Opinion of the Committee of the Regions — Opening up education
Date: 2014-01-31
Institutions: European Committee of the Regions, Provisional data
Subjects: digital literacy, digital technology, innovation, new technology, open university, teacher, teaching quality








C_2014126EN.01002001.xml










26.4.2014   


EN


Official Journal of the European Union


C 126/20





Opinion of the Committee of the Regions — Opening up education
2014/C 126/06
I.   POLICY RECOMMENDATIONS

THE COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS


Introduction








1.


welcomes the Commission's communication on opening up education, and feels that this is a good time to stimulate high-quality, innovative ways of teaching and learning using new technologies with digital content. The general aim of the actions to which the communication relates is to improve results and the achievement of objectives, inter alia by increasing motivation and making learning processes more effective;










2.


notes that the priorities highlighted in the document primarily relate to:






—


open learning environments, with new conditions for and forms of teaching and learning for a digital world, and teachers who are thoroughly familiar with these concepts;










—


open educational resources, i.e. greater access to knowledge, teaching materials and other online resources;










—


promotion of networks and joint efforts among the various stakeholders and interested parties, with a view to highlighting the situation and stimulating and promoting the elements of an efficient ICT market;














3.


endorses the Commission's comment that the new technologies ‘allow all individuals to learn, anywhere, anytime, through any device, with the support of anyone’, but stresses that making this a reality will require considerable involvement of local and regional authorities from an early stage;










4.


agrees with the Commission's conclusions that:






—


the framework conditions for educational institutions need to change to allow for the implementation of forms of learning that include ICT and open learning environments, such as testing and marking methods;










—


teacher training needs to be updated and to be provided using ‘digital pedagogies’;










—


digital skills involve more than just being able to use computers in a technical sense — they involve in particular being able to use them creatively and critically;










—


access to top-quality free teaching materials is crucial, and cross-border copyright issues must be resolved;










—


strategic expansion of broadband is a key issue;














5.


sees support for access to open educational resources (1) as a major challenge. Progress is already being made, but it should be carefully considered how this can be achieved systematically so that it includes everybody, not just those who spontaneously develop an interest;










6.


also sees getting education providers, teachers and students to acquire digital skills, and thus developing these ways of learning and teaching, as a major challenge. This must be stimulated, activated and accelerated. A certain number of study modules are already available to support teachers' and head teachers' digital competences;










7.


does not doubt that development will automatically generate a range of new technical possibilities, and that these possibilities will be taken up by individuals who are spontaneous early adopters. In the Committee's view, efforts need to be made at EU, national, regional and local level to ensure the provision of sustainable, secure systems that have an impact throughout the education sector, and to help ensure that these systems have an optimum effect on the educational environment. Not everyone has the same ability to make use of technical opportunities, so consideration should be given to special measures to prevent the gap between different groups from widening;










8.


feels that these efforts need to be systematised and structured to ensure that they are inclusive, regardless of factors such as schooling, type of school, educational situation, sex, age, social background, ethnicity and place of residence. Technology should also be implemented in a way that respects people's integrity and shared values. When introducing new technology for educational purposes and developing innovative ways of learning and teaching, it is necessary to ensure protection of individual integrity and the personal data held by teachers;










9.


agrees with the Commission that digital skills involve much more than just the technical ability to use a computer; they also include the ability to look critically and reflectively at information and to use interactive media responsibly. An interest in engaging in communities and networks for cultural, social and/or professional purposes also supports this skill;










10.


notes that one of the main objectives of the Commission's initiative is to launch a wide-ranging debate in Europe on open education resources, in order to develop new innovative and more effective ways of learning with new technologies and to take advantage of the new opportunities they provide to create and make use of contacts and networks associated with these ways of learning;










11.


supports this and considers that local and regional authorities have a key role to play in dissemination and implementation, and in discussing and appraising different initiatives to develop infrastructure. These efforts should therefore involve all levels of government — European, national, regional and local;










12.


notes that local and regional authorities are heavily affected by these development issues, both in their capacity as social players and as education providers. Well-educated citizens are also needed with relevant work and social skills to ensure further development and social cohesion;










13.


feels that, with regard to application of new technologies, the focus needs to shift from looking solely at individual teachers' IT skills and approach towards considering the context in which teachers work. There needs to be greater attention to and focus on the authority level, where curricula and policies can inspire greater use of IT in teaching;






Transformative actions for teaching








14.


