CELEX: 51991DC0388
Language: en
Date: 1991-11-12 00:00:00
Title: MEMORANDUM ON OPEN DISTANCE LEARNING IN THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITY

COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES
                                                C0M(91) 388 final
                                                Brussels, 12 November 1991
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                                  MEMORANDUM
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                                      on
                            OPEN DISTANCE LEARNING
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                            THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITY
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                         (presented by the Commission)
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 ---pagebreak---                                        - 2 -
Background
1.  The importance of Open Distance Learning for the European Community
    was recognised by the European Parliament when it adopted a
     resolution on the Open universities in the European Community on July
     10, 1 9 8 7 ^ ) . Arising from a number of requests which the Parliament
     addressed to the Commission in the context of this resolution a
     preliminary document, defining priority areas for Community action in
    Open Distance Learning was prepared^2) and on May 24, 1991, the
     Commission approved a report on Open and Distance Higher Education in
     the European Commun Ity< 3 ).
Z,. At the initiative of the Irish presidency on May 30, 1990, the
    Council discussed the possibilities for Community actions in the
     field of Open Distance Learning and requested the Commission to
     prepare proposals for such actions in close consultation with the
     Member States.
3.   The establishment of a national experts group, whose members were
     nominated by the Governments and who represented the sectors both of
     education and vocational training in the Member States, has provided
     the opportunity to consider national priorities in Open Distance
     Learning and to indicate areas where Community action in accordance
     with the principle of subsidiarity would be warranted.
4.   This memorandum details the importance of Open Distance Learning in a
     broad range of education and training activities for the Member
     States and for the European Community. It refers to actions in this
     area already and shows how Community programmes complement and are
     complemented by actions in the Open Distance Learning field being
     taken within the context of existing Community programmes. It
      indicates a need for policies and actions at institutional and Member
     State level which would extend the scope, power and application of
     Open Distance Learning and refers to areas where a sharing of
     experience and expertise and possible Joint actions at European level
     could be taken with benefit within the framework of the creation of
     transEuropean Infrastructural networks for vocational and
     professional training.
 Investment in Education and Training - A Community Priority
 5.  There is a growing conviction that the European Community must invest
     heavily in its human capital if it is to be in a position to confront
     and master the challenges of the coming decades. This conviction has
     been born of the imminence of the completion of the Internal Market,
     requiring for its success a whole new range of skills in management,
     communication and organisation. The measures taken by the Community
      in relation to the learning of languages and the promotion of
     mobility during training are designed to foster these skills.
(1) Doc. A2 - 69/87
(2) Distance Education and Training.
     Commission Staff Working Paper
     SEC (90)479, 7 March 1990.
(3) Open and Distance Higher Education in the European Community. Report
     from the Commission, SEC (91) 897 Final, 24 May 1991.
 ---pagebreak---                                     - 3 -
6.  The advances in science and technology and their application to
    enterprise, administration and to daily living serve to reinforce
     this conviction. These advances are rendering the skills and
     knowledge of the existing workforce obsolescent at an increasingly
     rapid rate, leading to a need for frequent retraining. They are also
     bringing about a shift towards an increasing knowledge content in
    work as industry becomes increasingly knowledge-based and knowledge-
     driven. As an consequence of this shift there is a perceived need
     for an upgrading of the qualifications of the labour force.
     Education and training are seen as prime determinants of economic
     success and fears are frequently expressed that investment in
     research and development and in technological improvement may not
     yield the expected returns without an accompanying effort in the
     development of human resources.<4^
7.   Such an effort would also be warranted in order to remain competitive
      in the global market. The evidence available would indicate that the
     Community's major trading competitors in the developed world are
     concentrating very heavily, and to a greater extent than in Europe,
     on improving the skills and knowledge of their existing and potential
      labour force.
8.   The demographic position in the European Community, wherein the
     numbers of young people available to renew the labour force over the
     next two decades are declining, also gives cause for concern. In
     these circumstances the economy cannot rely on new recruitment for
     the necessary injection of new knowledge and new skills and must look
     also to an Increasing extent towards upgrading the qualifications of
     the existing workforce.
9.   An increase in the rate of participation in the active labour force
     from among groups, hitherto underrepresented, must also be sought. A
     particular example of such a group would be women wishing to return
      to the labour force after some years exercising family
      responsibilities. It will be necessary to provide training so that
     such groups will have access to skills and knowledge of a kind which
     will be in demand on the labour market.
