a review of elearning in eu

8/7/2019 A review of elearning in EU

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A Review of Two Mainline e-Learning Projects in the European UnionAuthor(s): Hüseyin UzunboyluSource: Educational Technology Research and Development, Vol. 54, No. 2 (Apr., 2006), pp. 201-209Published by: SpringerStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/30221322

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International R e v i e w A b b a s J o h a r i ,

Editor

A Review of Two Mainline E-LearningProjects n the EuropeanUnion

ByHiiseyinUzunboylu

Thiswas asurveyof

the iteratureregarding

heuseof e-learning

n two

mainlinee-learning rojectsn theEuropeanUnion: a)thee-LearningActionPlanand(b)thee-Learning rogram.foundevidence hatthe

European ommissionEC)haspositively ffected uropeanountries

thathaveparticipatedntheseprojects y(a)providing ecessary

infrastructuresndequipment,b) mplementingeachertraining, c)

delivering sefulcontent ndservices,d)encouragingooperationnd

networking;e)promoting igital iteracy,f)launchingEuropeanvirtualcampuses,nd(g)supportingheuseoftheWorldWideWeb

(WWW)or "e-Twinning"rimary ndsecondarychools.

D Since1995,the WWWandrelatedcommunication nd information ech-

nologieshavepermittedunprecedented ccess o information ndresources.

Froma global perspective,openuniversitiesand distanceeducation nstitu-

tions,aswell as traditional cademicnstitutions, averecognized hepoten-tial of e-learning orimproving he effectivenessof teachingand increasingstudent nteractionUNESCO,005).

Thedevelopment fe-learning asresulted rom hewidespreaduseofthe

WWW, structure hatsupportsdistance ducationby combining ommuni-

cationand nformationtechnologieswitha broadscopeof instructional ools.

The use of these tools as meansforprovidingdistanceeducationpresents

opportunities reviouslyunavailable or academic nstitutions o applytheir

financial,ogistical,and nstructionalesources Terrell&Dringus,2000).

Althoughnumerousdefinitionsof e-learningre found in theprofessionalliterature, his term often refersto instructionor trainingdeliveredusing

ETR&D,ol.54,No.2, p. 201-219,2006

c 2006AssociationorEducational ommunicationsndTechnology. 201



202 INTERNATIONALEVIEW

media,computers, ndtechnologiesuchastheWWW nd ntranets.Thecon-

tent deliveredviae-learning

s relatedto(a)

instructionaloals, (b)specificinstructionalmethods,(c)selectedmedia,and (d) knowledgeand skills for

achieving individual or organizationalgoals (Clark & Mayer, 2003;

Muthukumar,004).TheECdefinede-learnings "theuse of newmultimedia

technologies ndtheInternet o improve hequalityoflearningby facilitatingaccess oresources ndservicesas well asremote xchangeandcollaboration"

(Reding, 003).

European nionProjects

Between2000 and 2002,Councils n Lisbon,Stockholm,Barcelona, nd the

EuropeanUnion(EU),alongwith headsof stateand othergovernmenteaders

within theEU,havesupported ustained fforts o integratenformation ndcommunicationechnologies ICT)nto educationandtrainingprograms. n

March 000, he LisbonCouncil alled oradopting ducationandtrainingor

use in an increasingly echnology-basedociety.Councils n Barcelona nd

Stockholmupported ecommendationsytheLisbonCouncil or mplement-

ing ICT.Subsequently,he EC launched he e-Learningnitiativeandthe e-

LearningAction Plan for 2001-2004.In December2003, the EuropeanParliament nd theEuropeanCouncilapproved heimplementationf thee-

Learning rogramor2004-2006EC,2005a).

The -LearningctionPlan

During2002-2004,he

e-LearningctionPlan

playedan

importantole in

coordinatinguropeanctivitieselatedothe use of ICT neducation ndtrain-

ingprograms. hemajorityf actionplansofEuropeanationshaveregardedhe

e-LearningctionPlanasasourceorguidance nd nspiration. se-learningas

gainedacademic ndprofessionalredibility, broadscopeof European olicydocuments nd nitiativesavesupportedhee-Learning ctionPlanasatool or

increasingccess olifelong ducation nd earningEC, 004a).Authors fthe e-

LearningActionPlan dentified ourprioritiesordevelopment uring 2002-

2004: a) infrastructuresnd equipment, b)contentand services, c) teacher

training,nd(d)Europeanooperationndnetworking.

