elearning_label_learning_and_society

"What I would like to talk about today is how the European Union is mobilising to meet these challenges.

Have we made progress towards making the Union the most competitive and dynamic knowledge-based economy in the world by 2010, the ambitious target agreed by the Heads of State and Government in at the European Council in Lisbon in 2000? We have, but we have to do better. The data available suggests that as a whole, the Union is lagging behind its main competitors, and primarily behind the US, in terms of performance and investment in the knowledge economy. This particularly applies to education and training which are pillars of the Lisbon strategy.

At the Barcelona European Council, two years after Lisbon, Heads of State and Governments set the objective of making Europe’s education and training systems a world quality reference by 2010. And European Education Ministers have agreed on common objectives for education and training systems. These objectives are:

· increasing quality;
· improving access;
· and opening up systems to the outside world.

However, what do we witness?

Public investment in education as a proportion of national GDP is not increasing. While about 40% of European adults did not progress beyond secondary education, less than one in ten participates in lifelong learning. Although the numbers are decreasing, 20% of young Europeans prematurely drop out of school.

The private sector – that is to say enterprises, social partners and individuals – will have to contribute more. This is all the more necessary given that there is a real deficit in private investment in Europe, especially as far as higher education and continuing education is concerned. Data available has shown that the average spent by enterprises on training on the continuing education of their staff represents 2.3% of total salary costs. In order to reach the objectives set in Lisbon, enterprises should investment twice as much by 2010 to reach a European average of 5%.

Clear targets for 2010

However, action is being taken. These objectives set at Lisbon are being implemented through a detailed work programme that was adopted two years later at Barcelona. I am pleased to see that Member States take this exercise very seriously. Earlier this month – and for the first time – they agreed on the first five European benchmarks for education and training, setting out clear targets for 2010 :

Diminishing the percentage of early school leavers is essential to ensure full employment and greater social cohesion: by 2010, an EU average of no more than 10% of early school leavers should be achieved.

· The European Union needs an adequate output of scientific specialists to be competitive. To help achieve this a better Gender balance is essential in this area. Therefore, the total number of graduates in mathematics, science and technology should increase by at least 15 % by 2010 while at the same time the level of gender imbalance should decrease.

· Successful participation in the knowledge-based society requires the basic building blocks offered by a secondary education. By 2010, at least 85 % of 22 year olds in the European Union should have completed upper secondary education.

· All individuals need a core package of knowledge, skills and attitudes for employment, inclusion, subsequent learning as well as personal fulfillment and development. By 2010, the percentage of low-achieving 15 years old in reading literacy in the European Union should have decreased by at least 20% compared to the year 2000.

· In a knowledge society individuals must update and complement their knowledge, competencies and skills throughout life to maximise their personal development and to maintain and improve their position in the labour market. Therefore, by 2010, the European Union average level of participation in Lifelong Learning, should be at least 12.5% of the adult working age population.

Opening a debate on the role of the universities

I would like now to turn to a crucial partner and stakeholder in the field of education: the universities. I know they are well represented here today. The European Commission adopted a new policy document on the role of the universities in the Europe of knowledge in January of this year. This Communication seeks to initiate a debate on the role of Universities within the knowledge society and economy in Europe and on the conditions under which they will be able to effectively play that
role.

European universities are currently faced with serious challenges. They are not at present globally competitive compared with those of our major partners, even though they produce high-quality scientific publications.

This Communication invites all those concerned with higher education, research and innovation to put forward concrete ideas on optimising the role of universities.

The results will feed into the development of policies at national and European level. Making a reality of the pledges made by the European Council at Lisbon in March 2000 also means that people must be fully free to move around the EU to maximise their studying, working and learning opportunities. Competitiveness means putting skilled people where the jobs are – and recognising those skills when they have been acquired in another country.

This is why we continue to develop instruments to make it easier for people to be mobile in Europe – the European CV, the EUROPASS training document, the new portal on learning opportunities (PLOTEUS), the forthcoming global EU portal on mobility, to name but a few. The goal that each European should be competent in two languages in addition to his or her native language is also a key factor in promoting mobility.

