learning platforms; uk denmark, spain

8/6/2019 Learning Platforms; UK Denmark, Spain

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Study Report

Virtual Learning Platforms in Europe:

What can we learn from experience in Denmark,the United Kingdom and Spain?

A Comparative Overview


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ContentsForeword.................................................................................................................................................. 5

The approach ............................................................................................................................... 6The concept of the virtual learning platform .................................................................... 7

Main conclusions of the study............................................................................................... 8

PartOne:AEuropeanoverview.................................................................................................. 11

Differentcontexts......................................................................................................................... 12

TheUnitedKingdom:substantialresourcesandcoordinatedaction................ 14

Facts and gures ...................................................................................................................... 14ICTE Policy in the United Kingdom ................................................................................... 15Virtual Learning Platforms ..................................................................................................... 20A case study: GLOW (Scotland) ......................................................................................... 27

Denmark:apragmaticapproachshapedbyteacherdemand.............................. 32

Facts and gures ...................................................................................................................... 32ICTE policy in Denmark.......................................................................................................... 34Virtual Learning Platforms ..................................................................................................... 36Success Factors ....................................................................................................................... 43

SpainAndalusiaandCatalonia:differentregionalapproaches

butbothbasedonopen-sourcesoftware........................................................................ 44

Facts and gures ...................................................................................................................... 44ICTE policy in Spain ................................................................................................................ 46

Virtual Learning Platforms ..................................................................................................... 47The case of Andalusia ............................................................................................................ 47The Case of Catalonia ............................................................................................................ 55

PartTwo:Whatcanwelearnfromexperienceinothercountries?.......................... 63

Currentstateofdeployment................................................................................................... 64

Deploymentmodels.................................................................................................................... 64

Phased progression................................................................................................................. 64Variable level of prescription ................................................................................................ 65Combination of bottom-up and top-down approaches............................................. 66

Governance..................................................................................................................................... 67

Uses.................................................................................................................................................... 68

SuccessFactors........................................................................................................................... 69

Conclusions.......................................................................................................................................... 70

Appendices........................................................................................................................................... 72

Appendix 1: Authors and experts interviewed .............................................................. 72

Appendix 2: Bibliography ...................................................................................................... 76Appendix 3: Supplementary information on the United Kingdom ......................... 80Acknowledgements ................................................................................................................. 84


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Study ReportNovember 2010

Foreword

Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) are now part of the European educational landscape, withvariations between schools, between different levels of education (ICTs are more integrated into secondarythan primary education), and between different countries.

With the proliferation of ICT equipment and the pedagogical approaches underpinning it, the concept ofvirtual learning platforms1 has emerged in several educational systems. In France, such systems are generallyreferred to as digital workspaces (espaces numriques de travail, ENT) and since 2003 they have been thebasis for pilot projects that are now being rolled out more widely. The Caisse des dpts, in close partnership

with the Ministry of Education, has become involved and now supports many projects in this area.

These platforms are part of an holistic approach, in that they have multiple utilisation: educationally, incommunication, and in administrative management involving handling large volumes of information relatingto schools and pupils. All these school functions are affected by these tools, as are all the actors: teachers,

pupils, parents, administrative staff and, in many cases, local authorities. While they are a powerful lever forchanging and modernising education systems, these platforms are particularly complex to implement giventhe multitude of functions and actors involved.

Given this complexity and the importance of the issues, we should ask how things are done elsewhere, inother education systems. This is precisely what the Caisse des dpts has done by commissioning European

Schoolnet, a network of 31 ministries responsible for innovation and for ICTs applied to education, to conducta study comparing the situation in three countries that are particularly advanced in this area: Denmark, theUnited Kingdom, and Spain, and more specically Andalusia and Catalonia.

Do these platforms offer the same services in different countries? What models have been deployed? Howwas their implementation managed? What practices were followed? What are the factors that facilitatetheir diffusion? These are the main questions to which this report provides a rst set of answers, while alsohighlighting issues specic to the education system concerned.

1 Virtual Learning Platform (in Frenchplateforme virtuelle dapprentissage) is the generic term used in this report to portray the Frenchsituation and its digital workspaces as well as similar environments in other countries.


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The Approach

This study oers an analysis o policies and initiatives in the feld o virtual learning platorms in Denmark, the

United Kingdom and Spain (Andalusia and Catalonia).

The analysis was entrusted by the Caisse des dpts to European Schoolnet, a network o 31 Ministries

o Education in Europe and beyond, whose mission is to integrate innovation and the inormation and

communication technologies into the teaching and learning processes or the beneft o ministries, schools,

teachers and researchers.

The reerence grid or investigation and the methodology o the whole study were established at the launch

meeting or the study held in the premises o the Caisse des dpts in Paris on 19 June 2009. The memberso the Steering Committee o the study and the Virtual Learning Platorm project managers Group took

part in the meeting. It was agreed that European Schoolnet would analyse the main reerence documents

(policy documents, legislation and regulations, guidelines or implementation, implementation and evaluation

reports, etc.) available in each o the countries concerned and complement this work with interviews with key

protagonists in these initiatives. The participants also agreed that the results o the investigation would be

presented in the orm o national reports, together with a comparative overview that highlights the similarities

and dierences between the three countries.

To implement this methodology, European Schoolnet identifed in each country a national correspondent who

would identiy the relevant documents and reports in all three countries, provide the necessary contextual

inormation, and identiy the persons to be interviewed by European Schoolnet. The list o correspondents and

interviewees by country, and the authors o the national and comparative reports are presented in Appendix 1.

The results o investigations in each country were presented to all members o the Steering Committee

and Virtual Learning Platorm project managers Group as soon as each was fnalised. The situation in the

United Kingdom was presented and discussed at a meeting o the digital workspace project managers at the

Ludovia Summer University (Ax-les-Thermes) on 26 August 2009. The situation in Denmark was presented at

a meeting o the digital workspace project managers at the Educatice event at the Education Fair in Paris on

20 November 2009. The situation in Spain and the general conclusions o the investigation were presented in

detail and debated at a summing-up meeting on 4 May 2010 at the premises o the Caisse des dpts in Paris.

The frst part o this study report provides a summary o each national situation according to a common

structure that addresses key eatures o existing platorms, the services they oer, the status o their

deployment, their modes o deployment and governance, their uses and the success actors determining

their wider deployment. The second part o the report compares these three national situations in terms o

these aspects and identifes common points and dierences. Some general lessons derived rom this are

presented in conclusion. The detailed country reports are available on the website o the Caisse des dpts.


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The concept o the virtual learning platorm

Analysing a system such as virtual learning platorms in dierent national or regional educational contexts, and

doing so in dierent languages, requires as a starting point a generic defnition o such a system that makes

it possible to address dierent realities.

To conduct our analysis, we frst adopted the defnition o a digital workspace (espace numrique de travail,

ENT) given by the French Ministry o Education: A digital workspace is a comprehensive system providing

a user with a unifed point o access through the networks to all the tools, content and applications related

to his or her activity. It is a unifed point o entry to access the inormation system o the administration o the

institution or school . The digital workspace is intended or all members o the educational community in an

institution (primary school, lower secondary school, lyce, or higher education institution), or example pupils,parents, students, teachers, administrative, technical and managerial sta, and, where appropriate, partners

o the education system. [] In terms o architecture, a digital workspace is organised around three sets

o services: applications (e.g. address book, diary, timetable, notes, newsletters, etc.); core services which

support the applications (e.g. directory, identity and access management, presentation and customisation o

the services oered, etc.); network services which bring the services together around inrastructures (internal

networks, Internet, etc.) and security eatures (frewall, antivirus, etc.).2 As such, the digital workspace is an

institutional inormation and communication system, oering each user simple, dedicated, secure access

to the tools and content he/she needs or his/her activity in the education system. In order to speciy the

services expected and its technical recommendations, the Ministry has drawn up the SDET (Schma directeur

des espaces numriques de travail, Digital Workspace Master Plan), which addresses, among other matters,

questions o interoperability, authentication, authorisation, and single sign-on.

