[Air-l] MISSIONl newsletter
Diana Andone
diana at ldrum.opendrum.utt.ro
Tue Aug 19 01:58:04 PDT 2003
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MISSION (Multi-Integrated System Support for Improved ODL Networking) is
a 2 years project developed under Socrates - MINERVA European Union
Program. The project intends to strengthen the relationship and
co-operations in PHARE ODL study center network: inside - between
centers and outside -between center and ODL institution and universities
in EU.
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Content
About the project
Editorial - The ICT Skills and Learning Preferences of Europeans
ODL in Romania
ODL in Lithuania
ODL in France
New courses
News
Conferences
Issue 1, May 2003
Contact
MISSION Web-site ( http://mission.pu.acad.bg/en/index.html
<http://mission.pu.acad.bg/en/index.html%C2%A0> )
Course catalogue of tasters (
http://www.dec.pg.gda.pl/pro/socrates/prometheus/manager/mission/index.php )
Counseling service on-line (
http://www.dec.pg.gda.pl/pro/socrates/prometheus/manager/mission/index.php )
Database on existing ODL staff training programmes (
http://www.dec.pg.gda.pl/pro/socrates/prometheus/manager/mission/index.php )
ODL Glossary ( http://stoner.phys.uaic.ro/idesc/glossary/ )
HR-Development Programme for ODL Centres
Newsletters
Editor
Diana Andone diana at mail.opendrum.utt.ro
<mailto:diana at mail.opendrum.utt.ro>
About the project
Mission project aims to strengthen the links between the CEE PHARE ODL
Centres - recently established by the support of the PHARE Multi-Country
Programme for Distance Education. At the same time it aims to improve
the effectiveness and long-term stability of collaboration between
EuroStudy Centres (coordinated by European Association of Distance
Teaching Universities - EADTU) and PHARE ODL Centres. As a more generic
objective, it focuses on enhancing the awareness of ODL as the most
effective, innovative and flexible methodology for supporting the
European dimension of Life-Long Learning.
The typical beneficiaries of the MISSION project are expected to be: HRD
policy makers and decision makers, ODL providers, course developers, ICT
application developers, management staff and academics of universities
working in dual/mixed mode education systems, staff developers and
advisers, evaluators, distance learners all over Europe.
Establishing a central, multi-lingual (13 languages) WEB portal and
electronic network based on ICT (e-newsletter, discussion groups, course
catalogue, staff development and mentoring, etc.) is a core activity of
the project. In addition to the advanced electronic tools and resources
that will be available for a global audience . Specific staff
development programmes for ODL Centres and Strategic plans for the
sustainability of ODL networking in Europe will also be major outcomes
Products:
. Web-site http://mission.pu.acad.bg/en/index.html
<http://mission.pu.acad.bg/en/index.html%C2%A0>
. Course catalogue of tasters
http://www.dec.pg.gda.pl/pro/socrates/prometheus/manager/mission/index.php
. Counseling service on-line
http://www.dec.pg.gda.pl/pro/socrates/prometheus/manager/mission/index.php
. Database on existing ODL staff training programmes
http://www.dec.pg.gda.pl/pro/socrates/prometheus/manager/mission/index.php
. ODL Glossary http://stoner.phys.uaic.ro/idesc/glossary/
. HR-Development Programme for ODL Centres (URL link)
. Newsletters - link la arhiva
. Publications
Editorial
The ICT Skills and Learning Preferences of Europeans
Nine in ten Europeans think lifelong learning is important. But only 58%
said they are able to use a computer, and very few think on open and
distance learning to improve their skills. These are some of the results
of a recent Eurobarometer Survey describing the learning patterns of
Europeans.
The survey, called "Lifelong learning: a citizen's view" , (
http://www.cedefop.eu.int/download/current_act/4025_en.pdf
<http://www.cedefop.eu.int/download/current_act/4025_en.pdf%C2%A0> was
commissioned by the Directorate General Education and Culture with the
assistance of CEDEFOP http://www.cedefop.eu.int /. It was carried out
between 15 January and 28 February 2003 in the 15 Member States, Norway
and Iceland, and entailed more than 18,000 face-to-face interviews.
