Scaling up action on ICT
for learning in Europe
Liina Munari
European Commission
DG Information society and Media
E3 – Cultural heritage and technology-enhanced learning
VISIR seminar - 9 May 2012 - Bologna, IT
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ICT for learning – for whom?
• Formal education: formal institutional
framework, primary/secondary schools,
higher education, vocational education
and training
• Life-long learning: continuous building
of skills and knowledge throughout the
life of an individual, including training at
workplace, couselling, tutoring,
mentorship, apprenticeship, as well as
informal activities such as self-paced
learning, life-experience etc
VISIR seminar - 9 May 2012 - Bologna, IT
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Commonalities?
• Due to technological innovation and
widespread availability:
– Individualisation of learning
– Richer experiences
– Ubiquity of access to learning across
subjects, ages, cultures, skills and
systems
• Emergence of clear patterns
towards a global, open and
ubiquitous concept of learning –
inside and outside of the classroom
VISIR seminar - 9 May 2012 - Bologna, IT
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Specificities?
• Both sectors have their
specificities and distinct
stakeholders
• Targeted way of addressing
• No « one–size-fits all » solution
VISIR seminar - 9 May 2012 - Bologna, IT
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Challenges?
• Methods
• Content
• Technologies
VISIR seminar - 9 May 2012 - Bologna, IT
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Challenges:
Education
• Methods: ensure universal access to
efficient and high quality education
(including assessment), financing the
wide deployment of ICT solutions
• Content: Immature fragmented markets,
language barriers, US dominance,
availability of curriculum related,
affordable and quality educational
resources, deployment and take-up
• Technology: EU players vs. US
dominance, market immaturity, digital
competences, maintenance, cost
(devices, software, services)
VISIR seminar - 9 May 2012 - Bologna, IT
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Challenges:
Life-long learning
• Methods: fast re-skilling / upskilling for
jobs, efficiency and performance,
perception of economic value of learning
investments, digital divide and inclusion
• Content: access to quality, affordable
and personalised digital educational
content, economy of scale, language
barriers
• Technology: quality, cost-effectiveness,
integration with enterprise solutions,
accessibility
VISIR seminar - 9 May 2012 - Bologna, IT
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What could INFSO do?
• Status quo?
– Solid R&D baseline enabled technology
progress and use for wider market
uptake
– Research and supply driven approach
– New instruments (prizes, PCP)
• BUT:
– How to speed-up adoption by of
institutional stakeholders
– How to ensure engagement in the
innovation process
VISIR seminar - 9 May 2012 - Bologna, IT
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What could INFSO do?
• Focus on schools?
– Member States have started to integrate
ICTs in the steering documents and practice
– Acceleration of the modernisation process in
partnership with institutional actors and
technologists driven by a shared vision
• BUT:
– Commission has a limited mandate in
education
– Institutional change is slow
VISIR seminar - 9 May 2012 - Bologna, IT
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What could INFSO do?
• Focus on life-long learning?
– Stimulate market development through a mix of
demand and supply measures
– Business productivity and competitiveness, and
availability of an open, universal and low-cost access
to learning for all
– Piecemeal solutions could deliver many successes
• BUT:
– Large numbers of areas and stakeholders
– The variety of needs to cover
– Complexity of building smoothly on the Member
States actions in various policy fields
VISIR seminar - 9 May 2012 - Bologna, IT
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What could INFSO do?
« Learning digitally, anytime, anywhere »
– Mobilise the stakeholders and resources
– Capitalise on recent and future technology and
ecosystem progress
– Support learning in continuum from schools to
organisational and individual learning
– Holistic learner-centred approach, engage directly
with stakeholders,
– Driven by technology and supply industry and
wide potential user communities reinforcing and
learning from each other and developing the
necessary mindshare for change
VISIR seminar - 9 May 2012 - Bologna, IT
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Key conditions for success:
High-level political engagement
and partnership
Support through
• Dialogue with key players and
decision-makers (politicians,
industry, visionaries)
• Presence in key stakeholder
platforms in Europe and beyond
• Advisory group / Think Tank
VISIR seminar - 9 May 2012 - Bologna, IT
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Key conditions for success:
Research and development
• Focus, prioritise, strengthen
research in H2020, including new
devices and concepts (eg tablets,
cloud etc)
• Roadmap with public and private
stakeholders, including industry and
end users, to pave way for better
adoption
VISIR seminar - 9 May 2012 - Bologna, IT
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Key conditions for success
Innovation
• Mobilise the entire range of EU innovation
instruments in H2020 to support the
European learning industry, incl
inducement prize contests, access to
finance, procurement of innovation
• Regional pilots, hubs of excellence,
« lighthouses » involving all stakeholders
and sharing experience
• Strategy for educational content together
with the publishers
VISIR seminar - 9 May 2012 - Bologna, IT
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Game changer?
Watch this space!!!
VISIR seminar - 9 May 2012 - Bologna, IT
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Where to find learning in
the DG CONNECT?
As of 1 July 2012:
DG CONNECT
Unit G4
« Youth, skills, accessibility »
Head of Unit: Pat MANSON
Deputy Head of Unit: Marco MARSELLA
VISIR seminar - 9 May 2012 - Bologna, IT
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Thank you for your attention!
liina-maria.munari@ec.europa.eu
VISIR seminar - 9 May 2012 - Bologna, IT
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