Technology-enhanced Learning:EU research and its role in current and future

ICT based learning environments

Pat Manson Head of UnitTechnology Enhanced Learning

Directorate General Information Society

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Technology enhanced Learning

Overview of presentation Context for EU research in ICT for learning

– Policies– Relationships to non-research programmes

Research pre 2002 in innovating ICT in schools– Results, strengths and challenges

Research post- 2002– Vision, challenges, and priorities

Where we stand today - & issues for the future

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EU research in ICT for learning

Research policies - European Research Area– migration from small projects to large scale and

comprehensive initiatives that can generate critical mass and impact - for researchers, for eventual markets, and for public sector actors

Information Society policies - Lisbon Agenda and eEurope Action Plans– ICT in schools to broadband, eLearning Action Plan, virtual

campuses, GRID and skillsTechnology Enhanced Learning firmly anchored as a

societal and an economic challenge

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Research & non-research in technologies for learning

Research - pre-competitive, longer term Impact – needs adoption by practitioners,

organisational change and practices, translation into affordable & usable market tools

Other programmes - eTEN, eContent + MS initiatives in context of eEurope and ERA pilots, and

eLearning Programme – seeing the mainstreaming of e-learning

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Research pre 2002 in innovating ICT in schools

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Multimedia applications for education & training: IST 1998 -

2002Focus – integrating ICT in education & training

environments and processes Foster broad access to quality learning resources

and services Improve learning and support innovation through

– New organisational scenarios for universities and schools– New experimental delivery systems for life-long learning– New pedagogical approaches

New experiences for different communities of learners

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Emerging resultsSchool of Tomorrow:

– New models of collaborative learning – focus on sharing knowledge and on learning as social process

– contributions towards a European school interoperability framework

– Repositories of resources and toolsCharacteristics

– Innovation in context – new approaches to pedagogical methods but standard technologies

– Developing new paradigms – but tension between technological and pedagogical

– Solutions tend to be fragmented

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Research post- 2002Vision, challenges, and

priorities

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Technology Enhanced Learning in FP6

Ubiquitous access to personalised learning through life

“Work on e-learning will focus on personalised access to, and delivery of, learning as well as on advanced learning environments at schools, universities and in the workplace that take advantage of the development of ambient intelligence”

Driven by - ambient intelligence visionERA imperatives - critical mass to maximise impact;

co-ordination between national and European initiatives

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Technology enhanced Learning

Intrinsic links of Pedagogical Technological Organisational aspects

Target GroupsHigher

education…….

Organisational aspects

Pedagogical aspects

Technical aspects

Focus on the learning process and where we have the most impact

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Technology enhanced Learning

Virtual Learning Communities

Access

KnowledgeCreation,Management

and Transfer

Content and services

INDIVIDUALS

ORGANISATIONS

ApproachPlacing the learner in the centre

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Technology enhanced Learning

Research foci Leading edge technology (eg broadband,

mobile, GRIDs, ubiquitous computing) to be applied according to insights from pedagogical research

Interoperability of technology components for new architectural models using commodity products

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Technology enhanced Learning

Research foci Knowledge modelling, representation and

visualisation for learning - creating interoperable and widely accessible knowledge pools

Computer Supported Collaborative Learning - flexible communities of practice

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Technology enhanced Learning

Improve quality and learning-effectiveness Reflect the nature of learning as a social process

(collaboration, interaction, tacit knowledge) Support learners to construct their own knowledge

according to their learning needs Link organisations objectives and learning

goals of individuals New pedagogical approaches that ‘blend’ new

and old ways of learning

Challenges

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Technology Enhanced Learning – focus of FP6 projects

Innovative learning:– personalisation and adaptive learning for individuals

and groups– dynamic mentoring system for math teaching– integrating experience based learning into the

classroom– NoEs: research on new methods and new approaches to

learning with ICTEmerging emphasis on using technology for new learning

processes and on improving our understanding of these

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Technology Enhanced Learning – focus of FP6 projects

Learning resources & next generation learning platforms– dynamically adapt learning resources to individual needs

and preferences (in schools)– digital learning resources and (professional) learning for

work– GRID-based platform supporting collaborative learning

Interoperability and Standards– take-up and adoption, implementation and compliance

test, pre-competitive standardisation– focus on learning objects, learner modelling, metadata,

semantic web

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Technology Enhanced Learning - focus of FP6 projects

Overall comments– balanced mix of generic solutions and domain specific– links with national projects and synergies with international

initiatives – Formal and informal learning intertwine – breaking barriers

between fixed (organisational) learning context– Lack of presence of mobile and wireless technologies as core

enablers of “ubiquitous learning”– Professional learning - underrepresented

Community building– bringing together researchers, stakeholders / users, commercial

companies– consensus building is also part of NoEs attributions

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Technology Enhanced Learningnext work-programme (2005-

2006) Which topics

– need to be addressed or require further research?– Where are the priorities in short term if longer term vision is

to be realised? How to take advantage of new instruments

– Integrated Projects (IPs)– Networks of Excellence (NoEs)?

How to maximise impact of EC funded research – Critical mass– Synergies / complementary role of national and EC initiatives