The need for an integrated approach to learning

This brings me to another crucial point of policy. The reform of education and training systems will not be successful if this does not break down traditional barriers between different forms and levels of education and training. An integrated approach to learning is needed, ending the rather artificial separation between education on the one hand and professional training on the other, and based on the principle of Lifelong learning.

New technologies, when used effectively, can help us achieve this reform, by opening up access to educational resources, improving the flexibility and appropriateness of learning, and by facilitating new partnerships between schools, universities and other sources of knowledge such as museums and local industry. Our work under the eEurope and eLearning Action Plans is helping to drive this change, and delivering concrete results – 93% of European schools are now connected to the Internet and the average number of pupils per PC is 17 and reducing.

I am sure that most of you will be aware of the so-called “Bologna Process”: it is a process of voluntary convergence initiated by 29 European countries in 1999, which aims to create a single European Higher Education Area. This develoment has been recently mirrored in the field of vocational education and training. The Education Ministers of the Member States, the candidate countries, the EEA countries and the European Social Partners, agreed in Copenhagen in November 2002, in concrete terms, what role enhanced European cooperation in the field of vocational education and training must play. So, you can see that, at the European level, there is now also convergence in the area of vocational education and training. The ultimate goal, of course, and this is essential if we are to achieve the goals of Lisbon, is European Area of Lifelong Learning.

Enabling citizens to be mobile within the labour market

Allow, however, to say a little more abut the “Copenhagen Process”. Through engaging in a process of enhanced cooperation the Ministers have committed themselves to developing in common the concrete tools which will enable citizens to be mobile within the labour market – whether this means they are moving between countries, between sectors, or simply between work and further training.

But what does this mean in practical terms?

1. It means that we must implement a single framework for the transparency of qualifications and competences. A single entrance point to the various instruments that have already been developed at European level – the Europass Training, the Certificate supplement, and others – will make it easier for citizens to find and make use of these instruments, and thus present and promote their qualifications and competences more easily. Using the EUROPASS brand, an electronic pilot will be tested in 2004.

2. In terms of quality in Vocational Education and Training, we must identify common criteria for quality management at systems and provider level; quality indicators at systems level; and an operational approach, with practical tools, which will allow us to implement a co-operation framework at European level.

3. We must work towards developing a credit transfer system for Vocational and Educational Training, building on experience in this field. Such a system must aim to develop a common currency of Vocational and Educational Training qualification and competences, as has been achieved in Higher Education through the widespread implementation of the European Credit Transfer System. An important step here is to address as a priority the issue of agreeing common reference levels for Vocational and Educational Training.

4. In relation to non-formal learning – a vastly under-used resource! – we must develop common European principles for validation of non-formal and informal learning.

5. We must work towards the strengthening of policies, systems and practices that support information, guidance and counselling –‘lifelong guidance’.

6. Increased support must be given to actors at sectoral level who are engaged in developing international solutions to qualifications and competence development. Here the role of the social partners is capital, as they are the first to confront the challenges of rapid changes in technology and work organisation. Last but not least the training needs of teachers and trainers in Vocational and Education Training must receive urgent attention – and here it is crucial to take into account the specificities of vocational education and training.

The European programmes

This is the policy framework, as largely determined by the Lisbon objectives. How are we contributing to achieve these goals in practice?

The European programmes – Leonardo da Vinci, Socrates and Youth – are in part a concrete response to the increased demand for mobility. As you may know, Socrates Erasmus celebrated in October 2002 the unique achievement of a million Erasmus students. More than 100.000 students currently benefit from an Erasmus grant every year. Thanks to Leonardo da Vinci programme, 50.000 young people benefit from a European grant for placements or internships abroad. This transnational mobility is a key element in the creation of a truly European labour market.

Our programmes of course go beyond support to mobility. They also contribute significantly to strengthening European cooperation. For example, the 250 pilot projects supported by Leonardo da Vinci each year help to improve the quality of the content of vocational training. They also represent a step forward in the implementation of the recognition of competences and qualifications. Allow me now to mention two new initiatives which are currently going through the wheels of the European decision-making process and will hopefully become operational in 2004. They contribute directly to the implementation of the Lisbon strategy.

