eLearning Thematic Network /
IST 2002-III.5.2
Preparing for Future Research Activities
/ IST-2001-37440
eLearnTN
eLearning Thematic Network
IST 2002-III.5.2
Preparing for Future Research Activities /
Document Name: / Conceptual framework for Europe’s future knowledge services (draft)
Document Date: / 2003-01-31
Document Owner: / Open Universiteit Nederland
Document Author/s: / WP-1 project team
Document approved by:
Deliverable Number: / D1
Work Package contributing to the Deliverable: / WP-1
Deliverable Type: / [Report]
Nature of the Deliverable: / [Int.]
Version / 0.10
Abstract:
Keyword List:
1All rights reserved by the PedCare Consortium
/ eLearnTNeLearning Thematic Network /
IST 2002-III.5.2
Preparing for Future Research Activities
Annexed Documents
Document Name / DateIdentified ‘top-10’ problems
Contributors
Versions Control
Version / Date / Changes0.10 / 2003-01-31 / First draft:
1
All rights reserved by the eLearnTN Consortium
/ eLearnTNeLearning Thematic Network /
IST 2002-III.5.2
Preparing for Future Research Activities
Contents Table
1 Summary
2 Introduction
2.1 Purpose and scope
2.2 Contributions
2.3 Description of work
2.4 Nature of WP-1 deliverable
2.5 Working procedure
2.6 System approach
3 The European knowledge society
3.1 Context
3.2 Themes
3.3 Knowledge services
3.4 Learning in the knowledge society
4 eLearning in higher distance education
4.1 Introduction
4.2 eLearning Systems
5 Dimensions in the eLearning Domain
5.1 The functional dimension
5.2 The organizational dimension
5.3 The technical dimension
6 Issues for the improvement of eLearning systems
6.1 Development issues
6.2 Sharing & reuse issues
6.3 Differentiated delivery issues
6.4 Assessment issues
7 An eLearning network
7.1 Network-level analysis
7.2 Implications for the other work packages
8 In conclusion
References
1 Summary
This document is the first deliverable of the eLearnTN project: the conceptual framework for Europe’s future knowledge services in the form of a domain description, where possible expressed in UML notation. This document was developed under Work Package 1 (WP-1), coordinated by the Educational Technology Expertise Centre (OTEC) of Open University of the Netherlands (OUNL).
Domains are defined to prevent ambiguity in communication and cooperation between a community of practitioners. A domain is an area of knowledge or activity characterised by a set of concepts and terminology understood by practitioners in that area[1]. The domain covers all relevant aspects of the real-world situation in which an envisaged future system will operate, but excludes implementation aspects/specific instantiations.
In principle the domain defines for a specific community what is in scope and what is out of scope. The process of domain definition should thus be driven by the problem at hand. The ‘problem at hand’ for eLearnTN is the use of e-learning in the context of higher distance teaching institutions, in support of the European knowledge society.
The relation of the present deliverable to the other work packages, the approach taken and other contextual information is contained in chapter 2. In developing the domain definition we start from the perspective of the European knowledge society, as this is the central focus in the Information Society Technologies programme under which eLearnTN is carried out. Its central themes, and the demands and implications for learning and eLearning are covered in chapter 3.
The specific focus of eLearnTN – the domain of eLearning in higher distance education – is elaborated in chapter 4 in the form of a network of distance teaching institutions and their interfaces. Three sub-domains – also called aspects or dimensions – of this domain are further specified: the functional domain, the technological domain and the organizational domain.
Finally, chapter 5 concludes with discussing the implications and recommendations for the further elaboration of the three sub-domains in WP-2, WP-3 and WP-4, and for the application of the domain descriptions in WP-5 in developing Europe’s future RTD roadmap in the area of eLearning for higher education.
2 Introduction
2.1 Purpose and scope
This document describes the first deliverable of the eLearnTN project as developed under Work Package 1 (WP-1) of that project: A Domain Definition for e-learning in the context of higher distance teaching institutions, in support of the European knowledge society.
The objective of WP-1 is to develop such a domain description to be used by WP-2, WP-3, and WP-4 for:
-further specification of the sub-domains ‘pedagogy’, ‘technology’ and ‘organization’ (the output of WP-1 will be used as input for the ‘state of the art’ workshop preparation documents in WP-2, WP-3, and WP-4)
-identification and mapping of present e-learning RTD initiatives and key-actors on these sub-domains (benchmarking)
-specification of themes and prospective participants and audiences to be included in the RTD roadmap for the domain.
As such WP-1 is a prerequisite for the other WP’s to start, conceptually as well as sequentially.
Figure 1 relationship between the eLearnTN work packages
In developing the domain definition, OUNL also establishes, supports, and chairs a Special Interest Group comprising of external experts, who will comment and validate the domain definition.
