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/ The 4th International Seville Conference on Future-Oriented Technology Analysis (FTA):12 & 13 May 2011
FTA and Grand Societal Challenges:
Shaping and Driving Structural and Systemic Transformations
Envisaging the Future of Learning
using multiple stakeholder consultations and social networking sites
Authors: / ChristineYves Punie
Sponsors: / European Commission DG Education & Culture
Type: / European study on the future of learning
Geographic Coverage: / EU27
Scope: / Education & Training; Employment; Inclusion
Applied Methods: / Online & face-to-face stakeholder consultations (workshops); Use of social networking sites (LinkedIn, Facebook); Group Concept Mapping Methodology
Evaluation:Impacts: / A comprehensive vision on the future of learning was developed and illustrated by a set of nine personas.
Discussion among European policy-makers in Education and Training was initiated; follow up is planned.
Organiser: / European Commission, JRC-IPTS, Seville
Duration: / 03/2009-10/2010 / Time Horizon: / 2020-2025 / Date of Brief: / 4 April 2011
Keywords: / Learning, skilling, Education and Training, ICT
Purpose
The aim of this foresight activity is to develop visions and scenarios on the future of learning, in particular on ways in which people acquire, retain and update the necessary competences for successful and prosperous life in a fast changing world, with a view to advising and directing policy action on the modernization of Education and Training and on realizing Lifelong Learning
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Background & Context
The Europe 2020 strategy acknowledges that a fundamental transformation of education and training is needed to address the new skills and competences required if Europe is to remain competitive, overcome the current economic crisis and grasp new opportunities. However, to determine how education and training policy can adequately prepare learners for life in the future society, there is a need to envisage which competences will be relevant and how these will be acquired in 2020-2025.
To contribute to this vision-building process, JRC-IPTS and DG Education and Culture launched a foresight study on “The Future of Learning: New Ways to Learn New Skills for Future Jobs”, in 2009.
The main objectives of the project were (1) to develop a (descriptive) vision of future learning strategies by identifying and arranging key factors for change; (2) to discuss future strategies for addressing pending challenges for European Education and Training systems, and (3) to outline policy options.
This study continues and extends work done at IPTS in 2006-2008 on “Future Learning Spaces” (Punie et al., 2006, Punie & Ala-Mutka, 2007, Miller et al., 2008). It is made up of different vision building exercises, involving several stakeholder groups, ranging from policy makers, and scientists to educators and learners. The majority of these stakeholder consultations were implemented by a consortium led by TNO of the Netherlands with partners at the Open University of the Netherlands and Atticmedia, UK.
The results of the group concept mapping exercise (Stoyanov etal., 2010), the foresight workshop with teachers (Ala-Mutka et al., 2010) and the online stakeholder consultation (Redecker et al., 2010) will be integrated with the findings from workshops with experts and policy makers in a final report to be published this year.
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Methodological Approach
The main orientation for the Future of Learning study was to have both, a descriptive vision on expected changes to learning strategies and trajectories and a normative vision to ensure that future learning opportunities contribute to social cohesion, socio-economic inclusion and economic growth.These two objectives were implemented by a series of extensive stakeholder consultations, employing different formats (workshops; online consultations; group concept mapping) and including different stakeholder groups (experts and practitioners; teachers; policy makers). The different consultations were designed to jointly reinforce and cross-validate one another. Both research lines were developed on the basis of extensive desk research, including other foresight studies and policy documents, and intensive discussion and planning activities among the consortium members to ensure the significance and validity of the results obtained.
The key question "How will learning look like in the future?" wasdiscussed in physical meetings: experts(May 2010, 16 experts), teachers (February 2010, 13 teachers) and policy makers (May 2010, 15 policy makers).
It was decided to experiment with Social Media applications for knowledge exchange and networking. In particular, groups were set up on as LinkedInand Facebook.The project experimented with different ways of involving these networks in the research work. Furthermore, the Group Concept Mapping methodology was tested as an innovative foresight tool.
Additionally, a selected group of experts were involved in a more targeted and intensive consultation process, employing the Group Concept Mapping Methodology (GCM). This intensive process involved the focus group of 13 experts at three stages, i.e. in (1) gathering, (2) clustering and (3) rating insights on major changes to education in 20 years.
