PPIU (former ASEAN University) is recognized in Cambodia as an innovative leader in providing educational opportunities in the fields of business and Information and Communication Technologies. As part of its continuing efforts to reach out to all Cambodian learners, it has applied and combined its expertise in both of these areas to establish a distance learning program. To take advantage of PPIU (former ASEAN University)’s business courses, students will no longer be required to travel to PPIU (former ASEAN University)’s facilities in Phnom Penh. Instead, they can participate in one or more of PPIU (former ASEAN University)’s new online courses and learn wherever they may be. While it is expected that participants in these online courses will be Cambodian nationals living and working in provincial cities and towns, they will also be open to Cambodian’s living abroad. With eLearning, geographical location is no longer a constraint to learning.

PPIU (former ASEAN University)’s Distance Learning Program has been developed in partnership with two other organizations - Asia Foundation and the “Sustainable Development eLearning Network” (SDLEARN). This project was made possible with support provided by The Asia Foundation and the U.S. Agency for International Development under the terms of Award No. 442-A-00-96-00509-00. The opinions expressed here are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Asia Foundation or the U.S. Agency for International Development.

Asia Foundation has been responsible for initiating this program and supporting the use of 22 “Community Information Centers” (CICs) where students can access courses in every province in Cambodia. These Centers have been set up to bring access to information and communication throughout the country. Asia Foundation is also providing the financial resources required to establish the program. More information about Asia Foundation can be found at – http://www.asiafoundation.org. A description of the CIC project can be found at: http://www.cambodiacic.org/about_this_project.htm (in Khmer)
http://www.asiafoundation.org/Locations/cambodia_cic.html (in English).

SDLEARN is a network of experts in the design, development and implementation of eLearning programs. The network allows the various members – donors, development agencies, research organizations, and educational institutions - to share member expertise and resources to achieve individual and mutual goals in promoting sustainable development. A major focus of the network is the application of eLearning. More information about SDLEARN can be found at – http://www.sdlearn.net.