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Vol. 1984/0 260 
  
 
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Conformém ent au règlement (CEE, Euratom) n° 354/83 du Conseil du 1er février 1983 
concernant l'ouverture au public des archives historiques de la Communauté économique 
européenne et de la Communauté européenne de l'énergie atomique (JO L 43 du 15.2.1983, 
p. 1), tel que modifié par le règlement (CE, Euratom) n° 1700/2003 du 22 septembre 2003 
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classifiés présents dans ce dossier ont été déclassifiés conformément à l'article 5 dudit 
règlem ent. 
In accordance with Council Regulation (EEC, Euratom) No 354/83 of 1 February 1983 
concerning the open ing to the public of the historical archives of the European Econom ic 
Communit y and the European Atom ic Energy Communit y (OJ L 43, 15.2.1983, p. 1), as 
amended by Regulation (EC, Euratom) No 1700/2003 of 22 September 2003 (OJ L 243, 
27.9.2003, p. 1), this file is open to the public. Where necessary, classified documents in this 
file have been declassified in conformity with Article 5 of the aforementioned regulation.  
In Übereinstimmung mit der Verordnung (EWG, Euratom) Nr. 354/83 des Rates vom  1. 
Februar 1983 über die Freigabe der historischen Archive der Europäischen  
Wirtschaftsgemeinschaft und der Europäischen Atomgem einschaft (ABI. L 43 vom  15.2.1983,  
S. 1), geändert durch die Verordnung (EG, Euratom) Nr. 1700/2003 vom 22. Septem ber 2003  
(ABI. L 243 vom  27.9.2003, S. 1), ist diese Datei der Öffentlichkeit zugänglich. Soweit  
erforderlich, wurden die Verschlusssachen in dieser Datei in Übereinstimmung mit Artikel 5  
der genannten Verordnung freigegeben.  
COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES
COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE COUNCIL
NEW INFORMATION TECHNOLOGIES AND THE SCHOOL SYSTEMS
IN THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITY
Work Programme for the period 1985 - 1987
(Implementation of the action programme set out  
in the Resolution adopted by the Council and  
Ministers of Education meeting within the Council  
on 19.9.1983 and confirmed by its Conclusions  
on 4.6.1934)C0MC84) 722 final
Brussels 14 December 1984
C0M(84) 722 final

I
CONTENTS
Paragraphs
INTRODUCTION 1 - 4
MAJOR AREAS FOR COMMUNITY ACTION 5
A. Incorporation of the new information techno- 6
Logies in teaching practices and school
curri cula
B. The training of teachers and those who train 7
teachers
C. Software, courseware and hardware systems 8
D. Economic implications of the introduction of
the NITs in education and development strategies 9-12
IMPLEMENTATION OF THE WORK PROGRAMME
A. Steering the Community Programme 13 - 15
B. Gathering and disseminating information 16 - 20
COOPERATION WITH INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS 21 - 24

-  1 -
I. INTRODUCTION
1. On 19.9.1933, the Council and Ministers of Education meeting  
within the Council adopted a Resolution incorporating a series  
of measures relating to the introduction of new information tech­
nologies (NITs) in education (OJ N° C256, 24.9.1983). This Re­
solution was and continues to be the basis for a series of mea­
sures at Community level aimed at supplementing and supporting  
action taken by the different Member States.
2. 0n June 4th 1984, the Council and Ministers of Education meeting  
within the Council adopted a number of additional conclusions de­
rived from the Commission's communication concerning technological  
changeand social adjustment (C0M(85)6 final).
3. The measures to be taken in the educational field represent only  
one element in the overall Community strategy designed to develop  
the human resources necessary to meet the challenges posed by  
the modernisation of industry. In particular, they are com­
plementary to the measures which are being taken at Community  
level with regard to vocational training and new technologies ( 1) 
and with a view to strengthening cooperation between industry  
and universities insofar as advanced training is concerned -
an area in which the Commission has been invited to put forward  
detailed proposals for actions (2). These three facets - educa­
tion, vocational training and Industry/University cooperation -  
together with Community intervention in some specific sectors,  
such as the contribution of new technologies to the social and  
economic integration of the handicapped ( 3), constitute the ne­
cessary complement to Community action in the field of industrial  
policy, innovation and R & D (4). They should not only reinforce  
the competitiveness of industry but also ensure that these tech-
_____nologies play a supportive and not a dominant role in society,
(1
) OJ N° C 166, 25.6.1983
(2) C0M(83)6 final and V/1523/84-F/EN
(3) OJ N° C 347, 31.12.1981
(4) More specifically, the European strategic programme for research  
and development in information technologies (ESPRIT), OJ N° L 81,  
27.3.1984 and the multiannual programme in the field of data pro­
cessing, OJ N° L 126, 12.5.1984.