The eLearning programme builds on the results of the eLearning action plan which sought to help EU Member States to coordinate their efforts to integrate ICT and adapt their education and training systems. This new programme hopes to provide some answers to the question of how and when may we best use eLearning in our schools, universities, in our training colleges and in the work place. I have already emphasised it - universities and higher education institutions are key actors in the production and dissemination of knowledge. We propose to focus on their attempts to provide added value through e-learning, by supporting them to develop new organisational models, deploy European virtual campuses, and offer
virtual mobility.

The programme also focuses on promoting digital literacy since the development of the knowledge society carries with it the risk of social exclusion. The absence of suitable access to the Internet or an inability to use the technology effectively can create a real barrier to learning.

Finally schools e-twinning. We will develop cooperation between schools via a European-wide internet based school-twinning scheme which should make it possible for all European schools to build pedagogical partnerships with a school elsewhere in Europe. This will foster language learning and intercultural dialogue and promote awareness of the multilingual and multicultural model of society.

The Erasmus Mundus programme is the concrete expression of the Community’s desire to contribute to a greater openness to the world of European higher education. The Erasmus Mundus scheme is intended to strengthen international links in higher education, by enabling students and visiting scholars from around the world to engage in postgraduate study at European universities, as well as by encouraging the mobility of European students and scholars.

The basic features of the programme include a global scholarship scheme for third country nationals, linked to the creation of ‘European Union Masters Courses’ at European universities. These postgraduate courses would involve study at several higher education institutions in different Member States and be distinguished by their European label. The programme foresees the creation of around 90 inter-university
networks to provide 250 EU Masters Courses by 2008. Partnerships between EU Masters Courses and third country institutions would also be encouraged.

Although the mechanisms are simple, the objectives of Erasmus Mundus are ambitious.

1. Erasmus Mundus will enhance the quality of higher education by setting high co-operation standards for Masters Courses and by supporting highly qualified students and scholars from around the world to attend and contribute to these Masters.

2. Erasmus Mundus will provide an incentive for the convergence of degree structure in higher education in Europe by encouraging co-operation at Masters levels and the award of joint or double diplomas.

3. Erasmus Mundus will be a flagship programme that will enhance the perception of European academic excellence world-wide.

4. Erasmus Mundus will help us build friendships around the world by promoting dialogue and understanding based on freedom, democracy and respect for human rights."This article is a fragment from the Speech of Viviane Reding in the Opening Session of the World Education Market, WEM, held in Lisbon on May 20 . The full speech is avaliable here (pdf format).

