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PREPAREDNESS OF EUROPEAN EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS FOR VIRTUAL MOBILITY IMPLEMENTATION

Estela D a u k š i e n ė , Nemira M a č i a n s k i e n ė , Airina V o l u n g e v i č i e n ė

A B S T R A C T

Youth mobil ity and academic mobil ity are one of the main priorities fostered by the European Commission in order to construct genuine European area of knowledge and to contribute to the competit iveness of the European economy. Virtual mobility has been introduced and is fostered aiming at support ing and enriching physical mobil i ty as wel l as using possibilities provided by Information Communicat ion Technologies (further ICT) for mult i-connections of participants for joint intercultural and knowledge based activities. Due to the rapid development of ICT an opportunity emerges to benefit from various mobil ity activities without travelling. However, it is a challenge for educational institutions to constantly re-adapt to the changes and increased competiveness. The research addresses the readiness of educat ion institutions to implement virtual mobility, first, by discussing different virtual mobil ity definitions, then identifying virtual mobility benefits for educat ion institution participants, and by clarifying institutional practices and needs for virtual mobil ity implementation.

K E Y W O R D S :

virtual mobility, virtual mobility benefits, education institutions, preparedness for virtual mobil ity

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INTRODUCTION

Mobi l i ty of students, teachers and other academic staff is one of the core e lements of the Bologna process and l i felong learning. Virtual mobi l i ty initiatives were indicated as one of the cost effective ways to increase the access to educat ional mobi l i ty by Maastricht message in 2009 (ICDE Executive Commi t tee , EADTU Executive Commi t tee , 2009). Thus the object of the research is preparedness of educat ional institutions for virtual mobil i ty. The aim of the research is to identify the readiness and preparedness of educat ion institutions to imp lement virtual mobil i ty. To achieve the goal of the research the fo l lowing objectives were raised:

• To discuss the concept of virtual mobility; • To identify virtual mobility benefits for students, teachers and educational institutions; • To clarify institutional practices and needs for virtual mobility implementation. Methodology.The empir ical quanti tat ive research was imp lemented in May-October

of 2011. It was enhanced by the virtual mobi l i ty activities imp lemented inTeaCamp (Teacher Virtual Campus : Research, Practise, Apply) project, where teacher virtual mobi l i ty was in the scope of the research.The onl ine survey was prepared and distr ibuted to theTeaCamp project partners and their r ecommended educat ion provid ing institutions in Europe. Representatives from 39 educat ion institutions fil led in the survey. The results are discussed in the paper.

1. VIRTUAL MOBILITY CONCEPT FROM DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVES

Virtual mobi l i ty cou ld be def ined from various perspectives, depend ing on the research area. As the term virtual refers to the information commun ica t ion technologies (hereinafter ICT), the concep t of virtual mobi l i ty cou ld also be analyzed referring to the technologica l possibil i t ies of virtual ization or types of activities realized, as wel l as emphasis on mobi l i ty or curr icula internat ional izat ion.

The features of virtual mobil i ty, presented and addressed in various papers and proj­ect reports, refer to different areas. The research and virtual mobi l i ty concep t analysis here refers to the educat ional perspect ive.

Virtual mobi l i ty in Bunt-Kokhuis (1996, 2001) research papers is def ined as "the co l ­laborative commun ica t i on be tween a faculty member and his/her counterpart(s) media ted by a computer . More often, these meet ings wil l be interactive and take place across national borders and across t ime zones" (2001:1).The def ini t ion suggests the ideas that virtual mob i l ­ity here focuses on commun ica t i on wh ich becomes more interactive and also on possibil i t ies to el iminate distance and t ime constraints for commun ica t ion to occur.

