evaluation

ATiT staff recently met in Spain with partners of RURALeNTER, a project funded by the European Commission under the Lifelong Learning Programme. "RUeNTER", as it is also known, is analysing the needs regarding public services and ICT services of citizens of four rural areas in Austria, Greece, Romania and Spain. The identified user needs will be addressed through training workshops taking place in the first half of 2011 and a supporting online portal with training support materials and social network functionalities.

During this second partner meeting, which took place on the sunny and beautiful premises of the University of Barcelona Spain, all partners discussed their progress and planning for the next stage of the project. ATiT is the leader of the Quality Assurance and Evaluation workpackage and we presented our evaluation methodology during this meeting which includes a peer review process of the project’s deliverables and the deployment of several online questionnaires to receive feedback from different RUeNTER actors throughout the project.

To find out more about the project, visit the project website. If you would like to receive the project's six-monthly online newsletter, please send us an e-mail with your details.

RURALeNTER is an initiative which will review the types of ICT services available in rural communities in Greece, Austria, Romania and Spain with a view to finding out just how much rural citizens know about the value such services can have.

It will also develop and deliver a generic training curriculum in these countries focusing on how to prepare rural adults to use and exploit ICT services, by means of blended learning models.

This initiative is partially supported under the Lifelong Learning Programme and will create a set of policy recommendations to policy makers and regional authorities about the ways in which rural citizens can take advantage of ICT services.  ATiT staff are involved in the evauation of this initiative. Find out more from the RURALeNTER website.

Mathy Vanbuel described his experience in the provision of educational services to remote schools in Europe in a keynote presentation given on 15th May during an International Conference held in Athens. This conference called "Bridging the Digital Divide in Rural Communities; Practical Solutions and Policies'' brought together project leaders of several pioneering projects many of which are using the latest developments in satellite technology to provide solutions for remote and rural school communities in Europe and elsewhere. Organised in the Ellinogermaniki School in Pallini, this event brought together policy makers, academics and field practitioners from Europe and beyond who share an interest in promoting the use of ICT by rural citizens of all ages. See the Conference web site for more information.

Together with partners from 7 different European countries ATiT launches the Re.ViCA Lifelong Learning Project that will look at virtual campus experiences across Europe. This project, chaired by Europace, will conclude in September 2009 with the publication of the Virtual Campus Manual aimed at regional, national and European political decision makers, advisors, government and administration, education authorities, e-learning industry, research community and Virtual Campus management.

Mathy Vanbuel was invited to participate in the Fe-ConE (Framework for eLearning Contents Evaluation)  conference in Vilnius (Latvia) on October 10th 2007. During the meeting Ms. Claire Belise, Mr. Graham Attwell and Dr. Minna Lakkala presented their views on intercultural issues in e-learning and e-content. Read their position papers on the eLearning Europe Portal.

ATiT has now concluded its evaluation report on how satellites can be used to connect Higher and Further Education Institutions and individuals. Some areas in England, Scotland and Wales are at present underserved by traditional telecommunication means. From Mid 2002 until May 2004, 17 institutions and individuals based in these remote areas used two-way satellite terminals to connect to the Internet, and to the Janet and Campus networks. This evaluation report highlights the importance of the right match between user requirements and the offered service. Read the full report...

From 28 to 30 June Anneleen Cosemans attented the first e-Quality project meeting in Barcelona. e-Quality aims to create a common reference framework for ODL staff in European Higher Education to assess quality of the courses they develop and implement. ATiT is external evaluator of the Minerva project that will run until October 2006.

From 27th until 29th May Sally Reynolds and Anneleen Cosemans attended the final EuroClass meeting held in Tuusula, a little town 30 minutes from Helsinki.