The project Dentro l'italiano, awarded with the European Label for Innovative Projects in Language Teaching and Learning 2002 was born in consideration of the growing interest towards Italian language and culture. The interest towards Italian language is crucial both in Italy, because of the growing immigration flow, and abroad among Italian communities and all foreign people willing to learn Italian for professional or cultural interest.Target users of the project are everyone needing to learn, improve or update his knowledge of the language. Dentro l’italiano is in fact addressed to different targets: schools, universities, longlife learning centre, Public Administration, firms and individuals. The project is characterized by a marked variety of users both by the point of view of age sex, mother tongue and by the point of view of their education and background. As it is a highly flexible system, it allows the personalization of learning paths which are adaptable to the specific needs and availability of the user. AimsThe aim of the project is the creation of an on-line environment for learning and teaching Italian which is able to gather the totality of different people from the whole word in a virtual place on the net. People sharing knowledge, learning, and communication. The project is organized on four linguistic levels: beginner, elementary, intermediate, advanced, and is meant to develop the following abilities: 1. oral and written comprehension; 2. oral and written production;3. ability to work and study in a collaborative way; 4. developing relational abilities. By the cultural point of view, the didactic materials refer to specific context and styles of linguistic communication and are enriched with authentic multimedia materials found on-line. The users have access to Dentro l’italiano after an evaluation of their starting linguistic competence and background to be done partly on line and partly with teachers and tutor. This blended evaluation allows a correct assignation of the students to their specific levels of study and specific curricular activities. DevelopmentThe current version of the project is the outcome of a continuous, ultra-decennial didactic project born in 1986 as a open learning plan of Italian teaching supported by floppies, tapes and books. Market requests, users’ feedbacks and technological progress have given impulse to a series of successive evolutions until the birth of Dentro l’taliano w.l.e. in 2002 which has allowed the integration of platforms, contents and services. The platform Atena, web environment, developed by Didael and awarded with the European Prize Label in 1998, offers a rich range of functionalities: Secretary services: (syllabus of the course, institutional showcase, agenda, users’ album, post it, questionnaires, awards), Technical-didactic attendance (helpdesk, FAQ), Library (didactical materials, thematic resource centre, portfolio, methodological aspects); Utilities, Collaboration (mail, chat, guided forum, free forum, audio/video conference, response pad, whiteboard, screen sharing, document-sharing), Authoring (tests and multimedia exercises, questionnaires, cataloguing tools for bibliographical materials and resources on-line, FAQ management); Administration (recording, identification, course management, didactic monitoring). The contents of Dentro l’italiano are organized along three types of paths: narrative , situational, linguistic function, and include 108 units, equivalent to 370 hours of study, 2,550 exercises , 6,500 headwords, 31 films, multilingual glossary in English, French, German, Spanish, Portuguese, Bulgarian, Russian, Chinese, Japanese and Arab (available soon: Serb-Croat) .Dentro l’italiano w.l.e. is a collaborative environment which offers the students various services supported by: help-desk, tutor, teachers, experts, authors. Besides, students can use a service of didactic Monitoring to solve difficulties, to measure their improvement in learning and to adapt the course to their personal requirements. Such services rouse learning motivation making the user an active subject of the learning process and develop an independent attitude. The project was born and has developed due to the collaboration between Didael’s management and multidisciplinary planning staff (experts of e-learning, didactic methodologies, linguistics, language teaching, multimedia communication) and the most accredited national and international search and academic centres which promote the acquaintance of foreign languages. In order to meet the requirements of users’ and of the world-wide market to which the product addresses, Didael offers the usability and the up dating of a complete series of solutions. By the point of view of the device, the students can choose between multiple medias, CD-ROM, LAN, online, Intranet); by the point of view of training methodologies, the distribution models are higly flexible: self-access, e-learning, blended. InnovationDidael has entirely financed the project since 1986 except for the process of contents reingineering from the CD-ROM version to the on-line version with interoperability technologies (XML, XSL, Java) implemented in 2000 with the contribution of Ministry of the Scientific Research.One of the most innovative aspects of Dentro l’italiano w.l.e. is its adaptive system that is possibility to show different ways of interaction according to the different choices of the students during their study sessions. They can choose among different aspects of interaction: mother tongue and communicating style.Such a dynamic approach represents an advantage for students teachers both by the point of view of contents, interface and communication, allowing a real personalization of the course.The web interactive multimedia “program centred” technology used for Dentro l’italiano allows to realize adaptive services with a high level of interaction and dialogue personalization due, for example, to their ability to remember dialogues.Didael has realized industrial prototypes and products based on the use of adaptive solutions both as infrastructures for on line courses and as systems of definition of next generation e-learning platforms. This experience allows to transfer technologies, principles, experience used in a local model, to a distributed model, in order to utilize the advantages of geographical distribution with access protocols offered by he web. Results Dentro l’italiano w.l.e, is diffused to a world-wide level among students and teachers; it has been presented to national and international interlocutors involved in training projects in schools, universities, Public Administration, Italian and international firms abroad.The picture that ilustrate this article was taken from the Dentro l'italiano website.

Des esprits ouverts dans un monde fermé

Les prisons sont des sociétés fermées qui, pour des raisons de sécurité, ont un accès restreint au monde extérieur. La réintégration des détenus dans la société est un processus progressif qui doit être développé dans des conditions particulières qui sont très différentes de celles que les détenus trouveront après avoir passé du temps en prison.

