France from Re.ViCa

Country in a nutshell

(map cf: Eugris)

France is a country whose metropolitan territory is located in Western Europe and that also comprises various overseas islands and territories located in other continents. After Russia, France is the largest country in Europe (643,427 km² with its overseas départements). With a population of over 63 million inhabitants, France is the second most populous country in Western Europe (after Germany). Its territory is split into (administrative) regions. 22 of them are in Metropolitan France (the part of the country that is in Europe):

French is the official language of France, but each region has its own unique accent; in addition to French, there are several other languages of France traditionally spoken, although use of these languages has greatly decreased over the past two hundred years. French is also an official language in 41 countries, most of which form what is called in French La Francophonie, the community of Frenchspeaking nations.

Country education system

The French school system is the responsibility of the Ministry for National Education. Teaching is given through the medium of the French language. 86.5% of primary school pupils and 80% of secondary pupils receive their schooling through the education provided free of charge by the state. Private education consists essentially of establishments which have signed a contract with the State.

The State plays a key role with regard to education policy. It establishes the education curricula and teaching guidelines, is responsible for the recruitment, training and management of teachers, organises examinations and issues national qualifications. Decentralisation has devolved the responsibility for the construction and maintenance of public school buildings to regional and local agencies.

France is divided into 30 education authorities (académies) each under the responsibility of a rector who represents the Minister. These authorities cover several departments which are directed by the authority's inspectors.(cf: Europa.eu)

French educational system is highly centralized, organized, and ramified. It is divided into three different stages:

• primary education (enseignement primaire);
• secondary education (enseignement secondaire);
• higher education (enseignement supérieur).

Primary and secondary education are predominantly public (private schools also exist, in particular a strong nationwide network of primary and secondary Catholic education), while higher education has both public and private elements. Education is almost free at all levels, although with less services and facilities, except for private schools and business schools. 26% of university students receive scholarships. (cf: understandfrance.org)

Higher education

The baccalaureate opens up access to higher education. Then, depending on the duration involved, there are two types of higher education:

• Shorter technical and vocational studies undertaken in university technology establishments (Instituts Universitaires de Technologies) leading to the DUT: Diplôme Universitaire de Technologie), the universities (leading to the DEUST: Diplôme d'Etudes Universitaires Scientifiques et Techniques) or higher secondary establishments (leading to the BTS: Brevet de Technicien Supérieur). Entry into these channels is based on a selection process and account is taken of pupils' record of achievement during their secondary schooling.
• Lengthier studies undertaken at a university or one of the "Grandes Ecoles" (to which entry is after two years of preparation in the Classes Préparatoires aux Grandes Ecoles (CPGE). After admission into these schools, the studies themselves generally last three years and lead to the "diplômes d'écoles". There is no selection for entry into university. Universities issue generic qualifications and also vocational qualifications. Teacher training is also undertaken at university.

Higher education in France also has specialised schools, recruitment being based on the baccalaureate, competitions or dossiers. They concern the paramedical sector (nursing schools, physiotherapists, etc.), the social sector (schools for specialised educators, social assistants, etc.), the arts sector or architecture. Studies vary in duration and lead to state-recognised diplomas or specific school diplomas. (cf: Europa.eu)

QUALIFICATION

The implementation of the LMD reform, which gears the structure of French higher education to the European system by offering three levels of studies (licence/master/doctorat), brings with it a new degree structure for higher education, i.e.:

• Degrees obtained after 2 years of post-baccalauréat studies, corresponding to 120 European credits (ECTS): diplôme universitaire de technologie (DUT, or technological university degree), diplôme d'études universitaires scientifiques et techniques (DEUST, or scientific and technical university degree), brevet de technicien supérieur (BTS, higher technician's diploma), diplôme d’études universitaires générales (DEUG, or general university degree);
• Degrees obtained after 3 years of post-baccalauréat studies, corresponding to 180 ECTS credits: diplôme national de technologie spécialisée (DNTS, or national specialised technology diploma), licence professionnelle, licence;
• Intermediate degree, obtained after 4 years of post-baccalauréat studies, corresponding to 240 ECTS credits: master's degree;
• Degrees obtained after 5 years of post-baccalauréat studies, corresponding to 300 ECTS credits: master's degree, diplôme d’études approfondies (DEA, or advanced studies degree), diplôme d’études supérieures spécialisées (DESS, or specialised higher studies degree);
• Degrees obtained after post-master's studies, corresponding to 480 ECTS credits: doctorate. (cf: Eurydice)

