Justification: About 80 % of the country's population does not finish High School studies. We knew of it through government alarming statistics.

Target: Contribute to the innovation and the improvement of the developing world’s education through a totally ONLINE High School program, developed as a new Pedagogical, Methodological and Technological Paradigm which could be easily replicated, with free INTERNET access, delivered completely through an online ICT technological GNU platform (MOODLE) with WEB2 tools, for a quality academic proposal trough scholarships, specially directed to people of short academic opportunities, vulnerable, of limited resources and in pedagogical risk, expecting to arrive at 25000 students by 2010 through a replicating process, with the support of UNESCO and other partner organizations. By the year 2010 we would want to extend the services to 5000 students in every Andean country (5) and replicate our model as a prototype project in Africa and Asia. Objectives: General: Contribute to the reduction of the digital divide gap and the school desertion in Ecuador, the Region (Andes) and the developing world (part of Asia and Africa) by means of an accredited* remote online quality High School Educational System completely through Internet. Specific: To increase the opportunities for high school students to remain in the school system, whose economic conditions limit their ability to pay the school fees or that are in high educational risk due to premature labor, physical disabilities or any other kind of discrimination, thus contributing to decrease the gap between the rich and the poor. To foster the use of the new Information and Communication Technologies as educational tools at the different levels of the educational system, particularly for distance education, thus contributing to decreasing the technological gap. To contribute to the building of knowledge societies by means of a quality educational program aimed at the renovation, innovation and diversification of the teaching systems. Besides mastering 6 years of academic multimedia contents with the best possible professors and academic excellence, the students also develop reading and writing skills, self confidence, fluent use of information and communication resources, computer literacy, and also become expertise in the use of online delivered courses, thus preparing themselves for future international studies.

Background: Based on its institutional goals and mission, and as input to the enhancement of the Ecuadorian high-school education, Foundation “Unidad Virtual Iberoamericana” UVIA has started an Online High School in order to provide education for persons that have not been able to finish high school studies in the regular education system. This offer is carried out through an online distance educational program, using state-of-the art technological resources that enable autonomous learning, adapted to the time and places most suitable to the students, that allow for adequate personalized follow-up and control in order to support of the student’s learning process, using a constructivist learning-teaching approach. In this manner, we also want to contribute to the appropriate use of the new Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) in education, in particular for the most underprivileged student population. The technological advances have changed education in more than one way. Online learning programs are being constantly developed taking advantage of the quality, costs and resources these technologies may provide. However, their profile has been rather elite-oriented for many reasons: on one hand, the educational institutions that have access to state-of-the-art technology are usually private, economic profit-oriented institutions and, on the other, the use of Internet is often restricted to the wealthier social classes due to the high costs of technology. It is therefore imperative to develop high quality online educational programs affordable to the less wealthier sectors and for people in permanent risk of dropping out from highschool. In this way it will be possible both to bridge the “digital gap” and to overcome the exclusion of the deprived sectors of society from access to technology, thus contributing to decrease the gap between the rich and the poor with respect to the access to education and technology, in keeping with the guidelines of an Education for All.

Additionally, worldwide most of the online educational programs are aimed at college education, but do not address the needs of the population in high educational risk, that is the young people and adults that have not been able to complete their highschoool education because of economic constraints, age above the school-age limits, premature labour, physical dissabilities, repeated school failure or expulsion from the regular educational system caused by learning contents inadequacy or the low motivation capacity of the traditional school programs.

Technologically speaking, the e-Learning classroom software used by our online high school is an interactive state-of the-art technology system developed to generate information and knowledge through intranet or internet in a genuine online classroom.

This technology is based on the design of a virtual space where the participants get involved as producers and users of the information and knowledge they generate, assisted by a Computer Managed Course Delivery System. This results in the generation and production of information, publications, forums, discussions and highly reliable knowledge that gives way to the production of new outcomes or ideas generated collaboratively by the learning community, built through the online classroom.

We believe that this educational program will effectively contribute to the improvement of the quality of highschool distance education by putting in practice an integrating and innovative pedagogic process for this level and type of education. In addition, not only a knowledge basis for general distance education learning will be created, but also specialized persons in the educational applications of the new communication and information technologies will be trained.