La formation peut être un moyen de réhabilitation pour les prisonniers. Mais la plupart du temps, les jeunes délinquants ne sont familiarisés avec aucun processus d’apprentissage de quelque type que ce soit. L’expérience et l’intérêt limités du groupe cible à cet égard rendent son éducation très difficile et une formation inadéquate pourrait se révéler peu attrayante, voire même nuisible. Les méthodes pédagogiques utilisées dans les prisons sont souvent trop traditionnelles, axées principalement sur la lecture de manuels et sans activité expérimentale. Le processus d’apprentissage dans les prisons devrait être une activité constructive qui permet aux étudiants de jouer un rôle actif dans l’acquisition et l’utilisation de connaissances, et les nouvelles technologies peuvent aider les formateurs à mettre au point des initiatives pédagogiques qui contribuent à réintégrer les jeunes délinquants dans la société.

HOPE : e-learning, une solution pour la formation de jeunes prisonniers

HOPE est le nom d’une plate-forme d’e-learning qui vise à améliorer le processus de formation de personnes socialement exclues, notamment de jeunes prisonniers. HOPE est un projet soutenu en partie par la Communauté européenne dans le cadre du programme Information Society Technology (IST) et il est aussi membre du groupe The Learning Citizen.

Les résultats du projet sont démontrés et validés par trois expériences pilotes qui sont mises en œuvre dans deux pays européens : l'Espagne et la Grèce.

Pendant les essais, le système HOPE a été testé avec des données réelles et des utilisateurs réels (groupes de jeunes délinquants). Des psychologues et des chercheurs spécialisés en pédagogie étudient l’impact de HOPE sur les stagiaires, leurs comportements et leurs attitudes.

Les besoins des utilisateurs recueillis au début du projet sont comparés aux résultats effectifs du projet en vue de déterminer si les résultats finals correspondent aux demandes des utilisateurs.

Pourquoi HOPE?

Pour mieux comprendre les avantages du système HOPE par rapport à d’autres méthodes, voyons quelle était précédemment la situation dans les prisons de ces pays :

· En Espagne, l’enseignement primaire et secondaire et la formation professionnelle sont dispensés aux jeunes délinquants et prisonniers dans un face-à-face traditionnel. Des possibilités de formation à distance du niveau de l’enseignement supérieur leur sont également offertes mais par des méthodes éducatives traditionnelles comme les livres.

· En Grèce, la formation à distance n’a pas encore été introduite dans les institutions pour jeunes délinquants. Le processus d’apprentissage actuel des jeunes détenus est peu satisfaisant et recourt aux méthodes traditionnelles. Seul un petit groupe de détenus a l’occasion de suivre des cours de niveau supérieur qui sont donnés par des professeurs visiteurs, des collèges et/ou des universités en dehors de la prison.

Comment HOPE fonctionne-t-il ?

Le système HOPE est un outil intuitif, flexible et facile à utiliser qui ouvre un tout nouveau concept d’éducation dans les prisons. HOPE aide à améliorer les objectifs pédagogiques et sociaux dans l’environnement carcéral. Il est très éloigné du concept usuel de l’éducation dans les prisons. HOPE aura un grand impact sur les stagiaires, leurs comportements et leurs attitudes. Il améliorera les connaissances et les compétences des stagiaires, accroîtra leur motivation et leur intérêt pour l’apprentissage en ligne, et renforcera leur sens des responsabilités et leur estime de soi.

En utilisant HOPE, les stagiaires en prison peuvent maintenir leur profil personnel, avoir accès aux listes de cours proposés, suivre des cours et vérifier leurs propres progrès en consultant l’historique de leurs résultats d’examen. Ils peuvent communiquer facilement avec le tuteur ou l’éducateur pour poser des questions, demander des éclaircissements sur des concepts peu clairs ou envoyer des suggestions et des commentaires. Des techniques de motivation ont été intégrées, telles que l’utilisation de vidéos, de textes et d’éléments audio afin que la conception visuelle soit conforme au goût des jeunes étudiants. Les préférences personnelles des stagiaires ont également été intégrées, ajoutant personnalisation et attraction à l’interface.