The training material "Virtual Erasmus student" (Spot+ project team, 2001), wh ich was p roduced as a Spot+ project ou tcome, also asserts that "virtual mobi l i ty includes all forms that are commun ica t ion intensive and run at international level". As the training material is ded icated to Erasmus program students (that covers higher educat ion sector), it refers to virtual mobi l i ty as a situation wi th in university wh ich implies a "possibil i ty to at tend classes, seminars and other events held in a place located anywhere in the wor ld ; the possibi l i ty to access reference materials and contents at a distance, by using ICT-based solut ions; the pos­sibility to commun ica te wi th other peop le located anywhere" (2001: 10). O n the basis of the training material it also can be assumed that virtual mobi l i ty is a "hybrid mode l in t roducing a distance learning modu le into normal curr icula" (2001: 12), i.e. the el iminat ion of distance aspect is one of the main features of virtual mobil i ty.

Schreurs, Verjans, Van Petegem (2006) v iew virtual mobi l i ty as a virtual student exchange wi th different forms of activity organizat ion: "Virtual student exchange al lows for col laborat ion wi th foreign students and teachers that are no longer locat ion dependent . The

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exchange might range from a single course to a full academic year. Through virtual mobi l i ty a university can also offer international exper ience for students and staff th rough an interna­t ional d iscussion group, an international seminar, an international learning commun i t y wi th regard to a theme of a course or a cluster of courses" (2006:4). It is obv ious that despite the benefit of locat ion independent educat ion, virtual mobi l i ty offers a range of activity organi­zat ion forms and international exper ience enab led by the use of ICT.

A more full-scale interpretation wh ich includes the intercultural aspect of virtual mobi l i ty in order to "highl ight the richness of the exper ience and the similarities wi th the Erasmus exchange programme" (Eds. O p de Beeck, Bijnens, Van Petegem, 2008) is provided in the Being Mob i le project manual on b lended mobi l i ty: "Virtual mobi l i ty is a form of learning wh ich consists of virtual componen ts through an ICT suppor ted learning envi ronment that includes cross-border col laborat ion wi th peop le from different backgrounds and cultures work ing and studying together, having, as its main purpose, the enhancement of intercul­tural understanding and the exchange of knowledge" (2008: 18). In addi t ion to the above ment ioned key features of virtual mobi l i ty expressed by different authors, this def ini t ion adds another aspect to the list of benefits of virtual mobi l i ty and that is a possibi l i ty for intercul­tural compe tence deve lopment .

Some authors def ine the concep t of virtual mobi l i ty in terms of its relat ionship to tradit ional mobil i ty. W h e n tradit ional mobi l i ty is at the scope, virtual mobi l i ty can be def ined as an alternative or a comp lemen t (pre- or fo l low up) of the tradit ional mobil i ty. Such as Valjus (2002) descr ibes virtual mobi l i ty "as someth ing that exists next to or as a result of tradit ional mobi l i ty" (2002:6). Silvio (2003) looks at virtual mobi l i ty f rom mobi l i ty perspect ive and def ines it as a representat ion of physical mobi l i ty in virtual reality. He specif ies it w i th M. Dertouzo's'pil lars', where all computer media ted processes cou ld be transferred to digital numbers, and sums up that "virtual mobi l i ty is mobi l i ty o f 'b i ts ' ins tead of 'atoms'" (2003:4).

Such addi t ional characteristics of virtual mobi l i ty as the impor tance of cooperat ion agreements and academic recogni t ion are presented in the Li felong Learning Programme 2007-2013 glossary, where virtual mobi l i ty is character ized as "A comp lemen t ; or as a sub­stitute to physical mobi l i ty (Erasmus or similar) in addi t ion to a type of independent mob i l ­ity wh ich bui lds on the specif ic potentials of on- l ine learning and network commun ica t i on . It may prepare and extend physical mobil i ty, and/or offer new oppor tuni t ies for s tudents / academic staff w h o are unwi l l ing or unable to take advantage of physical mobil i ty. <...> Full academic recogni t ion is given to the students for studies and courses based on agree­ments for the evaluat ion, val idat ion and recogni t ion of the acquired competences via virtual mobil i ty. In this context, cooperat ion agreements are key to ensur ing sustainable mobi l i ty schemes" (EC Glossary on the LLP 2007-2013, 2010).

