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WIPO Worldwide Academy Launches Cyber-Learning Course

Geneva, June 1, 1999
Press Releases PR/1999/172

The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) launched on Tuesday its first distance learning course over the Internet. This innovative on-line teaching technique will bring teachers specializing in intellectual property issues closer to students and other interested parties in all corners of the world through virtual means. This method will allow anyone seeking more information about intellectual property to follow a range of educational programs in intellectual property at their own pace, in their own space.

Using a web site designed especially for teaching and training purposes, the program will provide essential knowledge in various aspects of intellectual property. The six-part course, entitled "Introduction to Intellectual Property", will cover copyright, related rights, patents, trademarks, geographical indications, and international registration systems. It will first run as a pilot project from June 1 to July 15, 1999 with some 50 students mostly from English-speaking African countries, but also from other parts of the world. Thereafter, the program is expected to go out to a worldwide audience in October 1999. The pilot course will be conducted in English in June and July, but once fully functional in October, it will also be available in French and Spanish.

The course is the first of a series of Internet-based programs to be developed by the WIPO Worldwide Academy -the arm of the Organization entirely devoted to teaching and training in intellectual property. Distance learning has become the backbone of the Academy's activities, making course materials accessible to large audiences worldwide through electronic media.

The distance learning program is a concrete example of the commitment by the Director General of WIPO, Dr. Kamil Idris, to create broader awareness of intellectual property and making it more accessible to students who are not necessarily specializing in this field. At the turn of the century, economies are becoming increasingly knowledge-based and intellectual property is acquiring greater strategic importance. Intellectual property is a tool for economic, social and cultural development and a key element in employment and wealth creation.

"Distance should no longer be an obstruction to instruction. The Academy's distance learning initiative will enable students anywhere in the world to learn about the basics of intellectual property. We hope this program will flourish to include more advanced courses in the near future," Dr. Idris said.

The distance learning initiative takes full advantage of information technology and the Internet as an alternative to traditional training programs. It offers new teaching methodologies, especially designed course materials, evaluation tools, tailored means of delivery, and expanded audiences. Every phase of the learning process has been restructured and modernized. The course, which takes about 40 hours of study time that can be spaced over a period of six weeks, includes self-assessment questions, tests, a glossary with links to the 21 treaties that WIPO administers and other sources of intellectual property information, as well as mechanisms for student-teacher interaction.

Teaching will take place in the virtual environment of the WWA web site (http://academy.wipo.int). A network of tutors has been established in various regions of the world to support students during their work. Students and teachers can interact as often as necessary during the course. Communication takes place through electronic mail after the tutor sets up a fixed day to respond to queries. Replies that are of general interest are copied to all students. At the end of the program, students will receive a certificate acknowledging the student's completion of the course.

In implementing this program, the WIPO Worldwide Academy is working in partnership with several institutions, including the University of South Africa, the Open University, UK, Cornell University, USA, and other leading universities in Asia, Latin America and in the Arab countries.

For further information, please contact Mrs. Francesca Toso-Dunant, Head, Distance Learning Program at WIPO:

Tel: (+41 22) 338 94 62
Fax: (+41 22) 740 1417
E-mail: francesca.toso@wipo.int

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