In order to extend this reerence ramework geographically to embrace approaches in other European

countries, we also took account o the defnition o the Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) used in the United

Kingdom. The Department or Education and Skills has defned a VLE as ollows: It is an umbrella term that

describes a broad range o ICT systems used to deliver and support learning. As a minimum, we expect it

to combine communication and collaboration tools, secure individual online working space, tools to enable

teachers to manage and tailor content to user needs, pupil progress tracking and anytime/anywhere access.

In all cases, these defnitions reer to the concepts conditioning the design o virtual learning platorms

implementation. This obviously does not rule out discrepancies in the very diverse ways they are currentlybeing implemented by regional and local authorities and by educational institutions.

2 http://www.educnet.education.fr/services/ent/sdet


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Main conclusions o the study

Whatlessonscanbelearnedfromexperienceinothercountries?

Ourndings:

As regards the deployment o virtual learning platorms:

It is gradual, generally slower than expected, and, depending on the case, concerns 40-55% o schools

in the United Kingdom, Andalusia and Catalonia. In Denmark, however, 97% o state schools delivering

compulsory education have a virtual platorm.

It is usually based on a combination o top-down approaches (those initiated by the responsible authority)

and bottom-up approaches (initiated at the grass roots level), with the exception o Andalusia, where thetop-down approach is clearly more pronounced.

The governance o the process deployed and o its ollow-up ater the platorms are operational is based

in Denmark on very close involvement o stakeholders; elsewhere, it is based on a clear but sometimes

complex division o responsibilities in terms o implementation.

As regards their use:

Communication between teachers and the management and organisation o school lie are the most

advanced uses, as opposed to educational uses, which are considerably less developed, whether in the

United Kingdom, Denmark, Andalusia or Catalonia; active pupil participation remains limited in all countries,

but in Denmark such participation is seen as being supported by the act that the curriculum encourages

project-based teaching.

Communication with parents has only really been developed in Denmark.

Administrative uses are very advanced in the United Kingdom, and are growing in Andalusia; generally this

reects the need to reduce administrative burdens in areas responsible or a signifcant number o schools.

SuccessFactors

In terms o the general approach adopted:

Consider the implementation o virtual learning platorms frst and oremost as a process (objectives,

strategies, partners, stages, etc.). and not as an essentially technological intervention. Organise active, close participation by the dierent stakeholders (teachers, local authorities, commercial

publishers o digital educational content, etc.), in ways and with an intensity appropriate to their respective

roles in the virtual learning platorm system, rom the outset and throughout the process.

Direct the technology towards educational objectives immediately rom platorm design to implementation.

Bring together the resources and multiaceted expertise required to carry through projects o the scope and

complexity typical o virtual learning platorms.

Organise (quasi-) permanent access to ICT equipment at school level, particularly in classrooms rather than

in dedicated laboratories.


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In managing the implementation process:

Be pragmatic and patient at all stages o the process.

Carry out more or less ormalised evaluations, either integrated into the process itsel or at regular intervals,

to allow or any necessary adjustments or corrections en route.

Use virtual platorms to solve recognised problems o organisation or teaching or to simpliy unavoidable

procedures.

In supporting teachers:

Develop programmes and actions or training teachers not only in ICT and platorm operation, but also in

their pedagogical use, bearing in mind the value o running such courses online.

Provide technical support, available during usage time (school hours and even outside these) and capable

o responding quickly and eectively to spare teachers rom technical tasks and enable them to concentrateon pedagogical aspects.


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A European overview

Part One


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Different contexts

Policies on implementing virtual learning platorms reect diering contexts in dierent countries, given

variations in household computer equipment, the ways it is used, the eatures o the education system itsel,

and the particular policies or the integration o Inormation and Communication Technologies in Education

(ICTE). Some actors assist these policies, others may hinder them. Without identiying in detail the impact

o each o these eatures on the implementation o virtual learning platorms, it is useul to recall these key

contextual dierences beore embarking on the description o national policies and the measures implemented.

According to Eurostat 2009 data, in Denmark 85% o households have access to a home computer, 71% in

the United Kingdom, and 57% in Spain. 76% o Danish households have a broadband connection, compared

to 69% in the UK, and 51% in Spain.

The sizes o the respective populations vary considerably. Simply in terms o primary and secondary schoolstudents, the United Kingdom has just over 10 million, Spain more than 5.5 million, and Denmark just over

900,000 (source: OECD 2007). The number o pupils thus varies on a scale o 1 to 10, which raises issues

o scale and nature in implementing systems as complex as virtual learning platorms. The regionalisation o

some systems, as in the United Kingdom and Spain, to some extent osets the problems o scale by reducing

the size o the populations concerned. In the case o the United Kingdom, England, Wales, Scotland and

Northern Ireland each have their own educational system. England itsel nonetheless still has some 7 million

pupils. The division o Spain into 17 Autonomous Communities (regions) means that Andalusia and Catalonia,

the regions studied here, which together account or about 45% o Spanish pupils, have 1.5 million and

1.2 million primary and secondary students respectively.

Teachers key players with regard to virtual learning platorms also ace dierent situations in dierent

countries in terms o their employment status and continuing education. They are public-sector employees

with a status o contract sta in Denmark and the United Kingdom, where they are employed respectively

by the local authority and the educational institution (or sometimes the local authority). In-service training is

compulsory in the United Kingdom; in Spain it is optional but taken into account in career progression; and in

Denmark it is optional without particular incentives.


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The curriculum diering in the nature o its objectives and its degree o specifcity - is another dierentiating

actor between the countries studied that can acilitate or complicate the use o virtual learning platorms. The

Danish curriculum lays down some major objectives centrally, leaving schools considerable leeway. The United

Kingdom defnes skills rather than contents to be taught, and uses standardised tests by level to measure

results and ensure a degree o homogeneity. In Spain, central government defnes the core curriculum, leaving

the Autonomous Communities (regions) and institutions scope to adapt the programme to the local context.

In terms o the areas targeted by the major national or regional ICTE initiatives, there is, however, greater

similarity. Denmark, Spain and the United Kingdom have all ocused their eorts on equipment and connectivity,

the development o digital learning resources, teacher training, and curriculum adaptation. Dierent emphases

have naturally been placed on one or the other o these aspects. Spain has rom the outset ocused on

the pedagogical use o ICTE. The United Kingdom is certainly in the oreront as regards digital content,metadata and interoperability standards. Denmark has also concentrated on other areas o thinking and

action, particularly as regards public/private partnerships with commercial publishers and the spatial and

temporal organisation o education (use o ICTE outside school in general and virtual platorms in particular).


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Policy on education and information and communication technology (ICT) has been one of the majorpriorities in Britain for many years. The establishment of the National Grid for Learning (NGfL), a national-scale platform for education and training, has been a major strategic focus. After decentralisation, whichconferred greater autonomy, the nations have continued to develop specic regional strategies in the eldof ICT, following the NGfL model and sharing common goals: improving quality, promoting integration,and personalising learning.

Hardware, infrastructure, connectivity and content have improved signicantly in the United Kingdomand increasing numbers of teachers make use of ICT. However, despite considerable investment andincreased use, the integration and systematic transformation of learning models remain difcult. This isalso true of virtual learning platforms. The number of schools using these platforms grows every year, buttheir use within schools and among schools remains uneven. As with ICT as a whole, it is clear that supply

is a necessary but not sufcient factor in adoption and that several other factors related to governance,supply, training, support, and the nature of the curriculum have to be considered.

