Working Group 7 : Influence of Ict on Uce

SOCRATES PROGRAM

THEMATIC NETWORK PROJECT EUROPEAN UNIVERSITY CONTINUING EDUCATION
(THENUCE)

EUCEN

WORKING GROUP 7 : INFLUENCE OF ICT ON UCE

FINAL REPORT 2nd YEAR

PRELIMINARY REMARKS

During the Meeting in Bruxelles (December 1997), the members of this working group ackowledged that Continuing Education takes shape as Multimedia Distance Education, from the point of view of information and communication. Recalling the outcomes of the Forum in Dublin (October 1997) and the themes specific to the other working groups, they thought it right to carry out studies and research in this field. They also decided to analyse distance education at the University, considering its different aspects:

- aims;

- instruments;

- experimental patterns;

- teaching methodologies;

- typology of university education supply;

- users categories;

- instrumental, spatial and temporal bonds;

- advantages of distance education;

- criticality;

- suggestions and proposals.

To lead research to good results, besides the Meetings in London and in Barcelona, which enabled us to compare knowledge and crtitical evaluations, it has been particularly significant the EUCEN-RECLA Meeting, entitled “International Cooperation through University Networks” (Turin, May 1998): eminent international experts have actually spoken at length on pertinent subjects of great interest; moreover there was a circumstantial presentation of experimentations in the lead. The progress of the activities allowed us to study in depth mostly of the prearranged themes.

OUTCOMES OF THE DISCUSSION

Knowing the budget limits and the available expertise of every member, this group developed some of the themes subject of discussion during the time of the research (December 1997-August 1998) through E-mail contacts, by comparing ideas and opinions.

1. Background: some of the national organizations significant in Distance Education (EU)

As for Europe, it has been possible to identify different experiences particularly significant within the experimentation of ICTs on distance education.

1.1. France

Since 1989, in France it has been structured an important integration of organizations supplying distance education: Centres de Tele-enseignement Universitarire (CTU), Centre National d’Enseignement a Distance (CNED), Instituts Universitaire de Formation des Maitres (IUFM).

Of late years, this three organizations have developed a cooperation as for the application of new technologies within distance education, integrating them with its traditional ways. For example, FORMADIS is a project presented by the IUFM of Lyon, as for teacher education at BAC+4 level, in which the extensive application of different media enables a student to prepare for state competitive examinations (CAPES) and to develop expertises by reality simulation. FORMADIS project is bent on initial teacher education, but it is also expected to develop a constant updating, according to a logic of continuing education. This project foresees the use of a computer network (such as Intranet) called TELE-AMPHI, in order to develop kinds of teleconference, like the one developed at the Academie de Limoges by MAFPEN (Mission Academique de Formation des Personnels de l’Education Nationale), which organized seven centres for education in a double standard - IBM and Apple - interconnected by Telecom Numeris network.

1.2. Great Britain

The dizzy development of English Open University seems not bound to stop. Since 1990, until today, it has been present at a considerable increase in the enrolments, and at a growth of the state investments in programmes for open teacher education. In this situation, it plays a remarkable part the organization of educational packages, which also offer guarantee of quality for the education supply. Continuing education, supplied through a distance combined use of media, is in charge of the Institute of Educational Technology - at the Open University - which develops programmes called Teaching and Learning On-line (TLO) having great impact and effectiveness.

The students are coached both by tutors on-line and by learning programmes CAI (Computer-Aided Instruction) off-line (CD ROM and diskettes), which allow to get over the atmosphere of isolation typical of many distance courses. The Open University actually gives the students a computer and the relevant modem (along with a preferential treatment as for the telephone system) in order to enable the students to interact with their colleagues and teachers in a more speedy way.

However the courses are generally organized in a mixed way, by integrating the traditional methodologies (books, lecture notes, audio cassetes) with multimedia aids. Among the services offered by the Open University, there is the International Centre for Distance Learning (ICDL), which represents a sizeable database about all matters concerning distance education, together with an up-to-date list of all the scientific journals peculiar to this field, and an agenda of the most important worldwide initiatives as to continuing distance education.