Summar is ing the analysed virtual mobi l i ty d e f i n i t i o n s , T e r e s e v i č i e n ė et al. (eds.) (2011), def ine virtual mobi l i ty "as an activity or a form of learning, research and commun ica t i on and col laborat ion, based on the fo l lowing characteristics:

• cooperat ion of at least 2 higher education institutions; • virtual components through an ICT supported learning environment; • collaboration of people from different backgrounds and cultures working and studying

together, creating a virtual communi ty; • having a clear goal and clearly def ined learning outcomes; • having, as its main purpose, the exchange of knowledge and improvement of intercul­

tural competences; • as a result of which the participants may obtain ECTS credits and/or its academic recog­

nit ion will be assumed by the home university; • providing visibility of university in higher education area, capitalization of educational

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process; • leading to the integration of ICT into their mainstream academic and business process­

e s . " ^ 1:19) To sum up, virtual mobi l i ty concept cou ld be analyzed from various perspectives, and

its different characteristics can be noted from the discussed research papers and project initiatives. As the possibil i t ies of technolog ica l solut ions for commun ica t ion in virtual reality have deve loped rather rapidly in the last 20 years, the concept , possibil it ies and expectat ions wi th regard to virtual mobi l i ty have also changed. At the end of 1990s virtual mobi l i ty was v iewed more as possibi l i ty to commun ica te with the help of ICT, its possibil i t ies w idened gradual ly and in 2012 it is seen as an activity or a form of learning, research, commun ica t ion and col laborat ion that contr ibutes to the modern izat ion of study curricular and compet i t i ve­ness of educat ional institutions.

2. BENEFITS OF VIRTUAL MOBILITY FOR STUDENTS,TEACHERS A N D EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS

Virtual mobi l i ty imp lementa t ion contr ibutes to and has impact upon different areas of educat ional institutions. The research analyzes the possibil i t ies created by virtual mobi l i ty implementa t ion in educat ional institutions and identif ies benefits for educat ion insti tut ion part icipants - students and teachers, and the educat ion institutions themselves.

2.1 BENEFITS FOR STUDENTS

Virtual mobi l i ty provides students wi th opportuni t ies that are not always possible to provide at the tradit ional learning env i ronment .Thus it can be assumed that virtual mobi l i ty activities (virtual learning courses, seminars or practices, pre- or fol low up of physical mob i l ­ity activities) create opportuni t ies for students to benefit:

• linguistically, culturally and educationally from the experience of other European coun­tries and their (academic) fields of study (Bijnens, Op de Beeck, 2006);

• from international experience offered by the virtual students exchange (Schreurs, Verjans, Van Petegem, 2006) or practice;

• from the broadened areas of expertise offered by joint course delivery by two or more institutions (EuroPACE 2010);

• from intercultural experiences of students through the organisation of trans-border discussion groups, international seminars or the set-up of an international learning commun i ­ty whereby staff and students acquire interpersonal and intercultural skills and get a chance to broaden their cultural, social and political boundaries (EuroPACE 2010);

• from the supplementary courses provided to further individualize and specialize their portfolios (Brey e ta i , 2007);

• improve their'virtual mobil ity competences that can be divided to ICT, English language, intercultural communicat ion, personal and social competences, learning outcomes related c o m ­petence and some additional skills such as time management, learning to work cooperatively in virtual environment, and better understanding of virtual mobil ity as a form of learning" (Eds. T e r e s e v i č i e n ė , V o l u n g e v i č i e n ė , D a u k š i e n ė , 2011: 101), additional transferrable skills and knowl­edge areas.

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2.2. BENEFITS FORTEACHERS

Virtual mobi l i ty also widens the opportuni t ies for teachers in a number of ways: • Teachers benefit l inguistically, culturally and educat ional ly f rom the exper ience of

other European countr ies and their (academic) fields of study (Bijnens, O p de Beeck, 2006); • Course preparat ion in international groups, virtual and/or face to face discussions,

professional network ing and exchange of good practices offer teachers remarkable experi­ence in preparation and del ivery of virtual mobi l i ty courses. Joint cooperat ion in interna­t ional virtual env i ronment , d idact ical , administrat ive and technologica l support received from various institutions part icipants cooperat ing in virtual mobi l i ty also increases teacher career opportuni t ies.