Virtual initiatives in HE

National Virtual Campus programmes

Les Campus Numériques Français - Part 1 French digital campuses

The Ministry for National Education and Research launched three calls in 2000, 2001 and 2002 in order to spread the use of ICT. The first and second calls concerned distance training offers, the third call included a specific measure for new working environments (7 % of total projects). The objective was to build a quality open distance training offer that would be structured in a national network able to compete internationally. In April 2003, almost 400 partners had joined forces in consortia to create 64 labeled digital campuses, in addition to four more campuses dedicated to ENT (environnements numériques de travail = digital working environnements). Therefore this program financed : the creation of training materials, the quality and relevance of dissemination channels, the setting of remote tutoring and support services, the organization of face-to-face meetings. A digital campus was defined as a training system composed of innovative services, via digital technologies, and that is focused on the learner. It gives access to a training from any place (close or remote), at any time of his/her life (lifelong) and at a rhythm chosen by the learner. The interconnections between participating institutions and the possibility of opening up to public/private or international institutions helped improve the quality of materials and services offered.

EVALUATION The training system met the learners' expectations and their overall satisfaction level was very promising. From the learners' point of view, the main asset was to have at their disposal efficient collaborative working tools. Part of the evaluation aimed to assess the system's efficiency, the overall impact and effects and the program's added value.

It resulted that both the impact on their own institutions and their integration were limited because : the online training offers were in great part existing courses and only half of them (81) were proposing a degree; most of the existing services strongly contributed to the projects, especially the ICT or multimedia departments, whereas the implication of technical and and administrative sevices was variable and sometimes insufficient; the planning in producing digital materials (highest category in expenditures) seems to require some improvements; the overall organization of the system should be improved, especially the lack of staff, due to high operating costs (in average, each project mobilizes 45 staff members).

NB : Half part of the budget was roughly shifted as follows : -39% for digital resources production; -15% for coordination, support, pedagogics, technical logistics, training course design; -2% for resource purchase (this low rate implies a strong involvement and mobilization of internal production teams).

By contrast, some very positive aspects came out of these initiatives : strong participation of teachers in design and production of materials; recognition of ICTE and development of related skills and competences; project-based operative functioning and creation of an ad hoc steering and coordination structure (critical success factor); contribution to setting up the “LMD scheme” by reinforcing modularity, flexibility and individualization of programs in accordance with the ECTS; opening-up towards international projects in the field of e-learning, especially at the European level that may benefit from European funds

Les Campus Numériques Français - Part 2 : "les environnements numériques de travail" ENT

The second phase of Campus Numériques Français was launched in March 2002 and consisted of a call for proposal on ENTs (digital working environments). The aim was to offer HEIs a range of varied technological solutions related to ENTs. The “environnement numérique de travail” is a platform to provide HEIs users with online access to all resources, services and digital tools connected with their activities. It has the appearance of a personalized desktop portal.

The overall budget amounted to 3 million € and was split between four selected consortia : ENCORA, EPPUN, ESUP and MONTE-CRISTO.

In April 2005, the submitted projects were evaluated in line with the recommendations of the Ministery's outline plan for ENTs (SDET: Schéma Directeur des Espaces Numériques de Travail) and the conventions betweetn the government and the consortia, on the following aspects : functional coverage, project's organization, deployment, technical architecture of the solution.

CONCLUSIONS:

- Organisation and management : the project teams were efficient and well-integrated in their institution, moreover they managed strictly resources and time schedules, however the resources specifically committed to the projects were poor and the strategical cross-institutional coordinating structures rare;

- Solution development : the SDET's operational and technical recommendations were respected and a good functional documentation was provided;

- Project's finances : all the projects respected the budgets they were initially allocated although very few foresee future financing opportunities;

- Functional coverage : despite the lack of a maintenance strategy, the coverage of services was effective and respected the SDET;

- Technical architecture : although the SDET's recommendations were respected, the quality of service was not enough shaped and formalized;

- Deployment : a stabilization period is necessary in order to integrate the new solutions to the existing context, and despite the lack of precise indicators, some preliminary actions were taken (information, training) as well as some user profiles were previously set up (students, teachers...).

Here is an example of Campus Numériques Français in Strasbourg.

