LLinE Lifelong Learning in Europe

Editorial: Collaboration and development within the field of E-learning

Collaboration and development within the field of E-learning

Just before the Easter holidays this year, I attended a conference in Riga, the beautiful capital of Latvia. It was the final meeting within the EU-supported BOLDIC-project, BOLDIC being a mixture of the two words Baltic and Nordic.

Professionals within the area of open and distance learning and e-learning in the Baltic and Nordic countries had been working together for several years with the aim to establish a sustainable network within the region. They also wanted to search for and identify characteristic traits of ODL in the Baltic – Nordic countries. Important elements were: student-centeredness, communication, group- or teamwork, active participation, ODL combined with face-to-face education.

Based on the common vision of some characteristic traits of a Nordic-Baltic pedagogy, all the countries had nominated a candidate for the BOLDIC award. The nominees represent a variety of courses at all levels, all of high quality, using ICT to make the learning adjusted to the individual learner’s needs. One of the candidates was the Estonian e-university described in this issue of LLinE. The proud winner was from Sweden. You can read more about the candidates on www.boldic.net.

I mention this event because I think it illustrates some of the key messages in this issue of LLinE, the growth of ICT-supported learning as described in the OECD survey, the need for flexibility and individualisation, the student-centred approach that is necessary for the modern learner. It also shows the urge for closer cooperation between institutions, public and private partnerships, and the establishment of professional networks across institutional borders and across regions. Both the Estonian and the Mediterranean E-universities are examples of a wish to join forces and try to take advantage of the technology in creating better learning opportunities for adults. The student’s situation in a modern learning environment is not only influenced by the educational institution, but more and more the student’s personal environment is decisive. We will learn more about that through the Norwegian research project. How do we ensure that the student gets the optimal learning conditions? Many factors are beyond our control. However, as we see in the article about Effective learning network, ICT will provide new opportunities.

Despite activity at the grass root level, the development in the East and Central Europe as described in the article by Dr. András Szücs, is structurally fragmented lacking convincing results and sustainable operation. How can we describe the situation in the rest of Europe? At a common European level the ODL Liaison Committee (www.odl-liason.org) has in their policy paper of 17 November 2004 listed 10 recommendations for European institutions both on national and international level. Their thesis is that “a new vision on ICT for learning is needed at policy, management and grass roots practise level if a new window of opportunities is to be found for ICT to become really interesting to innovators in the learning system. This new vision should put context, community, collaboration, competencies, motivation of learners before computers, cost-effectiveness, contents and connectivity.”

The ICT becomes more and more a part of our daily lives. E-learning or web-based education gives us new opportunities but it requires a stronger political momentum, closer collaboration between institutions, professionals, working life, social partners in order to reach the individual learner on his/her wish to develop for increased competences and personal fulfilment.

Ingeborg Bø
President of EDEN, Executive Director of Norwegian Association for Distance Education – NADE, Member of the LLinE editorial board