The GLOW platform, developed in Scotland and open to all Scottish schools, is a particularly interestingexample to analyse in terms of mode of governance and the success factors that have led to widespreaduse by its target audiences.

Facts and fgures

OrganisationoftheeducationsystemThe United Kingdom comprises our nations: England, Wales, Northern Ireland, and Scotland. From 1999,

devolved government began to be introduced, with central government retaining its powers in areas o national

sovereignty such as oreign policy, deence, energy, etc. However, a number o areas including education

and training are now the responsibility o the respective Assemblies or Wales and Northern Ireland and the

Scottish Parliament.

The British educational system thereore consists o the English, Welsh, and Northern Ireland systems, which

are relatively similar, and a somewhat dierent Scottish system.

Accordingly, the inormation presented below reers to measures and observations valid either or the UK as a

whole or or one or other o its nations; the territory concerned is indicated in each case. The case o Scotland

is examined in more detail, through a study o the implementation o the GLOW virtual teaching platorm.

In all our nations, education is compulsory rom age 5 to 16 (rom age 4 in Northern Ireland). There are

two levels o compulsory schooling: primary school or pupils aged fve to eleven (twelve in Scotland) and

(lower) secondary education or pupils aged eleven to sixteen (twelve to sixteen in Scotland).

Post-compulsory secondary education consists o two years (age sixteen to eighteen) and leads to A-level

qualifcations which give access to higher education. At the end o compulsory education, students can,

alternatively, opt or urther education, which includes various orms o non-university education or 16-19

year olds.

The United Kingdom: substantial resources

and coordinated actions


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Somegures (sources: Department for Children, Schools and Families, Northern Ireland Department of Education Statistics and

Research Branch, decentralised Scottish Executive Scotland. Reference year 2008-09)

England Wales Scotland NorthernIreland

Pupils (Primary and Secondary) 7.176.800 468.543 674.817 314.581

Teachers (Primary and Secondary) 713.000 25.051 42.128 18.102

Schools (state and private) 20.588 1.731 2.560 1.117

Most teachers are employed on contracts with the educational institution. Teachers participation in continuing

education is obligatory.

The educational systems o the our nations each have their own inspectorate.

Governanceoftheeducationsystem

Within each o the our nations, responsibilities are divided across three levels: the local area level, the school

management, and its board o governors.

Two tables summarising the distribution o powers as between and within each o the nations have been

drawn up. Because o the amount o inormation presented and the ormat o these tables, they are placed

in Appendix 3.

ICTE Policy in the United Kingdom

Majorinitiatives

BECTA3

BECTA (British Educational Communications and Technology Agency) is the government agency specicallycharged with promoting the integration of ICT in the UK education system.BECTA works primarily with the DCSF (Department for Children, Schools and Families) and BIS (Departmentfor Business, Innovation and Skills) to support their activities, and cooperates directly with schools, localauthorities and industry.Its remit and areas of expertise are dened as follows:

Advice to government in BECTA areas of expertise

Coordination of e-education strategy Analysis and Research Strategic partner in initiatives and implementation programmesBECTA is based in Coventry.

Since 1997, transorming education through ICT has been one o the programme priorities o the British

government. Between 1997 and 2007 more than 5 billion were invested in a wide range o strategies and

projects in this feld. As under earlier governments, economic and educational policies were closely aligned,

but in contrast to previous governments, ICTs have played a key role in this alignment.

ICT policy and strategy in the UK in general and England in particular, developed gradually ocusing on three

areas, namely inrastructure/connectivity, content, and training, which is divided into several phases.

3 In May 2010, the incoming coalition government announced a package of public sector which included the closure of Becta by March2011. Some of Becta's responsability will be transferred to the Department for Education and others will be taken up by other organisations.


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The United Kingdom: substantial resources and coordinated actions 16

TheNationalGridforLearningNGfL

In 1997, the Government published a consultation paper, Connecting the Learning Society: National Gridfor Learning, in which the objectives of the NGfL network are set out as follows:

provide a national focus and agenda for harnessing new technologies to raise educational standards,and improve quality of life and Britains international competitiveness, especially the new literacy andnumeracy targets;

remove barriers to learning, ensuring opportunities for access for all, including those in isolated areasand those with special needs;

provide high quality software, content and services which are relevant and differentiated according toneeds;

stimulate public/private partnerships, bringing together the best of private sector creativity and thehighest standards of public service; ensure that nothing is provided at public expense, which otherwisecould be provided commercially of good quality and reasonable cost.

The NGfL initiative was seen as a way to exploit the potential of ICT to improve the quality of educationthrough the provision of infrastructure, content and training. The platform offered a service and an

infrastructure network providing access to educational content and an array of support services forteaching, learning, training and management. It was also accessible from home, where it could be used forhomework, research, home-school links, career development, job search and retraining.

NewOpportunitiesLottery-FundTraining(NOF)

The New Opportunities Lottery-Fund Training initiative, launched in 1998 and associated with the NGL

initiative aimed to raise the standard o pupils achievements by raising the expertise o serving teachers

in the use o ICT in subject teaching to the level expected o newly qualifed teachers. It targeted all teach-

ers and librarians in UK primary and secondary schools and the training was provided by local training

providers. Implemented in 1999-2002, the programme received an allocation o 230 million. In England,

395,000 teachers received training at a per capita cost o 450.

The learning outcomes expected by the Department or Education and Skills (DES) were in particular:

knowledge and understanding o the contribution that the various aspects o ICT can bring to the teach-

ing o specifc subjects; eective planning, including the use o ICT in course preparation and in the selection and organisation

o ICT resources;

use o ICT or whole-class teaching; assessment o learning material by students when ICT has been successully integrated into education; use o ICT to keep abreast o latest developments, share best practices and reduce bureaucracy.

Evaluations conducted at the beginning o the initiative revealed problems to be addressed in terms o

teachers' relatively low IT skills, training models that did not reect local needs, difculties acing teachers

in online training, and quality sacrifced to meet deadlines. However, quality assurance implemented by the

various agencies in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland enabled these problems to be overcome,

leading to high success rates or the initiatives.


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CurriculumOnLine(COL)

The availability of digital resources to assist classroom activities has been at the heart of ICT strategy. At the

same time, the Government pledged to make its digital content industry one of the world leaders.

To this end, in 2002 it launched the Curriculum Online (COL) initiative, again in the framework of the NGfLstrategy. The COL website gave teachers access to a wide range of digital resources to support theirteaching. These resources were produced commercially by accredited organisations; in this initiative,schools in England received funding in the form of online learning credits to buy digital content on the COLwebsite. Between 2003 and 2006, 100 million were released each year.

An evaluation of COL in 2002 considered three aspects: educational impact, operational efciency,

and impact on the sector. The ndings highlighted inadequate communication infrastructure, as well asproblems with website design and with industrys understanding of online e-learning credits. The study alsohighlighted many positive aspects, including increased use of digital resources by teachers in planning theirlessons and in class, better understanding by teachers and pupils of the contribution of digital resources tosupporting diverse learning styles, increased centralisation of digital content purchasing among secondaryschools, and higher sales by content providers.

The initiative ended in 2008.

HarnessingTechnology:TransformingLearningandChildrensServices

The main objectives of this strategy, launched in 2005, were to: transform teaching and learning and help to improve outcomes for children and young people, through

shared ideas, more engaging lessons and online help for professionals engage 'hard to reach' learners, with special needs support, more motivating learning, and more choice

about how and where to learn build an open accessible system, with more information and services online for parents and carers,

children, young people, adult learners and employers; and more cross-organisation collaboration toimprove personalised support and choice

achieve greater efciency and effectiveness, with online research, access to shared ideas and lessonplans, improved systems and processes in children's services, shared procurement and easieradministration

To achieve these goals, six priorities were identied: an integrated online information service for all citizens integrated online personal support for children and learners a collaborative approach towards personalised learning a high quality ICT training and support package for practitioners a leadership and development package for organisational capability in ICT a common digital infrastructure to support transformation and reform.