ICT and scientific/technological skills are not high on citizen's agenda
Almost everybody (over 90%) agrees that reading, writing and arithmetic
are the most useful skills in all areas of life. At the same time, under
half consider that using the internet (48%), foreign languages (45%) or
scientific - technological tools are important skills in personal life,
although these ICT skills are judged to be more important in working life.
People think they need a broader range of skills in working life than in
personal life, and this is specially the case for using ICT skills.
Some 50% of people does not feel confident on key ICT skills
Almost everyone in the European Union thinks that they can read, write
and do arithmetic, but only 58% of respondents said they could use a
computer while half of them said they could not use Internet and 60%
said they could not use foreign languages.
The lack of ICT skills is especially marked in Greece and Portugal with
two-thirds of respondents claiming they could not use a computer. Around
70% of respondents from Spain, Ireland and the United Kingdom said they
could not use foreign languages. On the other hand, people from Nordic
countries and Luxembourg are much more likely to think that they possess
knowledge and skills across the full range.
Gender differences are more marked for felt competence in using
computers (65% of male and 52% of female respondents) and in using
scientific/technological tools and equipment (53% and 28%respectively).
These results suggest that many citizens are aware there is room for
knowledge & skills development of their part.
The majority of citizens think they learn best in informal settings
European citizens consider that their learning experiences are most
profitable in non-formal contexts, for example doing activities at home
(69%), getting together with other people (63%), during leisure time,
(51%) learning informally on the job or in local learning
centres/libraries. Formal learning settings (such as schools,
universities and colleges) as a recent and relevant learning context
were mentioned by only 17% of respondents. It is also worth noting that
distance learning channels and learning experience abroad (as part of
exchange programmes) are among the least-favoured learning settings.
Few people think about open and distance learning to improve their skills
When people think about how to improve or update their professional
skills, only 12% of respondents think about open and distance learning
and related channel, and a mere 5% choose secondment or excahnge abroad.
Why people consider learning in future? Social and personal reasons
outweigh work-related motives
The main reasons for future learning are to achieve more personal
satisfaction, increase general knowledge (31% each), do a job better
(27%) and obtain a qualification (20%). Again, a hard kernel of 14%
spontaneously reply that they would never want to take up learning again
- but not a single Danish respondent said this, as opposed to at least
20% in Belgium, Greece, France and Austria.
Main obstacles to lifelong learning: time and money
Although people recognise the personal and social benefits of learning,
they underline that lack of time due to job and family commitments is an
important obstacle. In general, money represents a major obstacle: half
of the respondents said that they would pay nothing under any
circumstances. Nevertheless, it is interesting to note that people are
ready to make a financial contribution if they judge the benefit to be
an exclusively personal one. They do not see work-related learning as
only their responsibility.
Individualised and flexible learning options could be effective
incentives. People mention diverse incentives, but most common are
flexible working hours (21%), individualised programmes of study and
personal choice of methods of study (20% each). This suggests that
implementing lifelong learning effectively must find ways to enable
people to combine activities in ways that suit them practically and
personally.
This article is inspired from the article 'About E-learning' at
http://www.elearningeuropa.info/ .
OPEN AND DISTANCE EDUCATION IN ROMANIA
The most significant factor in the development of ODL technologies in
Romania is the PHARE Multi-country Programme for Distance Education,
running in the period 1997-1998. Within the program, a network of seven
ODL Study Centres (DESC = Distance Education Study Centres) and a
National Contact Point (NCP) at the Ministry of National Education were
established. The centres were founded in the main Romanian cities:
Bucharest (2 centres), Cluj-Napoca, Iasi, Timis,oara, Sibiu, Bras,ov.
The staff involved in the development and organization of these centres
was trained in ODL technologies, the centres received financial support
for equipment purchase and funding to develop original ODL courses. In a
final stage of the Phare programme, 70 students were trained with a high
quality ODL course, LOLA (Learning about Distance Learning). At the same
time, the European Commission financed many other ODL programmes within
the TEMPUS scheme, targeted especially to Continuous Education.