 10. The last decade has been marked by significant skill shortages in the
     Community even while unemployment continued to rise. This apparent
      paradox is the outcome of a fast rate of Job destruction/Job creation
      in an economy undergoing rapid transformation and modernisation. In
      the midst of this change it was evident that the better educated and
      qualified, who could more readily adapt to changing work
      requirements, enjoyed greater Job stability and higher living
      standards. It is in the light of such a situation that the Community
       is proposing a right of access to continuing training for workers in
      companies^5^.
 (4) Skills Shortages in Europe, irdac Opinion (Industrial Research and
      Development Advisory Committee of the Commission of the European
      Communities), November 1990.
 (5) Community Charter of the Fundamental Social Rights of Workers,
      Article 15.
 ---pagebreak---                                      - A -
11. The dependence of new enterprise on qualified and skilled manpower
    for its success is a major consideration in the context of structural
    policies. For this reason the structural funds have strongly
    supported training and retraining measures in the regions of the
    Community and in areas where traditional industries are undergoing
    significant economic restructuring. Actions of this kind are likely
    to assume an increasing importance in rural areas as a result of
    evolving agricultural policies.
12. All of the foregoing factors argue compel Iingly for :
             increasing the level of qualification of new entrants to the
             workforce;
             updating and upgrading the qualifications of the existing
             workforce through continuing education and training;
             providing training of a kind which will lead to increased
             rates of participation in the labour force among hitherto
             under represented groups-,
             securing a greater synergy between education and training and
             economic life so as to ensure the relevance, balance and
             capability of application of skills and knowledge.
13. The achievement of the foregoing objectives calls for more varied,
    more open and more flexible structures of education and training.
    These structures would need to be designed in accordance with the
    needs of clients and to be adaptable to their employment, social and
    educational circumstances. Open Distance Learning is seen as a key
    component in the creation of such structures.
The Potential of Open Distance Learning
14. By "Open Learning" is meant any form of learning which includes
    elements of flexibility which make it more accessible to students
     than courses traditionally provided in centres of education and
     training. This flexibility arises variously from the content of the
    course and the way in which it is structured, the place of provision,
     the mode, medium or timing of its delivery, the pace at which the
    student proceeds, the forms of special support available and the
     types of assessment offered (including credit for experiential
     learning). Very often the "openness" is achieved, in part at least,
    by the use of new information and communications media.
 ---pagebreak---                                    - 5 -
15. "Distance Learning" is defined as any form of study not under the
    continuous or immediate supervision of tutors, but which nevertheless
    benefits from the planning, guidance and tuition of a tutorial
    organisation. Distance learning has a large component of independent
    or autonomous learning and is therefore heavily dependent on the
    didactic design of materials which must substitute for the
    interactivity available between student and teacher in ordinary face
    to face instruction. The autonomous component is invariably
    supported by tutoring and counselling systems which ideally are
    provided at regional/local study centres and to an increasing extent
    by modern communications media. Because open distance learning is
    meant to be adaptable to the pace of the student the material is
    generally structured in units or modules geared to specific learning
    outcomes.
    The presence of a strong autonomous component in Open Distance
    Learning is very much in keeping with the ideas current in higher
    education of making students more responsible for attaining their own
     learning objectives.
16. The achievements in the field of information and communication
    technologies (ICT) have contributed to the rapid development of open
    distance learning.
    The advent of telecom services such as data networks and access to
    on-line databases, had a revolutionary impact on the way in which
     information can be stored and retrieved. A growing information
    services market, world-wide, is featuring now many products and
    services.
    The development of videotext services across Europe (Minitel in
    France, Prestel in the UK, various services in Spain, Italy and
    Portugal etc), has given the possibility of low cost data access to
     the large public, while at the same time, totally new services have
    emerged, based solely at the new technology of telematics. At the
    same time, new products, based on ICT present the user with numerous
    possibilities, especially for the use of training purposes.
     Interactive multimedia technologies make interaction possible with
     the trainee without the direct and constant intervention of a human
     tutor
 ---pagebreak---                                     - 6 -
17. The extraordinary potential of Open Distance Learning arises from the
    freedom it enjoys from constraints of time, place and pace. This
    endows it with an extensive flexibility which makes it readily
    adaptable to the needs of the consumer. It has particular appeal to
     the working population as it can be geared to make minimum intrusion
     into the requirements of the Job. Training leave can be taken with
    particular regard to the needs of production and the use of Open
     Distance Learning enables the value of such leave to be maximised.