Infrastructuresndequipment

Thee-LearningActionPlanbeganby establishing ninfrastructurendsecur-

ing needed equipment. As of March2002,93%of schools in the EU were con-

nected to the WWW, an 80% ncrease since May 2001. During 2001-2002, the

number of computers per 100 students with Web access increased 50%.More

than half of Europe's teachers have received instruction for implementing

computers or using the WWW. The EC has financed the use of high-speed



INTERNATIONALEVIEW 203

Webnetworksamonguniversities ndresearchnstitutes, network hatnow

connects32 European ountries(Reding,2003).Thee-LearningActionPlanhas affected he developmentof the WWWand ICT nfrastructuresnd the

installation f equipmentn primary chools.Forexample,n 2002,approxi-

mately2,000of 6,000primaryschoolsin Greecewereequippedwith a new

computer ab (EuroBarometer, 002).The EC(2004b) xpectsto equip the

remainingchoolsbefore2007.

Thee-Learningnitiativewas launched o extend he workof thee-Learn-

ing Action Planto promotethe use of broadband ommunications nd to

improvethe effectivenessof publicservices.Thee-Europe2005ActionPlan

concentratests effortson threepolicypriorities:a)e-learning,b)e-govern-ment, and (c) e-health.This actionplan supportsretraining he workforce

usinge-learning ndestablishing irtualcampuses EC,2004a).Thee-Learn-ingActionPlan s instrumentalnachieving heseextendedgoalsandfor fur-

therstrengtheningupport or tspriorities y facilitatingnincreasendigital

literacy ndimproving irtualcampuses.

Contentndservices

TheEC s notresponsibleorproducing ontentorimplementing ew ser-

vices fore-learning.tdoes,however,establish onditions orsustainingmar-

ketsandinvitingpublic nvestments.nparticular,he Commissionocuseson

factors elated o intellectualproperty ights,copyrightagreements, ew dis-

tributionmethods,and theadoptionofopenstandards. hee-LearningAction

plan dentifiedhreepriority reas:a)modem anguages,b)sciences echnol-ogy andsociety,and(c)cultureandcitizenship.Calls orproposalsunder the

e-Learningnitiative ncouraged ilotprojectsorusethroughoutheEU.Soc-

rates aprojectopublicize he outcomesofpastprojects),Leonardo a Vinci

(a project o analyzeresearchoutcomesand practices or developingmore

effective e-learning),IST (a project to address economic and societal

challenges), nde-ContentProgramsaprojecthatsupports hedevelopmentof multilingual ontent ornew onlineservices)havesupported everalasso-

ciatedprojects nd haveencouraged heimplementationf strategicprojectsforimprovingheeffectiveness f e-learningnstructionReding,2003).

Throughhee-LearningActionProject,heEuropeanQualityObservatory

(EQO),heEC sprovidingmore han2millioneuros orfunding nstructionalinitiatives.EQO(www.eqo.info) erves as a center orenablingdevelopers,

managers, administrators, decision makers, and end users to identify

approaches to e-learning that suit the needs of theirorganizations. Addition-

ally, several projectshave been launched under the content and services com-

ponent of EQO. The two most important projects address the quality of

e-learning (www.qual-elearning.net): Supporting Excellence in e-Learning




(www.seelnet.org)ndSuitableEnvironmentortheEvaluation f Quality n

e-Learning(www.education-observatories.net/seequel/).

Teachertraining

Sincethe publicationof the e-LearningActionPlan,awareness or needingICTtrainingor tsinstructional se hasincreased.n themajority fEuropeancountries, nitialeffortshave focusedon informationechnologyequipmentand the use of software,butemphasishas shiftedto instructionalactorsand

managementkills(Reding, 003).Accordingo theresultsoftheEuroBarom-

eterSurvey(2002), he majorityof teachersuses computersand accesses he

WWWat homeand believes thatthe WWWhaschangedorsoonwill changetheir eachingmethods.