• Virtual mobi l i ty encourages institutions to adapt and further deve lop their peda­gogica l models: change of content delivery and the change of learning tools require changes in pedagogy and didact ical mode ls (Bijnens, O p de Beeck, 2006). So virtual mobi l i ty helps teachers to review and revive their present course del ivery models and techniques. Content sharing and co-operat ion in joint course delivery w iden teachers' f ield of expertise.

• After virtual mobi l i ty course or modu le teachers improve their "virtual mobi l i ty competences that can be d iv ided into ICT, English language, intercultural commun ica t ion , personal and social competences , learning ou tcomes related compe tence and some add i ­t ional skills, such as t ime management , learning to work cooperat ively in virtual envi ron­ment, and better understanding of virtual mobi l i ty as a form of learning" (Eds. T e r e s e v i č i e n ė , V o l u n g e v i č i e n ė , D a u k š i e n ė , 2011:101).

2.3. BENEFITS FOR INSTITUTIONS

The impact of virtual mobi l i ty upon educat ion provid ing institutions can also be addressed stressing different chal lenges that they meet, such as rapidly chang ing require­ments of the g lobal wor ld and learning communi t ies , intercultural learning background, d e m a n d for different skills and compe tences required by the labour market, etc. So virtual mobi l i ty impact upon institutions can be not iced in the fo l lowing areas:

• It enhances the quality of courses and curricula and contributes to the quality of the academic education (Brey et al, 2007), as well as transparency of educational processes.

• Virtual mobil ity contributes to the internationalisation of higher educat ion (EuroPACE, 2010) and creates a new potential for the organization to offer international experience for stu­dents (Brey et al, 2007), teachers and other academic and non-academic staff; in addition, it cre­ates equal possibilities for all to participate in echange programmes, including those who are unable to travel due to financial, social, or personal reasons.

• Virtual mobil ity enhances modernization of study programmes as well as modernization and internationalization of the teaching/learning curricula.

• Virtual mobility studies create a new international background for researchers to imple­ment research in virtual environment using virtual tools, collaborating with scholars from other countries and addressing more diverse respondents.

• At the institutional level, virtual mobility initiatives enhance sound compet i t ion be­tween institutions and thus contribute to the competit iveness and attractiveness of the educa­tional offer in general (Bijnens, O p de Beeck, 2006). It also stimulates institutions'co-operation and cost-sharing, and increases the need for multilateral agreements.

• V M is a tool to increase pressure to foster the use of e-learning and the development of virtual universities in Europe (Pursuea, Warsta, Laaksonen, 2005). It stimulates the creation of joint virtual campus or cooperat ion and access to different education institutions'virtual campuses.

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• The possibilities of virtual practices enhance strategic partnerships of education institu­tions and enterprises.

• Summarising the identified benefits of virtual mobility for educational institution partici­pants, the importance of virtual mobility in facilitating wider and greater institutional goals can be stressed:

• In some part virtual mobility ensures social inclusion as it "reduces the socio-economic barriers" (Bijnens, Op de Beeck, 2006).

• The use of virtual mobility facilitates not only the usage of ICT, but also the openness to information technology and the creating of digitally literate academic staff.

• It contributes to the Bologna process and LLL for all students (Brey et al., 2007). • In the context of international economic crisis, virtual mobility might be the key factor in

facilitating educational mobility of teachers or students.