    Open Distance Learning can be used on its own or as a component of
     other learning systems. It can be used by individuals widely
     dispersed or by concentrated groups. It can reach across the
     boundaries of regions, countries and continents. It has an extremely
     wide range of application either on its own or in conjunction with
     conventional education and training systems.< 6 >
 (6) Full Interactive multimedia technologies use normally a we 11-tempered
     personal computer workstation, which may be boosted to a full
      interactive multimedia machine with the addition of an audio
     processor card, interactive video, and image manipulation mechanisms
     via Graphical User Interfaces. Optical disc technology (laservision
     and compact-disc) offers low costs mass data storage, while at the
     same time it features characteristics like high quality sound and
      image. Thus, Videodiscs are currently used in many interactive
     multimedia training applications around Europe, while CD-ROM
     (Compact-Disc Read-On I y Memory) is also a competitive cost-effective
     alternative. Digital Video Interactive (DVI) is needed when a
     standard business PC is to form the basis of a multimedia training
    system. CD-I (Compact Disc - Interactive) is a unique new system,
    designed for the consumer and the training markets of the '90's.
    Capable of handling image, texts, sound and graphics, CD-I offers
    also an excellent media for language handling, since it features a
    unique 16-sound channel possibility. CDTV (Compact Disc Televison)
     is another multimedia system, aimed at low cost applications. Last
    but not least, Satellite Television is capable of delivering not only
     linear but also interactive training materials, which may be encoded
    and recorded on magnetic storage media, then decoded and ready-for-
    use. One has also to stress that the development of new software
    tools is expected to greatly enhance the possibilities of the present
    and future multimedia hardware.
 ---pagebreak---                                    _ 7 -
18. The following areas of education/training provision are identified as
    ones where Open Distance Learning can play a highly significant
    role :
            extending opportunities of access to and participation in
            education and training at all levels;
            strengthening the education/training infrastructure of less
            favoured regions and of remote areas by extending the range
            of training available in institutions and directly to
            individuals and groups;
            creating trans-European networks for training and hence
            creating a greater cohesion of the European education and
            training systems using "clearing houses" and "transfer
            points" for exchange in the field of open distance learning;
            providing continuing education and training for the
            workforce;
             improving the quality of training programmes through the
             incorporation of external high quality inputs and by
            utilising multimedia competence;
            consolidating partnerships in training both within and
            between Member States and as between institutions and
             industry;
            supporting the reconversion and innovation of education and
            training in the countries of Central and Eastern Europe;
            delivering advanced training and disseminating the results of
            research;
            making available a European dimension in the
            education/training of those who do not have the opportunity
             to spend a period of study abroad and, in particular,
            providing such a dimension in the inservice training of
             teachers;
             teaching about the European Community, its laws, institutions
            and poIi c i es on a worId-w i de bas I s ;
            providing Europe-wide education and training programmes on a
            competitive basis.
 ---pagebreak---                                      - 8 -
The Position of Open Distance Learning in the Member States
19. During the past two decades major efforts have been made to promote
     Open Distance Learning as a means of education and training,
     particularly for the adult population. These efforts have resulted,
     in some countries, in the creation of Open Distance Learning
     facilities as departments attached to existing university level
     institutions. In others, such as Spain, the United Kingdom, Germany,
     the Netherlands and Portugal, separate and independent open/distance
     teaching universities were established. The size and sophistication
     of these systems differ widely as does the extent to which they are
      integrated with institutional educational structures. They are
     described in detail in the Commission's recent communication on this
      issue. The principal public developments in the Open Distance
     Learning areas have been at the level of higher education and
     advanced training, offering main courses principally of university
     degree level and updating courses of an advanced technological nature
     to postgraduate students already employed in enterprise.
 20. In some Member States specialised institutions and national
     associations for applying Open Distance Learning in the field of
     vocational training are playing an important role in meeting skills
     needs.
      Examples of these are FUNDESCO in Spain, FUNDETEC in Portugal and
     CNAM and CNED in France. An important development is the creation of
      training partnerships between enterprises and institutions for
     vocational training, using Open Distance Learning methods. In the
     overall, however, there is little evidence of serious public
     development in the application of Open Distance Learning to levels of
      basic education or to vocational training at the non-advanced
      levels^ 7 ) There is considerable private enterprise interest in the
      development of multimedia packages in the area of non-advanced
      vocational training and these packages can be used in an Open
      Distance Learning mode. Their principal usage is in large
      enterprise and in multi-branch firms in the services sector.