A budget of 640 million (about 720 million euros) was assigned to this initiative for the period 2008-2011.


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Digitalresources

In the United Kingdom, content has been and still is perceived as central to the integration o ICTs in

education and as a means o encouraging teachers to use them. In this light, the changing patterns o

distribution, access and use o content and how this evolution is reected in the content market in the United

Kingdom, are o particular importance.

The frst services implemented were fnanced by public unds and were reely accessible to end users.

However, there has been a move towards mixed services or even exclusively commercial services set up by

private companies.

Federations o suppliers oer resources to schools and many o them oer substantial discounts to local

education authorities that agree to buy licenses or all schools in their area. These economies o scale have theeect o broadening the range o materials available to schools at a lower price than or individual purchases.

Regional Broadband Consortia are groups o local authorities established to procure cost-eective broadband

connectivity or schools in England. Initially, there were ten RBCs covering 139 o the 150 local authorities. In

2006, they were extended to represent the ten learning networks in England, C2K in Northern Ireland, GLOW

in Scotland, and the Welsh National Grid or Learning. The 13 consortia together orm the National Education

Network, NEN. This provides schools with access to a range o online services and downloadable content

rom the consortia, or pupils in Key Stages 1-4. This content is developed in accordance with the national

curriculum and can be customised or use in other countries. Much o the content has been developed by

local education authorities and teachers. It is available ree to teachers and support organisations.

RegionalBroadbandConsortia(RBCs)(source: BECTA)


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NationalDigitalResource Bank (NDRB, www.nwlg.org/projects.html ) is a national bank of digitalresources, managed by the North-West Grid for Learning, which covers various areas of the nationalcurriculum. The resources are available under perpetual licenses free of copyright. They have been classiedand tagged to be used on learning platforms compliant with SCORM (Sharable Content Object ReferenceModel) e-learning standards. Members are invited to contribute by publishing content and to host otherpublicly funded digital resources for sharing.

GlobalGridforLearning (GGfL, www.globalgridforlearning.com) is a worldwide network for learning,which offers content from publishers and other content providers around the world, representing thousands

of resources. This is a subscription service of Cambridge University Press, which offers over a milliondigital resources in a variety of formats, downloadable free of copyright, from thousands of resources fromaround the world. Through this network, schools can access the resources of hundreds of museums and artgalleries, photographers and other artists all over the world, whose information is accessible for educationalpurposes.

TheJointInformationSystemsCollections (JISC, www.jisccollections.ac.uk): this collections serviceof the Joint Information Services Committee (JISC) is a central negotiation point, issuing licenses on anational scale for electronic resources for post-compulsory and higher education. JISC Collections has beeninvited to extend the scope of its services to all primary and secondary schools in the UK, in partnershipwith BECTA, which would provide funding (resources in the pilot phase: Education Image Gallery, Grove Art

Online, Grove Music Online, The Guardian and Observer Digital Archive, History Study Centre, KeesingsWorld News Archive, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford Language Dictionaries Online, OxfordReference Online, Science Resource Center and The Times Digital Archive).

Online Distribution Engine (ODE) (www.odeworld.co.uk/ ) is a federation of British producers ofcommercial content, described approximately as the iTunes of digital learning content. It requires nosubscription, pre-registration or license. Registration and use of ODE are free and the user is invited topurchase only the content he/she needs, which can be downloaded and used ofine. ODE aims to giveteachers access to digital content (for purchase or rental) where they can nd videos, worksheets, lesson

plans, games, cartoons, tools, interactive activities, les audio and other ebooks. Teachers can also create

lists of digital content to meet specic teaching situations that revise small parts of the curriculum. Thecontent comes from a whole range of educational content publishers who have agreed to their contentbeing distributed in a separately billed sub-divided format. Each video, Flash game, audio le, spreadsheet,exam paper, presentation or interactive tool can be sampled, purchased and downloaded. Much of thecontent is also SCORM compliant and can be downloaded and stored in a learning platform or virtuallearning environment.

Film&SoundOnline (www.lmandsound.ac.uk/) offers a set of collections of lms, videos and audio les,funded by the JISC Committee. Hundreds of hours of high quality content are available for download in theirentirety or in part, to be used free of charge in learning, teaching and research. Access requires registration.

By way o examples, these are some o the initiatives implemented in the feld o digital resources:


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It should be noted that in the area o content and standards, BECTA (the British Educational Communications

and Technology Agency), with the help o partners, has developed a British metadata standard based on the

IEEE standard Learning Object Metadata (LOM) used by content providers to tag their content.4 Many learning

platorms have integrated this vocabulary into their metadata systems so that resources produced by teachers

can be tagged and easily identifed by other users. Although the terms used in this standard were created to

reect the needs o the national curriculum, they can be customised to match the curricula o dierent regions.

Meanwhile, ongoing developments in SCORM standards are closely monitored by BECTA and compliance

with these standards is one o the priority characteristics assigned to their learning platorms.

Virtual Learning Platorms

Context

The DES (Department or Education and Skills) at one point defned learning platorms as ollows:

It is an umbrella term that describes a broad range of ICT systems used to deliver and support learning.

As a minimum, we expect it to combine communication and collaboration tools, secure individual online

working space, tools to enable teachers to manage and tailor content to user needs, pupil progress tracking

and anytime/anywhere access. You might hear the term learning platform being applied to a virtual learning

environment (VLE) or to the components of a managed learning environment (MLE) .

The specifcation document or these platorms published by BECTA also states that a learning platorm

is not expected to be a single product but rather a collection o interoperable systems or modules. Each

may perorm discrete unctions, but collectively they should deliver the requirements. So the term learning

platorm incorporates the notion o a set o modules or services that interact. This defnition diers rom

the original concept o the virtual learning environment, which was essentially an integrated set o services

presented together in a common interace. Initially, many o these virtual environments mainly consisted o

closed proprietary systems.

In early 2000, schools started to discover the virtual learning environment. The priorities identifed under the

major policy initiatives led to a series o activities aimed at providing every child with an online personalised

learning space by 2008 and every school with its own integrated management and learning system by 2010.

Schools have made considerable investments in learning platorms. At the same time, many local authoritiesoered centralised learning platorms or the schools in their area.

4 Metadata Guide for Tagging, version 1.11, Curriculum Online, produced by the DfES in collaboration with Simulacra, Schemeta, 2003,available at: http://industry.becta.org.uk/content_les/industry/resources/Key% 20docs/metadata_guide_tagging_v1_11.pdf


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21

BECTA has worked in collaboration with the private sector to draw up a list o approved suppliers o learning

platorms5 and defned a ramework identiying the mandatory and optional eatures required o any platorm.6

BECTA also created SIFA UK7 which brings together public and private sector representatives to implement the

Systems Interoperability Framework (SIF), designed to support vertical and horizontal data transer between

dierent systems and defne a British data model8 which is still being developed.

UsesandUsersAs the agency responsible or the coordination, development and dissemination o the national digital strategy,

BECTA has specifed the unctions o learning platorms and divided them into our categories:

A contentmanagement: enables teaching sta to create, store and adapt resources and exercises accessible

online;Bcurriculummappingandplanning: oers tools and storage spaces to support learning assessment,

customisation, lesson planning, etc.;

Clearnerengagementandadministration : allows access to inormation about the student, attendance,

calendar, e-portolios and inormation management;

Dtoolsandservicesforcommunicationandcollaboration: provides communication tools such as email,

messaging, discussion orums and blogs.