UNIVERSITE NUMERIQUE DE STRASBOURG

In 2000, all 3 universities of Strasbourg – Université Louis Pasteur (ULP),Université Marc Bloch (UMB) and Université Robert Schuman (URS) – gathered in a consortium to launch a common enhancement policy of ICT in education. On 15 April 2002, all 3 Presidents signed an agreement (l’accord-cadre UNS) to build their cooperation on 3 strategical focuses : creation, dissemination and storage/management of both contents and new pedagogics. In this framework the Université Numérique de Strasbourg offers : – trainings in Computer sciences : networks and systems, digital development, multimedia design – distance trainings with 6 available modules, 6 recognised degrees and 7 under construction

Universités numériques en région (Regional digital universities)

Towards a system of digital regional policy and spatial planning In order to spread the use of digital services and to industrialize the ENT process (digital working environments), and also to maintain and make durable the whole system, it was necessary to involve a critical mass of stakeholders on a mutualization basis.

Via the call for proposals “UNR”, the experience gained through the selected projects allowed a transfer of method and competences among the HEI. It also affected the institutions' “four-year-plans”.

The UNR projects were built on tripartite contracts of agreed objectives whose signatories were the French government, regional authorities and other partners) for a two-year-period with the pledge to: - develop digital services -especially ENTs- and offer them to all students - respect regional planning principles - provide support to faciliter the use of digital services

These are the services that are offered via the ENT :

• Digital office
• Tuition services
• Services communs
• Services documentaires
• Services de communication
• Services pédagogiques

Regions where a project was financed : Alsace-UNERA, Aquitaine-ACOR, Bretagne-UNB, Grand Est-UNIRE, Languedoc-Roussillon-UOMLR, Nord Pas de Calais-UNRNPDC, Poitou-Charentes-UNR-PC, Provence Alpes Côtes d'Azur-UNRPACA, Réunion-UNR Réunion, Rhône Alpes-UNRA.

Update in 2006 : Out of 11 active projects involving around 580 000 students, nine UNR (regional digital universities) made of 35 institutions chose the ESUP ; one UNR (Alsace-UNERA), made of 3 institutions, chose EPPUN ; and one last UNR (Rhône-Alpes UNRA) gathering 5 institutions chose ENCORA.

Some services have reached a high level of deployment : common services, communication, digital office and pedagogics, whereas the integration of certain services is more complex, such as documentation and pedagogical services.

National Open Educational Resources programmes

Les Universités Numériques Thématiques (Thematic digital universities)

Created in 2004, presently running UNTs are seven in total, which represents 110 higher education or research institutions, among them 69 being universities. Their corresponding “themes” are :

• medicine: UMVF - Université Médicale Virtuelle Francophone
• business and management: AUNEGE - Association des universités pour l’enseignement numérique en économie-gestion
• technologies: UNIT - Université numérique ingénierie et technologie
• law: UNJF - Université numérique juridique francophone
• environment & sustainability: UVED - Université virtuelle environnement et développement durable
• humanities: UOH - Université ouverte des humanités (sciences humaines et sociales, langues et cultures)
• sciences: UNISCIEL - Université des sciences fondamentales

In the framework of a national mutualization, UNTs aim at fostering enhancement, production and dissemination of digital educational materials in order to: - encourage students' achievement by offering them comprehensive set of digital tools and contents that are supplied by HEI's staff and their partners; - give a large national and international exposure to digital contents to contribute to French higher education's appeal in the fields broached by the UNTs.

The UNTs activities encompasses :

• editing of pedagogical resources;
• certification at both educational and technological levels;
• indexing resources, thus making them more valuable towards UNT's criteria;
• promoting resources among teaching staff;
• dissemination via an institutional webportal;

Inter UNT task forces : the UNTs should lean on processes offered by their institutions and therefore involve teachers, ICT in Education services, resource centers, technology and multimedia departments. Each HEI might be part of several UNT thus UNT should adopt a functioning that enables them to make joint decisions on technological and organizational issues.

Three inter UNT task forces have been set up to deal with common issues to all partners : - using editorial channels, evaluating digital pedagogical tools; - building standards for resource indexing; - giving access to contents via OAI portal networks - legal issues

Canal U

It is a web-TV for HE and Research. It offers a set of free channels that boradcasts university and research produced contents, especially by the Universités Numériques Thématiques. Canal-U is actually a consortium of university-web-TVs coordinated by CERIMES (Centre of Resources and Information on multimedia for Higher Education) which encompasses several organisations dealing with the broadcasting of digital materials towards HE. Launched in 2001, the CanalU website is experiencing a growing success (almost 298 000 visits by March 2006) and comes among significant references in the university audiovisual landscape by giving students free access to an impressive audiovisual collection (more than 2 000 films et 4 000 conferences on varied topics).

