Technology-enhanced Learning in Europe Marco Marsella Cultural Heritage and Technology-enhanced Learning Unit Information Society and Media Directorate General

Overview of the presentation DG INFSO Digital Agenda Historical elements Some results Future work

European Commission Information Society and Media DG DG Information Society and Media http://ec.europa.eu/information_society/index_en.htm DIGITAL AGENDA FOR EUROPE http://ec.europa.eu/information_society/digital-agenda/index_en.htm ICT RESULTS http://cordis.europa.eu/ictresults/index.cfm

Education and Training at EU level Member States retain responsibilities - principle of subsidiarity EU actions are geared towards improving the quality of our education and training systems ICT in education and training at EU level: Connectivity/Access (Broadband,etc.) Quality content and services Research and technological development Best practices

Innovation in E&T through ICT Improve effectiveness and efficiency Build flexible and responsive learning environments Meet different learning styles/needs Engage and involve learners, teachers, parents, … 21st century skills

“Are the New Millenium Learners Making the Grade?” “…it is the quality, rather than the quantity, of ICT usage that determines the contribution that these technologies make to students’ academic performance” (OECD: Technology use and educational performance in PISA)

ICT for learning Catalyst for change Empowering through richer and active experiences Personalised opportunities Assessment Digital literacy & 21st Century Skills Upskilling / re skilling Alignment competencies/business needs

Some EU initiatives The European Digital Agenda “Every European Digital” Innovation and Skills - Flagships Innovation Union/Youth on the Move/New skills for jobs - Digital competencies and e-Skills Life lifelong Learning Programme (LLLP) - Transversal Key Action on ICT for Education and Training Research and Technological development - TEL The ICT Policy Support Programme (IST PSP - CIP) - Wider uptake and best use of ICT by citizens, governments and businesses

The European Digital Agenda Europe's strategy for a flourishing digital economy by 2020 Policies and actions to maximise the benefit of the digital revolution for all Digital Single Market ; Interoperability and Standards; Trust and Security; Very Fast Internet; Research and innovation; Enhancing digital literacy, skills and inclusion; ICT for Societal Challenges; International aspects

Action 68 Mainstream eLearning in national policies for the modernisation of education and training, including in curricula, assessment of learning outcomes and the professional development of teachers and trainers.”

Digital Agenda Assembly Workshop “Mainstreaming eLearning in Education and Training http://ec.europa.eu/information_society/events/cf/daa11/item-display.cfm?id=5989 Change is necessary – inevitable – but difficult and too slow Need to scale up, learn from each another Be clear about the vision and the goals Grassroots reforms Top/bottom approaches …

Our contributions Provide stimulus and support Demonstrate potential benefits and raise awareness Support capacity building Disseminate best practices Engage and involve stakeholders Create new opportunities for enterprises

Key data on learning and innovation through ICT at School in Europe Eurydice, 2011 Although ICT as a subject or as a tool for learning within other subjects is recommended in almost all countries, international survey data reveal a different picture of classroom practice. http://eacea.ec.europa.eu/education/eurydice

ICT in education in Europe Less disparity between schools regarding ICT equipment Lack of adequate learning software and support staff is still affecting students' instruction Eurydice, 2011 In European countries, according to PISA 2009, at least 50 % of students were in schools where one computer is available for every two students. On average, almost 55 % of students in the fourth grade and 45 % of students in the eighth grade have computers available during their mathematics lessons.

Delivery of ICT learning objectives Primary Level A. ICT separate subject B. ICT included in tech subject D. ICT as tool for other subject A+B+C Source: Eurydice.

Delivery of ICT learning objectives Secondary Level A. ICT separate subject B. ICT included in tech subject D. ICT as tool for other subject A+B+C Source: Eurydice.

Recommendations or suggestions A RANGE OF INNOVATIVE TEACHING METHODS BASED ON ACTIVE AND EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING ARE WIDELY PROMOTED IN EUROPE Primary education Source: Eurydice. Project-based learning Personalised learning Individualised/ student-centred learning Scientific investigations Online learning Recommendations or suggestions Support

Recommendations or suggestions A RANGE OF INNOVATIVE TEACHING METHODS BASED ON ACTIVE AND EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING ARE WIDELY PROMOTED IN EUROPE Secondary education Source: Eurydice. Project-based learning Personalised learning Individualised/ student-centred learning Scientific investigations Online learning Recommendations or suggestions Support

Training Research projects Training measures and research projects in areas covered by national ICT strategies 2009/10 ICT in schools e-Learning e-Inclusion Digital, media literacy e-Skills development Training Research projects