Le formateur qui utilise la plate-forme HOPE a la possibilité d’accéder à une liste de tous les stagiaires, leurs profils, les résultats de leurs tests ainsi qu’aux détails relatifs à leur participation au cours comme, par exemple, quand ils se sont branchés pour la dernière fois sur le cours et combien de temps ils y ont passé, ou tout commentaire du stagiaire sur le cours. Ceci aidera l’éducateur à suivre de près les progrès de chaque stagiaire et à le soutenir dans un environnement sûr.

Un système auteur est prévu pour le développement de cours. Aucune connaissance d’un langage de programmation n’est requise pour ce faire.

Le directeur de formation est responsable de l’ensemble du processus de formation et des plans de formation. Il s’occupe de toutes les informations relatives à la gestion des cours et vérifie et contrôle la participation des éducateurs et des stagiaires à chaque cours.

Sites pilotes de HOPE

Les sites pilotes de HOPE sont : le Centro penitenciario Madrid VI (Aranjuez, Espagne), l’institution Avlona pour jeunes délinquants (Athènes, Grèce) et l’institution Papafeio d’accueil de la jeunesse (Thessalonique, Grèce).

Le premier but du Centro Penitenciario Madrid VI (sis à Aranjuez, Espagne) est d’aider les jeunes délinquants à modifier leur comportement délictueux et de leur offrir une possibilité de réintégration sociale. Il s’agit de stimuler les détenus en augmentant leur aptitude à participer à la vie sociale.

Avlona a été choisi pour être l’un des sites pilotes de HOPE en Grèce. Il s’agit de la plus grande institution pour jeunes délinquants en Grèce. Depuis avril 2001, ARSIS organise des leçons de formation à l’utilisation de l’ordinateur à l’institution Avlona.

Papafeio est l’autre site pilote du projet HOPE en Grèce. Il s’agit d’un centre spécial de détention pour enfants et adolescents jusqu’à 18 ans, qui est situé à Thessalonique. L’institution Papafeio y organise des leçons de formation à l’utilisation de l’ordinateur depuis septembre 2001.

Les cours de HOPE

Pendant le premier projet pilote, nous avons testé trois cours mis au point par l’université d’Athènes et le TEI :

· Le cours multimédia porte sur les applications multimédias et explique tous les concepts nécessaires pour comprendre le sujet. Pour les jeunes prisonniers de cette institution, il est l’un des sujets les plus attrayants et à la mode.

· Les applications informatiques sont très pratiques et se réfèrent à l’environnement informatique personnel, aux outils de base pour la bureautique et l’infographie.

· Le cours d’insertion dans le monde du travail est particulièrement intéressant pour l’éducation des jeunes prisonniers. Les informations fournies se réfèrent à des situations réelles et sont présentées de manière originale et amusante. Les stagiaires sont confrontés à toute une série de nouveaux termes et concepts qui sont cruciaux pour leur survie dans un monde plutôt complexe.

Le consortium HOPE

Le projet rassemble les partenaires suivants :

· SchlumbergerSema est une société de consultants et de technologie de l’information ayant une grande expérience qui gère le projet et participe également au développement de la plate-forme.

· L’université d’Athènes, Pouliadis, et le TEI Athènes sont les fournisseurs de la technologie et du contenu du projet.

· CC et l’université d’État Yaroslav sont des institutions situées en Europe centrale et orientale. Elles jouent un rôle dans l’exploitation commerciale de HOPE et aident à diffuser les résultats du projet.

· ENRED est une société de consultants qui apporte un soutien au site pilote espagnol géré par ALPAO.

· ALPAO est l’« organisme autonome de travail et d’assistance pénitentiaire » et il fournit aux institutions pénitentiaires espagnoles les ressources nécessaires pour l’éducation et la formation des prisonniers. ALPAO est l’institution en charge des activités pilotes dans le centre pénitencier situé à Madrid.

· L’association d’aide sociale aux jeunes (ARSIS), travaille avec les jeunes menacés par la marginalisation dans la communauté ouverte et développe des activités de formation et de création dans toutes les prisons où des jeunes sont détenus. ARSIS dirige les efforts de mise en œuvre dans les sites pilotes grecs.L'image qui ilustre cet article a été tirée du site web de The Learning Citizen.

By default, we gave it the name ’Internet-based assessment’. Why?

