The Mediterranean Education Project : an online educational database

Abstract

The aim of this dissertation was to construct an Internet based communications centre for professional researchers and academics from around the Mediterranean. The construction of this web site technically satisfied most of the main initiatives of the Mediterranean Education Programme launched by the Comparative Education Programme at the University of Malta in order to facilitate the development of collaborative work within the region. Amongst these initiatives was the online availability of the Mediterranean Journal of Educational Studies, giving access to all of its abstracts and providing searching and subscription tools. Quite similar was the publication of La MER, a directory providing the profiles of Mediterranean researchers, to which any academic in the region can register. Another initiative was the advertising of the Selmun Seminar, where professionals meet yearly to discuss the latest issues in education. The site is provided with other Internet facilities such as education links, a forum, a chat room, a download section and various searching abilities. Importance was given to creating an attractive and welcoming web site with a Mediterranean style in order to satisfy the Net's prerequisites for beauty and user friendliness. The site design was constructed in latest html, Java and Asp scripting, whilst all unstable information was stored in an Access Database. The system was set up with a modem set of intuitive tools allowing MEP Staff to update any of the Site and Database content without the necessity for the usual technical persons required to update Internet pages, such as webmasters and programmers.