OPEN TRANSPORT UNIVERSITY - THE VIRTUAL EDUCATION ENVIRONMENT FOR NEW TRANSPORT TECHNOLOGIES: CASE STUDY IN LATVIA

Development of the modern transport technologies is characterised by two extreme trends in the development of training technologies in this field: on one side, the presence of relatively narrow-professional subject fields (very complicated technologies with presence of training institutions fully satisfying training needs), on the other side, presence of rather thematically wide subject fields (combination of heterogeneous technologies with requirement of a great number of training specialists and absence of training institutions and teachers, total covering all of training needs ). For example, the first trend characterises training in the field of modern conceptions FANS (Future Air Navigation Systems) on the basis of satellite technologies CNS/ATM (Communications, Navigation and Surveillance for Air Traffic Management). The second trend characterises training in the field of Intelligent Transport Systems (Transport Telematics) and Transport Logistics. In both cases there is a need in co-operation of experts for creating learning environment for Open and Distance Learning (DOL) ideology realisation. The given above trends are corresponded to two models in ODL technologies designing: "Concentration" - the most intensive force of different institutions in one subject field, 'Integration" - the covering of the total ODL area by the forces of institutions with different subject fields. Latvian experience of pointed models ODL using within the frame of "Open Virtual Transport University" (OVTU) is discussed. The evolution of idea of OVTU development and its practical realisation on the basis of Network of Latvian Transport Education institutions is described. (A) For the covering abstract see ITRD E120189.