Several tates n the EUaredeveloping eachertraining chemas. naddi-tion,the EC s funding eacher rainingprojects ndereducationandresearch

programsas well as under the e-Learning nitiative Reading,2003).These

projectsncludeTeachers'ProfessionalDevelopment,mprovingContinuingEducation nd TrainingThrough -Learning,A EuropeanLifelongLearning

Systemon ICTnEducationorPioneerTeachers, uropeanTraining f Train-

ersNetwork,and InternetLaboratoryEC, 004c).

TheEuropeanTraining fTrainersNetwork eeks to improve the concretecon-

tribution f ICT oteacher rainingandencouragets use as a means orfoster-

ing exchangesof bestpractices.This networkemphasizes(a)e-learning or

teachers ndtrainers,b)professionalizinglectronicvillageteachers, c)vali-

datingnonformal

earningfor

teachers,and

(d) improvingthe

preparationandtraining f teachers ndtrainers.

Internet aboratory,major eacher rainingproject,s developinga virtual

laboratoryorresearchers,eachers, ndtrainerso useICT or educationand

training(EC,2004c).The need for trainingoften requiresorganizational

changewithin education and training nstitutions.Futureeffortswill focus

more on humanand organizationalactors or sustaininge-learning ong-

term, ncreasetseffectiveness, ndminimize tscost(EC,2003).

The e-LearningAction Plan is influencing CTtrainingfor teachers.In

Greece, orexample,50%of teachersn primary ducationhavereceived n-

serviceand training; he remaining50%are expectedto receivein-service

trainingn 2006 EC,2003).

Europeanooperationndnetworking

Improvingcooperationand networking within Europe'seducational system is

a principal goal of the e-LearningAction Plan that the ECproposes for 2004-

2006, a goal of the Under the e-LearningAction Plan. Close cooperation has

been initiated with member states in several fields, including teacher educa-




tion, scienceeducation,new learningenvironments, nd virtualuniversities

(Reding, 003).Activitiesnitiatedunder hee-LearningActionPlancontinue o unitepol-

icy makersand instructionalexpertsfor addressingmportant actors n e-

learning.Severalprojectsaunched under thee-Learning nitiative n 2002

have focused onbuildingEuropean ommunitiesby scheduling ace-to-face

meetingsandcoordinating ngoingvirtualdiscussions.Thecooperativework

of thee-LearningnterserviceGroup, hee-LearningNationalExpertsGroup,and the ICTexpertsgroupprovideworkingevidenceof theimportance fcol-

laborations hathave resultedfrom the implementation f the e-LearningAction Plan (EC,2003).In addition,collaborativeprojectshave been com-

pletedbymultinationaleams hat dentified ffectivenstructionalmethods.

Thee-LearningActionPlanseeksto strengthen ndimprovecooperationwithintheEuropean choolnet(www.eun.org).Thisnetworkncludes23min-

istriesofeducationthroughoutEuropeand inksschools, eachers, nd school

managers(EC,2005c).EuropeanSchoolnetserves as a resource or policymakersand educationalprofessionalswho areintegrating CT nto educa-

tionalenvironmentsEC,2005b).

Thee-LearningActionPlan has encouragednumerousprojects elated o

European ooperation ndthe use of networking.Themostnoteworthypro-

jectsinclude(a)the EuropeanPortfolio nitiativesCoordinationCommittee,(b)JOIN,which supports he use of open-sourceearningmanagement ys-tems;(c)ENSEL,whichsupportscollaborationamongpilotprojectsand vir-

tualcenters;G-GLUE,

whichsupports lifelong learningand establishing

game-basedearningn universities, d)ReCOIL, hichfacilitateshe use ofcollaborativeinquiry earning; e)SIGDLAE,whichseeksto establisha sys-tem for accrediting -learning n Europe;and (f) Eu[eComp]Int, uropean

eCompetence nitiative,which is developingcriteria orcertifyingacademicstaffs n theuse of ICT orteachingandlearning EC,2005d).