Organisation
In 1998, the Ministry of National Education has accredited the NCP, the
seven Phare DESCs and the DESC established later at the Babes,-Bolyai
University, and started to elaborate decisions to implement the new
educational system in Romania. The Ministry allowed the ODL educational
programmes for initial formation (faculty level), for Continuing
Education, and for any kind of short term training, establishing a
number of quality rules. Many ODL programmes have been started since
1998, but the relaxed system of quality certification of these
programmes was quite controversial.
Partially, the problem was solved at the end of year 2000, by a decision
of the Romanian Government concerned with the quality of the ODL
programmes in the universities. A new Commission was created within the
National Council for Academic Evaluation and Accreditation: the Distance
Education Commission.
The commission elaborated Quality Standards for Distance Education
Programmes offered by the Romanian Universities in March 2001 and, since
then, all the ODL programmes dedicated to the initial formation at the
university level were authorized only by this Commission.
ODL programmes in Romania
Since 2001, the mentioned ODL Commission analysed some 150 ODL complex
programmes and authorized about 70% of them. All the authorizations were
given only with an annual monitoring procedure. Recently, the concrete
procedure was approved by the Council of the Romanian National Council
for Academic Evaluation and Accreditation.
We estimate that, in Romania, at the beginning of the year 2003, there
were about 50,000 students enrolled in about 100 ODL programmes
organized by some 20 Universities (both State and Private Universities).
Most of the ODL students are interested in training in Economics, Law,
Foreign Languages, Geography, History, Public Relations, Communication,
Journalism, Psychology, Pedagogy.
The ODL programmes are in an unwelcome competition with a new
educational system which is allowed by the Romanian Law of Education,
named Reduced Frequency System (RFS). Although RFS is defined as a
system derived from the ODL technology, it allows an organisation of
studies much more alike the traditional ones than the ODL system. The
National Council for Academic Evaluation and Accreditation and the
Ministry of Education and Scientific Research (new name of the Ministry
since 2001) decided that the ODL Commission should evaluate the RFS
programmes as well. New criteria have been elaborated for these
programmes and the evaluation will start in March 2003.
Permanent and Continuous Education using ODL technology
ODL programs are organized by Universities at graduate level, as well.
Recently, the Teacher Training National Programme was re-organized and
is also allowing the use of ODL technology. However, although ODL
technology is best suited at this level, the number of students is
significantly smaller than those mentioned in the previous section. This
is mainly due to the financial aspect. At the post-university level, the
number of students is much smaller and consequently these programmes are
not financially efficient. Since all the programmes should finance the
costs from student's taxes, the small scale ODL programmes are not
encouraged. This might not be the case though with the new teacher
training programmes which are financed by the state and promise an
excellent future.
One should also mention that many ODL centres developed within the
TEMPUS and PHARE programmes have organized an association (ASTEC) that
planned to be involved in the development of high-quality ODL
programmes, mainly at the graduate level and continuing training.
>From dLearning to eLearning
A substantial debate within the Romanian ODL community is focused now on
the subject of the use of new IT technologies in the existing and new
ODL programmes. This could be formulated as the evolution of the ODL
programmes from the traditional distance education system (that could be
named dLearning) to ODL programmes that are using extensively the new
educational technologies based on computers linked to the Internet,
known as eLearning. The ODL Commission has recently elaborated the
minimal rules for the use of eLearning in ODL programmes. The standards
and recommendations of the Commission are concentrated on the use of
electronic Learning Management Systems (LMS), but references are also
made to the Content Creation Tools (CCT), Student Management Systems
(SMS) and in a smaller degree on the Accounting Systems (AS). When using
the eLearning technology, the organisers of the ODL programmes are
required to fulfill a number of minimal criteria, such as, equal access
for all the students to the technology in the study centres, training in
the new technologies both for students and staff, proper guidance when
using the facilities of a LMS. The web-based courses should be, from the
pedagogical point of view, at least of the same quality as the printed
study material, but they should include as much as possible the
facilities offered by the technology, as hypertext and multimedia. When
the student is a beneficiary of an eLearning environment he/she should
clearly see a quality improvement of the services offered by the
organizing institution.
