European project

The latest edition of the Re.ViCa newsletter is now available and includes analysis and information about a host of different developments related to virtual campuses worldwide. It includes a short retrospective on the Learning and Technology World Forum 2010, a report on the recently announced partnership between the Ohio and Minnesota higher education systems and an analysis of the role and impact of the HEFCE Online Learning Task Force.

The newsletter also contains an announcement about the work that will continue to be done by the Re.ViCa team in 2010-2011 as well as a series of announcements about reports, publications and other recent developments related to the virtual campus phenomenon.

On 15 January 2010 EUscreen launched its website (www.euscreen.eu) where all public documentation produced within the EUscreen project will be made accessible, along with links to specific sites and documentation about EUscreen technological issues. An important role of the website is also to capture and publish the social dynamic of the EUscreen user community and to enable sharing data and expertise with the targeted user communities and with the public at large. The site also provides links and information about activities related to the eContentplus Programme as well as articles, fact-sheets, project descriptions and specific PowerPoint presentations related to project activities and results.

On Thursday and Friday 14 and 15 January 2010 ATiT participated in the mid term project meeting of the European Commission Lifelong Learning Project SoRuraLL, which focuses on using information and communication technologies in rural parts of Europe, especially within the education and training domain.

Partners from Greece, Bulgaria, Spain, Belgium, Germany and Poland gathered in the excellent premises of Ellinogermaniki Agogiki to discuss the progress of development and pilots. The pilot activities are beginning now and will continue until July involving teachers in Greece, Spain and Ireland as well as learners in Germany and Bulgaria and citizens in Poland.

The Handbook: "Reviewing the Virtual Campus Phenomenon: The Rise of Large-scale e-Learning Initiatives Worldwide" has been published and is available for free download.

This handbook, one of the main outputs of the Re.ViCa project, provides a wealth of background on the Virtual Campus phenomenon as well as a snapshot of the current status of Virtual Campuses worldwide where you can find a description of current initiatives, market leaders and large-scale providers. It also includes a set of Critical Success Factors, aimed at those interested in setting-up sustainable Virtual Campus initiatives.

It was written by Paul Bacsich, Sally Reynolds, Theo Bastiaens, Sara Frank Bristow, Ilse Op de Beeck and Bieke Schreurs, the editor was Bieke Schreurs. Further information about Virtual Campuses is available from the project wiki.

The November edition of the Re.ViCa newsletter is now available.

Highlights this month include:

• a presentation of the Re.ViCa Handbook which is about to be published and a sneak preview of its contents
• an overview of the collaborative work carried out by the Re.ViCa International Advisory Committee and the growing network of experts contributing to the virtual campus wiki
• a summary of the current status of the Open University of Japan by International Expert Dr. Kumiko Aoki
• introductions to several experts in the field; David Porter (BCcampus, Canada), Em. Prof. Terry Mayes (Glasgow Caledonian University, UK) and Em. Prof. Gajaraj Dhanarajan (Wawasan Open University, Malaysia)
• a round-up of announcements, reports and publications in the field of e-learning and the virtual campus

For more information visit the Re.ViCa web site or the virtual campus wiki and inventory set up and managed by the project team. 

The MEDEA Secretariat announced today the 8 finalists for the annual MEDEA awards. These are in alphabetical order: Daisy and Drago by Terakki Foundation Schools (Turkey), Eyes on the Skies by European Southern Observatory (ESO) (Germany), INgeBEELD by CANON CULTURAL UNIT (Belgium), Know IT All by Childnet International (UK), Les TIC en Classe by VISION FUTURE (France), Planet SciCast by NESTA (UK), Studiecoach by the Dutch Open University (The Netherlands) and Traditions Across Europe by Istituto Comprensivo “Don Bosco” (Italy). The overall winner will be announced during the MEDEA Awards Ceremony on 4 December 2009 in the Hotel InterContinental in Berlin.
 
This year the competition attracted 254 entries from 39 countries which was a significant increase in entries compared to last year. The finalists were chosen by a jury made up of 76 education and media experts from 26 countries who assessed the MEDEA entries in October.  All finalists will attend the Awards Ceremony on Friday 4th December 2009, where they will have the chance to win the main MEDEA Award as well as several other prizes, including software sponsored by Adobe and AVID.

If you would like more information about these awards, visit the MEDEA web site.

The October edition of the Re.ViCa Newsletter was published this week and is being distributed to almost 500 subscribers all over the world who are interested in the virtual campus phenomenon.

In this edition you will find an article on postsecondary educational accreditation in the United States, an article about multilingualism in the Virtual Campus wiki and introductions to new people in the Re.ViCa network from New Zealand, UK and Palestine.

The newsletter also gives information on several recent reports including a Commonwealth of Learning report on ICTs for Higher Education and a Study into Global Activity published by JISC in the UK as well as a progress report on the Virtual Campus wiki.

After a year of hard work, the EduTubePlus partners met for their first annual meeting in Rome on the 15/16 October to review progress and plan for the coming months. This meeting took place in the historical Sala 1 - the first radio studio used by RAI. It was a fitting location given the importance placed on educational content by RAI from the early days of the station during the reconstruction following World War II which continues to this day.

The first version of the EduTubePlus platform is almost ready and video content is being segmented and prepared for incluson. At the same time pedagogical scenarios utilising video material from the library are being prepared. Planning for the first user trials is now underway and will involve schools in Greece, Hungary, Italy, Finland, Belgium and the UK.