      Available information would indicate that the participation of small
      and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Open Distance Learning, as in
      continuing education, remains to be developed.
 (7) With the exception of Portugal where the National TV provides for
      basic education on the 5th and 6th levels.
 ---pagebreak---                                    - 9-
21. Over the last decade a number of European-based organisations have
    become the focal points for development in the Open Distance Learning
    field. The European Association of Distance Teaching Universities
    (EADTU) is representative of these establishments in twelve European
    countries. EUROPACE is a group of high technology companies and
    universities developing satellite-based continuing training.
    EUROSTEP is an association of users of satellites in education and
    training programmes. " Channel e " is a television service,
    delivering satellite broadly educational and informative programmes,
    while carrying-out a number of research tasks on technical
    specifications. SATURN brings together open and distance teaching
    univesities and enterprises, notably certain SMEs. There is also an
    Association of European Correspondence Schools (AECS) that represents
     in particular the private providers of distance education. These
    organisations have been stimulated by the Commission in the context
    of existing Community programmes aimed at promoting greater
    cooperation in education and training. The activities of these
    organisations would reinforce the impression that many Open Distance
    Learning developments are directed at higher level studies.
22. There are aspects of Open Distance Learning that are penetrating
    conventional education and training structures to an increasing
    extent. In particular, the development of cheaper hardware and more
    powerful software tools have meant that multimedia and networking
    approaches, which characterise Open Distance Learning, are being
     increasingly adopted as teaching tools in many different types and
     levels of education and training establishment or will be soon
    within its reach. The didactic principles underlying Open Distance
    Learning of carefully structuring course content into units or
    modules relating to specific learning outcomes are also engaging the
    attention, particularly of higher education institutions. They see
     in this approach a means of making students more responsible for
    their own learning and of creating course structures which would
    answer to the needs of increasing permeability, facilitating the
    mobility of students between courses, institutions and countries and
    catering for growing numbers of continuing education students. There
    are some instances of distance teaching being applied to making
    external inputs of high quality into conventional teaching
    programmes. Notwithstanding these developments the level of
     integration between Open Distance Learning and traditional
    educational structures is not very strong and the mixing of these
     different modes as part of an overall approach to supplying education
     and training needs is not much in evidence. The emergence of the
     common ground and common interest already outlined could,
     nevertheless, be instrumental in bringing about a desirable level of
     integration.
 ---pagebreak---                                    - 10 -
23. The restriction in the level and range of Open Distance Learning
    opportunities also constitutes a serious problem.    It is most
    important that such opportunities be extended to cover the needs and
    priorities of Member States, enterprises and individuals. Given the
    heterogeneity of the populations to be catered for in education and
    training and the variety of modes by which this will be necessary, a
    more extensive provision in the areas of science, technology,
    business studies and languages would appear to be required. This
    provision would need to embrace levels lower than that of a
    university degree. The important technician area, which is in the
    frontline of technological change at an operations level, must be
    catered for, at least at upper secondary level and particularly
    within the framework of continuing education and training. So too
    must the craft area, where multiskitIing has become the typical
    response to changing production requirements. Non-advanced further
    education and training on an Open Distance Learning basis also needs
    widespread development to cater for workers who are seeking to update
    their skills or to improve their qualifications within the context of
    educational leave. Member States who are endeavouring to strengthen
    their provision of basic education by increasing participation at the
    upper secondary level and by extending the range of studies,
    particularly by incorporating vocational and technological
    components, may find in Open Distance Learning a way of solving some
    of their problems.
24. There is a very wide variety of actors involved with Open Distance
    Learning and it would seem likely that this range will be extended in
     the future. They will come from different levels and types of
    educational institutions, from training institutions within the
    employment sector, from publishing companies, from the social
    partners and from enterprises who are producers, transmitters and
     consumers of Open Distance Learning products. To meet the various
     needs for coordination more than one body for this purpose should be
    envisaged. Major efforts of coordination will be required to give
     structure and standing to Open Distance Learning within the regions
     and the Members States, to maintain standard and quality and to
     ensure complementarity between the roles of public and private
     enterprise in this area. Substantial initiatives will be required in
     assessing the needs and demands for Open Distance Learning, in
     developing the necessary delivery systems and their accompanying
     technology, in providing the counselling , tutorial and interactive
     support that students require in their studies and in ensuring a
      level of recognition in terms of credits and qualifications which
     would be on a par with those achieved through conventional studies
     and which would take account of experiential learning. The formation
     of partnerships between institutions and enterprises, the creation of
     networks involving producers and consumers, the formation of
 ---pagebreak---                                   - 11 -
    consortia for the delivery of total training packages, the creation
    of advisory structures for SMEs and for sectors which would also have
    responsibility for the assessment of training needs and the
    commissioning of the necessary training, all of these are strategies
    which would support the permeation of Open Distance Learning in an
    effective and economic manner.