Learningplatformmodels

Two main learning platorm models can currently be identifed in British schools: the institutional (in-house)

model and the centralised model.

The institutional model: fnanced rom the school budget, platorms opting or this model are generally

acquired within a structured service. Several open-source systems such as Moodle nonetheless represent a

low-cost alternative, at least or secondary schools. The relative ease with which a copy o Moodle can be

downloaded, installed and managed by an ICT technician makes it interesting or schools; but the act remains

that most primary schools do not have an ICT technician and are thereore unable to take advantage o this

type o system. Moreover, the OFSTED inspection report on the use o virtual learning environments (2009)

emphasises that all schools surveyed were concerned about the sta costs needed or developing it and the

availability o specialised assistance. Primary schools are also concerned about the cost o acquiring a virtual

learning environment and many o them expect their local authority to centrally und this type o environmentor all schools within the same area (OFSTED 2009).

5 Approved Suppliers Becta learning platform services framework. This list provides detailed information on suppliers. It is available at:http://industry.becta.org.uk/content_les/industry/resources/Key%20docs/framework_%20suppliers.pdf

6 Learning platform technical specications, a set of technical specications that each suppliers learning platform must provide.Compliance with these specications allows suppliers to be listed in the Becta list of approved learning platform suppliers. The relevantdocument is available at: http://industry.becta.org.uk/display.cfm?resID=27054.

7 Information on SIFA UK is available at: http://www.sinfo.org/uk/8 Data model: a description of the structure, properties and domain (i.e. all allowed values) of digital data processed and/or stored in a

computer application.


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The centralised model: platorms within this model are supplied to several schools in a given area and are

fnanced, hosted and managed by the local authority. In England, the members o the Regional Broadband

Consortia, in particular the London Grid (LGFL, http://cms.lg.net/web/lg/homepage), Birmingham Grid

(BGFL, http://www.bg.org), Northern Grid (NGFL, http://ng.northumberland.gov.uk/), and South-Western

Grid (SWGL, http://www.swg.org.uk/) are examples o this. Each network has its own approach to the

model, involving a variety o suppliers and technologies. However, it would appear that a there is an increasing

tendency towards a common goal o providing schools with a platorm tailored to their needs rather than a

single centralised model. This model is dynamic, as is the work o updating by the authority to stay abreast o

platorm technologies, the development o common data standards and integration o the emerging mobile

technologies into their platorms.

In the UK market today, there are commercial learning platorms. However, open-source models are oeringthem ferce competition and growing numbers o schools are abandoning their commercial or centralised

platorm in avour o an open-source platorm, particularly Moodle. Several reports discuss how these

institutions weighed up the merits o the dierent systems beore switching. They conclude that, in terms o

unctionality, proprietary systems and open-source systems have the same rating. By contrast, open-source

products such as Moodle are more highly rated in terms o ease o use, exibility and control (see these reports

at: http://collaboration.BECTA.org.uk/docs/DOC-1240; http://collaboration.BECTA.org.uk/docs/DOC-1241).

In Northern Ireland, a regional approach was adopted and a centrally managed platorm was made available

to the 350,000 teachers, pupils and support sta.9 Similarly, Scotland has adopted a regional approach with

its centralised platorm GLOW.10 Wales also oers some o these unctionalities through the NGL Cymru

network and at least 50% o schools have a Web environment. However, even when learning platorms are

provided centrally, some schools choose to install their own systems. Some studies suggest that this trend

has its origin in the sense o ownership and control elt by a school when it has its own learning platorm in

contrast to an imposed centralised platorm.

In Northern Ireland and Scotland, although the centralised platorms are available to all schools, it is

not obligatory to use them, since in some cases schools are allowed to install their own virtual learning

environment. Analysis o the relative merits o a centralised platorm as against a local school platorm in

a school reveals that the centralised system undoubtedly oers value in terms o uture-proofng, identity

management and security, data management and coordination, and universal access. Schools do not need to

concern themselves with the technology and can ocus all their attention on the educational aspects. Virtuallearning environments that are installed in schools and are not part o a structured service require ongoing

technical assistance and their use is concentrated mainly within the school, which does not optimise the

potential or collaboration, sharing and involvement outside o school.

Overall, the United Kingdom has invested considerable unds and resources to meet the priorities set out in

its online learning strategies. Recent studies indicate, however, that despite these eorts, ICTE integration has

not ulflled the initial expectations and has not yet succeeded in transorming the overall learning environment.

9 Information on LNI is available at: http://www.c2kni.org.uk/10 GLOW is presented in detail at the end of this section on the United Kingdom. Additional information is also available at : http://www.

itscotland.org.uk/glowscotland/


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Deployment

In its Harnessing Technology Review or 2007, BECTA indicated that 11% o primary schools and 46% o

secondary schools used a learning platorm. In 2008, the same study showed that while the number o schools

using learning platorms was still increasing, the trend was slower than expected and acknowledged that the

target o providing a personal online learning space or each pupil by 2008 would not be met (BECTA, 2007).

Although there is increasing take-up o learning platorms, progress remains uneven and slow. Moreover, it is

more marked in secondary than in primary schools. Were the initial expectations that the modes o teaching

and learning would be transormed through the introduction o a set o inormation and communication

technologies, including learning platorms simply too ambitious? The defnition o eective teaching

methods is still at an early stage in the United Kingdom and it is increasingly obvious that the type o

systemic change that has to underlie the process takes time, resources, coordination and organisation. Thereare no quick or simple solutions. However, the studies have identifed a number o recurring actors which, i

addressed, could lead to increased use. They include:

a clear vision in the school o the uses o a learning platorm a comprehensive training programme sufcient practice time or teachers provision o technical and pedagogical support good management and eective organisation throughout the school sufcient access points to the platorm so as not to be dependent on a fxed schedule setting out clear guidelines and examples on the potential uses o the technology to improve teaching

methods.

More undamentally, the implicit message emerging rom most studies and evaluations is that the current

organisation o schools does not lend itsel readily to the use o learning platorms. When computers can

only be accessed in laboratories open at fxed times, it is not possible to apply the principle o permanent

availability that is required or eective use o an online environment. Similarly, limiting access to the duration

o a typical 45-minute lesson can be rustrating or users because o lack o time.

According to a BECTA study, the use o technology in schools simply or presentation purposes may also be

a barrier. This fnding suggests a traditional pedagogical orientation with the teacher in charge, presenting

material and controlling the class. BECTAs Landscape Review on the impact o ICT in schools (2007)identifed a traditional mode o operation in which teaching is structured according to subject: Unless

deliberate steps are taken, VLEs can replicate the stage- or discipline-oriented divisions that exist in some

schools. (BECTA, 2007, p. 55)

Teachers very oten lack understanding and knowledge about the deployment o learning platorms. But

simply replicating more traditional teacher/taught models will not encourage a more interactive student-

centred approach, which could explain why learning platorms are used more as sources o content than as

sources o collaboration and communication.


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It is interesting to note that, taken together, all the actors identifed concern schools and teachers and relate to

the way schools are structured, their management, and the pedagogical stances o their teachers. The limited

uptake seems to be linked to lack o understanding o eective pedagogy on the one hand, and on the other

to the complexity, time, organisation and support needed to change teaching practices. This would imply a

need to develop a strategy ocusing more on bottom-up approaches that encourage the training o teachers

and are strongly oriented towards pedagogy.

