EUA/Higher Education Consultant MOOCs and Free Digital Learning for the Inclusion of Migrants and Refugees Elizabeth Colucci EUA/Higher Education Consultant

CONTEXT FREE DIGITAL LEARNING INCLUSION ? Education correlated with inclusion Increasing number of migrants and refugees  Need for education 50% of refugees in the world have access to primary education, (compared with a global access level of more than 90%) Only 1% of refugees are enrolled in higher education Refugees can spend an average of 17 years in a camp (UNHCR) In Greece, average migrant child is out of school 1.5 years Free Digital learning resources are seen as cost-effective, scalable and flexible = potential for delivering education to vulnerable or marginalised groups BUT, use of some of types of FDL, such as MOOCs, by vulnerable groups (including migrants and refugees) and less educated individuals is lower than expected INCLUSION ? FREE DIGITAL LEARNING A logical combination

MOOCS4INCLUSION THE STUDY Aims To assess the potential of MOOCs and FDL offers for the integration, inclusion and further learning of migrants and refugees in Europe and in neighbourhood regions in conflict Provide information on how FDL can be better adapted to the specific needs of migrants and refugee Formulate policy recommendations for policy-makers, international organisations and other investors who design and implement policies or programmes supporting migrant and refugee learning and integration, using MOOCs or FDL. Team: E. Colucci, H. Smidt, A. Devaux (RAND Europe), C. Vrasidas, (CARDET), M. Safarjalani, J. Castaño Muñoz, S. Carretero, S. and Y. Punie (JRC). Commission by the Joint Research Centre of the European Commission: July 2016 – Jan 2017.

Free Digital Learning (FDL) FDL DEFINITION Free Digital Learning (FDL) All learning activities (formal – leading to a degree or certification, informal and non-formal) at all education levels, undertaken with the support of ICT tools (e.g. computers, tablets, mobile phones, but also Apps, used online or offline) at no (or very low) cost to the learner, barring potential additional costs for validating or certifying the learning or other extra services. This would include online courses such as MOOCs, offered in a stand-alone manner or in the context of a targeted migrant/refugee learning initiative, online or downloaded language courses, Apps that provide learning opportunities, digital games with an explicit learning purposes and other online learning content directed at migrant/refugee inclusion and integration in their host societies and future job markets.”

Methodology (1) METHODS Literature Review Plethora of new initiatives Few sources look at impact Catalogue and typology of initiatives Searchable website with categorization: Type of resource/ technology used Type of design: FDL resource applied in a ‘blended’ context or a purely online resource Purpose: Higher education, civic integration, employment, language learning 8 Case Studies: Selected initiatives Interviews with responsible individuals (CEOs, developers, marketers…)

NOT COMPREHENSIVE – A snapshop of initiatives CATALOGUE AND TYPOLOGY NOT COMPREHENSIVE – A snapshop of initiatives 1st version of the catalogue at: www.moocs4inclusion.org

FDL: A (proposed) classification

Diversity of initiatives Description Sector/purpose Type Edraak A platform for MOOCs in Arabic Higher education, professional education, lifelong learning MOOC platform Funzi A Finnish based start-up: mobile learning to refugees in Europe and Global South Language learning/mobile learning Mobile Learning application Information Sweden A platform with an easy overview of Swedish society and how to navigate it. Civic integration   Portal aggregating FDL resources InZone – (UNHCR Learn Lab) Provides a targeted, culturally- sensitive pedagogical and mentored blended learning model to refugees in camps or neighboring countries. Higher education, vocational training Delivered in refugee camps + blended approach Jamiya Project Higher education for Syrian refugees - reconnecting them with Syrian academics and European universities Higher education SPOCs + blended approach KIRON Open Higher Education Access for refugees to Higher Education through a modularized curriculum that employs existing MOOCs Existing MOOCs + blended approach LASER – Language, Academic Skills and E-learning Resources An EU funded project to help refugee students in Jordan, Syria and Lebanon to reintegrate into higher education Higher education/ language learning Distance education/ coaching MEET – Meeting the Health Literacy Needs of Immigrant Populations EU co-funded project: Platform and an online training course to strengthen the health literacy among migrants and refugees Language learning, civic integration Online training package Ready for Study mMOOC targeting refugees who want to study in German higher education institutions. Language learning and integration (to enter higher education) mMOOC Welcomm! EU co-funded project that aims at raising awareness among migrant parents for the importance of education for social inclusion. Language learning, migrant children and parents

Methodology (2): Focus Groups Focus groups with migrants and refugees Trollhättan (SE)  Newly arrived refugees in a reception camp Nicosia (CY)  Migrants (all ages) + refugees for over 5 years Brussels (BE) Migrants (all ages) participating in mandatory integration course Berlin (DE) Newly arrived refugees with HE background Topics General awareness for FDL offers Understanding of what FDL would encompass Current usage Perceived relevance of FDL for different purposes (further learning, formal degree, integration…) Perceived and real obstacles to access FDL An indication of migrant refugee/learner interests and needs

Conclusions/Recommendations (1) – Opportunities MAIN RESULTS Conclusions/Recommendations (1) – Opportunities FDL and FLEXIBILITY: FDL allows migrants and refugees to start acquiring the skills they need for asking for asylum, a resident's permit, housing or to find employment, even before they arrive in the host country. Most refugees and migrants have mobile devices (high potential for mobile apps – content available offline needed) Cost barrier low (for the learners) but may be high for developers Plethora of current initiatives, creativity, ‘bottom-up’ efforts

Conclusions/Recommendations (2) – Design MAIN RESULTS ADAPTATION Fragility and diversity of migrant/refugee target groups Co-development with learners and cooperation with other initiatives and sharing of good practices a must Technology should also be adapted to the restrictions of the target groups (e.g. in some camps, internet connexion can be difficult) LANGUAGE LEARNING A first-priority for the general migrant and refugee community. Blending language training with other content acquisition enhances the efficacy of FDL initiatives (CLIL) RECOGNITION, QUALITY ASSURANCE AND ACCREDITATION Use Bologna tools (ECTS, learning agreements…..) Pursue recognition by European quality assurance agencies. Cooperation with employers COMPLEMENT not a SUBTITUTE FDL as a complement to face-to-face formal, non-formal, and informal learning rather than a substitute. Targeted, blended (a mix of online and face-to-face learning) and facilitated (as opposed to self-learning) approaches most effective

Conclusions/Recommendations (3) – Communication and sustainability MAIN RESULTS Conclusions/Recommendations (3) – Communication and sustainability Lack of AWARENESS for FDL offers: Optimise communication channels such as social media Invest in FDL “ambassadors” may increase awareness Funding FDL should not rely only on foundational funding, such as crowd-funding or grants Diversification of funding, cooperation between initiatives, alternative income mechanisms and good communication channels to reach target group is needed.

RESEARCH GAPS RESEARCH GAPS Data/Impact Assessment: Use Completion Impact + Cost-benefit Beyond HE initiatives

MORE INFO FINAL REPORT: http://publications.jrc.ec.europa.eu/repository/bitstream/JRC106146/jrc106146.pdf MORE INFO AND CATALOGUE OF INITATIVES: www.moocs4inclusion.org CONTACT: http://moocs4inclusion.org/index.php/contact