8 mars 2013

By Gerd Kortemeyer. When MIT first announced its Open Courseware (OCW) initiative in October 2002, it shook the business model of traditional higher education institutions that had established "virtual universities" in an attempt to sell their brand and their educational resources worldwide. With OCW, MIT sent a signal: we don't sell learning resources, we sell certification of learning; learning resources do not have much intrinsic monetary value, but a degree does. This was arguably the first disruption of the higher education market in decades, marking the birth of the open educational resource (OER). Fast-forward to October 2012: OERs have failed to significantly affect the day-to-day teaching of the vast majority of higher education institutions. Traditional textbooks and readings still dominate most teaching venues even though essentially all students are online: Course management systems are used only for the dissemination of syllabi, class notes, general communications, and as a grade book. OERs are out there…somewhere. Why aren't they on campus? Read more...

We invite you to submit your views on the topic of Reacting to change and transforming European Lifelong Learning: the contribution of ICT in addressing key concerns related to learning innovation, through the second VISIR consultation.
The European Union has set the objective to establish the strongest education system in the world by 2020, and ICT could be one of the levers to support the process of innovation of European learning systems. National governments in EU still struggle with a fragmented picture in terms of effective use of ICT for learning. Research in the field is progressing, good practices increase but a meaningful use of technology has not yet been achieved. There is a need for research to support policy makers at EU and national level in understanding how ICT can support educational innovation. A wide consensus is available that ICT has a potential to contribute to learning innovation, and the VISIR consortium feels the need to discuss how to do so.
In this survey, we would like to discuss how ICT can contribute to a set of key policy objectives, identified by the Stellar Network of Excellence in 2012.

• Cost reduction and effectiveness of learning
• Transferability of learning results across lifelong learning sectors and contexts
• Employability value of Education
• New assessment methods
• Scalability of innovation
• Learning attractiveness.

For these objectives, a set of options are provided on how ICT can contribute to achieve them.
You are kindly invited to give opinion on the options and to suggest further policy objectives how to do so.

Join the consultation to share your views!
The survey takes max. 15 minutes. Use the flags below to answer in your language:

    

Results of the first consultation
The theme was: “What are the most relevant factors of change and how do they affect LLL?”, and it run in June 2012, aiming to analyse trends on ICT and learning in Europe, the VISIR domains of change, polarities and tensions and the main lines of evolution, trying to outline future scenarios till 2020. You can download the 1st Consultation Executive Summary and the full 1st Consultation Paper. Stay tuned on the VISIR website to know about the publication of the second report!

By Patricia B Arinto. Many open universities and distance education institutions have shifted from a predominantly print-based mode of delivery to an online mode characterised by the use of virtual learning environments and various web technologies. This paper describes the impact of the shift to open and distance e-learning (ODeL), as this trend might be called, on the course design practices of faculty members at a small single-mode distance education university in the Philippines. Specifically, the paper presents and analyses the faculty’s perspectives on how their course design practices have changed and issues and challenges arising from these changes. The findings suggest that faculty training programs in ODeL should aim to develop a comprehensive range of ODeL competencies in a systematic and coherent way. Based on the findings, as well as research on practitioner development in teaching effectively with technology, a framework for developing ODeL competencies among faculty is proposed. Aside from covering the four areas of change in course design practice identified in the study, the framework also specifies levels of expertise (basic, intermediate, and advanced), indicating degrees of complexity of the knowledge and skills required for each area at each level. All of the competencies listed for all four areas at the basic level comprise the minimum competencies for teaching an online distance education course. Read the full text.

By Alastair Creelman. The quest for a sustainable business model for xMOOCs (those open courses offered by major universities) continues with a variety of possible solutions such as offering examination (and a chance to earn credits) or extra tuition for a fee as well as selling student contacts to headhunting companies. However the latest model to emerge would seem to be highly attractive to mainstream universities.
MOOC2degree is a new initiative that offers the first course of a degree program as a MOOC in the hope of recruiting students on to the full program. A consortium of seven US universities under the coordination of Academic Partnerships are already on board and intend to use MOOCs as a shop window for their regular programs. The MOOCs will be free, open to all and will actually give you credits if you sign up for the full degree program. Whether students who do not register to continue will be able to keep their credits is not clear to me but the business case here is perfectly clear and justified if it can help the university recruit more students.
"With MOOC2Degree, Academic Partnerships has collaborated with public universities to offer credit-bearing MOOCs as a first step and a free start toward earning a degree. Through this new initiative, the initial course in select online degree programs will be converted into a MOOC. Each MOOC will be the same course with the same academic content, taught by the same instructors, as currently offered degree programs at participating universities. Students who successfully complete a MOOC2Degree course earn academic credits toward a degree, based upon criteria established by participating universities." Read more...