25. Much remains to be done also in clarifying Member State policies
    towards the financing of Open Distance Learning. Primary questions
    regarding the rationale for and the level of public subsidy need to
    be resolved as does also the balance of any such subsidy between the
    producer and the consumer. Equality of opportunity would appear to
    imply that those who wish to avail themselves of educational and
    training opportunities through Open Distance Learning should not be
    disadvantaged as a result of this choice. Social policy
    considerations may well dictate the terms under which Open Distance
    Learning is made available to groups such as the unemployed, people
    suffering from disability, people residing in remote areas, or
    workers whose livelihood is under threat. It is important that Open
    Distance Learning should find a place in any training policies
    envisaged to support industries undergoing transformation due to new
    technology or to help the regions catch up in terms of knowledge and
    skills as a development strategy. The manpower situation in the
    coming decades may well produce an environment where a mixture of
    work and training, with components of Open Distance Learning, may be
    much more the norm for many young people.
 ---pagebreak---                                    - 12 -
The Interest of the European Community in Open Distance Learning
26. The interest of the European Community in Open Distance Learning
     arises from a recognition of the contribution which it can make to
     the achievement of the objectives of education and training policies
     in the Member States and in the Community as a whole and the extent
     to which this contribution can be enhanced by cooperative action.
     There are a number of characteristics of Open Distance Learning which
     make it amenable to cooperative action. First of all there is the
     cost structure where the development and production of courseware and
     the establishment of delivery systems and of supportive facilities
     for students require relatively high initial investment. Notably in
     the Community regions with a less-developed educational
     infractructure, substantial investments might be needed for this
     purpose, like the establishment of demonstration and student support
     centres, and of telecommunication networks. However, once fixed costs
     are met, the marginal costs per student are rapidly decreasing.
     Economies of scale are therefore an important consideration in Open
     Distance Learning and the more widespread the use of the materials
     the more economic the operation becomes. Cost is also related to the
     rate of obsolescence of material and it is important in the design of
     courseware that obsolescence can be corrected for without unnecessary
     discard.
27. Open Distance Learning is in some respects indépendant of national
     boundaries and this can contribute to the enlargement of the
     potential market and thus assist the economies of scale. It is also
     an important consideration in relation to the inclusion of a European
     dimension in the education and training provided. The quality of
     Open Distance Learning provision can gain appreciably from a sharing
     of expertise and a pooling or licensing of resources as between
      institutions, enterprises, networks and Member States. In the larger
     European Internal Market there will be competition between Open
     Distance Learning providers and this can also lead, in certain
     circumstances, to an improvement in the quality of product.
28. The Community's interest in Open Distance Learning is accentuated by
     the completion of the Internal Market where the four freedoms of
     movement of goods, services, people and capital are guaranteed under
     the provisions of the Treaty. The freedom to offer services across
     the boundaries of Member States has strong implications for the
      internationalisation of Open Distance Learning and for the
     development of a transnational market in Open Distance Learning
     products and services. The measures announced in the Commission's
     Green Paper on Satellite commun i cat i o n ^ could have the effect of
      improving access to European telecommunication systems for public and
     private Open Distance Learning providers as well as for consumers.
 (8) Towards Europe-wide systems and services. Green Paper on a common
      approach in the field of Satellite Communication in the European
     Community COM (90) 490, 20 November 1990.
 ---pagebreak---                                  - 13 -
The encouragement     of exchange of experience, the provision of
information about Open Distance Learning products and services, the
translation    and    adaptation   of    materials,   movement  towards
standardisation or compatibility of systems, harmonisation of copy and
exploitation rights, the Joint creation of products - ail of these
factors would support the development of a Europe-wide market in Open
Distance Learning. It is important that local structures and support
facilities for students should not be tied to local or national
producers in such a way as to inhibit the operation of such a market.
While a free market would promote competition between Open Distance
Learning providers in Europe it raises also the question of quality
assurance and the protection of consumers in this field who purchase
services across the boundaries of Member States.