3. INSTITUTIONAL PRACTICES A N D NEEDS FOR VIRTUAL MOBILITY IMPLEMENTATION

The survey was imp lemented in the framework of Erasmus multi lateral project "TEACAMP - Teacher Virtual Campus : Research, Practice, App ly " (project ID 502102-LLP-1-2009-1 -LT-ERASMUS-EVC, project websi te http://www.teacamp.eu) wi th the aim to identify the exist ing initiatives and practices in virtual mobi l i ty and to search for possible synthesis wi th these initiatives a m o n g higher educat ion, adult educat ion, vocat ional educat ional and training institutions, and enterprises.The survey was imp lemented onl ine on project websi te, and the onl ine survey link was distr ibuted to all partnership institutions and experts work ing in virtual mobi l i ty area in Europe.

As seen in Figure 1, 31 higher educat ion insti tut ion, 3 enterprises, 2 adult educat ion institutions and 2 associat ions part ic ipated in the survey (see Fig. 1).

Fig. 1. Institutions participating in the survey

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The survey a l lowed the respondents to remain anonymous, but also provided a possi­bil ity to receive the responses o n the survey by indicat ing their affil iation and the data about the respondent 's posi t ion in the insti tut ion. Only 9 respondents disclosed their institutions at the end of the survey (1 from Portugal, 5 from Spain, and 3 from Lithuania).

It was very important to identify w h o the respondents of the survey were and their posit ions and responsibil i t ies in the organizat ion. Though the survey addressed teachers and administrat ion representatives, enterprise representatives, trainers and consultants, the fol­lowing posit ions and responsibil i t ies were also represented in the survey (see Fig. 2):

researcher

Fig. 2. Positions of respondents of the survey

The fact that 4 1 % of the respondents represented administrat ion of institutions, and 44 % were teachers and trainers - directly increases the probabi l i ty that the respondents were or should have been aware of the existing virtual mobi l i ty schemes and procedural documents wi th in the inst i tut ion.

The fo l lowing quest ions were related wi th the virtual mobi l i ty practices and proce­dures, as wel l as the needs wi th in the institutions of the respondents.

3 respondents indicated that they had a separate administrat ive mode l for virtual mobi l i ty organizat ion. 36 respondents admit ted not having such a mode l ; however, 15 chose the response that they wou ld like to have such a mode l . There is a h igh probabi l i ty that the 3 respondents w h o indicated that they had such a mode l cou ld be the respondents from a m o n g the partners i nTeaCamp project, but this has not been identi f ied in the survey.

Only 9 institutions out of all 39 indicated that they had a separate campus for virtual mobi l i ty imp lementa t ion and indicated the onl ine address of these campuses. 3 institutions indicated t heTeaCamp virtual campus address. 1 campus was distr ibuted out of the 9 men ­t ioned, whi le 8 were indicated as central ized campuses.

11 types of tools were suggested for respondents, and those respondents w h o indi­cated that they pract iced virtual mobi l i ty and academic exchange were asked to identify

P R O F E S I N I S R E N G I M A S : T Y R I M A I IR R E A L I J O S 2 0 1 2 / 2 3

which of these tools they used for academic exchange and virtual mobil i ty. The most popular tool was v ideo conferencing (selected by 8 respondents), and then virtual learning envi ron­ment (closed opt ion) chosen by 7 respondents. 5 respondents indicated class management tools and social network ing tools. Other tools were indicated more rarely.

collaborative graphical tools desktop sharing

Fig. 3. Tools used for virtual mobility

Though institutions have very l imited practice in virtual mobi l i ty organizat ion a m o n g teachers and students, as can be seen from the answers above, the respondents of the study were asked to identify the impact of virtual mobi l i ty u p o n modern izat ion. The answers revealed the impact upon modern izat ion of study curr icu lum, better carrier opportuni t ies, enhanc ing employabi l i ty, teacher and student upgraded skills, qual i ty improvement in stu­dent services, qual i ty improvement in research, in teaching and learning, and the impact upon high level institutional management .

strong impact

и direct impact

Bhaveno opinion

• some impact

• no Impact can be identified yet

Fig. 4. Indicators of virtual mobility impact

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The respondents 'answers show that the greatest and direct impact of virtual mobi l i ty is upon teacher and student upgraded skills (7 respondents gave the first priority for this criterion), 6 respondents agreed that virtual mobi l i ty had a direct impact upon modern iza­t ion of the study curr iculum, better career opportuni t ies, enhanced employabi l i ty, quali ty improvement of student services and teaching and learning (see Fig. 4).