Key data on learning and innovation through ICT at School in Europe Eurydice, 2011 ICT ARE PLAYING A CENTRAL ROLE IN COOPERATION BETWEEN SCHOOLS AND THE COMMUNITY AND TO ENGAGE PARENTS IN THE LEARNING PROCESS ICT IS WIDELY PROMOTED BY CENTRAL AUTHORITIES AS A TOOL FOR TEACHING AND LEARNING BUT LARGE IMPLEMENTATION GAP REMAINS ICT IS OFTEN RECOMMENDED FOR ASSESSING COMPETENCES BUT STEERING DOCUMENTS RARELY INDICATE HOW IT SHOULD BE APPLIED TEACHERS USUALLY ACQUIRE ICT TEACHING SKILLS THROUGH THEIR INITIAL EDUCATION BUT FURTHER PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT IS LESS COMMON

Research and Innovation R&I key to strengthen the transformative role of ICT in education and training Global patterns from demonstration to adoption

RTD at EU level European Community Framework Programmes for Research, Technological Development and Demonstration. A collection of the actions at EU level to fund and promote research. Participation from countries outside of the EU, enabling international co-operation, foreseen.

RTD on Technology-enhanced learning Research aims at improving our knowledge of how ICT enhances learning and teaching. The work on learning draws on different research disciplines (computing, technological, pedagogical, cognitive and psychological sciences) Focus on how technology-enhanced learning can better facilitate the learning process, in different learning situations, for individuals or groups of learners, motivating and supporting people who learn on their own or collaboratively with others.

RTD on Technology-enhanced Learning Target Groups ……. Pedagogical aspects Technical aspects Cognitive aspects Organisational aspects Focus on the learning process Intertwined relationship between learner and organisation

Main characteristics Researching & understanding learning problems Realistic assumptions about the systemic changes needed to realise the potential benefits of ICT for learning Focus on key areas where impact is more likely

Priorities 2000 – 2001 ICT-based solutions for lifelong learning (inclusion perspective), schools, virtual universities, advanced training systems; Infrastructures for broad access to learning resources and services; High Quality Educational Content: creation, access, maintenance and brokerage; Consensus Building and Standardisation activities in CEN/ISSS Learning Technologies Workshop,

Priorities 2002-2006 The term Technology Enhanced Learning (TEL) was introduced Focus of research was less on integration of technologies but rather on how people learn - through technologies Three main objectives: Increase efficiency of learning - for individuals and groups Facilitate transfer and sharing of knowledge in organisations Deeper understanding of the learning process Two lines of Action Interactions human learning and organisational learning Links between human learning, cognition and technologies

Priorities 2007-2008 Technologically-mediated responsive environments for learning learning environments which motivate, engage and inspire learners, and make it possible to personalise learning to respond to specific needs and contexts (mass-individualisation of learning). Adaptive and intuitive learning systems innovative systems that self-configure their operations to optimally assist and respond to the learner’s activities according to their understanding and experience of learners' behaviour. These systems are able to identify learner's requirements from monitoring progress in an intelligent way. They make best use of the individual learning and cognitive abilities of the learner and produce meaningful advice to both learners and teachers.

Priorities 2009-2010 The classroom of tomorrow – Large-scale pilots for the design of the classroom of the 21st century Embedding learning experiences in organisational processes and practices and Combining creative, cognitive and computational processes for workplace learning Adaptive and intuitive systems - affective and emotional approaches Learning appliances and cognitive tutors Focused interdisciplinary networks Awareness building, roadmapping, evaluation, showcases

Where do we see potential impacts Learning, through life, in extended organisations improve return on investment on integrated solutions for learning shorter time periods for learning, speeding up time to competencies (goal of 56% of organisations) greater efficiency in business processes – speed up and cut costs of on-the-job learning, ease change processes in organisations enable capitalisation of organisational intellectual assets

Where do we see potential impacts Improve effective use of ICT-based learning research into better conceptual models of technology enhanced learning greater capacity to deliver individualised or personalised learning Support HE sector in move towards lifelong learning coping with increasing diversity in the student population and their modes of attendance continuous professional development competition on a global scale Contribute to competitiveness of eLearning suppliers

Project portfolio 32 projects resulted from the 2 Calls in FP6 26 projects resulted from the first two calls for proposals under FP7 13 projects resulted from FP7 Call 5 (started July-October 2010)

Project portfolio Technology blending learning and knowledge management @ workplace Supporting individualisation in learning/ adaptive systems, diagnosis and guidance Engaging learners in science and maths Creativity and learning Serious games http://cordis.europa.eu/fp7/ict/telearn-digicult/telearn-projects_en.html

Innovative Technologies for an Engaging Classroom Four year large-scale project starting in September 2010, 27 partners, including 14 Ministries of Education Large scale pilots including a sizable number of experiments in real world to design, build and comprehensively test scalable learning and teaching scenarios for the future classroom. Funding from the European Commission of 9.45 million Euros www.itec.eun.org