The European Union is a major patron of the learning economy. e-Learning is the core business of the learning economy. Information is extracted, packaged, delivered, marketed and audited. It is globally disseminated, untouched by human hands. e-Learning is the new Didactica Magna. It is a realisation of Comenius’ seventeenth-century dream of teaching all things to all people.

Or is it?

e-Learning is delivered to an interface. But how do we know that it has arrived in the minds or hands of learners? If Rossella Magli is correct, this question has become disconnected from the delivery process. School innovation through ICT has, she suggests, become ’conservative and incomplete’. Educational elements have ’mentally disappeared’ from the current horizons of e-learning. Where are the ’spaces’ for ’meaning and expression’, she wondered in the article e-Learning Lost in Time and Space?. If e-learning has been reduced to the delivery of commodified information, is there any difference between learning to become a citizen and learning that you have bought an airline ticket?

The learning economy has become a deficit economy. It promises more than it can deliver. The scale of this deficit problem is indicated in the urgent language of the 6th programme of the European Commission. Seventy eight breathless words are needed to describe the focus of future research on elearning technologies.

"Improving the efficiency and cost-effectiveness of learning, for individuals and organisations, independent of time, place and pace, through the development of open systems and services in support of ubiquitous, experiential and contextualised learning and virtual collaborative learning communities. Work combines advanced cognitive and knowledge-based approaches with new media, including virtual and augmented reality, virtual presence and simulation, takes account of technological, pedagogical as well as organisational aspects, and aims at demonstrating next-generation learning solutions in sizable field experiments." (elearningeuropa.info, 2003-01-21)

If this is a representative statement, it is more of a shopping list than a scientific analysis. Despite the reference to ‘independent of’, ubiquitous’, ’open systems’ and ’pedagogical aspects’, no distinction is made between system and environment. Likewise, no recognition is given to the fact that systems also have internal environments that also shape their functioning. If the learning society requires systemic or planned change, this may not be the way forward.

Three different discourses about learning

Confusion arises because, in Europe, there are at least three discourses about teaching and learning. There are old-Europe ideas taken from Descartes, Kant and Marx; there are twentieth century ideas taken from communications theory and cybernetics; and there are 21st century ideas linked to the new Europe of economic and political harmonisation.

Old-Europe ideas build upon the relationship between mind, experience and meaning; communication theory relates to the manipulation of meaning-free information; and the new-Europe is struggling to reconcile inherited educational views with management-theory assumptions about distributed learning, communities of practice and situated learning.

Our view of ‘Internetbased assessment’ is an amalgam of these views. We work with higher education ideals that have always distinguished education from training. We accept that education is as much about the transfer of meaning as the transfer of information. We recognise that the value of acquired knowledge depends on its possible use. And, finally, we accept that e-learning is, itself, a situated - and, therefore, fluid - concept.

Our Minerva project, with partners in Belgium, England and Sweden, explores two of the default zones of e-learning - teaching and assessment. It builds on two recent developments:

1. the availability of bottom-up software that make it possible for teachers to customise Internetbased assessment tools;
2. an educational rationale that has grown up around so-called ’alternative assessment’.

Alternative assessment is an imprecise word - which is why we did not use it in our application or our title. Instead, we chose a title which relates to both old and new Europe. We focus on learning (the new Europe) through views of assessment or examinations inherited from the old Europe. We combine them, but in a new way. We emphasise assessment for learning, rather than the assessment or measurement of learning.

Our view of assessment builds on feedback that is embedded and meaningful. Feedback is the overarching concept. But it is imprecise because it can also be used in the design of machines. Feedback becomes meaningful when its purpose is consciously shared by teachers and learners (i.e. those who are shaped by the machine as well as those who design or steer the machine). And such meaningful feedback is embedded because it is integrated into the intentions of teaching and learning. In this form, meaningful, embedded feedback provides a space for ’meaning and expression’. As an invitation to learn, it is appropriate to the democratic ideals of higher and adult education.

We found it difficult to embrace these ideas when we wrote our Minerva application. We are still working them out. In the meantime, we chose a default option for our title and another name for our website Internet-Based Assessment