The least expressed criteria were quali ty improvement in research and impact on high level institutional management , where the respondents indicated that they had no op in ion by choos ing the answer "some impact" and even "no impact can be identi f ied yet".

There was another very relevant quest ion in the survey addressing only the teachers w h o filled in the survey and indicated that they had some exper ience in virtual mobil i ty. However, it turned out that there was only 1 teacher w h o cor responded to these character­istics and, therefore, the ou tcomes w o u l d not be val id in terms of quantity.

All the respondents were asked to name academic activities that can be organized in virtual mobil i ty. Not all the respondents chose to answer this quest ion, but those w h o indicated provided a picture of their professional choices. Their responses are as indicated in Figure 5:

socio-cultural

communication

video lecturing

teaching online

research

• have no opinion

и quite often

n sometimes

• not at all

О 10 15 20 Fig. 5. Academic activities suitable for virtual mobil ity

Again it can be not iced that the respondents do not have a clear idea on how research can most of ten be imp lemented via virtual mobil i ty. Commun ica t ion , socio-cul tural activities, v ideo lectur ing and teaching onl ine, accord ing to the respondents, cou ld be imp lemented "quite often". However, some respondents indicated that all the activities listed cannot be imp lemented via virtual mobi l i ty and chose the answer "not at all".

The survey was a imed to identify the needs for virtual mobi l i ty and the att i tude of the teachers and administrat ion representative upon the usabil ity of virtual mobil i ty. Several opt ions to identify the use of virtual mobi l i ty were suggested for the respondents. They were asked to indicate the degree of usefulness of each of the opt ion .

The greatest number of the respondents chose the variable "very important" wh ich results in the use of virtual mobi l i ty for the d isadvantaged groups and as a support for home student groups and l i felong learners. A high number of respondents indicated that virtual mobi l i ty is "very important" in int roducing new learning methods and deve lop ing addi t ional

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skills in network ing and socio-cultural exchange.The respondents agreed that virtual mob i l ­ity introduces transparency of teaching and upgrades skills in general, improves curr icu lum quality standards, and enhances employabi l i ty. All the criteria were acknowledged respect­fully and can provide the ou tcomes of the research (see Fig. 6).

• 1 not important at all d 2 loss important n 3 no idea 4 important 5 very important

VM is perfect tool for the mobility among the disadvantaged

Щ п 8 '.I

i i 1

VM introduces transparency of teaching and learning *,l

4 1

VM introduces new learning methods M

VM develops additional skills via networking and socio-cultural exchange

• i " 3 " l " 2 ' 7 M

8 {

VM improves curriculum quality standards _ШШ 5 8 M

5 (j

VM provides support for home student and LLL groups ' l Ä " ~*

10 1

VM enhances employability Ш Ш ] 3 _ 7 м

6 į

VM upgrades skills :2

Fig. 6. Benefits of virtual mobil ity

Furthermore, the quest ion regarding virtual mobi l i ty implementat ion barriers ident i­fied the problems and obstacles that institutions face a iming at virtual mobi l i ty imp lementa­t ion. The most important prob lem area is the def ini t ion of the concep t of virtual mobi l i ty at national and institutional levels (see Fig. 7). Also, the scenario defini t ions for virtual mobil i ty, examples or exist ing templates for virtual mobi l i ty contracts are another obstacle recognized by the majority of the respondents.

i lstrongly disagree • 2disagree

there is no evidence how virtual mobility is useful for a company/university/ individuals

there are no examples for virtual mobility contracts among institutions

there are no scenarios for virtual mobility implementation

nobody knows how teacher virtual mobility is recognised and accredited

nobody knows how virtual mobility studies arc recognised

there Is no concept of virtual mobility on the national and institutional level

3neither agree nor disagree я 4agree

A 6

' J

2 2

У

Fig. 7. Barriers for virtual mobility implementat ion

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The lack of knowledge on how virtual mobi l i ty can be recognized among teachers and students is the third prob lem area. These obstacles should be overcome first in order to successfully apply virtual mobi l i ty initiatives at educat ional institutions.