Le premier ministre a choisi l’Université Paris-Est Marne-la-Vallée (UPEM) et la Cité Descartes « où l’enseignement supérieur, la recherche et le développement industriel se rencontrent et se fertilisent mutuellement » pour présenter sa vision du « Nouveau Grand Paris ».
Après avoir découvert le nouveau bâtiment de l’École des Ponts ParisTech, Descartes+, et la nouvelle bibliothèque de l’UPEM, il a annoncé ses arbitrages sur le financement et le calendrier de la réalisation du futur réseau de transport en Ile-de-France dont le « Grand Paris Express » qui assurera l’interconnexion de tous les territoires franciliens. Grâce à ce futur métro automatique en rocade, les deux pôles du campus Paris-Est seront reliés dès 2020 en 11 minutes par la ligne 15. Le pôle Université Paris-Est, atout majeur pour l’Est francilien et son développement, s’est fortement impliqué dans le débat public au côté des collectivités. C’est aussi la question de l’équilibre des territoires qui trouve réponse aujourd’hui. La ligne 15, qui raccordera directement les sites de Créteil/Maisons-Alfort et de la Cité Descartes, améliorera la mobilité des étudiants et enseignants-chercheurs, les interconnexions avec les autres places scientifiques franciliennes et les grands pôles économiques et d’emploi de la Région.
Le Grand Paris Express permettra ainsi de poursuivre la dynamique de transformation portée par UPE et contribuera à sa visibilité nationale et internationale: enrichir les collaborations inter-établissements, renforcer son ancrage territorial et  innover pour mieux assurer l’égalité des chances par un meilleur accès à l’enseignement supérieur. Retrouvez le dossier de presse du Nouveau Grand Paris en cliquant ici. Suite de l'article...

Cette première édition inaugure l’un des engagements de l’Unédic de renforcer la transparence en termes de gestion et de gouvernance. Conformément à l’accord du 17 février 2012 sur la modernisation du paritarisme, chaque Bureau de l’Unédic fait désormais l’objet d’une synthèse publique. La synthèse rend compte des travaux des gestionnaires de l’Assurance chômage.
Points d'actualité
Audition de l’Unédic par la mission Pôle emploi de l’Assemblée nationale
Le Président rend compte de l’audition par la mission d’information de l’Assemblée nationale sur Pôle emploi et le service public de l’emploi. Cette audition a porté notamment sur la réglementation de l’Assurance chômage. Les partenaires sociaux sont conscients de la nécessité de toujours chercher à améliorer la réglementation afin qu’elle soit compréhensible par les demandeurs d’emploi et qu’elle atteigne les objectifs qui lui sont fixés. Aussi, l’Unédic a-­t-­elle engagé avec Pôle emploi une analyse des difficultés de mise en oeuvre de la réglementation dont les conclusions seront présentées au Bureau de l’Unédic. Pour prolonger cet engagement, le Bureau propose d’objectiver le diagnostic posé sur la réglementation d’assurance chômage, par exemple en recueillant les perceptions des demandeurs d’emploi. Un plan d’action allant dans ce sens est demandé aux services de l’Unédic.
Mission Pôle emploi: consulter l'audition de M. Jean-François Pillard, Mme Patricia Ferrand et M. Vincent Destival sur le site de l'Assemblée nationale.
Politique sociale et politique de l'emploi
Avenant n°2 à l’Accord National Interprofessionnel relatif à l’emploi des jeunes
Les partenaires sociaux ont décidé de prolonger jusqu’au 31 décembre 2013 le dispositif d’accompagnement prévu par l’ANI du 11 juillet 2011 relatif à l’accompagnement des jeunes pour favoriser leur maintien dans l’emploi. Le Bureau fait le point sur les décisions que les partenaires sociaux doivent prendre dans le cadre de cet avenant. L’Unédic préparera les dispositions nécessaires à la mise en oeuvre de cette décision.
Prolongation de l’Activité Partielle de Longue Durée (APLD)
Les partenaires sociaux ont décidé, conjointement avec l’Etat, de prolonger la mise en oeuvre de l’APLD jusqu’à la mise en place des nouvelles dispositions prévues par l’accord national interprofessionnel du 11 janvier 2013. La convention actuelle liant l’Unédic et l’Etat venant à échéance à la fin du mois de mars, le Bureau a donné mandat au Président et à la Vice­‐Présidente pour actualiser cette convention sans attendre la prochaine réunion.
Relations avec les opérateurs
Plan d’audit 2013-­‐2014
Dans le cadre des relations de l’Unédic avec ses opérateurs, des audits sont organisés selon un plan annuel proposé et validé en séance. Pour 2013, le plan propose 12 missions qui traiteront de l’indemnisation (8 missions concernent Pôle emploi), du recouvrement des contributions (3 missions concernent l’ACOSS et la CCMSA), mais également de la mise en oeuvre des orientations issues de l’accord de modernisation du paritarisme. Le rapport annuel sur le Contrôle rendra compte des résultats de ces missions d’audit.
Projets
Déclaration Sociale Nominative
La mise en place de la DSN pose la question du rôle de l’Attestation Employeur remise par l’employeur au salarié.
Le Bureau souhaite poursuivre 2 objectifs: l’accès du salarié aux informations qui le concernent et la simplification des obligations des employeurs.
Le Bureau se prononce en faveur du maintien d’une Attestation d’Employeur aménagée: un document reprenant les données transmises par l’employeur à la fin du contrat de travail, hors rémunérations versées qui sont déjà connues du salarié via ses bulletins de salaire.
Situation de l'Assurance chômage à fin décembre 2012
En savoir plus: Consulter la situation générale et détaillée de l'Assurance chômage à fin décembre 2012.
Documents à télécharger
Synthèse de la réunion du Bureau de l'Unédic du 28 février 2013.
Pour aller plus loin
Sur le même thème