-  2 -
as underlined in the Council's conclusions on a medium-term Com­
munity social action programme ( 1).
4. The outline work programme has been fully discussed in the Educa­
tion Committee at its meeting on 21 September 1984, and its con­
tents have been warmly welcomed by the competent education author­
ities of all Member States as the basis for future effort.
II. MAJOR AREAS FOR COMMUNITY ACTION
5. In accordance with the terms of the Resolution, it is envisaged  
that Community action be concentrated on the following key areas :
(i) the incorporation of the NITs in teaching practices and  
school curricula (Area "A") ;
(ii)  the training of teachers and those who train teachers  
(Area "B") ;
(iii) software, courseware and hardware systems (Area "C").
Given the speed with which the role of the NITs in the educational  
system is expanding, a fourth area of action has been added to  
the three outlined above, namely :
(iv) economic implications of the introduction of the NITs in  
education development strategies (Area "D").
A brief presentation of the main issues relevant to each of these  
areas is given below together with the corresponding actions at  
Community level that will be undertaken within the framework of  
this work programme. Advanced training in information, such as  
the courses supported by the Commission, should be reinforced.  
Proposals to that effect will be presented shortly.
(1) OJ N° C 175, 4.7.1984.

- 3 -
A. Area 1 :  incorporation of the NITs in teaching practices 
and school curricula
6.  As has already been made clear in a previous Commission service  
working paper presented to the Education Committee in September  
1983 (V/1258/83), this topic of common interest has several dimen­
sions, specific actions are proposed for each of them.
Topic (i) What should be the content of a data-processing 
familiarization  course for young people ?
Above and beyond general statements of principle,
we must specify the guidelines 
for and the contents of this familiarization. What 
kind of teaching are we talking about ? Should it 
be made a compulsory or optional subjet ? At what 
levels^ wi1:h what content and for which pupils ? 
Should we or should we not limit this familiarization  
to the mastery of certain technical skills - at pro­
gramming level, for example - and, if so, how is 
this familiarization to be dovetailed into a course 
of study leading sooner or later to vocational trai­
ning and employment ? Is it likewise necessary, or 
indeed preferable, to stress "social mastery" of 
these technologies, i.e. to incorporate in computer 
studies the socio-cultural dimensions relating to 
the impact of these technologies on our society ? 
These dimensions, as hardly needs to be said, are 
not mutually exclusive :  technical knowhow and tech­
nological culture are not necessarily mutually anta­
gonistic. Familiarization with computers should not 
lead to a precocious and artificial specialization
(i.e. the training of "mini-programmers") or be li­
mited to a superficial manipulation of concepts (al­
gorithms) and equipment (microcomputers) without re­
lation to their educational implications.
ACTION A.1. In early 1984, the Commission called on CIRCES
(Italy) to carry out a study taking stock of the

- 4 -
approaches of several Member States to the 
teaching of computer studies in secondary schools.
The first findings of this study should be availa­
ble at the beginning of 1985, when they will be 
examined by the steering group of senior national 
officials with a view to later actions such as work­
shops or seminars.*
Topic (ii) How are the NITs - and above all computers - to be 
incorporated into an already overloaded timetable ?
Unless we decide to regard the NITs merely as a tea­
ching aid regardless of content (i.e. computer-assis­
ted teaching, for example) or as a specialized and 
autonomous development of a particular discipline 
(mathematics),  they must be seen as opportunities 
for and means of enriching teaching practices through­
out the curriculum. In other words, if the NITs are 
used in an ever-wider range of productive activities 
(not only in the scientific and technical field e.g. 
engineering, financial management, scientific re­
search, etc. - but also in such diverse fields as 
the health and social services and the human scien­
ces) ,  is it not vital to identify the role and the 
place of the NITs in the various subjects ? The
basic hypothesis underlying this approach is that 
technical knowhow and technological culture are not 
antagonistic in the sense that the former - being 
related to identifiable industrial requirements - 
has priority, while the latter - being more general - 
is of secondary importance. It is necessary to 
pursue an interdisciplinary approach - which, indeed, 
only confirms the trans-sectoral character of the 
NITs.
ACTION A.2. A study was carried out in 1982-83 for the Commission 
on the impact of the NITs on the teaching of scientific  
subjects at secondary level. The final report on this study  
carried out jointly by the INRP (France) and
* See para. 13 below insofar as this group is concerned.

- 5 -
Dundee College of Education (United Kingdom) will 
be available shortly. By the same token, the semi­
nar held in Newcastle (United Kingdom) in July 1984 
made possible further exploration of the place of 
the NITs in various subjects. With a view to a 
better definition of the potential, constraints and 
possible limits of the use of the NITs - and also 
to point out examples of good practice - it is pro­
posed to produce handbooks analysing and describing, 
with the help of specific examples, opportunities 
for using the NITs in the following fields :  mathe­
matics, science, human sciences (history, geography, 
economics),  languages and technology at secondary 
level. It would no doubt be desirable to produce a 
similar document on primary education, since use of 
the NITs is beginning to spread rapidly at the level 
of education as well.  These actions would be laun­
ched as from the beginning of 1985 and should conti­
nue for a maximum of two years (1987). The results 
of this exercise might provide the main topic for 
one of the seminars to be held in 1986. This semi­
nar would provide an opportunity to take stock of 
the potential effects of introducing the NITs
education in terms of organization and teaching 
practices (§ 6 (iii)  above) - a subtopic which could 
be prepared for by a study launched by the Commission 
in 1985 and whose findings should be available in 
the first half of 1986.
Topic (iii) The potential consequences of introducing the NITs
into education in terms of organization and teaching 
practi ces
Microprocessors (but also other information and com­
munication equipment linked to the new technologies :  
videotext, interactive videodisk, satellite, cable, 
etc.) are becoming increasingly common to the educa­
tion market.