29. Mutual recognition of qualifications achieved through Open Distance
    Learning will also be an important issue in order to facilitate
    mobility for further study and employment and in particular on
    account of the international nature of the market. The general
    directive on mutual recognition of qualifications leading to a
     registered profession^9) is based on completion of a course of at
     least three years' duration. At first sight this use of course
    duration as a central factor in according mutual recognition seems
     to pose a problem for Open Distance Learning, where the mastery of
    a set of learning objectives is the criterion for completion and
    where credit for experiential      learning can form part of the
    assessment. However, in actual fact the general directive is
    compatible, without the need for amendment, with Open Distance
    Learning in that it makes provision for recognition between Member
    States not only of professional education and training of at least
     three years' duration at higher-education level, but also of all
    other types of education and training which are recognised by the
    Member State in which they are offered as being of an equivalent
     level and confer the same rights in respect of the pursuit of the
     regulated profession concerned.(1°)
30. in order to promote a balanced development of education and
     training systems in all regions of the Community and hence to
    create a greater cohesion of European education and training
    systems, the Commission has defined Open Distance Learning as one
    of the priority projects for a Community action programme on trans-
    European networks.(11>
(9) Council Directive 89/48/EEC of 21 December 1988 on a general system
     for the recognition of higher-education diplomas awarded on
    completion of professional education and training of at least three
    years' duration. OJ No L 19 of 24 January 1989, p.16.
(10)     cf. last paragraph of Article 1(a) of the Directive.
(11)     Towards Trans-European    Networks, For    a Community  Action
         Programme, COM (90) 585 final, 10 December 1988.
 ---pagebreak---                                   - 14 -
Complementarity of Open Distance Learning with existing Community
Programmes
31. As part of its efforts to promote initial and continuing education
    the Commission has viewed Open Distance Learning as an activity which
    complements a number of existing and ongoing Community programmes,
     its relationship to these programmes is as follows :
32. ERASMUS*12*
    This is a programme of interuniversity cooperation and mobility.
    When first conceived the programme envisaged a study abroad period
    for 10% of all students as a means of providing a European dimension
     in their education. Open Distance Learning is seen as one means of
    providing a European dimension for the remaining 90% and, in
    particular for teachers on an inservice basis. It can also provide a
    means of reaching adult and part-time students. The ECTS pilot
    programme which is part of ERASMUS is concerned with the mutual
    recognition of qualifications and could be of value in addressing the
    problems of recognition and equivalence arising within the Open
    Distance Learning area.
33. L1NGUA<13>
    This programme is designed to support the efforts of the education
    and training systems in the Member States in increasing the
     linguistic competence of young people and employees all over Europe.
    Given the extensive use of Open Distance Learning in the language
     field it is clear that it has the potential to make a major
     contribution to the objectives of this programme, on condition that
     quality standards are kept up. Specific contributions could be
    envisaged in preparing students prior to spending a period of study
     abroad in extending the teaching and learning of the lesser taught
     and lesser used Community languages.
34. C0METT<14>
    Within the COMETT programme Open Distance Learning has been employed
     as an important means of delivering continuing training in advanced
     technologies. The programme has a clear strategy for developing
     models for training partnerships between Open Universities and
     industry and is supporting such partnerships on a pilot basis in the
     provision of Europe-wide delivery structures and in the production of
     training materials.
(12)         0J No. L166 25.06.87 p.20
             0J No. L395 30.12.90 p.23
(13)         OJ No. L239 16.08.89 p.24
(14)         OJ No. L013 17.01.89 p.28
 ---pagebreak---                                     - 15 -
35. TEMPUS(IS)
     In the TEMPUS programme for the development of higher education in
    Central and Eastern Europe, the Open and Distance Teaching
    universities are developing cooperative ventures, such as the
    establishment of European study centres in the major cities of
    Central and Eastern European countries* 16 )
36. EUR0J_ECNEI(17)
    This programme provides for actions concerning changes in initial and
    continuing training policies arising from identification of new
     skills needs in the workforce as a result of technological change.
    Training methodologies based on Open Distance Learning will figure
     increasingly in this programme.
37. FORCE* 18 )
     The FORCE programme aims to support and complement the policies and
     activities developed by Member States to promote access to and
     participation in continuing vocational training. It will also be
     concerned with the contribution that Open Distance Learning can make
     to innovative training approaches for adult learners in firms.
