Introduction

Revolutionizing digital education has been positioned as a priority within Japan's overall ITC strategy, with the upgrade and dissemination of a wide variety of educational contents and applications that use broadband networks identified as an important issue.

The Forum for On-demand Lecture Circulation (FOLC) started activities as a volunteer group in April 2005 with the express purpose of promoting the distribution of on-demand lecture contents in institutions of higher education. The Forum became a non-profit organization (NPO) in April 2008 based upon the achievements from the group's activities since 2005.

Through linkages between institutes of higher education and enterprises, a partnership of "knowledge" is created via numerous e-learning courses that match the needs of users, and which expands lecture circulation support functions.

FOLC would like to continue to contribute to the realization of educational reforms through new educational styles and opening up access to higher education.

Establishment of the Forum

The diversification of people's values has bee remarkable recently. Coupled with the various lifestyles that we lead today, our choices have expanded our horizons, and now, the voices of the people are resonating with longing not only for traditional education, but practical educational services to be made available. Becoming a full-fledged member of society as an adult heightens even more the need for education, and looking towards learning new skills and moving up in careers means that the number of people who desire to learn while they work is continuing to rise.
  At this time, with cooperation between enterprises and institutes of higher education, people are demanding good, quality educational contents that correspond to the needs of the times, that is flexible and can be accessed easily. Maintaining e-learning courses and providing high quality educational programs for people who want to learn but have restrictions on where and when they can learn, has become a trend.
  The Forum for On-demand Lecture Circulation was established as an NPO to provide enhanced distribution of on-demand lectures and courses as a new form of social infrastructure, by creating a community of "wisdom" through a number of e-learning courses that match the educational needs of society, in cooperation and collaboration with institutes of higher education and enterprises.

Activity Objectives

FOLC aims to involve individuals and groups that have an interest in educational institutions and education of human resources in contributing to society by achieving educational reforms through new educational styles and opening up access to education. This is done through the promotion and expansion, as well as a partnership of "knowledge," created via e-learning courses that link institutions of higher education and enterprises.
FOLC carries out the following projects as a non-profit organization.

Project Operations

  • (1) Project to maintain the database on network course information
  • (2) Promotion and expansion of e-learning courses
    • 1. Expansion of registered courses and organizations creating/starting courses.
    • 2. FOLC with new maintenance of its circulation support system will implement two lecture distribution support activities:
      • 1) Distribution and support of courses to institutes of higher education (universities)
      • 2) Support for the circulation of courses to social and educational institutions (enterprises, groups)
  • (3) Research and studies on improving the quality of e-learning courses
  • (4) PR and consulting related to the dissemination of e-learning courses

Forum Activities Video

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