However, although there is a strong will to implement at least LMS
platforms, yet there is no clear strategy at the national level on this
issue. Some universities are developing their own LMS platforms and
other are willing to use commercial LMS, like the well known WebCT and
BlackBoard.
As we see it now, the future of ODL in Romania, as in all other
countries, will be more and more based on eLearning technology. The
accessibility to computers and Internet is rapidly improving, which
makes this prevision more likely. The most important obstacle will be
with high probability the limited capacity to produce high-quality
eLearning materials.
OPEN AND DISTANCE EDUCATION IN LITHUANIA
Lithuania has been making significant progress in its efforts to reform
its economy and society. There is a wide spread agreement that the
development of its human resources through the expansion and innovation
of the education system using information technologies is a cornerstone
for further economic and social transformation and the attainment of a
primary economic policy goal of integration into the European Union.
Within this context, the upgrading of the skills and knowledge is essential.
The government and educational sector have determined that distance
education has enormous potential to meet this challenge and significant
policy groundwork has been laid for the development of an advanced and
comprehensive distance learning system.
ICT in higher education in the context of life long learning is one of
the main research and development priorities in every country. The
encouragement of life long learning and the successful use of ICT in the
learning process should expand all the time if its aimed on the ground
of collaboration and dissemination of good practice.
Higher education institutions should also join, stimulate and recognize
ICT based educational initiatives. Hopefully higher education
institutions will participate actively in life long learning while
employing modern ICT not only as a part of a context in various
subjects/programmes but also for the dissemination of education and
teaching. Moreover, it is expected that higher education institutions
would train future researchers and experts and act as mass training
institutions.
The education itself became quite an important good and new technologies
allow choosing a place for learning despite of time and pace.
Besides the improved accessibility of education and training, ICT could
also improve the quality of education. Thus why it is so important that
higher education institutions would pay a huge attention to the quality
while creating ICT based education. Institutions should take more pains
for the use of possibilities provided by new technologies - not only to
ensure that education would become independent from time and place but
also that the content would be provided in such ways that stimulate
students' motivation. ICT enrich education with new methods. We mean
learning not teaching. We have in mind active, participating learner.
And as it was already mentioned, technology is for the satisfaction of
requirements that aims are accomplished. In the learning process the
technologies themselves should become an impulsive force.
As new technologies have been employed in education only recently there
are not many researches analyzing how those technologies could be used
for the improvement of education quality. So it is very important that
higher education institutions would expand research activity about the
use of ICT in education. Those researches must be spread widely along
with good cases and the best practice.
Traditional research universities are in the period of transition and
can create a new environment for higher education. Universities have to
become 'service universities'. The main goal of such universities is to
be recognized as providers of knowledge-based services to their regions
and the whole society. Considering the traditional teaching process in
Lithuania ODL should be designed on a basis of the present
infrastructure of universities and colleges while accumulating academic
potential and evaluating real needs for ODL courses.
ODL provides the possibility to organise a more flexible study process,
and this provides the possibility for students to manage their time in
the most effective way. Kaunas University of Technology (more
information http://www.ktu.lt ) is using the advanced computer
technology and related opportunities while taking part in the ODL
development project, as well as initiating new projects.
To create an ODL system, we need to establish:
1. The system of training and professional development for organizers,
lecturers, consultants and tutors of contemporary distance education
programmes.
2. The system of encouragement for developing and re-establishing
distance education programmes and formal distance studies modules.
3. The system of quality evaluation and quality assurance for distance
education programmes.
4. The support system for the participants of distance education programmes.
5. Developed computer network and other means of telecommunication
adjusted to distance education.
6. Legal basis for distance education.
7. Effective funding mechanism for the ODL system.
KTU Rectorate, the Senate and the whole academic community pay much
attention to the implementation of these objectives.
OPEN AND DISTANCE EDUCATION IN FRANCE
Paradoxically enough in a centralised country as France, there is no
open university as such but every university or institution of higher
education has its own activity with respect of the Technologies of
information and communication linked with distance education. We have to
distinguish between "old" centres of distance education which started in
a correspondence way in the sixties and new ones which appeared after a
call for tender of the French government named "digital campuses.