Thee-Learningrogram

Thee-Learning rogram, hichrepresentsnotherstep oward heuseofICTor

lifelong earning,ocuseson a set ofprioritiesormodernizing uropeanduca-tion andtraining rograms.t consistsof fourcomponents:a)promoting igital

literacy,b)

ncreasinghenumber f

Europeanirtual

campuses,c)promotinge-learning hroughoutEurope,and (d) e-Twinningprimaryand secondaryschools (e-Twinning efers o schools'using ICT oronlinecollaboration.)

Promoting igital iteracy

Digital literacyrefers to the knowledge and skills thatallpersons need forpro-

fessional development and for active participation in a technological-based




society.Thiscomponent s importantbecauseof its potentialforincreasing

access o learning.Persons

whocannotattend raditional

on-campusourses

andprogramsbecausetheyreside n remoteareas, ack inancial esources, r

whose specialneeds preventit, couldbenefitby using technologyand the

WWW orearninga collegedegreeoraprofessional ertificateEC,2004b).

The e-LearningProgramhas initiatedprojects elatedto digitalliteracy.

Projects nclude (a) e-learning or the visually impaired, b)Benchmarking

RegionalStrategiesorTechnological iteracy,c)ChildICTPages,(d)DigitalVideoClipsby EthnicMinorities,e)theEuropean rameworkorDigitalLit-

eracy, f)e-learning ndsocial nclusion orpersonswithdisabilities,g) Digi-talLiteracyOpento Impairments,nd(h)e-Learningnventoryor Smalland

HandicraftEnterprisesEC,2005d).

Establishinguropeanirtualcampuses

Thisgoal seeksto add a virtualdimension oEuropean ooperationnhighereducationby encouraginghedevelopment fnew organizationalmodelsfor

virtualcampuses hroughoutEuropeand fornew organizationalmodelsfor

European xchangeandvirtualmobility i.e.,sharing chemes).Thiscompo-

nentwouldbe builtuponexistingcooperationrameworksuchas theEras-

musprogram,whichprovidesane-learning omponent.The virtualcampuscomponenthas helped establishnumerousprojects,

includingREalVirtualErasmus;Lene-TT,ne-Learning etwork orteacher

training;E-learning er e Lingue leLetterature uropee;E.A.S.Y.,nagency

providingaccess o virtualcampuses; -LERU, creation f a virtualcampus;

EuropeanTeachers nd TrainersCampus;VirtualCurricula hroughReliable

InterOperatingniversitySystems;ModelingAdviceandSupportServices o

IntegrateVirtualComponent n HigherEducation;VirtualCOPERNICUS-

CAMPUS;ndVIPA,a virtualcampus orEuropean rchitectso learnabout

virtualspacedesign(EC,2005d).

Furtheringhee-Twinningfschools

E-Twinningeekstodevelopandstrengthen etworking mongschools.Dur-

ing enrollment n secondaryschools, e-Twinningprovides students (and

teachers)with opportunitieso

participaten educational

rojectswith

peersin otherEuropean ountries.Collaborativenlineactivityexperiencesoster

the European goal of a multilingual, multiculturalsociety. Web-based learn-

ing communities contribute to improving interculturalawareness, dialogue,

and understanding. The e-Twinning of schools could result in updating the

professional and instructional skills of teachers and trainersand the collabora-

tive uses of ICT(EC,2004d).




In 2004, the European Schoolnet released the e-Twinning portal

(www.etwinning.net)n behalfof theEC'sDirectorateGeneralorEducationandCulture.Created y theEU,thee-Twinning ortalaccommodates 0 lan-

guages.Itofferseducators dvice,help, nformation,ndresourcesorprepar-

ing e-Twinning school activities, which could include establishing a

partner-findingorum.Theportalalsoprovides choolstaffwithinformation

about he new e-Twinningnitiativeand maintains European elpdeskfor

supporting -Twinning ctivitiesandansweringquestionsrelated o instruc-

tion.Todate,approximately,000 choolshavesubscribed o thee-Twinning

portal,which linksto nationalportalsmaintainedby the NationalSupportService EC,2005b).