The importance o identiying a problem to which the virtual learning platorm might oer a solution is a central

element in the case studies devoted to the use o learning platorms. In the case studies BECTA conducted in

2006, the problems o communication, o increased involvement o parents, o availability o resources, and

o the need or a teamwork approach in curriculum planning were all seen as issues that can fnd solutions

through the use o learning platorms. In a 2008 study that looked at models o innovative online learning or14-19 year olds, BECTA described other practical problems that had prompted the schools and colleges in

question to use learning platorms. These problems included:

reduced stafng; limited space in schools; being able to guarantee 14-19 year old students access to as many subjects as possible in accordance

with ofcial requirements;

geographical barriers; struggling with administrative workload.

Alongside these practical issues, BECTA also identifed educational goals that schools and colleges wanted

to achieve. These included:

winning over demotivated students; oering new challenges to gited students; enrich direct student learning; improving the student learning experience generally; personalising the learning experience.

The fndings indicated that learning platorms enabled schools and colleges to achieve these objectives and

to address practical problems.

The transition rom pilot to mainstreaming raised questions related to training and support, supply andaccess to equipment, and also the management o the process. Because schools need to hire more teachers,

acquire more peripherals and oer higher access speeds, their unding should also be increased, and or

groups o schools working together in a collegial structure, better management needs to be secured and the

administrative burden on sta has to be limited. In other words, while it is clear that learning platorms can

help to deal with the practical and pedagogical problems o a school, the questions o costs, access (both

at and outside school), and working practices also need to be addressed i their use is to be mainstreamed

(BECTA, 2008).


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Governance

I governance is about making decisions and implementing them transparently, eectively and inclusively,

what would good governance look like in large-scale deployment o a learning platorm?

The evolving concept o education as a total package o services or children requires an intersectoral and

community engagement involving the various stakeholders, the policy-makers and those responsible or

implementation at national, local and school level. Studies in the feld o implementation o ICT in the British

educational system make it possible to identiy fve key areas o governance and the related issues:

Area Issues

A Management Intersectoral collaboration, leadership

B Funding Disparities, sustainabilityC Technology supply Dierential resources and procurement

D ICT training Limitations o the national training programme

E Pedagogy Limited impact

These areas and issues highlight the complexity o implementation given the multidimensional actors at each

level (national/macro, local/meso and school/micro) and within each level.

In relation to management and intersectoral collaboration, concerns are expressed at all levels regarding:

the lack o proessional expertise to guide decision-makers the lack o leadership

the lack o consultation with schools inconsistency in the implementation plans or ICT in schools multiple competing initiatives unrelated to ICT.

Key players and decision-makers in local authorities have been given roles and responsibilities or which they

had little or no ICT expertise or qualifcations. Decisions on priorities were complicated by the number o

competing and equally important initiatives. At the same time, all parties were aected by problems relating

to management. In schools, leaders had to be able to coordinate and manage many aspects o provision,

training and pedagogy. In many cases school leadership was inadequate. This problem was not confned to

schools: local authorities also had difculty in collaborating with several organisations, particularly in delivering

consistent implementation programmes.

The supply o technology and unding was another problematic issue in terms o governance. Across the

United Kingdom, there are dierent models. In Northern Ireland, the ramework oresees an inrastructure,

connectivity, content and learning platorm provided centrally by the local Education and Library Boards

(equivalent to LEAs) to all schools, although schools control their own ICT budgets. Under this model, activities

related to procurement, fnancing and contract management are less likely to cause problems or schools.

The requisite expertise must, however, be available at regional level. In England and Wales, schools generally

secure their own ICT services. Such knowledge and expertise are thereore desirable both in schools as well

as within local authorities, which are also engaged in supplying a wide range o regional ICT services and

thereore need the appropriate expertise in this feld.


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Finally, the programmes or training and implementation in classroom practice suer rom the lack o leadership

and contextualisation within the local environment, and rom lack o support and assistance to teachers.

Extending the analysis to the whole o British policy or integrating ICT into education, questions o governance

in the implementation o virtual learning platorms raise the ollowing key issues:

successul decision-making depends on the dissemination o inormation, knowledge and expertisebetween and among the multiple agencies involved;

the complexity and lack o linearity in the implementation o ICT must be understood by all stakeholders; good leadership is required at all levels; agencies supporting schools must understand the complex interdependencies between supply, training,

and pedagogy and be able to provide support to schools in these areas;

collaborative work must take place between the dierent levels and within them; coordinated decisions must be taken depending on priorities and other competing initiatives; training programmes must be tailored to local needs and ensure the provision o guidance on eective

teaching methods.

KeySuccessFactors

The deployment o a virtual learning environment or a platorm or large-scale learning is a complex and multi-

aceted process in several respects. It can be problematic because o its architecture and design. Large-scale

training models can be expensive and complicated; the production and maintenance o the required materials

can be resource-intensive; and technical assistance services must be provided continuously. These important

issues relating to supply, training, support and sustainability must be addressed rom the outset.

In an overview o ICT commissioned by BECTA, Peter Twining (proessor o education at the Open University)

and his colleagues pinpointed a sense o ownership (or consent) among end users, and identifed it as crucial

to the success o the deployment: It is recognised that, without this ownership, the anticipated changes may

be subverted, undermined or blocked (p. 74).

He suggests several ways o establishing this sense o ownership or buy-in:

Aequipment levels

Btraining

CleadershipDshowing examples o best practices

Eshowing how the technology meets a real need

Festablishing multi-disciplinary teams

Gcollaboration to develop digital resources

Hestablishing realistic, manageable and achievable targets

Iensuring that all activities are aligned to one common goal.

The importance o these actors is echoed in the fndings o the interviews, surveys and evaluations analysed

in our report. Success appears to be associated with the ability o decision-makers and those implementing

platorms to harmonise their ideas and objectives, to ensure a collaborative climate among the various groups,

to move towards a common goal, and to provide strong leadership.


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A case study : GLOW (Scotland)

Context

Scotland has adopted a regional approach to providing a learning platorm, called Glow, to all schools. Glow

is an intranet or all Scottish schools. The project is managed by Learning and Teaching Scotland (LTS),

an organisation unded by the Scottish government that provides the educational community with advice,

assistance, resources and help in sta development. The project is managed on a day-to-day basis by the

Glow team, which brings together sta rom LTS and its private sector partner Research Machines (RM), a

provider o sotware, inrastructure and ICT services in the UK.

Glow was designed to provide a platorm or secure web-based learning or all Scottish pupils aged 3-18,

accessible via a web browser to anyone with an account. The platorm is conceived as a common environment

that the 32 administrative regions o Scotland can choose to use, within the ramework o a tripartite agreementbetween these regions, the Scottish Government and the technology partner RM. It provides access to many

Web services dedicated to the use o technologies in Scottish classrooms and is accessible anywhere at any

time.

UsesandUsers

Glow oers a secure environment, specifcally dedicated to the school community. Funded by the Scottish

Government, the platorm is available anytime, anywhere through a simple Internet connection. This exible

access allows teachers, learners and other stakeholders to use Glow simply, ully and daily.

PedagogicUses

The tools oered by GLOW encourage the sharing o teaching in various places, support inclusive education,

and can help minimise interruptions to learning.

Children and adolescents are very enthusiastic users o Glow. They are attracted by the interactiveness o

the learning, which uses images, sound and video. The exibility o Glow allows teachers to defne tasks

that pupils can complete individually or in groups, but also to communicate easily with other pupils and their

teachers, giving pupils the opportunity to develop the our aspects o the Curriculum or Excellence.

Glow allows teachers to cooperate with their colleagues, share ideas, courses and resources at school, in their

region or nationwide. They can share their ideas on all sorts o topics, including useul educational resources,lesson ideas, student work, their views on teaching methods and their experience in the implementation o the

Curriculum or Excellence. Teachers and learners can participate in major events organised through the Glow

project, and thus fnd inspiration. Glow also has the advantage o providing a common protected environment

in which teachers and learners can cooperate.