NEXT TELL Conceptual framework + resources for designing and implementing formative ICT-enhanced learning 12 partners 6 MEUR 4 years – Sept 2010 www.next-tell.eu

STELLAR Network of Excellence Integrating excellence, structuring research, move tel rtd agenda forward Integrations instruments: leadership capacity, key researchers, doctoral academic capacity, community level capacity (stakeholders) 16 partners www.stellarnet.eu Open archive http://oa.stellarnet.eu

GALA Network of excellence Games and Learning Alliance NoE for Serious Games 30 Partners 6 MEUR September 2010 www.galanoe.eu

TEL MAP POSSIBLE FUTURES FOR TECHNOLOGY ENHANCED LEARNING Exploratory and roadmapping activities Pan european observatory for innovation Mind the map – building foresight capacity www.learningfrontiers.eu www.telmap.org 10 partners, 2.5 MEUR

COSPATIAL Collaborative technologies for learning social competencies by children who are typically developing and those with autistic Spectrum Disorders http://cospatial.fbk.eu Active surfaces and virtual learning environment www.youtube.com autism every day

Objective ICT-2011.8.1 Technology-enhanced learning Technology Enhanced Learning systems endowed with the capabilities of human tutors Educational technologies for science, technology and maths Advanced solutions for fast and flexible deployment of learning opportunities at the workplace (targeting, in particular, SMEs) Computational tools fostering creativity in learning processes Exploratory activities

Target outcome a) Technology Enhanced Learning systems endowed with the capabilities of human tutors Foci: Advance systems’ capabilities to react to learners’ abilities and difficulties and systems’ understanding and use of the appropriate triggers (praise, constructive comments, etc.) influencing learning. Characteristics: use of systematic feedback based on innovative ways of interpreting the user's responses - particularly in relation to deep/shallow reasoning and thinking. improve learners’ metacognitive skills, understand and exploit the underlying drivers of their learning behaviours. Technologies: Natural language interaction (dialogues); rich and effective user interfaces; pedagogically sound; smart and personalised instructional design

Target outcome b1) Educational technologies for science, technology and maths Supporting students to understand and construct their knowledge and meanings of scientific, technological and/or mathematical subjects. Characteristics of the solutions: - accompanying the learners through the complexity of a subject (technologically and methodologically) How? - activating and feeding curiosity and reasoning - support the creative applications of the theory

Target outcome b2) Educational technologies for science, technology and maths Supporting European wide federation and use of remote laboratories and virtual experimentations for learning and teaching purposes. Output: - Services enabling online interactive experimentations accessing and controlling real instruments, or using simulated solutions - Stimulus to the growth of the network of labs Open interfacing components for easy plug-and-play of remote and virtual labs Research characteristics: user interfaces mediating the complexities of creation and usability of experiments, in pedagogical contexts - in primary and secondary schools, universities, etc..

Target c) Advanced solutions for fast and flexible deployment of learning opportunities at the workplace (targeting, in particular, SMEs) Context: networking/fostering (cross-) organisational learning and help SMEs to adopt and sustain effective learning attitudes. Characteristics: faster, situated, just-in-time up-/reskilling lower the costs/efforts of production quality instructional material - in continuing education and training processes. novel business training models – undertanding overcoming barriers to adoption - take up of the technologies Focus: specifically on the needs of SMEs - in sectors without an established tradition in the adoption of learning solutions and - facing innovation and competitiveness challenges deriving from efficiency needs or new processes/products development. Partnership: include SMEs /professional associations. SMEs users actively involved in pilots.

Target d) Computational tools fostering creativity in learning processes Context: Creativity in the learning environments Focus: innovative tools encouraging nonlinear, non-standard thinking and problem-solving exploration and generation of new knowledge, ideas and concepts, or new associations between existing ideas or concepts. Application: supporting people’s learning as well as the formation and evolution of creative teams Approach: technological solutions that facilitate questioning and challenging, foster imaginative thinking, widen the perspectives and make purposeful connections with people and their ideas.

Target e) Exploratory activities Looking ahead – specific exploratory actions – 10+ years horizon - for: Fundamentally new forms of learning through ICT Networking and test-beds: Establishment of a pan-European network of living schools for validations, demonstrations and showcases

Use of instruments, budget and call planning 60 Meur Call: 8 opens 26/7/11 – closes 17/1/12

Looking ahead Continue exploring links learning and innovation, creativity, productivity at workplace Mobilising a more extended research community Strengthening research capacity around emerging trends Supporting technology transfer and take-up – from research to innovation – with validation, showcasing, best practices

To know more ICT research results http://cordis.europa.eu/ictresults/index.cfm Technology Enhanced Learning Research http://cordis.europa.eu/fp7/ict/telearn-digicult/telearn_en.html Digital Agenda for Europe http://ec.europa.eu/information_society/digital-agenda/

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