CONCLUSIONS

1. Virtual mobility is rather a new and rapidly developing phenomenon. It has been ana­lyzed and viewed from different perspectives; however, a virtual mobility concept and its defini­tion have not been agreed upon yet, but it is supposed to foster and enrich physical mobility, or with the help of ICT to implement such virtual learning, research or communicat ion and col labo­ration activities that are not possible and/or not targeted during physical mobility.

2. Virtual mobility implementation creates possibilities and opens up opportunit ies for students, teachers and education institutions. Students and teachers benefit linguistically, cultur­ally, and educationally from the widened possibilities to choose and work collaboratively in inter­cultural communit ies, while institutions face more transparency in their educational processes, and more challenges to handle them.

3. Very few institutions (only 3 out of 39) have specific regulations for virtual mobility implementat ion for teachers and students; however, the rest do not have such regulations but would like to have. Various tools and campus solutions are applied for the initiation of virtual mobil ity in education institutions, as well as positive impact upon study modernization is proved by the survey respondents; however, such problem areas as the lack of the definition of the concept of virtual mobility at national and institutional levels, the lack of cases and examples of scenarios for virtual mobility, examples or existing templates for virtual mobil ity contracts, lack of knowledge on how virtual mobility can be recognized among teachers and students are the barriers and obstacles to successfully apply virtual mobility initiatives at educational institutions.

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11. Silvio, J. (2003).GIobal Learning and Virtual Mobility. EdsVarisT, UtsumiT, Klemm W. R. Accessed at: http//www.friends-partners.org/glosas/Global_University/Global%20University%20System/ UNESCO_Chair_BooШanuscripts/PartJV_Global_Collaboration/5ilvio,%20Jose/Silvio_web/ SilvioD9.htm. Date of retrieval 20 November 2010.

12. Spot+ project team. Training Module 2: A Virtual Erasmus Student . (2001). http//www. spotplus.odl.org/downloads/Training_module_2.pdf. Date of retrieval 30 November 2010.

13. Valjus S. (2002). Virtual mobility in reality:a study of the use of ICT in Finnish Leonardo da Vinci mobil ity projects. Accessed at http//www.eric.ed.gov/ERICWebPortal/search/ detailmini.jsp?_nfpb=true&_&ERICExtSearch_SearchValue_0=ED479316&ERICExtSearch_ SearchType_0=no&accno=ED479316. Date of retrieval 11 November 2011.

SANTRAUKA

Vienas iš p a g r i n d i n i ų Europos Komisijos p r i o r i t e t ų siekiant bendros Europos ž i n i ų v i s u o m e n ė s ir Europos ekonomikos konkurencingumo didinimo yra jaunimo ir akademinis judumas bei jo skatinimas. Virtualusis judumas atsirado ir yra skatinamas siekiant sustiprinti ir praturtinti f i z in į j u d u m ą bei panaudoti IKT teikiamas galimybes bendroms d a u g i a t a š k ė m s d a l y v i ų veikloms, kuriomis siekiama t a r p k u l t ū r i ų bendravimo ir ž i n i ų m a i n ų . Nuolatinio IKT vystymosi d ė k a virtualusis judumas suteikia g a l i m y b ę realizuoti įva i r ias judumo veiklas nekeliaujant. Vis d ė l t o i š šūk i u š v i e t i m o institucijoms tampa nuolatinis taikymasis prie p o k y č i ų ir j ų sukelto konkurencingumo.

Straipsnyje n a g r i n ė j a m a s š v i e t i m o i n s t i t u c i j ų pasirengimas į g y v e n d i n t i v i r t u a l ų j į j u d u m ą , aptariama virtualiojo judumo s ą v o k a , a p i b r ė ž i a m a virtualiojo judumo teikiama nauda studentams, d ė s t y t o j a m s ir š v i e t i m o institucijoms, pristatoma v i r t u a l ų j į j u d u m ą į g y v e n d i n a n č i ų i n s t i t u c i j ų praktika ir poreikiai.

