Global programme: Lifelong Learning Programme 2007 - 2013
Specific programme: Erasmus – Multilateral projects – Erasmus Virtual Campuses
Call: DG EAC/41/09
Project number: 510771-LLP-1-2010-1-NL-ERASMUS-EVC
Duration: 24 Months (10/1/2010 - 9/30/2012)
Website: http://www.eadtu.eu/netcu.html
Description
Since the 2001 Prague Higher Education (HE) Summit which included the demand to "step up the development of modules, courses and curricula offered in partnership by institutions", an evolving landscape of transnational partnerships in HE can be witnessed. While this is certainly also valid for open and distance education (ODE) and blended learning, here the activities seem to be missing an overall analysis as well as models and guidelines for facilitating implementation.
With the project NetCU, EADTU in partnership with its member organizations would like to fill this gap by combining a set of activities and approaches: a) already existing networked curricula in the field will be collected and analyzed; b) from this analysis, models will be derived and c) guidelines to create and implement different forms of networked curricula in ODE and blended learning will be given. In addition d) experiences with advanced ICT solutions and emerging practices, e.g. social software and OER will be shared, transferred, tested and evaluated.
The project outcomes will facilitate the future set-up of networked curricula by HE institutions and potentially lead to more transnational partnerships in ODE and blended learning. Thus NetCU will lead to a successful internationalization of universities and enhanced virtual campuses. Universities will receive strategic and practical support for improving the quality of their curricula and for strengthening their international portfolio. Students will find access to more and better learning opportunities and will enhance their ICT and international skills. On the European level the transparency and convergence in will grow and a European identity of study programmes in ODE and blended learning will be created.
Objectives
The general aim of the NetCU project is to develop models, guidelines and strategies for transnational networked curricula that supply a broader range of content and learning activities, that deliver state-of-the-art knowledge in the best quality supported by innovative ICT in an international setting - curricula that are meeting the diverse needs of today’s student population and lifelong learners and that are symbolizing a European identity of higher education and lifelong learning in the 21. century.
This will be done via a set of operational objectives:
As a first step a comprehensive mapping, description and analysis of the currently existing networked curricula (case studies and literature) will be made. A set of key areas will be analyzed, e.g. the educational model, the ways of sharing of content, the role of mobility, issues of assessment, recognition and quality assurance, language provision, the role and usage of ICT in the curriculum, its management and business model. Which advantages has the curriculum for the partners and which obstacles were/are faced? How do the students embrace it? How are the national, legal and institutional frameworks defined. Information on these and further questions will deliver comprehensive data for deriving systematic models of networked curricula in ODE and blended learning. With these models specific cases will be transferred into common features of networked curricula in ODE and blended learning and translated into viable guidelines for developing and implementing transnational networked curricula. To strengthen the important technological dimension of networked curricula in ODE and blended learning innovative ICT solutions will be shared, analysed and plugged into one of the case studies for testing and enhancing.
The project results will stimulate and facilitate the set-up of new networked curricula and improve existing ones and thus trigger the positive effects as described in the previous part of this document.
UNINETTUNO Role
UTIU will lead Sub-WP2a/Description and analysis of the networked curricula in the consortium. Here UTIU's "MedNet’ U – The Euro-Mediterranean Open Sky University Project" (two Master programmes in Engineering) in co-operation 32 partners from 11 countries in the mediterranean region will be used as a case study. UTIU will also participate in WP3/Models and guidelines, WP4/Innovative ICT and practices as well as WP5/Dissemination and WP6/Exploitation.
The project will further benefit from UTIU's expertise in innovative ICT, the use of video and other broadcasting technologies in open and distance education, and the design and the aspect of multilingualism in collaborative projects.
UTIU will be a member of the NetCU observatory.