2.2 Contributions
This report was compiled under the responsibility of the WP-1 coordinator, the Educational Technology Expertise Centre (OTEC) of the Open University of the Netherlands (OUNL). A first version of the domain definition was drafted by the OUNL. This was then validated by the eLearnTN Special Interest Group (SIG) - comprising representatives from project partners and external experts – during a three-day conference. The partners provided problem descriptions for the three learning sub-domains: the pedagogical sub-domain, the technological sub-domain, and the organisational sub-domain (see annex). These problems will be used to start the process of further refining (in WP-2, WP-3 and WP-4) the three sub-domains.
After receiving feed-back on the initial version of the report by the SIG and the Scientific Committee, the final editing was done by OUNL. For a detailed overview of the individual contributors to this process (see annex)
2.3 Description of work
The work for WP-1 was divided into four subtasks (T1.1 through T1.4, quoted from the eLearnTN project document):
T1.1Establish, support and chair the Special Interest Group (SIG). This will involve detailing the mandate and modus operandus of the SIG; the identification, invitation and enlisting of SIG-members; communication and secretarial support; and chairing the meetings. To be carried out by the WP-1 leader.
T1.2Outline a conceptual framework for Europe’s future knowledge services. This will mainly be carried out through desk studies by the WP-1 leader, to be validated against representatives from interest groups through the SIG. Additional services of an UML expert will be required.
T1.3Elaborate and refine the conceptual framework for Europe’s future knowledge services. This will be done during a 3-day work conference by a small group of experts on the basis of the outline resulting from T1.2. Participating experts will be selected from the Special Interest Group, members of the Scientific Committee, and the leaders of WP-2, WP-3, and WP-4. The WP-1 leader will organise the conference.
T1.4Elaborate and refine the conceptual framework for the specific areas of ‘Technology and Infrastructure’, ‘Business and Law’ and ‘Pedagogy’ through (an) electronic work group(s)[2]. This is in preparation of the workshops planned under WP-2, WP-3, and WP-4. For each of the three themes a desk study will be carried out under the respective work packages in preparation of the work groups. The outcomes will be used by WP-2, WP-3 and WP-4 as input to their Preparation Documents.
2.4 Nature of WP-1 deliverable
WP-1 has one deliverable (D1), being this document, which is the domain description for eLearning in the context of higher distance teaching institutions, in support of the European knowledge society. Where possible this domain description is expressed in UML notation.
A domain is an area of knowledge or activity characterised by a set of concepts and terminology understood by practitioners in that area[3]. The domain covers all relevant aspects of the real-world situation in which the envisaged future system will operate, but excludes implementation aspects/specific instantiations (the latter are covered in an implementation model).
A domain is not:
-a theory or model (though these can be part of a domain, a domain should be generic enough to allow mapping of various – sometimes even competing – theories and models)
-a standard (though standardisation can be a long-term aim in domain definition)
-a blueprint for implementation (though a technical implementation plan may be derived from it, a domain description should be as free of implementation decisions as possible)
-a flow chart (though flow charts may be used to express behaviour or change within a domain)
-a scenario (though a domain may be future-proof by excluding implementation requirements).
Domains are defined to prevent ambiguity in communication and cooperation between a community of practitioners. In principle the domain defines for a specific community what is in scope and what is out of scope. The process of domain definition should thus be driven by the problem at hand. As such there may be no ‘best’ domain definition for example for eLearning; only for eLearning within a specific context.
The ‘problem at hand’ for eLearnTN is the use of eLearning in the context of higher distance teaching institutions, in support of the European knowledge society.
2.5 Working procedure
In developing the domain description, the vision of the European knowledge society was matched with the latest insights and developments in the area of learning technologies. The central concepts of the knowledge society – actors requiring various sorts of knowledge to become competent workers and citizens – were linked to the central concepts of eLearning pedagogy, technology and organization.
For the vision of the European knowledge society various documents of the European Commission were studied. The focus here was on the meaning of ‘knowledge’ in its different manifestations, and on related processes of knowledge creation, knowledge management, and knowledge transfer (learning). This seems in line with recent trends where knowledge management and learning management – at various levels of analysis –converge with the support of ICT.
From there the concept of learning as a means of producing knowledge was applied to the ‘problem at hand’: eLearning in higher distance teaching institutions. This was further elaborated in terms of central processes, inputs and outputs for individual higher distance teaching institutions, as well as for a network of such institutions cooperating through defined interfaces. The three sub-domains of ‘pedagogy’, ‘technology’ and ‘organization’ are positioned as aspects of this system (aspect system).
2.6 System approach
In the work procedure as described above, the soft-systems approach was used to describe concepts in terms of system boundaries, inputs, processes and outputs, and the Unified Modelling Language was used to model these concepts.
A system is a complex network of highly interconnected components and their relationships, where the components and their relationships have attributes. A system transforms inputs into outputs: these can be physical or abstract. The process in the system is characterized by feedback where the behaviour of one element may feed back either directly from another element or indirectly via a series of connected elements. A central idea is that ‘the whole is greater than the sum of its parts’. One of the most important characteristics of system thinking is the concept of the environment. The environment imposes requirements on the system, and the system tries to respond to in an adequate way.
The soft system approach in general has been promoted as a legitimate approach for ill-defined and ill-structured problems in dynamic domains and situations, involving people with their behaviours, attitudes and relations. In the soft-system approach the components can be considered as sub-systems.