1. Centres of distance learning.
Created to supply the need of education in the different subject
(humanities, law, sciences) 27 centres located in traditional
universities are organised in a consortium named FIED ( Fédération
interuniversitaire des enseignements à distance).(
www.telesup.univ-mrs.fr <http://www.telesup.univ-mrs.fr> ). They share
both a web radio ( http://audiosup.net.u-paris10.fr ) and a T.V. on line
( www.canal-u.education.fr <http://www.canal-u.education.fr> ). The
number of registered students is 38,000.Teachers and tutors are working
on a overtime basis paid by hours done. This is of course a very
difficult situation as the Ministry has not yet decided what would be
the counterpart in terms of services of an "on line" work. Most of the
courses are paper based or linked with audioor video cassettes but are
slowly put on line
2. CNED :National centre for distance education.
CNED was created during the second world war for pupils who were not
able to attend classes at elementary level. After the war, it enlarged
its scope in offering college level as well as training at higher
education level for the teachers who were preparing competitive exams
for a better position. Then CNED offered courses in name of universities
which wanted not to have the task of managing the dispatching of the
documents to the students. CNED entered different digital campuses as an
operator and a facilitator because of its internal multimedia resources
As such, CNED is a partner of many a campus at higher education level.
CNED has 350,000 registered students from elementary school to
university level (with 150,000 students in joint cooperation with
traditional universities) ( www.cned.fr <http://www.cned.fr> )
3. CNAM : National conservatory for art and handicraft.
This foundation goes back to the French Revolution and was designed to
save the know-how in all handicraft and art available at the end of the
French "Ancien regime". This institution is now offering a whole set of
vocational training for technicians to become engineers. The lectures
are given outside the working hours, at night or during week ends. There
is a centre of CNAM in each region , each being autonomous regarding its
own way of teaching but the diplomas are given by the Paris centre and
are recognised as national diplomas. CNAM is offering more and more on
line courses through its own learning content management system named
"pleiade". 80,000 adults are currently registered in a life long
learning process. ( www.cnam.fr <http://www.cnam.fr> )
4. Digital campuses
The French government initiated a call for tender two years ago to
promote on line courses which were available within the different
universities. Up to now 67 campuses are running as described below( see
the site: www.formasup.education.fr <http://www.formasup.education.fr> ):
Sciences and techniques : 18 projects
Medicine and health : 15 projects
Humanities and social sciences: 9 projects
Training techniques and methodology in information and communication : 8
projects
Law, economy and business administration : 8 projects
Interdisciplinary : 7 projects
Most of them linked a small number of universities and the CNED as a
technical facilitator. They are designed to offer on line courses ending
with a diploma. They are modularised and are credited according to the
ECTS system.
5. Other.
Most of the institutions of higher education are linked with the
government through a contract in which a component of e-learning is
visible. The commitment of the different actors is variable and some are
well ahead like the technical university of Compiegne ( www.utc.fr
<http://www.utc.fr> ). Others are re-organising their multimedia centres
in a service offered to the students for a personal training. It's a
sort of extension of the old computer based training through the use of
the net. Interactivity can be both on campus or on line with tutors. A
network of those centres is organised and is named RUCA (
www.ruca.univ-lille1.fr <http://www.ruca.univ-lille1.fr> )
New courses
Politehnica" University of Timisoara - Timisoara Distance Education
Study Centre (link la www.utt.ro <http://www.utt.ro> ) is running 2
college level degrees in "Audio-Video and Multimedia Technologies' and
"Applied Informatics" using Open and Distance Learning methodology. The
courses in Romanian are for 3 years and they count for college engineer
degree.
News
1. The new name of EDEN - EUROPEAN DISTANCE AND E-LEARNING NETWORK
At the Annual General Meeting held at Rhodes, Greece, on 18 June 2003, a
special resolution was passed by the members that the name of the
Association be changed to EUROPEAN DISTANCE AND E-LEARNING NETWORK.
