His Royal Highness Crown Prince Tupouto'a of the Kingdom of Tonga visited BYU-Hawaii on August 31, at the invitation of President Eric B. Shumway, to inspect the university's computerized distance-learning technology.
President Shumway explained that H.R.H. Tupouto'a, who has been involved with the developing computer and telecommunications industries in Tonga, is especially interested in the potential of high-tech education in the South Pacific nation.
"He is highly literate in the high technology world," said President Shumway, a noted Tongan language scholar who holds a chiefly title. The crown prince earned a degree in international law at Oxford in England and was also educated in Switzerland and New Zealand.
"He also admires what's going on at Liahona High School in Tonga, where we're doing a pilot distance-learning program," President Shumway continued. "A number of our interns were there this past summer, who helped work on computer networking in several of the government ministries."
While at BYU-Hawaii, Tupouto'a observed a simulation of a lecture by BYU-Hawaii business professor Clayton Hubner that was web-cast to a group of Tongan students attended by psychology professor Ron Miller in another location. Hubner and Miller, who led the latest intern group to Tonga, demonstrated that they could hand off the online lecture to each other as well as interact with the students and answer questions.
The entire simulation was carried out in different parts of the Joseph F. Smith Library, but Dean Robert Hayden of the Center for Instructional Technology and Outreach (CITO) stressed that the web-cast could just as easily have been done between Laie and Liahona High in Tonga, or anywhere else in the world with the right internet connections.
The crown prince responded that this type of technology is fantastic and should work well in Tonga.
"I believe he envisions an enhancement to education in Tonga through a distance-learning model that would provide opportunities for students there to learn and grow, and still stay in Tonga," President Shumway replied.
"The technology is an enhancement to learning," Dr. Hayden said, explaining that it's important to understand what motivates and helps the students want to learn.
"We're trying to take advantage of distance-learning opportunities to better prepare students before they come here," President Shumway said, pointing out that the crown prince has a vision for his whole country.
"BYU-Hawaii is considering asking all students to take at least one course on the internet," President Shumway continued. Dr. Keith Roberts, vice president of academics, added that the university is also currently working with BYU in Provo and the University of the South Pacific to offer distance learning courses.
While on campus, H.R.H. Tupouto'a also visited the Center for Instructional Technology where he inspected materials being developed for Mongolia, which he has visited three times, as well as for teaching English to speakers of other languages.
The crown prince concluded his visit to Laie with a luncheon in the Polynesian Cultural Center board room, hosted by PCC President Von Orgill, who served his mission in Tonga, members of the board and the officer team.