European Union Entrepreneurship and Innovativeness Support Policy for Businesses

To a great extent, growth in entrepreneurship and innovativeness as significant factors in the economic development of Europe and Poland is dependent on the elimination of administrative barriers for companies and the introduction of the facilitating of information and communication (ICT) as needed for them to function.Wzrost przedsiębiorczości i innowacyjności jako istotnych czynników rozwoju gospodarczego w Europie i w Polsce zależą w dużym stopniu od znoszenia barier administracyjnych dla przedsiębiorstw i wprowadzania ułatwień informacyjnych i komunikacyjnych (ICT) dla ich funkcjonowania

How to design for persistence and retention in MOOCs?

Design of educational interventions is typically carried out following a design cycle involving phases of investigation, conceptualization, prototyping, implementation, execution and evaluation. This cycle can be applied at different levels of granularity e.g. learning activity, module, course or programme. In this paper we consider an aspect of learner behavior that can be critical to the success of many MOOCs i.e. their persistence to study, and the related theme of learner retention. We reflect on the impact that consideration of these can have on design decisions at different stages in the design cycle with the aim of en-hancing MOOC design in relation to learner persistence and retention, with particular attention to the European context

Open educational resources in Europe: A triptych of actions to support participation in higher education

In contrast to the face-to-face learning of campus based universities and the focus on traditional students, distance teaching universities focus on a mix of distance learning, e-learning, open learning, virtual mobility, learning communities, and the integration of earning and learning. In doing so, they are taking a leading role in helping to increase and widen participation in lifelong open and flexible learning in higher education by non-traditional groups. This paper discusses three leading-edge European Open Educational Resource initiatives. The initiatives are special in nature and differ from the offers of traditional universities in the sense that they: consist of pedagogically-rich learning materials, specifically designed and developed for distance learning and intended for independent self-study; are compiled in the national languages, with the EADTU initiative being multilingual, reflecting the European dimension; and, support and are supported by the policies of the national governments and the European Commission

EU–originated MOOCs, with focus on multi- and single-institution platforms

No abstract available

E-learning – Who? What? Where?

This paper considers case studies of experience in distance-learning environments from the UK's Open University, two having successfully utilised e-learning, and a third which is at the proposal stage, requiring e-learning facilities which are not yet well-developed. Some of the lessons learned are described and the potential role of the world-wide web briefly assessed. The paper also considers how a future strategy for collaboration amongst East and West European Universities and commercial organisations might be developed

Motivations, expectations and preparedness for university: a study of accounting students in Ireland, the UK, Spain and Greece.

While evaluating the appropriateness of accounting education within universities has occupied researchers for many years, the harmonisation of the tertiary education process across Europe, through the Bologna Declaration, generates the need for comparative studies. This paper measures the motives, expectations and preparedness of students commencing the study of accounting at universities in four European countries. The findings reveal that while all students are motivated to progress to higher education for career-oriented reasons and to seek intellectual growth, considerable variation is evident between the students in the four settings with regard to motives, confidence, perceptions of preparedness for university and expectations concerning study effort. All of these factors may impact on students’ achievement of the common learning outcomes espoused by the Bologna process. There is a need for further research to enrich our understanding of educational processes across Europe and to consider the impact of harmonisation activities on students’ learning

Developing sustainable business models for institutions’ provision of open educational resources: Learning from OpenLearn users’ motivations and experiences

Universities across the globe have, for some time, been exploring the possibilities for achieving public benefit and generating business and visibility through releasing and sharing open educational resources (OER). Many have written about the need to develop sustainable and profitable business models around the production and release of OER. Downes (2006), for example, has questioned the financial sustainability of OER production at scale. Many of the proposed business models focus on OER’s value in generating revenue and detractors of OER have questioned whether they are in competition with formal education. This paper reports on a study intended to broaden the conversation about OER business models to consider the motivations and experiences of OER users as the basis for making a better informed decision about whether OER and formal learning are competitive or complementary with each other. The study focused on OpenLearn - the Open University’s (OU) web-based platform for OER, which hosts hundreds of online courses and videos and is accessed by over 3,000,000 users a year. A large scale survey and follow-up interviews with OpenLearn users worldwide revealed that university provided OER can offer learners a bridge to formal education, allowing them to try out a subject before registering on a formal course and to build confidence in their abilities as learners. In addition, it was found that using OER during formal paid-for study can improve learners’ performance and self-reliance, leading to increased retention and satisfaction with the learning experience

E-Learning in Europe: Moving Forward

Based on the work of the EUNIS E-learning Task Force, this paper reports on and explores the way e-learning is developing across the European community. Information was gained from a survey of EUNIS members, and includes contributions from the E-Learning Task Force groups who investigated a range of topics. The paper outlines common issues and typical development projects underway in Europe. For example, a major theme reported by EUNIS member universities is the change from “choosing” to “using” e-learning platforms. The paper also reports on future activities and progress of the E-Learning Task Force