e-learning in european higher education...
TRANSCRIPT
E-learning in European Higher Education Institutions
Results of two EUA studies in 2014 and 2015
Michael Gaebel, EUA
About HERE
• Higher Education Reform Experts in Partner countries - HERE
• initiative of the European Commission – implemented through the EACEA Agency
• Contract: 2015-2017: SPHERE Consortium
The SPHERE Consortium
• University of Barcelona (UB)
• European University Association (EUA)
– Umbrella organisation of the European universities
– Consultative Member in the Bologna Process
– European policy – institutional practice
– Representing
• 33 national rectors conferences
• 800 university members in all 47 EHEA countries
• International partnerships
850 members in 47 European countries
EUA Membership
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Terminology
e-learning/ ICT based learning
generic expression for all learning based on information and communication technologies (ICT)
on-line learning
all learning where the student is not physically presence
blended learning
variety of technologies and tools to support learning in different contexts
Why surveying e-learning?
2012/13
• Change: technology - innovation – MOOCs – revolutionizing learning (unlimited, automatisation )
• Rising external pressure: – increased importance of HE for economy and R&D
– global competition:, Europe stays behind ...
– more quality & quantity at lower cost (economic crisis)
– EC Communication “Opening up education ...”
• No Data on e-learning in European HE – Some structures, “e”-champions
– Increased attention to learning and teaching
– Growing interest of leadership
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EUA surveys EL2014: E-learning in European higher education institutions
• Conducted Oct.-Dec. 2013 • 249 HEI from 39 European HE systems • Respondents: “those responsible for ICT-based learning”
• Different type and use of e-learning (incl. MOOCs) • Impact on learning & on the institution
T2015: TRENDS 2015 - Learning and Teaching in European Universities
• Conducted in Jan.-April 2014
• 449 HEI from 47 European HE systems
• Respondents: Rectors, vice-rectors, rectors’ offices
• Bologna Reforms, changing environments for European higher education, incl. e-learning
2013 + 2014: MOOCs in European HE (Occasional papers)
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http://www.eua.be/Libraries/Public
ation/e-learning_survey.sflb.ashx
http://www.eua.be/Libraries/Publicatio
ns_homepage_list/EUA_Trends_201
5_web.sflb.ashx
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70%
62%
58%
53%
53%
Internationalisation
Use of ICTs in teaching, research, management, etc.
Collaboration within your region (with other universities, communities,
employers)
University-business cooperation
Enhanced cooperation with other HEIs
Top five developments since 2010
83%
78%
70%
63%
57%
Internationalisation
Use of ICTs in teaching, research, management, etc.
Enhanced cooperation with other HEIs
European Commission initiatives in research and innovation (policies and
funding)
Growing competition with other HEIs
Top five developments for the future
T2015: ICTs in learning and teaching
– second among Top 5 past & future developments:
Different types of e-learning
EL 2014 T2015
blended learning 91% 74%
on line provision 82% 75%
on line degree programmes 39% 36%
joint online learning courses with other
universities 40% 34%
MOOCs 12% 22%
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Mainstreaming? (T2015)
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Low degree of mainstreaming
22% in all disciplines
28% involve most or all students (≥75% of students)
53% use it institution-wide (other: in some departments, by individual teachers)
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Why? Some assumptions • Funding
– Lack of funding for institution
– Project funding for limited e-learning initiatives
• Institutional decision pending
• Institutional governance systems
• Disciplinary differences
• Testing technology and approaches
• Not yet/only recently become a strategic priority
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Many institutions have a strategy for e-learning - or are developing one
• 49% have a institutional strategy
• 26% are developing one
• 14% a strategy at faculty level
= 99%
But: impact?
• Little difference in activities and mainstreaming
• Strong e-learning portfolios in institutions without strategies
• How mature are strategies?
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E-learning management and organisation (EL2014)
• Infrastructure & services – Digital library access, computerrooms, wifi,
– social media use, online examinations
– student services, staff enhancement, 80%: senior leadership responsibility
• 75%: coordination mechanism for e-learnin
• 40%: e-learning centers - upgraded, new functions?
• Leadership responsibilty – chief information officer, vice-rector information systems,
advisor to the president on digital developments etc.