38. DELTA* 19 )
     Through the DELTA programme the Community has been pursuing research
      into the potential of technological development for learning
     purposes. This research concerns, in particular, the cooperative
     development of advanced learning technologies. it is also concerned
     with testing and validating the operation of these technologies in
     terms of securing higher standards, compatibility and cost reductions
     which would make them available to the educational market at
     reasonable pr ice.
39. THE THIRD FRAMEWORK PROGRAMME FOR RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT*2°)
     This programme provides for six main activities within which are a
     number of specific programmes. Continuing action in the field of
     distance learning will be supported within the action entitled
      "Telematics Systems in Areas of Gênerai lnte?rest : Flexible and
     Distance Learning ".
      Its aim is paving the way for the implementation of telematic
     networks through pre-competitive and pro-normative research and
     development.
 (15)         OJ No. L131 23.05.90 p.21
 (16)         The very recent (May) 1991 creation of the Budapest Platform
              for East-West collaboration on distance education may
               increase the opportunities for cooperation in this field.
 (17)         OJ NO. L393 30.12.89 p. 29
 (18)         OJ NO. L156 21.06.90 p. 1
 (19)         OJ NO. L206 30.07.89 p.20
 (20)         OJ No.L 117/28 08.05.90
 ---pagebreak---                                      - 16 -
40. STRUCTURAL FUNDS
    Within the framework of the Structural Funds, Open Distance Learning
    will contribute in particular to the Community Initiatives such as
    EUR0F0RM*21),H0RIZ0N*23)fand NOW* 2 2 ).
41. EUROPEAN OPEN UNIVERSITY
    Recent years have seen the emergence of various proposals for the
    establishment of a European Open University. Given the substantial
    investment already made in existing open and distance teaching
    institutions and also the motivation which they have shown to
    cooperate with each other, the Commission supports the idea that the
    aims and objectives of a European Open University would be best
    achieved through networking amongst the existing institutions rather
    than by creating a new institution as such . Consequently, it has
    supported them being the focal points for delivering open and
    distance teaching, in particular, through a planned programme of
    Joint development of new European level courses as well as
    collaborative actions for course and credit transfer amongst those
     inst itut ions.
    For exemple, supported by several Community Programmes, the European
    Association of Distance Teaching Universities (EADTU) is developing
    open learning modules concerning European integration which are
    suitable for incorporation into academic courses both of the Open and
    Distance Teaching Universities and of conventional institutions.
Specific Fields for Actions
    Taking into consideration the specific role and responsibilities of
     the Member States with regard to open and distance education and
     training and the Community's concern to promote a balanced
    development in this field in all parts of Europe, the Commission has
    defined positive developments that should be encouraged and promoted
42. Actions by Member States to reinforce the necessary training
     Infrastructures in the less favoured, remote and rural zones of the
    Community. The increased utilisation of open and distance education
     and training in these Community regions could improve considerably
     access to education and training.
    Creation of local/regional study support centres has proven to be an
    efficient tool aiming to :
               link distance teaching institutions with regional training
               consortia in particular for meeting training needs for local
               industry;
               introduce and demonstrate open and distance learning
               materials and systems to raise the awareness of the potential
               of open distance learning in local industrial circles-,
(21)           OJ No. C327  29.12.90   p.3
(23)           OJ No. C327  29.12.90   p.9
(22)           OJ No. C327  29.12.90   p.5
 ---pagebreak---                                     - 17 -
            provide learner support (s.a. counselling and tutoring) at
             local level for students, particularly the personnel of
            companies lacking such support structures inside the company
             concerned;
             distribute and deliver open learning materials (from national
             and international producers) on a local level.
43. Actions at Community level to promote the development of a supply of
    open learning materials for Europe-wide delivery, geared notably to
    the training needs of SMEs in particular in key sectors of industrial
    importance.
    Benefitting from and based on the experience and expertise of the
    COMETT programme and the Europe-wide COMETT UETP network, but also
    exploiting the achievement of Member States in this field (such as
    the UK "Open Tec" programme), the Community should encourage :
             pilot schemes in open and distance learning initiated by
             professional or industrial groupings for the benefit of
             company personnel; such schemes may be based either on new
             training courses and materials or on the adaptation of proven
             existing course material to meet the requirements of the new
             target audience;
             sectoral Iy-focussed training actions in fields of strategic
              importance for the Community economy, preferably as
              international Joint ventures between distance teaching
              institutions and companies concerned;
             schemes for the support and evaluation of model distance
             training developed by large companies for the benefit of
             suppIi er compan i es.
