THE EUROPEAN eCOMPETENCE INITIATIVE - A HIGHER EDUCATION NETWORK FOR EXCELLENCE IN eLEARNING M.A. Dirk Schneckenberg

1. THE EUROPEAN eCOMPETENCE INITIATIVE- A HIGHER EDUCATION NETWORK FOR EXCELLENCE IN eLEARNINGM.A. Dirk Schneckenberg EDEN 2004 CONFERENCE Budapest, 21. SEPTEMBER 2004

2. CONTENT A. PROJECT SCOPE AND OBJECTIVE B. CURRENT SITUATION IN eLEARNING AND DEFINITION OF eCOMPETENCE C. MAIN TARGET GROUPS AND PROJECT WORKPACKAGES D. CONSORTIUM STRUCTURE

3. A. PROJECT SCOPE AND OBJECTIVE Title EU[eComp]Int: European eCompetence Initiative for Academic Staff Scope - project life time is 2 years: 01.04.2004 - 31.03.2006 - total budget: 500.000 EUR - 25 involved HE institutions Objective of the project The aim of the European eCompetence Initiative is the development of an appropriate qualification for academic staff (in Higher Education) in the use of ICT in teaching and learning.

4. B.1. CURRENT SITUATION IN eLEARNING IN HE Frequently, e-learning implementations in universities do not fit well with existing institutional cultures, values, structures and pedagogy. Key issues that must be addressed in order to ensure effective use of ICT in European Higher Education include: - the shift in emphasis from teaching to learning, - the changing role of teachers, - pedagogical approaches, - the complex interactions between various specialists and departments, - quality assurance and organisational change.

5. B.2. CONCLUSION FOR QUALIFICATION AND DEFINITION OF eCOMPETENCE Conclusion for qualification The issue of staff development and qualification in e-learning must be embedded in wider strategies for institutional innovation. “eCompetence,” requires careful definition that reflects the range of aspects spanned in Higher Education organisations. For example, the eCompetence of an individual staff member centres on their use of eLearning in a lecture or course, whereas the eCompetence of an institution focuses on strategies to implement eLearning in a complete study programme or set of courses. Definition of eCompetence in Project In the context of Higher Education, we define eCompetence as the integration of pedagogical concepts and institutional frameworks into the process of technological innovation in teaching and learning.

6. C.1 MAIN TARGET GROUPS AND PROJECT SUBTOPICS • Main target groups • - HE staff developers and actors in the field of e-learning, directly involved in ICT-related education and training activities • - HE policy and decision makers who work on strategies for the sustainable integration of ICT- related staff qualifications into their core institutional business frameworks • 4 Subtopics that are the basis for the 4 workgroups of the project • - Subtopic A: Field-based analysis of eCompetence programs in HE • Subtopic B: Policy-focused analysis of the integration of eCompetence programs into • institutional innovation strategies in HE • - Subtopic C: Building a European dimension for eCompetence consultation and support • - Subtopic D: Dissemination and application of the research results

7. C.2 SUBTOPIC A: FIELD-BASED ANALYSIS OF eCOMPETENCE PROGRAMS A.1.1. [M 01-06] identification and involvement of the key field actors on an institutional, national and trans-national level (What is the status quo? Who does what already?) A.1.2. [M 07-14] evaluation of the pedagogical concepts and practices that are used in eCompetence programs to develop qualification for the use of ICT in teaching and learning (Which pedagogical approach is favored and why? What skills do the respective eCompetence programs support? In which way?) A.1.3. [M 15-18] benchmarking of the strengths and weaknesses within the identified status quo regarding the respective eCompetence initiatives and elements (Which issues are perceived as essential? What is missing?) A.1.4. [M 19-24] development of criteria for transferable qualification modules and individual innovation strategies that can be applied in similar contexts and future scenarios (Which eCompetences are necessary? How can they be developed and be made transferable? Which different subject areas such as pedagogy, informatics, interface design, content management, project management are agreed upon as essential for eCompetence?)

8. C.3 SUBTOPIC B: POLICY-FOCUSED ANALYSIS OF INSTITUTIONAL INNOVATION STRATEGIES B.2.1. [M 01-06] identification and involvement of the key policy actors who develop and apply ICT-related staff qualifications into HE human resources management (What is the status quo of innovative organisations? Who are the educational decision-makers that shape the underlying business models?) B.2.2. [M 07-14] evaluation of comprehensive innovation strategies and implementation measures related to the integration of eCompetence in HE (What are the criteria for innovation strategies that focus on sustainability and add value to HE? Which institutions apply a comprehensive innovation strategy in the HR sector?) B.2.3. [M 15-18] benchmarking of the strengths and weaknesses within the identified status quo regarding the respective innovation strategies and business models (Which issues are perceived as essential? What is missing?) B.2.4. [M 19-24] development ofcriteria for transferable institutional innovation models for application in similar contexts and future scenarios (What should be done from the institutional perspective?)

9. D. CONSORTIUM STRUCTURE A. PROJECT COORDINATOR University of Dortmund - Center for Research on Higher Education and Faculty Development, Germany B. WORKGROUP COORDINATORS University of Aalborg - Department for Learning, Denmark IFF Institute for Interdisciplinary Studies of Austrian Universities, Austria Open University of the Netherlands - Educational Technology Expertise Centre, Netherlands National University of Ireland - Centre for Excellence in Learning and Teaching, Ireland C. CONSORTIUM PARTNERS EU/ EEA Universidad Nacional a Educación a Distancia UNED (CSI), Spain Bologna Research Institute Scienter, Italy Université Tecnologique de Compiègne - Laboratoire d'Ingénierie Pédagogique, France University of Helsinki - Lifelong Learning Institute Dipoli at the Helsinki University of Technology, Finland Universidad Autónoma de Barcelona - l'Oficina Autònoma Interactiva Docent, Spain University of Joensuu - Department of Computer Science, Finland University of Athens - Department of Informatics and Telecommunications/ Network Operation Centre, Greece University of Twente - Faculty Behavioral Sciences, Netherlands University of Leuven - eLink, Belgium University of Rome La Sapienza - European Ph.D on Social Representationa and Communication Agricultural University of Athens - Laboratory of Agribusiness Management, Greece University of Roma Tor Vergata - MIFAV and ISIM (Interface and Multimodal Interactive System) Lab, Italy Altran R&D Department, Spain B.3. PROFILES OF NON EU/ EEA CONSORTIUM MEMBERS University of St. Gallen - SCIL - Swiss Center for Innovations in Learning, Swiss University of Pretoria - TLEI Telematic Learning and Education Innovation, South Africa Isik University - Informatics Research and Development Center, Turkey Riga Technical University - Distance Education Study Centre, Latvia Liepaja Academy of Pedagogy, Latvia

10. A FINAL THOUGHT ON THE USEFULNESS OF NETWORKS "Call it a clan, call it a network, call it a tribe, call it a family. Whatever you call it, whoever you are, you need one.“ Jane Temple Howard (1935 - 1996) THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION! CONTACT Web: http://www.ecompetence.info Mail: dirk.schneckenberg@uni-dortmund.de Tel.: +49 231 755 55 37