Title:	EXPANSION OF HIGHER-EDUCATION ENROLLMENT RATIO USING AND E-LEARNING PLATFORM WITH OPEN-SOURCE SOFTWARE: MÉXICO
Author(s):	Mariano Gamboa Zúñiga, Luis Arturo Ortíz Arellano, Jano U. López Rodríguez, Ángel Vega Villalobos
ISBN:	978-989-8533-48-7
Editors:	Piet Kommers and Pedro Isaías
Year:	2016
Edition:	Single
Keywords:	Open Source, e-Learning, higher-education
Type:	Short Paper
First Page:	159
Last Page:	163
Language:	English
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Paper Abstract:	In Mexico, the percentage of higher-education enrollment is approximately 35% of the population. Consequently, the Mexican Government, within the context of National Development Plan 2006-2012, proposed the creation of the Open and Distance-Learning University in order to increase the higher-education enrollment ratio in the country. Thus, the Secretary of Public Education of Mexico requested the Center for Research and Advanced Studies of the National Polytechnic Institute (CINVESTAV-IPN) to develop a technological platform with the following features: scalability, reliability, portability, built on a layer-based model, interoperability, high-availability (n + 1), with an average response time of three seconds, high capacity, based on an Open-Source platform (Open Source LMS-Model), with a Service Oriented Architecture (SOA), and a student-centered service model. This article presents a model of technological pedagogical, and administrative collaboration between academics and Cinvestav, a project-development road map, the architecture of the technological platform, the layer model, the Service Oriented Architecture, the workplace environments, and the high-availability technological infrastructure that allowed the creation of an educational offer of 12 bachelor degrees and one Higher Technician Certificate, as well as the School Management System, with more than 220 success cases. It also presents the national and international distribution of Mexican students. This project placed Mexico within the countries that actively use communication and Information Technologies in education. The technological platform developed to meet the required service levels evolved from a cluster-based solution to a platform of repeatable virtual classrooms that ensures a suitable response time. From 2009 to 2013, this platform was used by approximately 200,000 Mexican students living in Mexico and 86 different countries, and was even capable of supporting 76,000 students enrolled with a 50% attendance.
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