-  6 -
In the very near future t ^  stage will have been reached where  
each school has not one or two micro-processors but a full com­
plement of hardware and software (for example, computer rooms,  
simulation facilities and internal and external data bases gi­
ving access to programme libraries). This will mean a reorgani  
zation of teaching practices with regard to all the pupils and,  
more generally to the establishment as a whole - in terms both  
of time and of space -, and a decision on who is to have access  
to what, when and how and in what context in terms of equipment,  
structures and resources.
ACTION A.3. An initial collaboration in this field was undertaken with the
OECD in 1983-84 on the topic of teacher training and the conse­
quences on educational organization of introducing the NITs.  
This produced a number of working papers (CERI/NT/84.08, 09,10)  
which were presented at the CERI/OECD Conference in July 1984  
and which show that this is a dimension, whose importance will  
continue to grow in line with technological developments. As  
a follow-up to these initial endeavours, it is proposed to em­
bark upon case studies of education establishments which use  
of multimedia systems (these will be chosen in cooperation with  
the Member States). This should make it possible to identify  
the changes in the roles and the teaching practices of those  
involved in the teaching process. The conclusions of this exer­
cise will be made available to the ad hoc working party and  
could serve as subject matter for exchanges and visits.
Topic (iv) The spread of the NITs in the education system and 
efforts to open up schools to their local environ­
ment
One of the most striking facts about the NITs is 
the way they are spreading throughout society 
- from production to the consumption of goods and 
services. Above and beyond their industrial and 
commercial applications - robotics, office automa­
tion, production line automation, computerized ban­
king services - the NITs are being used in the home

- 7 -
for education, entertainment, information, household 
management and so on. An educational establishment 
is not isolated from its environment and it is not 
surprising if the motivation for incorporating the 
NITs in educational facilities frequently comes from 
outside, particularly where it is a question of in­
tegrated multimedia operations of an educational na­
ture involving several partners in the local environ­
ment .
ACTION A. 4. The action to be conducted on this sub-topic wi U be 
tied in with the action suggested above (A.3.) relating  
to changes in teaching roles and strategies.
A second area of observation could be provided by 
some of the pilot projects under the second transi­
tion programme - emphasis being placed on the con­
tribution made by the local environment to the tea­
ching process - particularly with regard to those 
young people who, because of their poor performance 
during their statutory schooling, have major problems 
with their social and occupational integration.
Topic (v) The NITs and the Learning nrocess
One of the arguments put forward by those who would 
like to introduce the NITs into primary education is 
that their use, particularly if use is made of high- 
level languages (LOGO, PROLOG, ect.), is likely to
foster heuristic learning processes - a vital com­
plement to more traditional teaching approaches.
In other words, the NITs would make it easier to 
master such fundamental concepts as form, time, 
space, numbers, etc. This is not the place to em­
bark on an in-depth discussion of this argument, 
but the very fact that the NITs are capable of en­
hancing individual learning capacities is a dimen­
sion which must be explored.

-  8 -
ACTION A.5. It is proposed that the Commission give its support to a  
number of research projects by university teams on this  
topic - either in the form of one or more studies or as  
part of a cooperative research programme drawing on the  
findings of the FAST I programme. These cooperative en­
deavours could also be the subject of a summer school bring­
ing together the researchers in question.
Topic (vi) Search for and reinforcement of greater equality of  
opportunity regarding the participation of girls  
in school and educational activities affected by the NITs.
ACTION A. 6.  As is pointed out in the aforementioned note from the  
Commission to the members of the Education Committee  
(V/1258/83 - 115 en - § 9 - iv) the question of the  
participation of girls in school and educational acti­
vities affected by the NITs has not as yet been widely  
explored - at least at Community level. In view of the  
discussions which the Education committee will have in  
the second half of 1984 on equality of opportunity for  
girls, it is proposed to examine the possibility of sup­
porting experiments and actions aimed at increasing  
opportunities for girls to gain access to teaching  
related to the NITs, in particular through the training  
of teachers. This action will be implemented in coopera­
tion with the Advisory Committee on equality of opportunity.
Topic (vii) The contribution of NITs to the improvement of the education
of handicapped children
This topic is referred to explicitly in the Council

- 9 -
Resolution and has already been the subject of a com­
parative study carried out for the Commission with  
the help of the Danish Ministry of Education (1982 - 83).
The results of this study, which are now available, show  
the advantages which the NITs can provide for such children.  
The work to be done in this area comes under the Com­
munity action programme deriving from the Resolution on  
the social integration of handicapped persons adopted in  
December 1981 (OJ N° C 347, 31 December 1981) and the im­
plementation of the conclusions adopted by the Council  
and the Ministers for Education meeting within the Council  
on 4 June 1984. The Commission supported the holding of  
a major conference on the education of handicapped persons  
and the NITs (United Kingdom, 1983). The Commission has  
also set up a computerized information system at Community  
level relating to handicapped persons (HANDYNET), and  
concerning in particular the technical characteristics  
of equipment, including those involving the NITs.
ACTION A.7. As part of this operation and in the spirit of the Com­
munication from the Commission to the Council, a study  
will be launched in 1985 which should result in the pro­
duction of a technical-educational manual on NIT equip­
ment suitable for facilitating the education of handicapped  
children (deaf and blind especially). In this connection -  
and provided a Member State so wishes - one of the seminars  
scheduled for the 1984 - 1987 programme could be devoted,  
in 1986, to this subtopic of the Community which, given

