briefing papers for policy makers

Teaching/Learning policy recommendations
The following recommendations require both the teacher and the learner to be set in their academic, social and
cultural contexts:
1. Teachers need special training for online-education. Teaching in virtual learning environments needs
competence in technological (so-called hard skills) and organisational aspects as well as new skills in applying
relevant didactical methods, moderating/facilitating, etc. (so-called soft skills).
2. Support is needed for the development of “innovation units”, (consisting of technical groups, academic
departments and teams of teachers) to work towards changing teaching practice.
3. The potential of technological tools must be balanced with an institution’s pedagogical model.
4. Learning resources and materials must be specifically designed for virtual learning environments.
5. The division of labour for tutors, lecturers and other staff involved in learning campus operations needs to
recognise the difference in virtual learning environments workloads.
Cross-cultural policy recommendations
The following recommendations are designed to protect cultural minorities and those who prefer to learn through
their mother tongue.
1. The use of virtual learning environments needs to be promoted through collaboration at European level and vice
versa.
2. The linguistic and/or cultural diversity of EU member states must be considered in the organisation of European
education and training programmes in each country and on a trans-European basis.
3. International virtual learning environment activities demonstrate legal and economic problems, and highlight the
differences in the learning patrimonies of the audiences. Financial considerations also need to be addressed.
The Final Report and results of this project are available through the electronic version of this report at:
http://www.cordis.lu/citizens/publications.htm (under Reports)
Key Publications
Barajas M. (coord.), Virtual Learning Environments in Training and Education: an European View. UB Press.
Barajas M. (coord.), La educación mediada por las TIC a principios del siglo XXI, in Medina & Kwiatkowska (coord.) Ciencia,
Tecnología/Naturaleza, cultura en el siglo XXI, (Barcelona, Anthropos), 2000.
Barajas & Owen, Implementing Virtual Learning Environments: Looking for Holistic Approach, Journal of International Forum
of Educational Technology and Society, 3-3. 2000. Available at: http://ifets.gmd.de/periodical/vol_3_2000/v_3_2000.html
Scheuermann, F., CSCL in Higher Education: Requirements for teaching and learning in International Environments, in
Proceedings of the ICDE 19th Conference on Open Learning and Distance Education, (Vienna), 20-24 June 1999.
Scheuermann, F., Lehren und Lernen in Virtuellen Lernumgebungen (Teaching and Learning in Virtual Learning Environments),
in Proceedings of Learntec'2000 conference, (Karlsruhe), 2000.
Scheuermann, F., Campus 2000: Lernen in neuen Organisationsformen (Campus 2000: Learning within new Organisational
Structures) (ed.), Proceedings of the annual conference of the Society of Media in Sciences (GMW), (Innsbruck), 19.-21.
September 2000, http://gmw2000.uibk.ac.at/
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