Transversalctionsforpromoting-learninghroughouturope

Buildingon thee-LearningActionPlan, ransversalctions eektoestablisha

means formonitoring heprogress n achievinge-learning oals throughout

Europe.Particularemphasis s placedondisseminatingheresultsof e-learn-

ing projectsand otherrelevant nformation or supportingEuropeannet-

works,surveys,studies,and eventswithexisting nternationalgencies, uch

as the Organizationor EconomicCooperationand Developmentand the

UnitedNationsEducational,cientific ndCulturalOrganizationEC,2004b).

Fivemajorprojects avebeenlaunchedunder hetransversalctionscom-

ponent:(a)TRIANGLE;b)E-excellence,which createsa standardof excel-

lencefore-learning;c)Quality, nteroperabilityndStandardsn e-Learning;

(d) HorizontalE-LearningntegratedObservationSystem;and (e) LearningInteroperabilityrameworkorEurope EC,2005d).

Funding ndbudget istribution

TheOfficial ournal ftheEuropeanUnion(2003)reportedfunding allocationsfor

distributing 4million eurosto supportthee-Learning rogram:a) 10% or

promotingdigital iteracy,b)30% orsupportingEuropean irtualcampuses,(c)45% ore-Twinning ndpromoting eacher raining,d)7.5%ortransver-

salactionsandmonitoringhee-LearningActionPlan,and(e)7.5% ortechni-

calandadministrativessistance.

Conclusion

E-learningin Europe has focused on instituting practicesthatbenefit schools

and public services. EuropeanCouncils are seeking to use ICT and the WWW

strategically,not merely as means for everyday use.

The e-LearningAction Plan and the e-LearningProgramhave been used to

integrate ICT for education and training in European countries. The use of




these strategies uggeststhate-learningyields positiveresults.TheEChas

assumedanimportant ole inplanning,designing,mplementing, nd evalu-atinge-learning nd infinanciallyupportingtswidespread mplementation.

Thee-LearningActionPlanplaysanimportantole nguidingEuropean -

learning orachievingestablishedgoalsandprovidesanimportant esource

for memberstates.Thisplan also enablesthe exchangeof knowledgeand

experiences elatedto key factors n using ICT or educationand training,

includingfinancinginfrastructures, urchasingequipment,providingnet-

workaccess, raining trategies, upporting hedevelopmentof instructional

contentand services,evaluating eachingmethodology,and advancing ur-

therresearch.

Applyingandsharingbestpractices elpseducatorsunderstandhecontri-

bution of ICTand the WWW or effective earning.Advances n technologywill increase he needforextendingresearch o determineechnological, ed-

agogical, social-economical, nd cultural affectsof e-learningthroughoutcountriesn theEU.For heEC o continue o fundresearch elated oe-learn-

ingwould furtherEurope'smovement owardatechnological-basedociet)

[email protected] rofessorndChairmanfthe

DepartmentfComputerducation InstructionalechnologiestNearEastUniversity,YakinDoguPostahanesi,efkosa, yprus,Via:Mersin0Turkey.

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INERNATIONALEVIEW 209

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KoreanContentManagementin e-HigherEducation:

Here and Hereafter

ByInsook ee

Currentrendsn themanagementf e-learningontent nKorean

higher ducationrereviewed,longwithimportantssuesfor uture

development.outhKoreantechnologicalnfrastructure,mong hemost

advancedn theworld,provideshenecessaryonditionsfore-learningtoproliferate,utase-learningnhigher ducationapproachescertain

levelofmaturity ndproliferation,herewillemergessues o beresolved

at thenationalevel.Suggestedutureconsiderationsnclude

establishing national evelof overarchinglanningorcourseware

management;niversity ndconsortiumevelplanningorqualitycontent

management;-learningontent

sharing ystems hroughuch

methods s learningechnologytandardization;nda training nd

support ystemorspecialistsneducationalevelopment,nstruction,andadministrationhatcanoperatemutually ndconcurrently.

O The active role of the Korean government has contributedto the introduc-

tion of e-learning into Koreancolleges and universities. In February1998,the

a review of elearning in eu

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