-  10  -
the scale of demand and the restricted nature of 
national markets, could emerge a cooperative research 
and development programme with industry, culminating 
in the production of prototypes within the internal 
market. An initial meeting on this subject is sche­
duled to be held in Manchester (United Kingdom) in 
June 1985.
B. Area 2 :  The training of teachers and those who train teachers
7 .  The importance of this area, which cannot be isolated 
from the preceding area, needs no stressing. Technical, 
social and cultural mastery of the new technologies and 
their introduction into education mean that teachers must 
be made aware of - if not trained in - these technologies, 
notably in relation to their subjets and the courses they 
teach. It is not simply a matter of acquainting teachers 
with the technical aspects of using microprocessors and 
other new media in teaching, but of boosting their teaching 
and methodological skills.
Topic (i) What are the needs and the methods of training tea­
chers in the NITs ?
This question is not only of a quantitative nature, 
it also entails a qualitative approach. In other 
words, it is necessary not only to specify the pos­
sible guidelines and contents of a course of teacher 
training - which must necessarily accomodate the 
varying occupational profiles of the teachers and 
the aims assigned to the introduction of the NITs 
into the teaching process - but also the practical 
arrangements for training, which should cover not 
only initial training but also in-service training 
(the part to be played by the universities, the 
private sector, in particular the NITs industry, 
the length of training, etc.)

-  11  -
ACTION B.1. The needs and constraints of teacher training
It is appropriate to point out at this point that 
the central topic of the seminar scheduled to be 
held in Italy ( May 7 - 10> 1935) will be the 
training of teachers in the NITs. The conclusions 
of this seminar must be used to improve identifica­
tion of the constraints for initial and in-
service training, and proposals for complementary
actions at Community level will be put before the 
ad hoc working party in the wake of this seminarli).
Topic (ii) Study visits and exchanges
As was stressed in the aforementioned note from the 
Commission to the Education Committee (V/1258/83 - 
115 en, § 11), which is quoted here, changing it 
slightly to take account of the experience gained 
in the meantime :
The kernel of this activity will be the organiza­
tion of a programme of exchanges and study visits aimed  
primarily at those who train teachers. On the basis 
of the experience already gained from other similar 
programmes organized by the Commission, several pre­
liminary comments must be made :
(i) While the programme is intended primarily for 
those who train teachers, there is no reason 
why it should not also extend to other persons 
who, by reason of their positions and activi­
ties, are likewise directly involved in the 
introduction of the NITs in education and who 
can play a "multiplier" role in this respect.
We are thinking here, bearing in mind the in­
dividual characteristics of each Member State's 
education system, of school inspectors, per­
sons responsible for experiments in introducing 
the NITs and those responsible for their coor­
dination .
(1) taking also into account the FAST Research Project (TET 3) concerning the  
future of the teachers.

-  1 2  -
(ii) If this pre-gramme should prove advantageous 
both for the Community and the Member States, 
the exchanges should be followed by the sharing 
and transfer of the experience acquired. In 
other words, the actions must be well prepared 
both in advance (i.e. prior information, files,
etc.) and afterwards (exploitation of the re­
sults by the Member States concerned, drawing 
up and dissemination of reports, etc.). This 
preparation means that each Member State will 
have to step up the operational relationships 
between the various departments involved in 
implementing this Community programme, parti­
cularly the specialized information centres.
(iii) The exchanges and visits should be arranged 
on both an individual and collective basis 
and should cover either general or more spe­
cific topics.
(iv) The wish to coordinate this programme not only 
with the totality of the initiatives underta­
ken at Community level, but also and above all 
with the situations obtaining in the Member 
States makes it necessary to bring these ex­
changes into line with the priorities set out 
in the Council Resolution and with the imple­
mentation of that Resolution, as spelled out 
in this work programme.
(v) This programme of exchanges and visits, what­
ever its intrinsic advantages, makes sense 
only in relation to a more comprehensive aim :  
that of establishing common guidelines in res­
pect of the content of trai­
ning for all teachers and of specifying ways 
of incorporating this f am i  l i  a ri z a t i on with the 
NITs Into the more general framework of initial and
in-service training of teachers.

- 13 -
(vi) To capitalize on the experience acquired, an 
intial stocktaking of these exchanges and vi­
sits will be made at a symposium to be held 
at the beginning of 1987 which, following the
example of what was done at Pont-à-Mousson in 
1983 with regard to the programme for local 
government officials, will bring together some 
of those who participated in this programme.
ACTIONS B.2. An action on behalf of "multipliers"
An initial series of exchanges and study visits wi LL be  
organized for the 1984-1985 school year. In view 
of the resources available, they will involve only 
some forty "multipliers" and, on an experimental 
basis, these initial exchanges and visits will 
only go to the United Kingdom and France .
This programme will be extended progressively to the other  
Member States thereafter. If this action is to be 
a success, it is essential to plan these exchanges 
a year ahead.
B.3. More specialized exchanges
Specific developments relating to the introduction 
of the NITs in education (in terms of content and/ 
or methods) may inspire a wish on the part of a 
group of teachers/researchers to enrich their ex­
perience by comparing it with similar approaches 
put into effect in another Member State SSV model).
By the same token, a group responsible for a 
teacher - training scheme in the NITs may wish to exami­
ne, along with other groups engaged in similar acti­
vities, the possibility of devising concerted approa­
ches (JSP model). The ad hoc working party will look 
into the possibility of individualizing the program­
me of exchanges and study visits described above (3.1.)  
with a view to taking account of these more specific 
requirements.

