Online training projects: eEDUSER project
The project goal consists in presentation of advantages and possibilities of information and communication technologies (ICT) as the tool facilitating and supporting ODL in a network of the institutions. The project is focused to practical solutions of problems of establishment and operation of a network offering e-learning services. The project results will permit to efficiently share knowledge resources and experience among European countries of various levels of vocational training. In the project a flexible open e-learning system with features of modularity will be established. It will create an appropriate platform for ODL based both on synchronous and asynchronous communications.
The project particularly deals with:
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Choice, design and realisation of suitable administrative model of the virtual educational infrastructure on the international level (based on partner’s experience got from the existing solutions),
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specification of various Internet based services offered in the pilot consortium network (networks of partners portals) and development of the methodology of pedagogical, technical and organisational characters that is linked with implementation of the ICT in education,
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adjusting of existing modules (12) and development of the new ones (synchronous and asynchronous - 26) that will suit current partners’ training needs and will prove suitability of utilisation in ODL in different fields of training
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Organising the training sessions offered by the partners, incl. the videoconferencing communication and IP streamings.
Into the “pool of modules” there will be implemented the modules that will be adapted partly from the previous Leonardo projects of the partners' institutions, and some newly prepared modules in order to present an integral study programme for bachelor study in field of computer network technology. All teaching and reference materials will be prepared in English, partner versions of educational portals will be in national languages.
The network will permit to offer an innovative Internet based asynchronous and synchronous education services incl. videoconferencing sessions. It will support exchange of knowledge, case studies, training, FAQs, troubleshooting, etc. and will support the organisation of ODL on international level and will solve problems of integration, interoperability and internetworking of e-learning resources. The designed infrastructure will enable to create a variable virtual study unit (class, department, branch of study, bachelor study), its management and assessment system of the knowledge. The project outputs will be utilized for partners’ daily training activities. Within framework of dissemination the network services will be released to other institutions and for self-learners, as well. Thus the project will contribute to a real implementation of a flexible ODL training institution without borders.
The leading idea behind the project is to benefit from the synergic effect caused by integration of various technologies, technical platforms, application domains and services and international distributed educational resources in order to provide an open and interoperable environment. The proposed environment improves and upgrades current learning and training methods in such a way that they would be more friendly to the users and easy adaptable to their needs. Complexity of problems to be solved requires that a project team would be experienced in various fields. The co-ordinating institution and partners in the consortium have got excellent experience on an European level in area of the ICT, web-based training, multimedia development, ODL, experience from operation of the existing learning infrastructures (e.g. CNAP - CISCO Networking Academy Program, etc.). The most of the partners already have got IP videoconferencing facilities. Partial results of the partner’s previous projects were successfully presented to public (e.g. during Training 2000 in Brussels). The partners from the Slovak Republic have got three -year of experience in utilisation of the CNAP, which is the best-known e-learning model, in their educational process.
The project results will be also utilised within framework of the initiative of the Slovak government “INFOVEK” (access of the primary and secondary schools to the Internet, 2002-2003). Several project partners (FEI TU Kosice, ELFA, s.r.o., STU Bratislava, ZUZ Zilina, SPSE Michalovce) play key roles in implementation of the CNAP programme into educational infrastructure in SK. These partners have got a deep overview in the field of Internet training technology. Experienced staff and unique equipment that is required to solve such a pretentious project involving combination of the human resources and knowledge combined with high technology.