notes that the Commission communication highlights the fact that development in Europe is not keeping pace with and risks falling behind other parts of the world, and therefore feels that there is a real need to look more closely at the reasons why e.g. the US and certain countries in Asia are investing successfully in ICT-based strategies to transform education;










15.


therefore supports the Commission's proposal to use the new educational programmes Erasmus+ and Horizon 2020 to support education providers in developing new business and educational models and launch activities to test innovative teaching methods, curriculum development and skills assessment;










16.


considers the development of criteria for assessing educational achievement that are appropriate to the new forms of learning and learning environments to be a key factor for the success of these new forms. The Commission has also addressed this issue in the past (2);










17.


points out that studies have clearly shown that, whether intentionally or unintentionally, education tends to focus on what is tested, or ‘teaching to the test’. If the traditional forms of national tests and exams are retained, these new skills are unlikely to have a really significant impact. In many overly traditional educational environments, using ICT tools and smartphones is seen as cheating;










18.


feels that new approaches to skills assessment often need to get away from the traditional segmentation of school subjects, so that they can include targets based on requirements for developing key competences;










19.


sees here a need to depart from traditional summative tests, which might be carried out using computers, towards continuous assessment throughout the learning process that captures dynamic changes and can provide on-going feedback on misunderstandings and mistakes. If students are working in a digital environment, tools can be developed to gather this information continuously and provide effective feedback. The possibility of more structured and transparent follow-up makes it easier for educators to monitor each student individually and take any necessary action at an early stage, as the Commission communication points out;










20.


also notes in this connection the effort initiated by the Commission to explore and test, in cooperation with stakeholders and Member States, digital competence frameworks and self-assessment tools for learners, teachers and educational institutions. Here, too, the Committee of the Regions would stress that it is important for local and regional authorities — as those actually on the ground — to be involved at an early stage and to act as a hub for development and change processes;










21.


feels that the Commission needs to play a significant role in promoting learning in different ways across national and language boundaries using new technologies and creative and innovative forms of learning. In many cases this will encourage and stimulate the development of foreign-language learning, but it should also encompass social subjects, culture, arts and science;










22.


considers it important for Member States and education providers to support innovative teaching and learning environments, for example via the European structural and investment funds. At the same time, in many cases there is a need for a review at national level, or at the legislative level, of what curricular requirements may hinder forms of learning and knowledge transfer that are different from traditional classroom-based teaching. A review of this kind may mean that education systems (and curricular requirements) will have to be reorganised to promote greater use of modern technical aids for learning, teaching, testing and assessing;










23.


points out that from a regional development perspective, efforts should be made to ensure that the gradually decreasing digital divide in terms of access to ICT equipment is not succeeded by a similar divide in terms of how the equipment is used. In view of this, additional programmes are needed, particularly for rural areas and disadvantaged groups — to prevent the emergence of a ‘secondary digital divide’, or in the event of such a divide already existing, to narrow the gap;










24.


notes that many currently available ICT-based forms of learning relate to university-level education. At this level, learners have often already acquired the ability to work independently to find and process information. It is now possible to study completely free of charge and obtain qualifications from Stanford, MIT or Harvard universities, without extensive access, qualification or selection requirements. This influx of millions of students is fundamentally changing the standard model of university education;










25.


believes it is important to ask whether, in 15 years' time, certain high-profile universities — most of them English-speaking — will dominate the higher education sector, and many nationally or regionally based universities could be perceived as less attractive, or whether this phenomenon will be of only marginal significance;










26.


notes that increasing international competition may affect different disciplines to different degrees. Subjects and courses of study with a significant national orientation, such as law or teacher training, where both syllabus and course books are for the most part country-specific, will probably be less affected than subjects that are international in nature, such as many technical and scientific fields, medicine and modern languages;










27.


notes that small and medium-sized enterprises have an ever larger role to play in European growth, as well as in regional and local growth. Global competition and new technologies are changing demands on knowledge and skills;










28.


points out that both organisations and individuals increasingly frequently need to adapt — learn new skills, and learn more — in order to keep pace with developments. This makes it all the more necessary for businesses and regions to develop innovative ways of safeguarding skills availability in the future. Lack of the right knowledge and skills is regarded as the greatest obstacle to this. The Committee sees greater public access to open education, such as online courses, as an important element in eliminating this obstacle;










29.


believes that specific efforts are needed to provide systematic, comprehensive support for the development of younger pupils. Studies have shown that children can easily learn to use e-readers at a young age. There is also a need to gather experience of how teaching and instruction using modern digital technology can support younger learners;