- 14 -
C. Area 3 :  Software, courseware and hardware systems
8. Four sub-areas are to be considered in
this context under the Resolution adopted by the Council 
and the Ministers for Education meeting within the Coun­
cil on 19 September 1983, it being understood that the
activities in this general area must be 
brought into line with what is being done under other 
Community programmes, in Darticular ESPRIT, and with en­
deavours in the field of telecommunications and standar­
dization .
Topic (i) Maximizing the educational functions of interactive 
languages which are supple and flexible enough for 
teachers to use the whole potential offered by the NITS in  
a variety of teachinq situations, without mastery
of these languages requiring excessively in-
2depth training for the producers of courseware .
At present, the programming language or software 
most used for introducing people to the use of com­
puters and their applications in teaching is BASIC. 
However, this computer language, which was put toge­
ther mainly to facilitate the interactive resolution 
of scientific calculations, makes an esoteric and 
stodgy impression on teachers and pupils with no in­
terest in technical and mathematical matters. Other 
structured languages, such as LISP, PASCAL, COMAL 
and SMALLTALK, are seldom available on current micro­
processors and, what is more,they were not designed 
for introducing people to the use of computers.
On the other hand, a language specially developed 
for the uses to which computers may be put in educa-
(1) SEC (84) 796 .  Commission staff paper :  Standardization in 
information technologies.
(2) Courseware = educational software.
(3) Software :  the programmes needed for the functioning of a 
data processing system.

- 15 "
tion, such as LSE, has a limited audience. Finally, 
computer languages such as LOGO, which is derived 
directly from LISP, still come very much under the 
"artificial intelligence" heading and theirincreasing­
ly numerous applications as to fundamental lear-
ning processes among young children in primary 
schools does not mean that their use can be recommended 
for all teaching situations, particularly since they 
require a highly specific environment.
ACTION C.1. Teaching and interactive languages
A feasibility study was carried out in 1983-1984 by 
TITN which attempted - with the help of a comparati­
ve analysis of the languages devised for computer- 
assisted education - to discern a common core of 
teaching functions and a set of instructions rela­
ting to the tasks deriving from these functions.
The results of this study and the study currently 
under way to examine the constraints and prospects 
of the use of LOGO as a means of teaching young 
children provide a starting point, and efforts in 
this area should be continued. To this end it is 
proposed to examine the conditions of application of 
the languages most commonly used in education. The 
result of this work and any proposals for
action it lead to will be presented to the seminar 
scheduled to be held in Germany in October 1985.
The Commission will also look into the question of 
whether to provide support for a series of summer 
schools concerned mainly with computer languages and 
calling on the experience gained from the summer 
school staged in Nice in July 1984 in cooperation 
with the French authorities.
Topic (ii) Improving the quality of courseware
This entails, if not the establishment of standards 
- which is difficult, perhaps impossible - at least

- 16 -
the identification of criteria enabling future 
users to judge the quality of courseware they wish 
to use (quality control).  Ability to assess the 
quality of courseware - which means that it can be 
analysed and described - is a prerequisite for the 
exchange of such courseware.
ACTION C.2. The quality of courseware
As a follow-up to the seminar held in Newcastle (UK) 
in July 1984, it is proposed to call on a group of 
experts to examine current practice in respect of 
courseware quality control :  criteria used, techni­
cal and educational factors, assessment procedures, 
etc. Their endeavours, which should be completed in 
the course of 1985, should provide the bases for 
the possible setting up of "didactheques" (course­
ware banks) in the Member States, thus facilitating 
exchanges.
Topic (iii)  Facilitating the transferability of software/course- 
ware
The present abundance of languages specially devised 
for use on microprocessors is due to the fact that aach 
of these Languages was devised for a specific machine 
and, above all, for the processing system used.
This means that the transfer of courseware from one 
installation to another is expensive - all the more 
so where use is being made of electronic dissemina­
tion (telesoftware or electronic mail).  Without 
going into technical details of the various modes 
of transmission in terms of carriers and network 
architectures,  the ability for pupils and teachers
to call up teaching and training courses 
which have been fed into data banks and are dissemi­
nated automatically on request via the networks as 
required is an asset which should be fully 
exploited.

