Hello everybody,

Three months and some ago I posted that contribution to the Group Forum Discussion which I called "Babel".
Intentionally I choosed the name and the language to angle for attention and demonstrate the main problem discussed in it. Now I want to add this rather short explanation and partial translation into English to explain myself.

In midmonth of October 2007 we had a reunion at the campus of the UPV in Bilbao, where the easy-elearning platform was presented and discussed afterwards among a small group of Erasmus students and the representatives of the platform and the instructors of the UPV.
The aspects treated about have been the
- Financing the platform,
- Quality and recognition of the offered apprenticeship
- Future perspectives on the easy-elearning concept, especially in the case of its success
- Access and criteria of access to the platform and its opportunities
- Linguistical barriers on the participation, and from this aspect the possibility of creating an inner circle of an elite, who’s the only to benefit from the advantages of this platform.

After these and other aspects discussed in group we came to a rather positive conclusion. All participants agreed with the opinion that the project easy- elearning has got more perspectives in the future for as to abandon it. Everyone appreciated that project.

During the month of October, took place at the UNICAL (ITALY) a meeting with some students to discuss the effectiveness of the learning at a distance when it aims to favor the development of new organizational models for higher education, increasing exchange and collaboration, also in terms of virtual mobility. In the meeting, held by local professors and assistants to EASY, participated new enrolled students, advanced students enrolled in courses of specialistic degree, as well as doctorate. students. It was broadly illustrated the contribution of the European Project EASY, strengthened by the construction of a Project portal (www.easy-elearning.net), that constitutes a valid virtual space of knowledge and sharing of the different experiences of e-learning in the European university campuses that are partners in the project. The students have underlined the utility of such a project that represents an optimal solution for a flexible, personal and accessibile way of learning. The new enrolled students have also acknowledged the advantages of a didactic methodology that allows them to forward education away from the place of employment or from home. The students have understood that by virtue of EASY they can use products and services offered to them on the base of the analysis of real needs. Furthermore, it has been recognized the importance of the figure of the tutor as a valid support to the learning for the students that enjoy distance-courses. In general the students are stimulated to access the on-line learning when this promotes the realization of searches and tools in the space of education and formation as well as when it allows to answer to the actual challenges in the field of the education, improving the quality of the learning and facilitating the access to the ICTs.

Hallo zusammen,

nachdem mir das Projekt EASY-eLearning in einer kurzen Präsentation nahegebracht wurde, bin ich zunächst einmal von der Initiative begeistert. Und dabei sehr verwundert, dass sich noch keine deutsche Uni an diesem Projekt beteiligt.
Nach unserer auf Spanisch geführten Diskussionsrunde, die darum meinerseits möglicherweise einiges an sprachlicher Gewandtheit vermissen ließ, kamen dennoch einige von wahrscheinlich unzähligen Aspekten zur Sprache, die wir als Studenten für interessant und diskussionswürdig, vielleicht sogar eine detailliertere Untersuchung wert hielten. Zu diesen Punkten und Fragen gehörten beispielsweise,
- wie finanziert sich das Unternehmen? Der Extraaufwand bedeutet Kosten, wer finanziert das Projekt?
- dient das Forum nur als Diskussionsplattform, oder dient sie tatsächlich einer fundierten Ausbildung? Wie werden die Leistungen der Teilnehmer sichergestellt?
- für den Erfolgsfall, also die Fortsetzung und Ausweitung dieses Unternehmens, welche Entwicklungen sind abzusehen oder geplant?
- Würden im Falle einer Ausweitung die Kriterien verändert? Käme es zu einem weiteren Ausschluss derer, die sich nicht für einen elitären Kreis qualifiziert haben?*
- Wäre eine mögliche Entwicklungsrichtung die hin zu einer Elite der Vielsprachigen, die als einzige die Bandbreite dieser Plattform wirklich nutzen könnten?
Diese Fragen sind nur eine kleine recht spezifische Auswahl.


*weiterer Ausschluss deshalb, weil wir bereits in der Diskussionsrunde das Thema ständiger Internetzugang hatten.

Photo of Focus groups from Cracow.

http://img218.imageshack.us/my.php?image=grupafocusowakopiapz0.jpg

The students could express their opinion about the idea of e-learning
itself; tell about the available options of this technology working
within our university or about their experiences connected with it.
They also could mention their reactions while using e-learning for the
first time. The students pointed out what the biggest advantages and
disadvantages of e-learning are and also suggested some new ideas and
options which could be added to the existing e-learning platform. This
focus show which options are considered as essential or not, and what
the expectations are concerning this kind of education. Most of the
students see a great opportunity in acquiring their job qualifications
with the help of videoconferencing, video recorded lectures and the
online contact with the teacher. All the FGI participants were
interested in creating some sort of virtual student's world (based for
ex. on the idea of Second Life), where they could meet students from
all over the world on their virtual campus having, for example, a
virtual tour around the particular university. Their shared
experiences and being in touch would influence youth integration and
could possibly make taking any important decision easier - as the one
connected with a choice of the university they want to visit as a part
of the Socrates Erasmus programme.

What do you think about Second Life?

In my opinion, it is very good idea to hold a live video conferences for students. It will be more comfortable. Students will be have more time to learn. But the other hand, they loose direct contact with other students. Every side has advantages and disadvantages and the choice should belong to students.

We had this interesting meeting about e-learning, some kind of a brain storm and I'm very happy that we've invented some new ideas, forms of possible contacts beetwen university and students . Our proposition are: first - info text messages (SMS) from professors or the dean's office (PL:Dziekanat) to the students and second one: to hold a live video conferences for students seeting at front of their computers.
I'm curious to know what do you thing about this future?

sì, ci sono le università telematiche e la maggior parte delle università, anche italiane, hanno oltre a dei corsi in elearning ( altri sull'elearnig) dei corsi di laurea interamente da seguire in questa modalità. La soluzione migliore è il blended, anche perchè spesso si pensa all'elearning pur riferendosi alle agevolazioni dtae da internet in sè, dalle tecnologie, dai forum, chat, i materiali reperebili con podcast, o semplicemente in formato digitale dopo, se non anche prima, la lezione. Ma ciò deve essere la scuola e l'università punto. Forse è con questa attenzione che si può affermare la superiorità della lezione in presenza...

A group meeting with 9 undergraduate and postgraduate students was held, in which 2 lecturers also participated. After a detailed presentation of the EASY Project and its results, the web site was presented and each of its sections explained: those corresponding to the Project and its documents; those relating to Universities and their information; those dedicated to the pupils, mobility and students with special needs. The Virtual Office and Observatory were also presented. The participants focussed on the following subjects of discussion: a) interactivity with the participating universities and students through the different Forums; b) students with special needs; c) a long discussion on virtual mobility and its incompatibility with other types of mobility existing at present, such as the Erasmus program (majority opinion pointed to the need for trying to make the existing means and programs complementary); d) the repercussions for some students, to the extent that these projects might contribute to widening the digital gap, e) the majority thought that it is a good instrument for the universities and also for the pupils who can find precise information on specific subjects in a swift and certain way; f) the importance of the training paths was pointed out and their possible relation to the creation of specialised virtual libraries; g) observations were also made on the website design: colours, format, structure and contents.