Virtualusis judumas yra palyginti naujas re išk inys ir jo g a l i m y b ė s yra labai veikiamos nuolatinio IKT vystymosi ir p l ė t r o s . M o k s l i n ė s l i t e r a t ū r o s š a l t i n i u o s e ir p r o j e k t ų a p ž v a l g o s e virtualiojo judumo s ą v o k a a p i b r ė ž i a m a skirtingai, i š r y š k i n a n t skirtingus p o ž y m i u s ir funkcijas. Kol kas dar n ė r a bendros virtualiojo judumo a p i b r ė ž t i e s , bet dauguma ša l t i n i ų p a b r ė ž i a , kad virtualusis judumas t u r ė t ų ne pakeisti, bet skatinti ir praturtinti f iz in į j u d u m ą arba sudaryti galimybes naudojantis IKT realizuoti tokias virtualiojo mokymosi, t y r i m ų , bendravimo ar bendradarbiavimo veiklas, kurios n ė r a į m a n o m o s arba siekiamos fizinio judumo metu.

Virtualiojo judumo į g y v e n d i n i m a s sukuria daug g a l i m y b i ų studentams, d ė s t y t o j a m s ir š v i e t i m o institucijoms. P la tesnės p a s i r i n k i m o g a l i m y b ė s . d a r b a s , bendravimas ir bendradarbiavimas t a r p t a u t i n ė j e , t a r p k u l t ū r ė j e aplinkoje suteikia n e į k a i n o j a m o s patirties tiek d ė s t y t o j a m s , tiek studentams ir ugdo jų virtualiojo judumo kompetencijas ir į g ū d ž i u s , reikalingus š i a n d i e n i n ė j e t a r p t a u t i n ė j e darbo rinkoje ir globalioje v i s u o m e n ė j e . Š v i e t i m o institucijos skatinamos modernizuotis ir į v e i k t i i ššūk ius , kuriuos kelia š v i e t i m o proceso skaidrumo ir p a d i d ė j u s i o Š v i e t i m o i n s t i t u c i j ų konkurencingumo reikalavimai.

182 1 P R O F E S I N I S R E N G I M A S : T Y R I M A I IR R E A L I J O S 2 0 1 2 / 2 3

P A G R I N D I N Ė S S Ą V O K O S :

virtualus mobilumas, virtualaus mobi lumo pliusai, š v i e t i m o į s t a i g o s , pasirengimas virtualiam mobi lumui

DELIVERED 2011 November

Estela D A U K Š I E N Ė Doctoral student at Vytautas Magnus University, Department of Education.

Research interests: technology based learning, virtual learning,

virtual mobility.

Vytautas Magnus University K. D o n e l a i č i o str. 52-203

LT-44244 Kaunas e.dauksiene@smf.vdu.lt

Doc. dr. Airina V O L U N G E V I Č I E N Ė Director of Innovative Studies Institute at

Vytautas Magnus University, associated professor at Department of Education

Research interests: distance learning, technology based

learning, quality ofd is tence learning, open education resources, nuotolinio mokymosi

turinio planavimas ir rengimas, nuotolinio mokymosi k o k y b ė , virtualusis judumas,

virtual mobility.

Vytautas Magnus University K. D o n e l a i č i o str. 52-203

LT-44244 Kaunas a.volungeviciene@isi.vdu.lt

Prof. dr. Nemira M A Č I A N S K I E N Ė Director of Institute of Foreign Languages at Vytautas Magnus University Research interests: technology based lenguage learning, learning strategies, application of innovative methods during language learning.

Vytautas Magnus University K. D o n e l a i č i o str. 52-603 LT-44244 Kaunas n.macianskiene@ukc.vdu.lt

E nrjhsti Ijnnuorjo cdi litor Estclj Djukfcene