Glow is mainly used or collaborative projects, and this is one o the frst topics covered in the training given

to teachers. At present these are most oten put into practice in the classroom, within the school and within

a specifc age group. In the long term, greater interest will be paid to transnational projects and those related

to the curriculum, organised between schools. Particular attention will be also given to using Glow to enable

teachers and learners to engage with people and events outside their institution.


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CommunicationUses

Glow is designed to improve communications between sta, students and parents within the school, across

administrative regions, or across the whole o Scotland. Communication is enhanced by resource sharing,

discussion orums, targeted news and web conerences. These tools bring school and home closer together.

OrganisationalUses

Glow helps users fnd, organise and manage various digital resources. Teachers have access to many

educational resources through their Glow account, either directly or through cooperation with colleagues

identiying similar interests. Various content can be searched, tagged and stored or simplifed retrieval.

Students work, including digital photographs, sound recordings and video clips can be stored in the Glow

groups. All this creates a particularly rich pool o productions to stimulate thought and be shared among

teachers, school managers, parents and the Scottish School Inspectorate (HMIE).

Deployment

Glow is a project originally conceived or a period o fve years, supported by the Scottish Government. It

began in September 2005, and although it could have come to an end in September 2010, the option o

extension with the current provider (Research Machines) has been taken up. The current Glow project is

scheduled to end in September 2012. The extension is accompanied by some major changes planned or

2010, in particular a streamlined version, Glow Light, which aims to provide users with a simpler and more

exible system.

The platorm is deployed in partnership with the administrative regions. Each o the 32 regions decides who

can access Glow and the periods o access. Each region chooses its own deployment model, depending or

example on:

the target groups: access provided to groups o associated secondary and primary schools sta development: sta are frst trained, then granted the necessary access specifc requests by institutions: access is granted as requested by schools.

Glow is accessible to all Scottish school students, parents and sta through accounts provided by the

administrative regions. The regions opt in to the service, and all 32 administrative regions o Scotland now

deploy this service or their users. This equates to approximately 54,000 teachers and 750,000 pupils, with a

potential user base o over 1.2 million people when parents o Scottish pupils are taken into account.

At present, 31 o the 32 administrative regions count their users, and altogether 450,000 accounts have beenestablished throughout the system: this is still ar short o the 800,000 users (teaching sta and students)

expected by the end o the contract period.

GovernanceWhile allowing or the size and scale o Glow, dierent levels o governance can be identifed.

The highest level o governance is the Glow Board o Directors, which sets the policy direction or the

management team and Glow stakeholders, according to milestones and expected outcomes o the

development planning process. This body is composed o members o the Scottish Government and o

Learning and Teaching Scotland, as well as representatives o the administrative regions o Scotland.


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At the next level is the Glow management team, which guides the programme teams o Learning and Teaching

Scotland and RM. It comprises representatives o the Scottish Government, Learning and Teaching Scotland

and RM. This body is responsible or reviewing various procedures, including implementation planning,

business development, verifcation o customer agreements, deployment planning, raising revenue and

optimising the impact o Glow.

Various managerial bodies are then integrated into the Learning and Teaching Scotland and RM programme

teams, and also within the administrative regions, to assist in the development and deployment o Glow locally

and regionally.

The implementation and development o Glow is carried through at local and regional levels. Each administrative

region draws up an implementation plan, according to its own local educational priorities. Deployment planningis then contextualised in terms o these priorities and also the size, scale and sta present in the regions. Each

administrative region has its own model, and they may be completely dierent rom one another.

Across Scotland, there is a tutor-style model or training, in which people who have a role to play in the regions

are trained by the national Glow team and then pass on their new knowledge locally. It is put into practice in

very dierent ways. Some administrative regions have ollowed this cascade training model, while others have

opted or entirely online training.

National events are organised regularly, to create and develop opportunities related to the curriculum, and also

to nurture and grow online communities o interest. They may take place virtually or in a real-world venue and

vary according to the model and the context.

Technologychoicesandsecurity

Glow is a Web-based learning environment that uses a wide variety of technologies. Its core is a customisedversion of Microsoft SharePoint 2003 and offers many tools and services, including discussion areas andphoto galleries, shared workspaces and collaborative spaces. Other technology products have beenintegrated into this environment to provide additional tools and services to users. These include customisedversions of RM Easy Mail (Mail Glow), RM Kaleidos (Glow Learn), Marratech Communication Server (GlowMeet) and an integrated chat tool (Glow IM). All these products are assembled in a single sign-on environmentoffering a rich digital cooperative workspace. The single connection is made through Shibboleth and data isexchanged via a central Active Directory server bringing together all users of the system.

SuccessFactorsAccess to equipment is essential to successul implementation. Factors such as student-computer ratio, initial

equipment level (prior to launch), and connection speeds vary greatly rom school to school.

Some proessionals in the education sector have yet to be convinced that in the twenty-frst century, virtual

communication and digitisation are part o everyday lie. Some teachers remain attached to traditional

pedagogy, and convincing them o the primordial importance o digital literacy in teaching and learning

remains a challenge. In this particular feld, one major advantage or Scotland is the implementation o a new

Scottish curriculum (the Curriculum or Excellence).


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The scale o the exercise has also highlighted:

the importance o a method o stakeholder involvement: this consists in involving as wide and diversea panel as possible, including teachers, head teachers and curriculum developers, because these users

are particularly well placed to help defne how ICTs can be used in class.

the need or a sustainable, uture-proo approach: this means guaranteeing sufcient unds at theoutset to cover the ongoing development o the system and providing a platorm that can keep pace with

constantly evolving technologies.

the defnition o standards and the need or interoperability: this means ensuring that the platorm isdeveloped in line with current standards or content and interoperability.

Among the actors that have led to a signifcant increase in the use o Glow, three main elements or

catalysts can be discerned: the introduction o a new curriculum that has underpinned convergence between the use o new technologies

and curriculum development.

local circumstances and policies allowing the administrative regions to choose their own approach in termso resources and priorities, and the act that many o them had already previously deployed their own

platorm. Understanding local circumstances and the capacity to act accordingly have proved decisive.

Within Glow, regions have been able to choose deployment schedules and models that best match their

needs.

The mobilisation o the entire regional territory (the whole o Scotland), which enables participants toaccess other resources, people and events.

As regards synergies that proved particularly ruitul in terms o aligning uses and target groups, the

ollowing can be highlighted:

or teachers, the development within the platorm o applications that match what they are trying toachieve in the classroom and or which ICTs are particularly eective

or the administrative regions, increasing the efciency o ICT-enabled tasks compared to beore or the region as a whole, signifcantly improved cooperation, communication and discussion among all

the actors concerned across the whole country.

In terms o the key governance actors contributing to extensive deployment, stakeholders mention:

a clear mandate or what is to be achieved

open and eective communication a shared vision at all levels bundling o major initiatives, i.e. in this case the combination o deployment o Glow in parallel with the

redesign o the curriculum or Scotland.

Typically, the Scottish ofcials interviewed agreed that the key success actors in deployment o virtual learning

platorm are linked with:

defning an action plan eective communication and consultation with stakeholders enabling participants to take ull ownership o the platorm, by giving them real exibility and autonomy in

both its design and its management.