In the course of setting up the groups on LinkedIn and Facebook, attempts were made to initiate discussions on the topics relevant for the future of learning and thus collect expert input on dedicated discussion threats. While the discussions were interesting, it was felt that the structure available on the platforms did not allow for the needed targeted discussion.
In a second step, group members were encouraged to join the weekly discussion of a concrete question or challenges, which was illustrated by a comic, on the project page ( However, after three comics had been launched, the project team came to the conclusion that this approach was still not targeted enough to support the development of scenarios. It was therefore decided to employ a more structured approach, using a survey format.
Consequently, a series of four online surveys was launched. The groups and LinkedIn and Facebook were used to advertise these surveys and feedback results, which were then discussed, openly, in these online networks. In fact, it was observed, that once the targeted online consultations had been completed, the discussion on LinkedIn, picked up without involvement of the project team.
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Key Findings
The findings of the consultations suggest that, while the existing physical and formal structures of education and training will remain intact, schools and universities will change significantly with respect to pedagogical strategies. Learning and teaching processes will be more flexible in addressing and implementing individual needs and preferences. As a consequence, teachers become mentors and guides in self-regulated, personalised and collaborative learning processes. Schools as institutions will open up to society by integrating external learning resources and practical learning opportunities. Technology will assist learning institutions in facilitating both, personalisation and institutional flexibility.
Furthermore, experts believe that, in the future, all citizens will have to continuously update and develop their skills; assume responsibility for their qualifications and pro-actively develop their professional career. While attaining formal qualifications will remain key for grasping new employment opportunities, informally acquired skills will be better recognised and mechanisms will be put in place that will allow people to obtain formal recognition for their professional expertise, by upgrading their skills with adequate and targeted training.
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Outcome & Evaluation
The overall approach was quite successful and response rates to all online surveys – including the pilot survey – were high for a foresight exercise (between 90 and 130).
The establishment of online groups on platforms such as LinkedIn and Facebook was key to raising participation rates. However, these platforms, while allowing for the establishment of loose networks of contacts, proved less suitable for online discussion and consultation in an open format. The traditional survey approach to stakeholder consultation was conceived as being more useful, also by the participants themselves.
To further consolidate findings and to expand the methodological approach it could be considered to subject the findings of the three main consultation rounds, as they are developed and discussed in this report, again to stakeholder consultation.
The combination and integration of the results from the different consultations (workshops, GCM, online consultation) proved to be challenging and required weighing, contextualizing and interpreting a vast number of contributions.
The study results successfully raised interest and awareness among EU policy makers. More intense dissemination and consultation exercises are planned to further stimulate debate and trigger policy action.
The LinkedIn Group on the future of learning remains active, without any moderation, and has now already 851 members (30/03/2011).
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Links
LinkedIn: Future of Learning Group:
Facebook: Future of Learning Group:
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Sources and References
Ala-Mutka, Kirsti, Christine Redecker, Yves Punie, Anusca Ferrari, Romina Cachia, Clara Centeno (2010). The Future of Learning: European Teachers’ Visions. Report on a foresight consultation at the 2010 eTwinning Conference, Sevilla, 5-7 February 2010. JRC Technical Note JRC 59775.
Punie, Y., Cabrera, M., Bogdanowicz, M., Zinnbauer, D., Navajas, E. (2006). The Future of ICT and Learning in the Knowledge Society. Report on a Joint DG JRC/IPTS-DG EAC Workshop held in Seville, 20-21 October 2005. JRC Scientific and Technical Reports, EUR 22218 EN,
Miller, R., H. Shapiro & K. E. Hilding-Hamann (2008). School's Over: Learning Spaces in Europe in 2020: An Imagining Exercise on the Future of Learning. JRC Scientific and Technical Reports, EUR 23532 EN,
Punie, Y. and Ala-Mutka, K. (2007). Future Learning Spaces: New Ways of Learning and New Digital Competences to Learn. Nordic Journal of Digital Literacy, Vol 2, No. 4, pp. 210-225.
Redecker, Christine, Alexandra Haché and Clara Centeno (2010). Using Information and Communication Technologies to Promote Education and Employment Opportunities for Immigrants and Ethnic Minorities. JRC Technical Note JRC57947,
Stoyanov, Stavi, Bert Hoogveld and Paul Kirschner (2010). Mapping Major Changes to Education and Training in 2025. JRC Technical Note JRC59079,
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