In eLearnTN the domain components and their relationships will be presented as much as possible as UML diagrams. UML notation is based on object orientation. Object-Oriented Methodology is a representative of the system thinking approach, with notions such as classes, objects and attributes.
3 The European knowledge society
3.1 Context
In March 2000 the Lisbon European Council adopted the development of the knowledge society as a key priority in its strategy to make Europe ‘the most competitive knowledge-based society in the world, capable of sustained economic growth providing more and better jobs and greater social cohesion’. This took practical shape in the eEurope 2002 initiative, launched by the Commission to promote ‘the information society for all’. The initiative was further elaborated in June 2002 in an action plan known as eEurope 2005.
Where previously the emphasis was on improving Europe’s (internet) connectivity and developing its human (ICT) resources, the latter action plan emphasizes the generation of advanced services: e-business, e-government, e-learning, e-health, etc. Everyone in the European Union - every citizen, school, company, administration – should have access to the new ICT’s and exploits them as fully as possible in everyday activities, services and products such as education, government, health, culture and entertainment.
The European society is now defined, instead of an “Industrial society” as an "Information Society", a society in which low-cost information and ICT are in general use, or as the "Knowledge(-based) Society", to stress the fact that the most valuable asset is investment in less tangible human and social capital, and that the key competitive factors are knowledge and creativity [4]. This European Knowledge society is a society where creating, sharing and using knowledge are determining prosperity and well-being of its people. The prospects are significant: new employment possibilities, more fulfilling jobs, new tools for education and training, easier access to public services, increased inclusion of disadvantaged people or regions, etc..
This results in a number of significant changes for people and organisations in Europe as knowledge and information become major sources of creating value,[5]. The state of the art in technologies for gaining, sharing and applying knowledge are changing rapidly under the influence of research and technology development, and knowledge tends to grow at exceptional rates. The effective and efficient management of this transformation processes makes heavy demands on European and national institutions, and on individual citizens, workers and students.
3.2 Themes
The transformation towards a European knowledge society is structured around a number of themes. The themes and a summary of the main concepts and activities are given below [6]:
E-inclusion - The more the Information Society advances, the more social and economic opportunities depend on the usage of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT). By giving attention to the theme of E-Inclusion, the European commission aims to prevent risks of 'digital exclusion', that is to ensure that disadvantaged people are not left behind and to avoid new forms of exclusion due to lack of digital literacy or of Internet access. At the same time e-Inclusion means also tapping new 'digital opportunities' for the inclusion of socially disadvantaged people and less-favoured areas. The Information Society has the potential to distribute more equally knowledge resources and to offer new job opportunities, also by overcoming the traditional barriers to mobility and geographic distance.
E-working - The diffusion of Information and Communication technologies (ICT) induces deep organisational changes in jobs, in production and delivery of products and services. The spread of ICT changes the way we work. New forms of work and work organisation emerge as they are critical in the transition to a knowledge-based economy. In this respect digital training and skills for workers for reducing a persistent digital skills gap in the knowledge-based economy are seen as priority areas.
Quality of life - The spread of information technology impacts on employment and as such on job-related health and safety. There is a need to improve health and safety standards. In this way, improved quality at work forms part of a virtuous circle of increasing productivity, rising living standards and sustainable economic growth.
EU-regions - Information technology can be used to renew urban and regional development while learning and training opportunities can be offered amongst others through the development of local learning centres. Active employment policies should provide employment services with a European-wide database on jobs and learning opportunities. Information and communication technologies (ICT) are to play a main role in this respect facilitating networking, exchange of experience and good practices.
Education and training- Europe's education and training systems need to adapt both to the demands of the knowledge society and to the need for an improved level and quality of employment. Digital literacy is essential in the knowledge-based economy and society. By investing in this theme the European commission aims not only to develop physical infrastructure but also to boost 'human investment', human and social capital. The knowledge-based economy demands that more Community resources than ever should be dedicated to job creation and particularly to lifelong learning. Policies in the fields of electronic communications, education and training are of fundamental importance in preparing the way for the knowledge society.
The Sixth Framework Programme, as an RTD programme, has as its main aim the creation, demonstration, and dissemination of research outcomes and technologies, and concentrates on seven thematic areas. Two of these areas – Information Society Technologies and Citizens and governance in a knowledge-based society – approach knowledge as the object of R&D itself.
In the Information Society Technologies (IST) thematic area two priority areas deal with knowledge specifically. The first priority area is ‘Integrating research into technological areas of priority interest for citizens and business’, which covers topics that have knowledge as its main focus like ‘offering access to the information society for all’, ‘interactive and intelligent systems for health, mobility, security, leisure, ….’, ‘new tools and new methods for work’, ‘technologies for learning’, and ‘systems for corporate knowledge management’. The second priority area where knowledge itself is a major focus is ‘Information management and interfaces’, which covers topics like ‘knowledge representation and management systems’ and ‘tools form creating, organizing, navigating, retrieving, sharing, preserving and disseminating digital content’.