- 17 -
ACTION C.3. Information transmission technologies in education
The position of the information transmission techno­
logies in education, interesting as experiments 
with them have been, can by no means be taken for 
granted, even though the situation is beginning to 
develop at a fast pace. Microprocessors are less 
and less capable of doing without a network which 
provides access to data banks or programmes, ena­
bles them to send information to a pooling centre 
(teaching follow-up for pupils, progress of pro­
grammes, etc.) and, more generally, to initiate 
remote loa ding whereby a programme is sought out 
in a data bank, sent through the network to a local 
memory and then used - all without having to remain 
linked to an outside computer. Furthermore, it is 
essential, in this context, to take account of the 
forthcoming advent of interactive audiovisual tech­
nology, i.e. the whole range of services - including 
educational services - which a combination of video­
discs, computers and networks will make possible.
A study is currently under way (SELESA - 1983-1984) 
on the subject of the transmission and telecommuni­
cation networks as they relate to education and 
training. It represents no more than an initial 
step, in that utilization problems relating to the 
application of information transmission technologies 
to education are far from being solved, whether these 
be the development of a modular range of termi­
nals, the internal organization of the networks 
(hierarchy of data banks) or individualization of 
the dialogue between the user and the system (which 
entails the development of programme writing langua­
ges making it unnecessary to enter programme details).  
The magnitude of the stakes involved - not only from 
the educational but also from the technical and eco­
nomic viewpoint - and uncertainty about optimum con­
ditions of efficiency for information transmission 
technologies in education (for example, TELETEL,

- 18-
SAVANT and SEVIL in France and CEEFAX/ORACLE,
PRESTEL and CYCLOPS - Open University in the United 
Kingdom) make it necessary to launch an experimen­
tal Community backup action.
To this end a meeting of experts will be organized 
in 1985. Its purpose will be to lay the foundations 
for a work programme on educational information 
transmission technologies which, with regard to the 
fundamental questions brought up in the preceding 
paragraph, will include an analysis of the "proto­
cols" relating to remote loading and support for 
network operations at either national or Community 
level (1986-1987). The conclusions which may be 
drawn from this activity will be presented to the 
seminar scheduled for September 1987.
Topic (iv) Increasing the suitability of hardware systems for 
use in education, particularly with a view to the 
combined use of several media (multi-media systems).  
In view of the current and foreseeable requirements 
of the education and training market (to say nothing 
of the use of microprocessors in the home) designers 
are tending to rush hardware systems on to the market,  
although in many cases no attempt has been 
made to define the technical and ergonomic charac­
teristics and efficiency of such systems in relation 
to their use in education. This highly topical as­
pect of the question, which represents the point at 
which policies in respect of educational equipment 
and industrial development impinge on each other, 
is all the more fundamental inasmuch as new equip­
ment or combinations of equipment will be appearing 
on the market - making an educational approach even 
more essential.

- 19 ~
ACTION C.4. The NITs in education and hardware systems
The document put before the Education Committee in 
September 1983 (V/1258/83—115) proposed (§ 15) that 
collaboration be inaugurated between the education 
authorities and industry at Community level, for 
example by organizing a series of round-table dis­
cussions which would culminate in a symposium at 
Community level in 1986. The seminar scheduled to 
be held in October 1985 in Berlin may be regarded 
as an intermediate stage in implementing this col­
laboration, which will involve close liaison with 
the Commission departments responsible for indus­
trial policy and research and development relating 
to the NITs at Community level, in particular the 
information and communications technologies task 
force.1  One of the medium-term aims of this action 
could be the launching, in 1986-1987 ,  of a Community 
level series of projects - with the Commission and 
industry sharing the costs - relating, for example, 
to :
- the devising of multi-media work stations combi­
ning the microprocessor with other teaching equip­
ment (such as the interactive videodisc);
- the development of peripheral equipment and the 
corresponding external interfaces capable of en­
larging man-machine communication, such as acous­
tic signal recognition (human voice),  the use of 
touch screens, etc.  ^
(1) A study was carried out recently for the Commision :  "Oppor­
tunities for Information Technology-based Advanced Education 
nal Technologies" (May 1984 - Open University).
(2) This action should be brought into line with some topics of 
the ESPRIT programme's type B projects (OJ L 81, 24 March 
1984), particularly subprogrammes 3 (Advanced Information 
Processing) and 4 (Office Systems),  just as Actions C.1.
(The educational functions of interactive languages) and C.3. 
(Information transmission technologies in education) should 
be brought into line with the ESPRIT 2 subprogrammes (Soft­
ware technology) and 4.3. (Communication systems).

-  20  "
By the same token, it appears important to examine 
the ergonomic aspects of the use of microprocessors 
and their interfaces in education, whether these be 
visual (dimensions of the screen, degree of resolu­
tion, etc.), acoustic (improvement of the sound en­
vironment) or, more generally, the arrangement of 
work stations.
To this end, it is proposed to embark on a compara­
tive functional analysis in 1985 of educational 
equipment, combining human and technical factors 
in the light of teaching requirements, which will 
entail an initial inventory of equipment used in 
education.
This analysis should make it possible to draw up 
the specifications for a research and development 
programme in this field. An initial stocktaking 
of endeavours in this area could be presented to 
the seminar scheduled to be held in Berlin in Octo­
ber 1985.
D. Area 4 :  Economic implications of the introduction of the 
NITs in education and development strategies
f. Above and beyond the technical and educational im­
plications - indeed the problem of human resources 
(teacher training) - the spread of the NITs in the 
education system presents a number of economic pro­
blems, which themselves have implications in the 
field of strategy. Even though the cost of equip­
ment is falling (microprocessor prices have decli­
ned considerably over the last few years, for simi­
lar if not superior performance) there is no getting 
away from the fact that a general introduction of 
the NITs represents a considerable investment, par­
ticularly if we include operating and maintenance 
costs..