Conference announcement: First Arab-Euro University Conference on Higher Education, Barcelona, Spain 30-31 May 2013
The University of Barcelona (UB), in collaboration with the Association of Arab Universities (AARU) and EUA, will organise the First Arab-Euro University Conference on Higher Education from 30 to 31 May 2013 in Barcelona, Spain. The conference, hosted by UB, will consider specific themes in Arab-European collaboration and compare recent higher education developments in both regions, including internationalisation.
The main topics to be discussed are the following:
    * Higher education development trends in Europe and the Arab World including:
    - comparability and equivalence of higher education systems: Bologna as an example;
    - employability: cultural, social and economic perspectives;
    - research and doctoral education;
    - internationalisation of higher education.
    * Towards enhanced higher education collaboration between Europe and the Arab World.
Participation in the conference is open to rectors, vice-chancellors and presidents of universities or to their delegates from both regions and will allow for networking as well as bilateral and multilateral meetings and the signature of collaboration agreements.
Please note that registration will commence in March 2013. Please direct any further enquiries or expressions of interest to participate to Carmen García (carmengarciam@ub.edu); or Zeineb Mazouz (zmazouz@ub.edu).

Call for participation: EUA surveys the impact of rankings within universities
With the aim of conducting the first pan-European study of the impact and influence of rankings on European universities, EUA has recently launched a new project entitled “Rankings in Institutional Strategies and Processes” (RISP).
Universities worldwide are increasingly being confronted with ranking and classification initiatives. While reservations may be expressed about the methodologies used, there is a growing recognition that rankings are currently part of the higher education landscape, and many institutions feel the need to respond.
Together with its partners, the Dublin Institute of Technology, the French Rectors’ Conference and the Latvian Academic Information Centre, EUA will seek to provide an understanding of how rankings impact and influence the development of institutional strategic decision-making, as well as identify how institutions can use rankings as a strategic tool to promote institutional development.
The first step of the RISP project will be based on a survey of European universities and higher education institutions, in order to capture and analyse how rankings have impacted or are about to impact on their institutional choices. EUA invites all higher education institutions to take part in the survey by 17 June 2013 at the latest.     
To find out more about the project, please visit this website.
The RISP project is supported by the Lifelong Learning Programme of the European Union.

ACA 20 year anniversary conference: Internationalisation and international mobility. Where do we stand, where are we heading?
The Hague, 9-11 June 2013. Co-organised by Nuffic.
ACA’s Annual Conferences have become a synonym for high-quality information, analysis and discussion on current policy and practice-related issues in the area of European and international higher education. They bring together central actors and decision-makers in higher education, such as rectors, vice-rectors, faculty and international relations staff, as well as policy-makers and practitioners from government departments, international institutions, non-governmental organisations and think tanks. And they offer opportunities for learning, exchange and networking at a high level. 
The 2013 Annual Conference will be no exception to this rule, but it is a special event nonetheless. In 2013, ACA will celebrate its 2Oth anniversary.  The conference will be a core element in the celebrations of the jubilee.  For this occasion, we thought it appropriate to return to those themes which were at the centre of our Association’s interest at the time of foundation in 1993 and which always remained high on ACA’s agenda: internationalization and international mobility.  We will deal with these issues in plenaries, but more than in the past also in workshops, to enhance interaction between participants.  The two-day event will take place in The Hague in the Netherlands, and will be preceded by a welcome reception and a social programme on 9 June.