44. Actions to encourage and to support transnational cooperation between
    current and potential providers of open and distance learning in
    order to promote wider exploitation of training products.
     In this regard, the Community should encourage :
              adaptation of such products to meet local requirements,
              notably linguistic and cultural;
             establishment of transnational tele-communication structures
              for information exchange and course delivery, exploiting also
              the modern tele-communication and information technology,
              such as satellite communication and telematic networks;
              training measures directed at trainers in order to develop
              and to improve their utilisation of open and distance
              training methods so as to develop a case of good practice;
 ---pagebreak---                                    - 18 -
             clearing-house activities designed for information exchange
             on open and distance teaching opportunities and products and
             the creation of databanks in this field, for promotion of
             quality and standards of training products and delivery
             systems and for accreditation of open and distance courses
             and their evaluation.
45. Specific actions within the ERASMUS programme concerning the
    promotion of distance teaching in the ERASMUS inter-university
    cooperation programmes (ICPs) aiming in particular at :
             creating extra opportunities for students in Europe to add a
             European dimension to their curriculum by studying distance
             courses from abroad;
             promoting collaboration between distance teaching
             universities and conventional universities in Europe for the
             development of common curricula;
             providing opportunities for adults and/or part-time students
             (who are not able to move abroad for a longer period) to
             participate in the ERASMUS programme;
              improving the quality of higher education by enabling
             external high level teaching expertise to be incorporated
              into programmes and by developing multimedia competence in
             higher education institutions.
46. The Commission would also profit from aditionai experience to be
    gained from these Community actions in order to take stock of the
    appropriate research and development applications, involving the
     latest achievements in the field of technology-based learning, making
    full use of information and communication technologies and
    establishing synergies with the different Community R&D programmes.
    This cross-fertilising procedure would enable the Commission and the
    Member States to assist existing distance education and training
    centres in Europe in achieving greater interconnection in order to be
    able to get the most out of their experience.
    The Commission would also work towards promoting cooperative
     activities between the training education and R&D Community
     programmes in the field of common standards, inter-operabiIity of
     software and compatibility between the hardware systems and the
     training methodologies.
 ---pagebreak---                                      - 19 -
47. The Europe-wide delivery of open distance learning courses in an open
    market urges for measures regarding the quality promotion and the
     consumers protection.
48. The open market equally requires community measures to harmonize
     copyright and neighbouring rights. Copyright provides a basis for
     intellectual creation. To protect copyright is to ensure that
     creativity is sustained and developed, in the interest of authors,
     the cultural sector, consumers, the educational system and ultimately
     of society as a whole. Neighbouring rights underpin these objectives
     in various ways, particularly by guaranteeing a proper return to
     those who invest in the provision of these cultural goods and
     services.
     The completion of the internal market requires that authors and other
     right holders will find an identical level of protection at least
     comparable if they wish to exploit their rights in other Member
     States. Thus the conferring of a right and the practical management
     of that right are more and more closely bound up together.
     The changes which technological advance has brought make it urgently
     necessary to strengthen the protection of copyright and neighbouring
     r ights.
     A series of legislative actions, studies and other actions are
     currently being prepared.* 24 ) The main decisions and directives are
     to be adopted by 31 December 1992.
     Conclusion
49. In drawing up this Memorandum, the Commission has taken note of the
     views of the Education Ministers as expressed at the Council meetings
     on May 31, 1990 in Brussels and on November 8, 1990 in Siena. It has
     closely considered the opinion and advices of the National Experts
     group on open and distance learning that had been established on
     request of the Council. It has also benefitted from the studies made
     by experts on behalf of the Commission and from the studies and
     reports from the Council of Europe and of the OECD.
     The Commission is convinced that open and distance learning could
     play a vital role to improve access to education and training for all
     European citizens. On the basis of the discussions, the Council and
      the Ministers in charge of education and training policies could
      request the Commission to undertake specific policies and actions in
      this field at Community level.
 (24)         Green Paper or Copyright and the Challenge of Technology (COM
              (88) 172 FINAL of June 1988) and the follow-up to the Green
              Paper : Working Programme of the Commission in the field of
              Copyright and neighbouring rights (COM(90) FINAL of 17
              January 1991 ).
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                                                                    ISSN 0254-1475
                                                              COM(91) 388 final
                                                      DOCUMENTS
EN                                                                             16
                                 Catalogue number : CB-CO-91-435-EN-C
                                                             ISBN 92-11-16266-1
Office for Official Publications of the European Communities
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