-  21  -
10. The fact is that we have very little reliable quanti­
tative information on the economic aspects. It is 
not a matter of providing one microprocessor per edu­
cational institution, but of a much larger-scale de­
velopment. Now that the initial infatuation and en­
thusiasm have passed, it can be seen that the cost
of a general introduction of the NITs throughout the 
education system is a major problem - at both fi­
nancial and budgetary level.
11. Taking account of the specific characteristics of
different Member States, it is important to
identify both the cost parameters and the financing 
mechanisms set up at the various levels of responsi­
bility. This is a fundamental question for the ad 
hoc steering group of senior national officials.
12. A study of the costs arising from the introduction of new tech­
nologies into schools should take account of two sets of factors :
Topic (i) parameters with a direct cost incidence such as costs entailed  
by :
- equipping the schools and other educational institutions with  
micro-computers and other NIT related systems (including de­
preciation)
- maintenance
- running cost
This analysis should highlight the financial flows (yearly ex­
penditure) as well as the source of the funding (public/private  
sectors - industrial, commercial or others). This last point is  
important in so far as the private sector (constructors, consul­
tancy firms, publishers) play an important role in the produc­
tion and the dissemination of educational software and course­
ware .
(i i) the cost-effectiveness of introducing new technologies into
schools.  The idea here, is to measure - or at least to identify -  
the "value added" resulting from the use of new technologies -
i.e. to measure how these technologies modify the productivity 
of the educational syste1 ·, if at all.

-2 2 -
This is a very difficult issue, even more so in that variables  
should be taken into accou.it additional to those identified  
above such as :  costs relating to the installation of equip­
ment (including possible building works) and the costs of tech­
nical and educational personnel.
ACTION D.1. Economic implications of the NITs in education
An information file (D.1.) will be compiled on the 
basis of an analytical framework to b e defined in a 
consultation with the Member States (1985). From 
the end of 1985 onward, further details regarding 
the direct and indirect cost of the introduction 
of NITs in education will emerge as the information 
file takes shape; this will apply in particular to 
the mechanisms determining the breakdown of these 
costs.
D.2. Development strategies
Information files will be drawn up containing data on  
the strategies followed by the Member States for 
the introduction of NIT in education. Taking ac­
count of the specific situation in the individual 
Member States, particularly with regard the the 
institutions, the object will be to provide infor­
mation on the following :
- How are national priorities given effect at a re­
gional level ?
- What is the real contribution of the universities ?
- What policies are followed with regard to the pur­
chase of equipment (national/internal market),  
etc.  ?

- 23 -
The information contained in these D.2. files will be regularly
updated, in close cooperation with the Eurydice Central Unit
and the network of NIT/Ed specialized centres (para. 16 - 20
below), on the basis of annual surveys of specific aspects,
with due regard to the experience acquired in this field
1by the European Pool of Studies (EPOS)
III. IMPLEMENTATION OF THE WORK PROGRAMME  
A. Steering the Community progamme
13. The Education Committee, which has responsibility for coordinat­
ing and monitoring the implementation of:this action programme,  
has agreed to set up a group of senior national officials to  
advise the Commission on the various activities to be under­
taken in the four areas identified above.
14. The members of this advisory group - to be appointed shortly  
by their national authorities - will be officials with a co­
ordinating and planning function in relation to the introduc­
tion of the NITs in the Member States. It is anticipated that  
meetings will be held regularly (twice a year) in Brussels.
The advisory group's function will be to advise the Commission  
on the conduct and monitoring of the Community projects which  
form part of this programme, thereby helping to ensure adequate  
coordination, both between Community projects and between the  
latter and parallel initiatives in the individual Member States.  
As such, it will bring its expertise to bear in support of
the coordinated project monitoring and guidance strategy which  
is essential if the maximum impact of the work undertaken is  
to be achieved.
(1) The EPOS network was set up in November 1980 following the  
findings of the Standing Committee on Employment. It provides  
interested individuals and institutions with regular informa­
tion concerning policies in support of technological innova­
tion, significant developments in the field of industrial in­
novation and their effects on employment, qualifications,  
training and working conditions.

- 24 -
15. As indicated in Title IV of uie Resolution of the Council and  
the Ministers for Education meeting within the Council, interim  
reports will be presented at regular intervals - the first in  
September/October 1985. The advisory group will assist the  
Commission with the preparation of this document.
B. Gathering and disseminating information
16. The introduction of the NITs in education is a relatively recent,  
still developing phenomenon. It is an area where a great deal
is being done and remains to be done, and one characterized by  
a flood of initiatives at all levels of the educational system.
It is for this reason, no doubt, that the process is accom­
panied by a similar flood of information, sometimes concerning  
developments at grass-roots level, sometimes on more widely  
based research.
It should further be added that there is a genuine demand for  
information - and one that is made all the more difficult to  
channel and structure by the multiplicity of initiatives eman­
ating from the private sector (hardware manufacturers, pub­
lishers, etc.), from other government departments (industry,  
telecommunications, etc.) and from non-profit making educa­
tional or cultural organizations. Against this background,  
it is hardly surprising that the various participants in the  
schools system (public authorities, central government, teachers,  
heads of establishment, parents, etc.) should face a real  
problem in identifying the information relevant to the practical  
choices facing them (e.g. which equipment to choose; how to  
introduce the Nits into a given course; what to include in  
a computer studies course; how to train/retrain teachers,  
etc.). If we are not to sink without trace in a morass of  
largely outdated inforamtion, it is vital that steps be taken,  
at Member State level and at Community level, to organize