1.3. Spain

The Universidad Nacional de Educacion a Distancia (UNED), established in Spain in 1972, for many years has been an effective pattern and a good sample in distance education, mostly for teachers.

Qualified by using printed matter and audiovisual aids, since 1985 the UNED had to face a reality becoming more and more technological, and requiring a continuous investment of funds, as to growing of users. These circumstances led to a political choice of investment mostly in the side of radiotelephony, missing out the development of new technologies in distance education.

Since 1995, it has been established the Open University of Catalonia, an organization financed by the government, but managed as a private one: it supplies more than 5.000 students with a virtual education programme.

Its basic features are: a virtual campus; an intergration of multimedia aids; on-line advice. Most of all it is very important and outstanding this virtual campus, which enables the student to access to the several on-line university services, having also the chance to develop an effective communication with the same university organization. As a further development of the virtual campus, the Open University of Catalonia presents the ‘Metacampus’, a structure which could get in touch with the different centres for distance learning all over the world, assuring the possibility to translate simultaneously the messages coming from the different universities into languages peculiar to the various realities. Everything according to the logic of a greater transferability of messages, a democratic sharing of information, a multimodal kind of messages (both spoken and written).

1.4. Italy

University distance education, established in Italy in force of the law 341/90, article 2, paragraph 3, takes over two signifiant experiences, through the activity developed by two national pools: CUD (Consorzio per l’Università a Distanza) and NETTUNO (Network Teledidattico per l’Università a Distanza).

CUD is more dated, as it was establihed in 1985. It is promoted by the University of Calabria, then “La Sapienza” University of Rome and the Universities of Trento, Siena, Bologna, Bari, and the Polytechnic of Milan agreed to it, together with some institutions and bodies like Confindustria, IBM, Semea, RAI, Formez, Telespazio and Commune of Cosenza.

As to the statute, its ends are:

- planning, production and diffusion of distance teaching aids, through multimedia integrated systems;

- planning, realization, and management of facilities to use distance learning aids;

- the development of methodologies and technologies fit for distance education systems; the improvement in the used ones, and the individuation of new application fields.

Among the courses already planned and carried out, there are: the distance university diploma in Information and Automation Engineering, and the first two-year course for the distance university degree in Economics.

This pool uses an articulate set of instruments, from the editing of handbooks “equivalent of lessons”, to the software for the exercises, to data banks consisting of questions and problems with solutions. It just secondly contemplates doing the broadcast.

The NETTUNO pool (Network per l’Università Ovunque) was established in 1990, in force of the article 19 of law 341 reforming the university teaching regulations. The charter members are: Polytechnics of Milan and Turin, “Federico II” University of Naples, RAI, Confindustria, IRI and Telecom Italia. The ordinary members are: Polytechnic of Bari and the Universities of Ancona, L’Aquila, Bologna, Camerino, Cassino, Ferrara, Florence, Genoa, Lecce, Milan, Modena, Padua, Parma, Perugia, Pisa, “Tor Vergata” of Rome, Salerno, Siena, Teramo, Turin, Trieste, “La Tuscia” of Viterbo, together with the National Centre for Distance Teaching of Tirana (Albania).

As a network, NETTUNO is based on a combined use of telematic media: from satellite television to video conferencing (ISDN), from Internet to interactive data banks etc.

NETTUNO is organized as follows:

- the National Centre is located in Rome, having the task of coordinating the different teaching activities, producing aids, and planning the research;

- there are the Supplying Universities, managing the enrloments and the curriculum of the students, as well as the seminars and the examinations, and the issue of the diploma;

- The Technological Poles, consisting of teaching facilities inside the universities and the companies, supply the several students with teaching services: from distance teaching aids to tutor, from Internet link to management of examinations;

- there are the University Techological Centres, consisting of multimedia lecture halls fit for video tape recording the lessons;

- The Work Station at home is made up of a video tape recorder, a satellite television set with decoder, a computer with printer and modem/fax, a telephone.

