The global information revolution provides unprecedented opportunities to improve the quality and efficiency of Latin American institutions. Administrative procedures can be streamlined by computerization and research facilitated through the use of the Internet.
Academic programs can reach greater numbers of people through distance education.
However, technology-driven administrative reform and the deployment of online research and distance education have been limited. Participants learn the basic concepts of telecommunications and IT followed by an in-depth study of the managerial and academic aspects of integrating technology into their organizations or universities. Seminars for universities also focus on distance education technology and design while those for nonacademic nonprofits emphasize networking and information management. The online component of the seminars addresses the vocabulary and basic concepts of telecommunications, information technology, research databases, and distance education, while the on-site segment of the seminar focuses on the strategic elements. The online portion is conducted in weekly modules via asynchronous distance learning instruments such as electronic discussion lists and web-based training and video.