Moreover, this teaching-learning system contributes to increase the pertinence and significance of the acquired knowledge. Since one of our main institutional goals is to socialize the access to technology, we need to understand that this not only means delivering a high quality on-line education at reasonable costs but also to provide the necessary means to gain access to it. To achieve a greater reach in the sectors with higher risks of dropping out from high school and with fewer educational opportunities, a quality on line educational program must necessarily include scholarships for its students, thus complying with the international mandate regarding educational and technological inclusion, especially in the age of knowledge-based societies. Every year, at least twice, our onsite Tutors are instructed, besides computer usage, basic hardware and software installation, on the use of different online services; additionally, the facilitators and teachers receive three formative online courses on several aspects of online communication, information acquisition and online efficient content delivery and teaching. (http://www.fuvia.org/docencia/). What were the barriers/problems? How they were overcome? TECHNOLOGY ICT use Since we have developed and implemented a totally online six year High School using updated ICT, we have designed over 80 multimedia (MM) motivating courses, along with the actual development and programming of an online multi format library (prototype) and an animated 3D-like virtual School Campus user interface. For the courses implementation and delivery we are using free software trough GNU license.

Particularly we are using the "Moodle" course generating system (Moodle 1.8.2+ (2007021520)). On this technological environment we have developed the entire learning community, integrating databases, interactive resources and tools, fora, Wikis, Scorms, Lams, etc. We are using: Fixed connection: DSL, IDSN, Cable Wireless connection: WiFi, Satellite , N/A Estimated monthly Internet cost: 330 USD for Internet services only to support our office work Minute cost for local mobile phone calls: 15 cents in USD Project Access points: Library, Telecenter, Cafe Nets, etc. Fixed Connections: Desktop Computer Software license type: Open Source Communication tools: Instant Messaging, Voice Over IP, Phone, emails, forums, among others, all integrated into the CMS platform Software applications: The MOODLE software (course management system) comes very basic thus we have developed a 3 dimensional (3D) motivating user interface for easier student connection and navigation. We have also developed an online Library prototype, besides over 80 courses with multimedia content. PROJECT ECONOMICS Our main problem was the economical and fund raising activities. Here we present some of them and how they were solved. Our project reached sustainability by the end of 2007 Sustainability strategy: Since all of our students come from a very basic family and a subsistence economy they all receive scholarships upon evaluation of their academic performance, thus we have several local and international nongovernmental and government organizations that support us: UNESCO, MoviStar (Fundación Telefonica), REPSOL, UDENOR, MIES, Cotacachi Municipality, among others. Thus far we have reached the equilibrium point. Annual budget: 360000 USD ($) U.S. Dollar (USD) Funding sources: Loans, Grants, Donations Operational development plan and changes.

Although the online high school is working well thus far, we continue improving the courses and multimedia contents, students’ interactions, updating our software and visiting all the students at their communities. We also want to conclude the construction of the online high school’s online library and an orientation student service developed on the online platform. Business strategy: Our project is totally social oriented, thus we are constantly contacting local and international governments and organizations for funding. During 2009 we will start working within other countries in the Andean Region. Recently (Nov. 2007), we were invited through UNESCO to Namibia with the future possibility of replicating the project in Africa and Asia.

Distance students make their studies exclusively by Internet at “Info centers” belonging to different Institutions, with free Internet access, that are part of the foundation’s Network of Academic Support (*), dedicating approximately two daily hours of online study activities. Every study year has the duration of ten (10) calendar months, according to the law of Education for the “Regime of Popular Distance Education”.

The courses are developed as online modules with one month duration each. That is to say, the students in groups pf 25 or less, working together with one teacher, receive an intensive online course during a month, for each subject or content, time in which a permanent flow of communication among the members of the learning community (students, teachers, facilitators, tutors) occurs; in each virtual classroom, professor and students, conformed by a maximum of 25 alumni, depending on the subject and the methodological proposal of the teacher, work in groups.

*NOTE: In several cities the institution belonging to the network is the Program of the “Working Boy” and the “Jatún Sacha” Foundation. We have sealed partnerships with several local governments, through their Mayors.

Our online school also arrives at three national “young (age<18) infraction centers”. We have also incorporated to our Partner’s Network the National Library System (SINAB). Empowerment of target groups We would want to emphasize that through a quality online educational process, we are arriving at a population that could not otherwise acquire their formal educational studies because of living conditions, discrimination, incapacities, age, economic possibilities, among others. Besides the normal school contents, we relate the subject matter to their local context and promote locally, social support community* needs as a result of their studies, implementing them through their projects, needed for graduation. Besides, they acquire ICT abilities to work fluidly with computers and the use of Internet to find out needed information for their daily needs, thus preparing themselves for their future, with potential access to better jobs and university studies; in this way ICT improves traditional services and creates new ones, that are beneficial to human and social development.

*NOTE: We would like to mention that approximately 100 students exert functions of leaders in their communities, especially in the Amazonian and in other indigenous areas.