– e-governance & management??? …14…
QA and national support
• Quality assurance for e-learning emerging – Internal QA: 29% have it – 35% discuss it
– External QA: 23% have it – 28% discuss it
• National level support for e-learning? – National strategies not well visible
– Most countries: some national initiatives and support measures
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Bologna Process:
Yerevan Communiqué 2015 47 European countries agree: • Enhancing the quality and relevance of learning and
teaching is the main mission of the EHEA. We will encourage and support higher education institutions and staff in promoting pedagogical innovation in student-centred learning environments and in fully exploiting the potential benefits of digital technologies for learning and teaching. …16…
Institutional motivation for e-learning
But: • MOOCs increase international visibility and recognition • T2015: 21% use MOOCs for internationalisation purposes
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EL2014 T2015
Flexible learning 27% 24%
Increase effectiveness of classroom time 20% 20%
More learning opportunities for students off
campus
20% 18%
More learning opportunities for students on
campus
17% 13%
Internationalisation 8.5% 9%
Benefits of e-learning • Postive
• Revision of teaching methods
• Monitoring learning progress
• Educating large numbers students
• But: flipped classroom?
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Concluding remarks
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Summary • Trends towards e-learning
– top priority for institutions
– enhanced institutional take up
– institutional e-learning strategies, institution-wide governance & coordination, leadership responsibility, QA
• How systematic and strategic are institutional & national approaches?
– No longitudinal data
– Differences between institutions (degree of mainstreaming)
– Little difference between types of institutions
– No clear country trends (national strategies?)
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• Purposes & impact?
Implications • The students: a chance for student centred learning?
– growing diversity of studentship: learning needs, social situation, etc. – “student life cycle” – Learning to learn – learner autonomy
• The teachers/ academics: – a changed role: from “knowledge carrier & transmitter” to “learning coach” – Teaching a collaborative effort (with other teachers, but also technical staff,
services etc.)
• The institution and its mission – Internationalisation? Continued Professional Education? Industry collaboration?
LLL? Outreach/ community work? – E-learning - means different things in different national and local environments – The broader agenda: digitalisation
• Higher education – What is a degree? – What type of qualifications should HE deliver? Relation to VET?
– Different student profiles: “learners”
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Two agendas: “learning” & “digitalisation”
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Learning & teaching
• e-learning
• LLL – Flexible
• Link research - teaching
• Pedagogies
• Staff enhancement
• Student services
“e”/digitalisation
• e-learning
• e-governance
• information systems/ data
• Research: 2.0 / open
• Communication, collaboration & outreach
Implications • The students: a chance for student centred learning?
– growing diversity of studentship: learning needs, social situation, etc. – “student life cycle” – Learning to learn – learner autonomy
• The teachers/ academics: – a changed role: from “knowledge carrier & transmitter” to “learning coach” – Teaching a collaborative effort (with other teachers, but also technical staff,
services etc.)
• The institution and its mission – Internationalisation? Continued Professional Education? Industry collaboration?
LLL? Outreach/ community work? – E-learning - means different things in different national and local environments – The broader agenda: digitalisation
• Higher education – What is a degree? – What type of qualifications should HE deliver? Relation to VET?
– Different student profiles: “learners”
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What to do?
• Research on learning/ e-learning – but ...
• National & institutional strategies • leadership, dedicated staff & investment
• more exchange of institiutional experience (strategies, governance)
• Collaboration
• more policy attention – dialogue policy and practiceE-learning – part of learning & teaching
• Capacity building
• Developments not linear – cautiously trying out what works, what does not?
– Adaptation too slow and fragmented?
– Risk taking
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Are we the only ones who do not know? Alan Rusbridger, outgoing editor of The Guardian, about the new publishing deal on “Instant Articles” with Facebook:
"That’s either the most brilliant, inspired thing to be doing or it’s a pact with the devil. We don’t know at the moment. At the moment, I think we have to be in the phase of experimenting with everything. If it doesn’t work out, it doesn’t work out.“ (Politico Morning Tech – 21 May 2015)
A few caveats
• E-learning ≠ learning innovation
• Not a remedy for all challenges in higher education
• industry promises
• technically feasible ≠ pedagogically, societally and economically useful or desireable
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Michael Gaebel Higher Education Policy Unit
European University Association
Avenue de l’Yser, 24
1040 Brussels – Belgium
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www.eua.be
An optimistic view: Growth in MOOCs
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http://www.openeducationeuropa.eu/en/eur
opean_scoreboard_moocs
Innovation & technology – and their impact
Live forms on planet Earth “are so amazingly primitive that they still think digital watches are a pretty neat idea”
Douglas Adams, The hitchhiker’s guide to the Galaxy - 1979
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