The new name intends to reflect the response of EDEN to the emergence
and consolidation of eLearning and its flexible integration in the
activities of the Association. It is in the meantime also emphasizing
the continuity of experience with the professional background of open
and distance learning. The change will at the same time safeguard the
existing corporate image and identity, but also carry important message
about accommodating in EDEN the ongoing innovation. The new name is also
shifting in the wording the focus from education to learning, which is a
very contemporary message, and without the change of the well branded
abbreviated name, introduce the information and communication technology
dimension.
http://www.eden.bme.hu/
2. EDEN New President and Executive Committee members elected at the AGM
2003
In view of the expiry of his term of office in the EDEN Executive
Committee, Dr. Erwin Wagner has retired and gave over the presidency at
the Annual General Meeting on 18 June 2003.
The AGM has unanimously endorsed the nomination of Ingeborg Bo as the
next President of EDEN from June 2003.
As their term of office expired, the following members of the Executive
Committee completed their serving in the Board: Erwin Wagner,
Universität Hildesheim, Germany, EDEN President , Sarolta Zárda, Számalk
Education Ltd. Co., Hungary.
Based on nominations for the vacancies received from members, Dr. Ulrich
Bernath from Carl von Ossietzky University of Oldenburg, Center for
Distance Education, Germany and Dr. Albert Sangra from UOC - EduLab,
Internet Interdisciplinary Institute, Spain had been elected as new
members of the EDEN Executive Committee by the AGM.
http://www.eden.bme.hu/
Conferences
EDEN 2003 ANNUAL CONFERENCE, 15-18 June 2003, Rodos Palace Hotel,
Rhodes, Greece
THE QUALITY DIALOGUE -Integrating Quality Cultures in Flexible, Distance
and eLearning
http://www.eden.bme.hu/contents/conferences/annual/Rhodes/rhodes0.html
IASTED International Conference
COMPUTERS AND ADVANCED TECHNOLOGY IN EDUCATION (CATE-2003)
IASTED International Symposium on WEB-BASED EDUCATION (WBE-2003)
June 30 - July 2, 2003, Rodos Palace Resort, Rhodes, Greece
http://www.iasted.com/conferences/2003/greece/c402.htm
4-th EUROPEAN CONFERENCE ON E-COMMERCE / E-WORK / E-LEARNING / E-HEALTH
/ E-BANKING / E-BUSINESS, ON-LINE SERVICES, VIRTUAL INSTITUTES, AND
THEIR INFLUENCES ON THE ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL ENVIRONMENT
E-COMM-LINE 2003, September 25-26, 2003, Bucharest, ROMANIA
http://www.ipa.ro/
ICETA-2003: 2nd "International Conference on Emerging
Telecommunications Technologies and Applications" and the 4th Conference
on Virtual University, Kos(ice, Slovakia, 11 - 13 September 2003
http://www.elfa.sk/ICETA-2003
EADTU Annual Conference Madrid "E-Bologna" progressing the European
Learning Space
Madrid, 6 - 8 November 2003
http://www.eadtu.nl
European Conference on e-Learning, Glasgow, Scotland, 6 -7 November 2003
http://www.mcil.co.uk/2p-ecel2003-home.htm
Online Educa Berlin, Berlin, Germany, 3 - 5 December 2003
http://www.online-educa.com/en/
"Supporting the Learner in Distance Education and E-Learning"
The Third EDEN Research Workshop jointly offered by EDEN - European
Distance and E-Learning Network and the Centre for Distance Education at
Carl von Ossietzky University of Oldenburg
4-6 March 2004, Oldenburg, Germany
http://www.eden.bme.hu/contents/r-net/Oldenburg/oldenburg0.html
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This newsletter is edited by the team of Politehnica" University of
Timisoara - Timisoara Distance Education Study Centre (link la
www.utt.ro <http://www.utt.ro> ) through a MISSION Socrates - MINERVA
EU Program.
More news is available at our website, where you can also find archive
news, course catalogue, a glossary, and information about ODL in CEE. Go
to ( http://mission.pu.acad.bg/en/index.html
<http://mission.pu.acad.bg/en/index.html%C2%A0> )
If you no longer wish to receive information about MISSION and ODL,
please send an email to mission at opendrum.utt.ro
<mailto:mission at opendrum.utt.ro%C2%A0> with "UNSUBSCRIBE" in the subject
line.
If you have received this mail through a friend and would like to
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