30.


considers the primary objective to be to support development of the right and interconnected skills more effectively, for example teaching children to show initiative, to guide their own learning and to assess their own progress. Some good initiatives are already in place, but the Committee highlights the need for efforts to ensure that all pupils can benefit;










31.


notes that, in general, Europe is seeing significant migration away from already sparsely populated regions, from rural areas and from small and medium-sized towns towards big cities. The Committee thinks that there is a need to study in more detail how new technologies can particularly support learning, information-gathering, communication and networking in more sparsely populated areas where pupil numbers are declining, schools are at risk of closure and children may therefore have to travel long distances to school. New technologies can hardly replace trained teachers on site, but there is a need to consider and promote ways of using ICT and appropriately equipped teachers to provide a wide range of education and training options that are relevant and of a high standard;










32.


would also draw attention to the requirements of adult education, which could be supported and developed. In the Committee's view, the facilities provided by new technology and teaching methods present new options for developing more flexible methods of adult learning, enabling people to combine studies at different educational levels so that they can acquire the skills they need to establish their professional status more quickly and regardless of where in a given region they live;










33.


notes that this, in turn, could be facilitated by providing ways at local and/or regional level of helping people to draw up individual study plans and with issues of validation and guidance; it should be possible for skills acquired outside of formal education or in another country to be recognised, e.g. by validation. However, the situation needs to be reviewed to remove any obstacles in national regulatory systems and to provide incentives for the various stakeholders — such as universities — to cooperate and participate;










34.


also considers it necessary to look into ways of documenting recognition of skills developed using digital technology and acquired online by means of validation in line with instruments developed at national and European level. To this effect, the creation of a genuine European area of skills and qualifications is of paramount importance. It therefore urges the European Commission to swiftly come up with a concrete proposal in this field;










35.


points out that successful learning that integrates the use of ICT creates an environment in which learners can be better equipped to meet the needs and demands of the current and future labour market. This is an extremely important issue at local and regional level;










36.


notes that new forms of learning will also generate new and different skills profiles that may often conflict with traditional training patterns, documentation and examination forms. This means that it may be necessary to develop and promote a prior understanding of this in the world of work. Local and regional authorities could play an active role in supporting employers and local/regional working life representatives in these matters;






Access to knowledge and opportunities to use open knowledge








37.


would stress that high-quality free educational resources are a cornerstone of successful education. The Commission communication highlights the importance of access to knowledge that is open, i.e. provided using tools that are accessible to all;










38.


joins the Commission in stressing that this need not be pure distance learning in its more traditional form. Instead, it involves providing educational resources alongside more conventional teaching materials, allowing a mix of direct teaching and online learning. According to the public consultations held, this kind of education is still far too fragmented and inconsistent in its application;










39.


considers it important for pupils and teachers to have access to appropriate modern equipment, and sees access to broadband as a key element in enabling everyone to participate. As pointed out in OECD reports and elsewhere, computers themselves are decreasing in importance, while internet access is becoming ever more important (3). Not only does the situation vary between Member States, but there are also significant variations in access within countries;










40.


considers it necessary to support regions that are lagging behind, so that all learners have equivalent facilities for using this technology, with strategic expansion of broadband being a key issue. In regions and areas that are excluded, young people are deprived of the new opportunities for learning and democratic education that can be developed elsewhere (4);










41.


shares the Commission's view that all schools, and ideally all classrooms, should be connected to broadband and given access to open databases, using structural and investment funds, and reiterates its previous comments that widespread use of ICT among higher education providers could help to increase student numbers in higher education in sparsely populated areas, island and mountain areas and the outermost regions (5);










42.


stresses, however, that it will be no good using the latest technology if it is not combined with the latest teaching methods. A traditional view of knowledge is that it will increase simply if more information is available, which puts the responsibility for knowledge on the pupils themselves. This is not an effective approach, and it is therefore important to distinguish between access to information and the process by which it is converted into knowledge, which is always done by the individual person;










43.


notes that this conversion process is highly dependent on a person's situation, prior understanding, interest and motivation, and that opportunities for digital learning and relevant educational activities should be seen in this light. New technologies could be used to deliver different forms of learning tailored to pupils'/students' learning styles. All learning styles can be supported much better now thanks to digital technology;






Legal issues requiring clarification








44.