The NETTUNO education supply consists of 10 three-year courses for university diploma (with the possibility of getting a degree): 6 within the Engineering area, 2 within the Economics area, 1 within the Humanities area, 1 within the Architecture area.

The teaching pattern presented by NETTUNO is a mixed one: it aims at integrating distance education off-line and on-line, with the traditional education (face to face), through teamwork, workshops, meetings, within the several technological poles.

This pool is very innovative mostly because of the use of a satellite digital channel, EUTELSAT Hotbird 2, broadcasting all over Europe: therefore Italy is the first country supplying television courses within university education twenty-four hours a day.

2. Instruments, patterns, aims

2.1. Instruments

Distance education means the use of specific instruments, implying the application of new technologies of communication and information within the different phases of the learning process.

- Individualized learning through CD ROM;

- ‘Teleteaching’ and distance advice of the teacher (audio-tele-video conferencing, spoken and written communication, radio and television broadcasting, multimedia telematic interaction etc.);

- Telematic link-up with formal instruments and resources for teaching (web serve, Internet services, multimedia interactive applications etc.);

- Use of telecommunication and telematics oriented to information and guidance (on-line data banks, multimedia resources by Internet, libraries and museums, acquisition of multimedia education aids by networking etc.).

2.2. Learning patterns

It is possible to classify distance education patterns on an instumental basis as follows:

- a pattern providing for the use of multimedia teaching aids (printed matter, audio and video cassetes, teaching software, interactive video by disk or cassette);

- a pattern providing for distance learning, distance and synchronous interaction with teachers, tutors and students through the different telecommunication networks;

- a pattern providing for flexible learning, the use of the late technical arrangements and the integration with on-line and off-line systems, synchronous and asynchronous.

2.3. Aims

The use of these instruments and the relevant methodologies for distance education pursue the following basic aims:

- to contribute to improve effectiveness and efficiency of learning process in the different educational procedures;

- to reduce to the essentials both spatial and temporal bonds in order to reach the education supply;

- to increase flexibility of learning process within the educational procedures in order to meet better the varied requirements of the users.

3. Users categories

The potential flexibility of the new learning instruments and the relevant methodologies allow for meeting positively the requirements of the several users as for distance education.

This working group indentified the following categories:

a) with regard to time availability:

- full time student

- part time student

- working student;

b) with regard to the educational procedure typology:

- ordinary curriculum university course;

- transfer to different university courses;

- individualized educational procedures (and compensation for education debts)

- vocational updating and retraining procedures;

- educational procedures either “elective” or cultural;

c) with regard to territorial bonds:

- suburban dwelling place;

- extraterritorial university centre;

d) with regard to particular constraints or disadvantages both social and economic:

- the disabled;

- women;

- the aged;

- inmates or prisoners;

- people serving in the army;

- crew or staff working within an isolated environment.

e) with regard to requirements of an internationalization of the activities:

- EU students within transnational educational procedures;

- foreigners living in their country of origin (within educational or vocational programmes for cultural cooperation);

- immigrants from a country outside the European Union.

4. Advantages

With one accord it has been recognized that ICTs, within distance education, enhance the value of:

- information (full, qualified, selected);

- link-up with distance education supply for students either foreign or living in the suburbs;

- knowledge (simultaneous increase in market, products and competitiveness);

- learning (improvement in process, allocation and quality of the outcomes of the learning process);

- teaching (more flexible, through versatile aids both easily useful and modifiable);

- a speedier updating both full and intensive;

- institutions (the internal and external link-up is the key to the future, including new dimensions to enhance teaching and communication, and the possibility of cooperatation and integration with the different education agencies);

- a shorter access time to information and a reduction of idle time, for an immediate commmunication;

- research (more wide but less expensive).

5. Criticality

In order to reach the above-mentioned aims, it is necessary to consider several difficulties, as:

- technics mastery (shortage of experts at the schools, universities and education agencies);

- financial resources (inadequate long-term investments, providing for a planning extremely articulated);

- review of the practices both legal and administrative (lack of coordination within management and teaching activity, too much bureaucracy, lack of connection amog the institutions etc.);