Higher Education Exploring ICT use for Lifelong Learning

The Higher Education Exploring ICT use for Lifelong Learning (HEXTLEARN) project was selected in 2007, and is funded from 1 November 2007 until 31 October 2010 by the European Commission under the Lifelong Learning Programme, Key Activity 3-ICT.

The HEXTLEARN web site is at http://zope.reu.pub.ro/hextlearn/

Summary

The use of ICT in Higher Education institutions is constantly spreading in spite of the many doubts surrounding the quality of first generation eLearning approaches and applications. In the same time, the universities and colleges rarely address the quality assurance of their eLearning services. While strategic integration of ICT in teaching and learning is highlighted in the policy documents, the daily practice of European Universities shows that a quality driven approach in traditional and e-learning services is scarce. The HEXTLEARN project wants to set up an international community of Higher Education Institutions willing to share their experience related to different aims and ways to use ICT: support to campus students, distance education, continuous education, cooperation with enterprises and regional development projects, training of teachers.

Therefore HEXTLEARN network aims at increasing the level of attention of the Higher Education Community on ICT strategic integration by

• generating awareness, commitment and networking on quality assurance aspects and strategic integration of ICT in teaching, learning and innovative in Higher Education;
• promoting mutual understanding and common purposes toward quality assurance and common innovation strategies among the groups active in ICT teaching and training within Higher Education Institutions, and addressing the different Lifelong learning subsystems;
• disseminating replicable solutions to help set up communities at EU Level establishing a community of decision makers in the context of a Lifelong learning strategy and to support the modernisation agenda for European organisations of Higher Education from a community of expert peer reviewers able to serve the quality development of ICT use for teaching and learning in Higher Education Institutions.

Expected outcomes

HEXTLEARN is aimed at contributing to the deployment of Lifelong Learning strategies through ICT within the Higher Education Institutions, by means of peer reviews methodologies, by offering a database of good practices and other useful materials, by organising seminars and devoted events, by promoting sharing and common understanding amongst the members. HEXTLEARN focuses on the quality assurance aspects and on the integration of ICT as innovation key for the Higher Education Institutions.

Partners

• SCIENTER- Italy
• Budapest University of Technology and Economics - Hungary
• Academic Cooperation Association (ACA) - Belgium
• EuroPACE ivzw - Belgium
• European Foundation for Quality in E-learning (EFQUEL) - Belgium
• European Students' Union (ESU) - Belgium
• European Distance and E-Learning Network (EDEN) - UK
• Institute for Innovation in Learning (FIM-New Learning) - Germany
• Universidad de Granada - Spain
• University "Politechnica" of Bucharest - Romania
• SCIENTER Espana - Spain