notes that cloud computing is becoming increasingly common in a variety of areas, not least direct data storage, where providers offer a set amount of storage space to businesses and organisations, which can access it via the internet. Different types of internet have been available for around the past ten years. One of the basic principles is that users should not notice a difference between a file saved on a local server and one hosted on a server thousands of miles away;










45.


would draw attention here to a number of issues that arise when personal data and student files are stored with private operators, often in another part of the world. One question is whether these businesses are prepared to sign user agreements with numerous local, regional and national authorities in various countries. The Committee would welcome a more coordinated approach to this on the part of the Commission;










46.


also raises the question of who owns the rights to the materials produced by teachers and pupils, whether or not as part of their school work. More and more of them are creating their own teaching and learning resources, in addition to materials produced by others that can be adapted. There are many reasons why the quantity of self-produced material is increasing — including the fact that production equipment such as computers, camcorders and digital cameras are becoming much cheaper;










47.


notes that such equipment is also becoming easier to use, while users' own skills are increasing. Licensing procedures can enable creators of materials to choose which rights they wish to retain and which they are prepared to cede. This may involve clarifying legal rights over digital content such as web pages, educational material, music, videos, photographs and blogs, and in some cases will require licences tailored to the legislation in several countries. In the Committee of the Regions' opinion, it would be appropriate for the Commission to be involved in establishing technical solutions and robust frameworks in this area;










48.


notes that it is also important, not least for local and regional authorities, to clarify how long educational transcripts and similar documents can be kept publicly accessible;










49.


also raises concerns about ‘data mining’, i.e. how to respond to businesses using pupils' and school employees' data to be sold to others;






Cooperation in education; networks








50.


believes that, as highlighted above, cooperation between the various parts of Europe will only be possible if particular attention is paid to disadvantaged areas to ensure that Member States and regions that are lagging behind the rest of Europe can use structural and investment funds support to develop local ICT systems and take part in joint projects with other schools in Europe, and to ensure that they have access to open education resources;










51.


points out that, for most people, the process of gaining knowledge is enriched by opportunities to collaborate in developing new ideas, asking questions and thinking critically. It is also these kinds of skills that are seen as increasingly important for today's and tomorrow's work and society. In the Committee's view, the templates now being developed through social media and computer and video games and the general increase in interaction in the media society, mean that the education and training systems of today need to integrate such arenas into learning;










52.


points out that the OECD study mentioned earlier (6) also shows that the most common IT activities involve teachers preparing exercises for pupils, browsing to prepare for lessons, and producing presentations. Much less frequently, teachers communicate digitally with parents to assess pupils' progress digitally or to evaluate digital learning resources. The Committee feels that this shows how important it is to boost and develop educational activities involving ICT, not least by means of opportunities to communicate with other schools and their teachers and pupils;






Concerted efforts








53.


considers it important to launch a joint European platform open to various stakeholders, in order to develop benchmarks and indicators to monitor more closely progress in information and communications technologies by various education providers in schools and other learning environments;






Specific comments of the Committee of the Regions








54.


notes that the development needs highlighted in the Commission's communication — in terms of the need to stimulate high-quality, innovative ways of learning and teaching using new technologies and digital content — significantly affect the local and regional levels, both in their capacity as authorities, education providers and (in some cases) operators, and in their capacity as customers with a need for and interest in well-educated workers and well-equipped citizens. Despite this, there is very little reference to the local and regional levels in the communication;










55.


calls for more prominent involvement and recognition, in future work on the subject, of local and regional authorities as arenas for discussion and action to secure the technical conditions for digital technology-supported learning, for the development of innovative education methods adapted to such learning, for access to open education resources, and for supporting the development of networks and contacts for this kind of learning.





Brussels, 31 January 2014.


The President of the Committee of the Regions

Ramón Luis VALCÁRCEL SISO




(1)  Open Education Resources (OER) were defined by UNESCO in 2002 as ‘teaching, learning or research materials that are in the public domain or released with an intellectual property license that allows for free use, adaptation, and distribution’. Open Education (OE) is a wider concept that refers to practices and organisations aiming at removing barriers to entry to education. OER are a part of OE, which has expanded strongly through the use of ICT.

(2)  COM(2012) 669.

(3)  OECD (2012) Connected minds. Technology and Today’s learners. (Paris).

(4)  CdR 3597/2013; CdR 2414/2012.

(5)  CdR 2392/2012.

(6)  OECD (2012) Connected minds. Technology and Today’s learners. (Paris).