Leuven Workshop on ICT & Student Mobility

1. Leuven Workshop on ICT & Student Mobility Combining Virtual and Physical Mobility Alessandro Efrem Colombi Faculty of Education - University of Bologna acolombi@acab.it

2. Combining Virtual and Physical Mobility Mobility Mobility is a complex concept related to physical, social and virtual opportunities. Social mobility should be also declined upon horizontal and vertical possibilities and, particularly, education and higher education are intended to take serious care of social mobility as an highly critical point, for their actual and future success.

3. Combining Virtual and Physical Mobility Technology Technology can be strategic on promoting exchanges and on managing curricular, social, diverseopportunities for international students. It’s not just about contents but also regarding the fact that the offer/quality of social relationships can be substantially improved on using telematics, also thinking about disabilities and other mobility issues. Discussing, scheduling encounters or study groups, as simply chatting with friends, is an effective way to grow the student’s community and keep them closer to continuous learning circles. Digital relationships are democratic, economical and strongly supporting long-life learning approaches, they also remind us that “virtual” does not simply means “unreal” or synthetic.

4. Combining Virtual and Physical Mobility E-learning Quality is the point, quality of the technical infrastructure (mostly not-perceivable but critical), of contents (curricular and cultural/social/local contents) services, resources and relationships. Usability, languages and accessibility must be seriously considered on planning digital services for supporting mobility. Technology should be unobtrusive and work effectively rather than being the centre of discussions. A Web based service can easily supply an effective way to approach international students’ relationships but obviously needs to consider the need for human resources that will fulfill the process on meeting and directly supporting students. An effective web tool can help on scheduling a museum visit but doing it with someone that can add a personal value will make the difference. Curriculum and cultural/social based contents should mix and promote a wider, more articulated learning experience.

5. Combining Virtual and Physical Mobility The “Unibo Approach” • Evolve curriculum-based knowledge also on maximizing the impact of the Web and e-learning, wireless and mobile appliances and applications. Use technology to support an easier approach to University’s offer. • A Blended approach is widely experimented on italian language lectures from various faculties, experimental full distance contents/services for international students are on development. • Diffuse local, specific, diverse knowledge proposing dedicated contents and resources for international students. • Technology is mostly used on offering clear informations, admin./logistic support, and proposals for visits, happenings and culturally oriented materials/paths. Typical communication tools are used on related Web sites, also meetings and visits are scheduled through the Web as announcements for locations, parties and special interest groups as for music or theatres.

6. Combining Virtual and Physical Mobility “Conclusions” “Universities may (still) not have a specific elearning vision, but their actions on the ground are already transforming education. So we actually have to globally rethink learning and teaching”. Universities should not produce mostly contents but also act as drivers to set public-private partnerships in order to concentrate more on research. Management of existing contents points to a dramatic need: the evaluation of best known methods to digitize materials and not just “electrify” them. Possibly, this issue will absorb much more energy than the standards questions that are mostly related to technicalities. The discussion on the future’s digital knowledge society remind us also about the issue of intellectual property and patents. Physical and virtual Mobility will be highly impacted by technological choices, selecting effective tools and resources will help Universities promoting their visibility internationally since Students are actually more and more using the Web also as a discriminating tool and for choosing where to study abroad. We’re approaching an innovating process that have to impact our whole culture, and not to be intended as only needed to support and improve the success and international recognition of the European Higher education system.

7. (back up) Combining Virtual and Physical Mobility Barcelona 2002 E-learning workshop proposals Developing ways for the official validation of non-formal learning experiences Increasing mobility and exchange. Providing the widest access to mobility to individuals and to education and training organizations, including those serving a less privileged public and reducing the remaining obstacles to mobility. Monitoring the volume, directions, participation rates as well as qualitative aspects of mobilityflows across Europe; Facilitating validation and recognition of competencies acquired during mobility; Promoting the presence and recognition of European education and training in the world as well as their attractiveness to students, academics and researchers from other world regions.

8. (back up) Combining Virtual and Physical Mobility Statements and numbers: • “Become the most competitive and dynamic knowledge-based economy in the world, capable of sustainable economic growth with more and better jobs and greater social cohesion". • To reach this goal four elements are playing a key role: production of new contents, transmission through schools and training, dissemination sustained by ICT, use for new services and processes • While European universities host almost as many foreign students as American universities, in proportion they attract fewer top-level students and a smaller proportion of researchers. All in all, the environment offered by the European universities is less attractive. Financial, material and working conditions are not as good, and arrangements with regard to visas and residence permits for students, teachers and researchers are inappropriate and poorly harmonised. • The role of Universities in the Europe of Knowledge - 2003 • Encourage the acquisition of new knowledge through the introduction of a European system of accreditation of technical and vocational skills, which could take the form of personal skills cards allowing instant assessment of everybody's skills and qualifications as and when they are acquired throughout life; • set up networks of apprenticeship/traineeship centers covering various European countries, to foster apprentice/trainee mobility along the lines of the ERASMUS model and to establish a European apprentice/trainee charter • White paper on education and training -1995 • The EU Universities environment in a snapshot: • 3.300 institutes in the union, 4.000 in the whole region, 12.5 Million students in 2000, under 9 Million in 1990 • Average use of researchers: 34% (26% in Germany, 55% in Spain and over 70% in Greece) • graduates in mathematics, science and technology (550 000 EU), (370 000 US), (240 000 JPN) • Researchers employed in the business sector: 50% EU, 83% USA, 66% JPN • European students integrating their curriculum with international experiences: 2,3% • Participants to the Leonardo Project in the 95-99 period: 40.000 • Number of international students reaching Europe: 450.000, (540.000 in the USA) • 50% of students who get to the USA stay there for several years or permanently

9. (back up) Combining Virtual and Physical Mobility “Unibo” Websites/services The University Portalwww.unibo.it The “Cultural Activities fo Foreign Students” sectionhttp://www.estero.unibo.it/aric/Percorsi/percorsiIT.htm The Koinè association Websitehttp://www.koineonline.org/ The SAIS Websitehttp://www.sais.ceur.it/default.asp Etats Gènèral des Etudiants de l’Europe http://aegeebologna.web.ctonet.it