVN Telecom, Hewlett-Packard, Vietnam government agencies, and is run by CRC-TOPIC Business Incubator of Hanoi University of Technology in cooperation with Hanoi Open University. In 2006, the projects was selected by Development Gateway Award into the 7 finalists from 160 ICT project worldwide,  and the organization  recognized by the World Bank InfoDev program among the 4 global best practices from 62 incubators worldwide.

This article summarizes the project's objectives and activities, and analyzes its key success factors:  innovative and efficient use  of  ICT.  especially e-Learning technologies and methodologies; serving diverse user needs and providing equal opportunities: facilitation and monitoring of sustainability through world-class business incubation concepts; and leveraging multi-stakeholder public-private partnerships. It also demonstrates how the scalable management techniques applied in this  project could be transferred and replicated to other ICT for Development initiatives.