Session International Conference on Engineering Education August 18–21, 2002, Manchester, U.K. 1 A Hybrid Distance Education Model for Pakistan Saima N. Sherazi 1 and Mohammad Jahangir Ikram 2 1 Saima N. Sherazi, Department of Social Sciences, Lahore University of Management Sciences, DHA, Lahore 54792, Pakistan, saimas@lums.edu.pk 2 M. Jahangir Ikram, Department of Computer Sciences, Lahore University of Management Sciences, DHA, Lahore 54792, Pakistan, jikram@lums.edu.pk Abstract  In this paper we will be reporting on a Distance Learning project currently underway in Pakistan. Firstly, it will be analysing how the Ministry of Science and Technology's (MOST) venture of Virtual University (VU) is likely to address the issue of the wide dissemination of quality education through this distance learning initiative. Secondly, the role Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS) s’ research team played in testing and refining the model of instruction for VU. There are many problems and hindrances in providing quality education to remote areas. Coupled with an acute shortage of teachers are lack of resources, such as Internet connections fast enough to provide video-conferencing, availability of state of the art PCs and infrastructures. A hybrid model evolved where the lecture would be broadcast on Television and Internet will be used for on-line question answers, quizzes, and assignments. The TV satellite quasi-synchronous model was chosen to overcome high bandwidth requirement, which is essential for effective on line instruction. The linkage between VU and private institutions like LUMS is also unique a response to a national need of bridging the digital divide. Index Terms  Distance Education, Virtual University, Hybrid Model, Remote Education, Instructional Television, Online Instructional Design. INTRODUCTION Distance Education (DE) has gained much significance in the last decades of the twentieth century and every university is desirous of an on line presence. Competition in the higher education market is likely to grow with high-tech businesses increasing their sphere of influence by offering e-learning courses to people looking to improve their qualifications. It is a business worth $25 billion a year world wide and growing. Universities will lose their students to these smart competitors if they do not figure out how to ride this wave of on line learning. Over 80% of US universities and many of the world’s best universities are offering online degree programmes or courses. “Most prevalent is the overall trend of institutions to move from single mode delivery to multi mode with a major interactive component” [1]. The School of Arts & Sciences (SoAS) at the Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS) is a well- established traditional university and now wants an online presence. Web based and online instruction can be used as an adjunct to regular classes or as stand-alone courses, which the students can opt for. So when the opportunity presented itself of starting research and work in the area of Online /E-learning in collaboration with the Ministry of Science & Technology (MOST)’s venture Virtual University, it was received with some enthusiasm. LUMS objectives would include building capacity in the following: • Administration of online courses • Supplemental and stand alone on line materials • Develop instructional design capacity • Use of multi media in instructional design We in the project team were very interested in researching implications and impact of Multimedia Computer Applications in Instructional Design for online and regular university courses. Since it is a new area, of particular importance to technical and professional schools, the administration perhaps was more interested in how LUMS can operationalise this growing knowledge base. The exciting possibilities of incorporating distance learning with individualised need-based learning were worth looking into and further exploration of this nexus was a worthwhile goal. Many supporters of distance education remark that distance education is cheaper and is as effective as traditional university education. But Distance Education is gaining momentum in third world countries for some other reasons. There are many unsolvable problems and hindrances to providing quality education to remote areas in the third world. Some of the main problems include absolute shortage of teachers, especially in the field of computer science. Other factors include lack of resources, availability of state of the art PCs and infrastructures. These circumstances have made traditional education very inefficient and overpriced [3]. Distance Education of the type discussed in this paper may help in providing good quality education to some remote cities and villages. The Ministry of Science and Technology, anticipating growing worldwide interest in Distance Education and realizing its advantages, initiated setting up of the “Virtual University of Pakistan” (VU) with a starting budget of 1.0 Billion Rupees ($16 million). LUMS in collaboration with the VU team came up with a proposal, which would help in providing quality web and TV based distance education. Otto Peters the leading European scholar of distance education comments that the enthusiasm for virtual universities is not shared by all, “educationist are tortured of how it will in fact be used in reality”[2]. The pilot study at LUMS helped to