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Denmark is a world leader in using ICTs in both public and private sectors. It provides its citizens with aneducation system that is also very receptive to these technologies. As early as 1985 a national agency,UNI-C, was created for this purpose. Working closely with the Ministry of Education, UNI-C has providedadvice and support for the implementation of all policies in this area (equipment, training, public/privatepartnerships, digital educational content, etc.).Whether successively or simultaneously, several national initiatives have addressed the major policy areasof infrastructure and connectivity, ICT training of teachers and pupils, creation of educational resourcesand integration of ICTs into the curriculum.This environment has been conducive to the development of virtual learning platforms, which are nowused by 97% of Danish schools. The SkoleIntra platform, developed by teachers with the support ofUNI-C, is the model chosen by almost all state schools. SkoleIntra has been widely acclaimed by Danishteachers, who played an active part in its evolution, and has been developed step by step to meet theirspecic needs. Danish parents, who have always been closely involved in the school life of their children,soon became users of the services the platform offered them.These platforms -- widely used by teachers, appreciated by parents -- are now facing two major challenges:to win the interest of pupils, who do not use them enough, and to step up the educational uses made ofthem by teachers, who currently prefer to use them for communication, administration and management.

Facts and fgures

Organisationoftheeducationsystem

As in several other European countries, the distinction between primary and lower secondary education

does not exist in Denmark. Instead, these two levels o education are covered by a single structure called

Grundskole, which serves pupils aged 7 to 15. In the state sector (with about 80% o Danish pupils), this

structure is called Folkeskole.

Somegures (Source: Statistics Denmark; Reference year: 2007)

Compulsory(Grundskole)

Folkeskole

(State education)Private education Total

Number of schools 1.542 760 2.302

Number of pupils 580.097 130.674 710.771

Number of teachers 61.840 9.456 71.296

Uppersecondaryeducation(Ungdomsuddannelse)Generaleducation

Number of schools 244

Number of pupils 99.732

Number of teachers 10.030

Most teachers in compulsory state education are employed and paid by local authorities. Danish teachers

can choose whether or not to undertake in-service training and their career progression is not related to this.

In contrast to France, Spain and the United Kingdom, there is no inspectorate in Denmark.

Denmark: a pragmatic approach shaped

by teacher demand


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GovernanceoftheeducationsystemIncompulsoryeducation(Grundskole)

Since 2007, the governance o schools or young people aged 6 to 15/16 has been shared between local

authorities and the state. This reorm arose rom the conviction that innovation and quality are ostered by the

delegation o powers and duties to schools that are under the responsibility o local authorities, thus creating

a minimum o competition between them.

Central level (Ministry) Denes the overall objectives and framework of the education systemand establishes objectives for each subject; gives block grants to localauthorities.

Local Authorities Decide the means to achieve the objectives set by the Ministry and howthey are to be used in each school: they are also required to publish anannual report on the state of education in their area.

School Must ensure the quality o teaching in line with the objectives set or

the Folkeskole (compulsory education in state schools); responsible

or planning and organising the curriculum. A Board o Governors is

responsible or the general operation o the school; parents and pupils

are represented on it.

Head Teacher Responsible for pedagogical and managerial matters in his/her school;manages the budget assigned by the local authority; is appointed (and can

be dismissed) by the Board of Governors.

Inuppersecondaryeducation

Schools are unded directly by the Ministry and have managerial autonomy; the Ministry sets the groundrules

within which schools work. These institutions have dierent histories and dierent academic profles. They

implement one or more secondary education curricula (general; social and natural sciences; economics and

business; science and technology) through grants received rom the Ministry based on the number o pupils.

The composition o the Board o Directors o the institution reects the specifc profle o the institution; there

are teacher and pupil representatives.


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Denmark: a pragmatic approach shaped by teacher demand 34

ICTE policy in Denmark

Majorinitiatives

ICTs have been used in Danish schools since 1984. From the outset, one o the pillars o the Danish approach

has been to consider ICTE as not an end in itsel but as a means o supporting and encouraging learning.

UNI-C:acentralplayerintheeldofICTE

UNI-C, the Danish IT Centre for Education and Research, is the government agency created in 1985 toencourage and maximise the use of ICT throughout the education system. UNI-C is responsible for providingsupport for the implementation of the policies decided by the Ministry, and assisting schools and teachers inthis process. UNI-C also puts forward proposals for the development of ICTs for innovation and improvement

in education and research, and supports cooperation between the Ministry and industry. It employs over 300people on three sites (Copenhagen, Lyngby, Aarhus) and results from the merger of three regional universitycomputer centres (Technical University of Denmark, University of Aarhus, University of Copenhagen)

Majornationalinitiatives that have dened the ICTE landscape in Denmark: ICTs in the education system (1998): a ve-year action plan for development of connectivity, digital

resources, and the changing role of the teacher; Denmarks strategy for education, learning and ICT (2001): an initiative on curriculum, teacher training,

sharing of knowledge between schools, ICT outside school, and ICT for children with special needs; ICTs in state education (2004-2008): an initiative aimed at developing equipment, digital content, a national

portal (EMU), a certicate of competence for pupils, the introduction of interactive white boards, andteacher training; it left schools scope to take account of their particular environment;

Denmark in the global economy(2006): an initiative focused on training teachers in ICT; National Strategy for ICT-supported learning (2007): an initiative tackling the issue of exibility in the

organisation of education in time and space.

Two initiatives have specifcally targeted compulsory state education (Folkeskole): ICT, the media and the

Danish Folkeskole (ITMF, 2001-2004) and ICT in the Danish Folkeskole (ITIF, 2004-2007). They took a bottom-up

approach: teachers were invited to propose projects in partnership with publishers and researchers. The

hypothesis was that the ensuing good practices would spread to all the other schools. An evaluation showedthat innovation had indeed taken place at local level but not with the desired prolieration. This led the Ministry

to adopt a top-down approach or the ITIF initiative.

The ITIF initiative or development o ICTs in state schools is considered particularly important or the

development o virtual learning platorms. As well as increased communication among schools, ITIF aimed

to develop new learning resources accessible via the Internet; provide support services or dierentiated

learning o key skills; and improve student achievement in curriculum subjects. Out o a budget equivalent to

65 million euros, ITIF spent 75% on the purchase o computers or pupils in third grade and 6.5 million euros

on developing digital learning resources. To spread the use o these digital resources, intended to supplement

or replace the use o traditional textbooks, the Danish government partnered with publishers o textbooks and

educational sotware developers to launch a number o pilot projects or a new type o educational resources.


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The Ministry o Education and UNI-C thereore invited competitive tenders in 11 teaching areas (Danish,

English, mathematics, art, technology, personalised learning, etc.). Three proposals were selected in each

area and each received a prize equivalent to 27,000 euros (33 successul proposals in total). The winners were

invited to develop their project to create digital resources in the areas concerned with the support o UNI-C.

At Folkeskole level, it is the municipality that provides the technical and pedagogical support to implement

ICT initiatives.

CurriculumICT is integrated into the curriculum or all subjects at all levels in a general way and not within each subject

specifcally. Guidance is published separately or the use o ICTs in each subject.The JPCK (Junior PC Krekort ) is an ICT driving licence that can be taken in the 6th and 9th years o

education. It is not obligatory since it has to be paid or.

Teachertraining

EPICT is an IT driving licence which almost all Danish teachers have. However, experience shows that

new teachers are not completely ready to go in ICT, and secondly, the advanced modules o this training

programme (EPICT) are not taken up. ICT will thereore be included in the initial training o teachers.

ComputerequipmentandusesIn a context where almost all Danish households are equipped with computers and broadband Internet access,

the average ratio o school equipment is our students per computer, and two students per computer in the

3rd year o education (target age).

98% o schools have a broadband connection.

Only 15% o computers are installed in laboratories; the rest are available in shared areas and classrooms.

28% o computers are laptops. Some 4,693 interactive white boards are in use; most schools have at least

one, some are better equipped.

The policy on ICTE and especially the ICTs in state education initiative (2004-2008) are regarded as a success

by the ofcials who guided them. Combining structural investment, support or digital resources, and the

purchase o virtual learning platorms, the Government establi

learning platforms; uk denmark, spain

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