- 25 -
the production, and above all the circulation, of information  
in such a way that the emphasis is on information tailored to  
particular target groups and needs, thereby making a genuine  
contribution to the introduction of the NITs in education.
17. At Community level, the information network on education  
policy - Eurydice - established under the Resolution of 9.2.1976  
of the Council and Ministers of Education meeting within the  
Council (1) represents the first step to create an information  
circulation system for national policy makers. It should be  
noted that the introduction of the NITs in education was not  
originally amongst the topics covered by Eurydice, although
the pace of developments in this field led to its incorporation  
in the network's activities as from 1931, both in the context  
of the question-and-answer system on national policies, operated  
on behalf of the Commission, and in producing information packages  
for specific Community meetings at the request of the Commission  
(e.g. the dossiers prepared for the European seminars held in  
Marseille in 1983 and Newcastle in 1984).
Mention should also be made of Eurydice's contribution to the  
production of the paper presented to the Council and the Mini­
sters for Education meeting within the Council in June 1983  
(V/890/83), which provided, for the first time, an overview  
and analysis of developments regarding the introduction of the  
NITs in the ten Member States.
18. However, the implementation of the strategic programme for  
1984-87 outlined above, the need to improve the effectiveness  
of the action taken at various levels and the multiform, high­
ly specialized nature of the new technologies call for the  
establishment of a specialized infrastructure for the circula­
tion of information in this field, as an essential countei—  
balance to the action undertaken by the Member States and at  
Community level.
(1) OJ N* C 38 - 19.2.1976

- 26 -
It is essential that specialized centres be designated by 
each Member State with regard to the introduction of the 
NITs in education. It is expected that in general this will 
not be a matter of establishing new bodies, but rather of 
organizing and channelling information through units or de­
partments already occupying a central strategic position with 
regard to the introduction of the NITs in education in the 
individual Member States and selected for this purpose by 
the national authorities. So far as the animation and co­
ordination of this network is concerned, it is proposed that 
the Commission should ensure the necessary technical assistance 
fcr these functions by extending the remit of the central unit 
of the Eurydice network. The Education Committee has indicated 
its agreement to make these arrangements.
The function of this specialized information network will 
be to back up Community action as presented in this work pro­
gramme - more especially by ensuring that the proper use is 
made of the results, and by enabling both the Commission and 
Member States to enrich and consolidate the various activities 
planned - e.g. as regards :
(i) the preparation of dossiers for participants in the 
programme of study visits and exchanges;
(ii) the preparation of information packages for seminars 
and of papers on the incorporation of the NITs in 
subject curricula;
(iii) the coordination of research activities.
The various units or centres constituting the network would 
be involved in the work of the advisory group referred to 
above (paragraph 13). To this end, it is envisaged that the 
heads of these units or centres would attend one of the two 
meetings of the advisory group of senior national officials 
to be held by the Commission each year.

- 27 -
IV. COOPERATION WITH INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS
21. Whatever the institutional, logistic, or operational details 
of Community action concerning the introduction of NIT in 
education may be, it can only benefit from close cooperation 
with international and intergovernmental organizations active 
in this field. The most important of these are the OECD (in 
particular the CERI), the Council of Europe,  UNESCO, the IfH 
(International Bureau of Informatics) and, possibly, the 
Nordic Council.
22. In addition to participating in various actions undertaken by 
one or other of these organizations and regular exchanges 
of information, one could ask whether a more active form of 
cooperation would not be possible in those areas where it 
would enhance the Community's efforts by avoiding unnecessary 
duplication. A first step in this direction was taken with 
CERI, which, with help from the Commission, has developed a 
number of activities in two specific fields which also benefit 
from information supplied by non-Member States.
(1) Four of these organizations have, for instance, sent observers 
to the first orientation seminar at Marseille. Likewise, the 
Commission took part in the conference recently organized by 
CERI in Paris (9 - 12 July 1984).
(2) Activities 3 :  changes in curricula and institutional struc­
tures - CERI/NT/84.09 and 5 (D.1.) :  new functions of teachers 
and implications in terms of qualifications - CERI/NT/84/08.

- 28 -
23. A study should be made of thp ways and means of this coopera­
tion, taking account of the available resources and the need
1to avoid spreading these too thinly .  The Commission's de­
partments will consult with the above-mentioned organization 
on these matters; the present working programme could serve 
as a basis for these consultations. The results could then 
be submitted at the appropriate time to the Education Committee. 
Observers from these organizations might also be invited to 
take part in the meetings of the ad hoc steering committee 
on a regular basis.
24. The work programme presented above overlaps to a large extent 
with the work undertaken within the Working Group "Technology 
Growth, Employment" set up as a result of the Economic Summit 
which took place in Versailles in 1982 - and more especially 
with the activities undertaken under "ANTEM" (New Technologies 
Applied to Education, Vocational Training and Culture). It 
will therefore be necessary to ensure better coordination be­
tween the Commission's Work Programme and these activities, 
in relation to which the Commission has played until now the 
role of an observer.
(1) Active cooperation at project level is possible, under certain 
conditions, as is shown by the joint Commission/OECD programme 
within the framework of the Local Employment Initiatives pro­
ject.