Main institutions - Federations - Consortium

La Fédération Interuniversitaire de l'Enseignement à Distance, FIED (Federation of distance education universities)

This association was created in 1987 by the Ministry for National Education and gathers now 36 universities. It aims at uniting in a network all univeristies that develop all sorts of distance and online trainings. It also provides for an international representation for French distance education in connection with the institutional organisations (Ministry of foreign affairs, Ministry for cooperation, etc...). It is also implicated, as a partner or a project leader, in various projects on education and ICT with a view to improve quality in training and support to students. Finally, it aims to open up to all universities or institutions involved in open distance education.

EduContact : European Distance Education Contact Centre [www.educontact.eu] It is a three-year-duration project for global promotion and partnership among European distance higher education. Its twofold objectives are to enhance the global promotion of European distance higher education by organising access to a selection of courses offerred by participating universities, through a European contact centre, and to survey the motivation and demand for European distance higher education. EduContact aims to show the diversity of contexts, cultures and languages of distance higher education in Europe within one contact centre acting for all present and future partners of the project. The members to the project are : France – Centre National d'Enseignement à Distance (CNED) => project leader Estonia – Eesti Infotechnoloogia Sihtasutus The Netherlands – Open Universiteit Nederland Spain – Universidad Nacional de Educación à Distancia United Kingdom – The Open University France – Fédération Interuniversitaire de l'Enseignementà Distance (FIED) The Netherlands – European Association of Distance Teaching Universities

Participating universities to the activities are UNINETTUNO (Italy) and Universidade Alberta (Portugal)

Centre national d’enseignement à distance (National Centre for Distance Learning) Cned.fr

Cned is the number one distance learning operator in Europe and the French-speaking world. It was established in 1939 and is now a public administrative institution under the authority of the National Education Ministry. In 1999, it celebrated its 60th anniversary with 320,000 individual enrolments.

Digital Cned : on the Internet for the last ten years, Cned has integrated digital technology to aid the spread of learning and favour exchanges: virtual classrooms, online tutoring, electronic correction, student forum, online resources (Campus électronique®).

Cned in figures

• Annual Market Share
  • 2.5 million people following a distance learning course in Europe
  • More than 1 million in France,
  • 300,000 of them at Cned
• Sales turnover : 72 million Euros
• Institution Budget : 100 million Euros
• Cned Staff : 7,500 people, 6,000 teaching and 1,500 non-teaching staff
• Educational Activity
  • 500 courses – 3,000 modules
  • More than 2 million copies exchanged
  • 580 million printed pages
  • 1.5 million contacts made at the client service centre
  • 3.5 million visitors over cned.fr
  • 30,000 videos, CD-ROMs, DVD products from Cned-audiovisual are sold each year
• Cned Enrolment Data
  • 2/3 adults
  • 50% in higher learning
  • 13% outside France
• Enrolment Distribution (by number of students enrolled per year)
  • Primary Education: 15,000
  • School: 30,000
  • High School: 60,000
  • BTS (Higher National Diploma): 20,000
  • LMD (university degrees): 15,000
  • Teaching Examinations: 65,000
  • Civil Service Examinations: 25,000
  • Accounting and Financial Studies: 35,000
  • Other Vocational Training: 20,000
  • Open Training across all sectors: 15,000

L'Agence Universitaire de la Francophonie (Francophone Universities Agency)

Since 1989, this university association is a vector for French-speaking institutions. As a partner to establishments for higher education and research who have chosen French as their teaching language, the AUF proposes several cooperation programmes, designed in particular to support research and education in French. The AUF is now the link between a network of 693 establishments covering every continent, in 81 countries, 47 of which are members of the International Francophonie Organisation. France, Vietnam, Algeria and Canada are, respectively, the countries where the Agency has the largest number of members.

The “Innovation through Information and Communications Technologies In Education” Programme The AUF wanted to buid its capacity for competitiveness in this field, to keep its lead in technological innovation and to consolidate its leadership as an academic agency. The purpose of this programme is thus to find new ways of appropriating knowledge, using ICTs. The concrete initiatives are found in the field of new uses, new methods for creating and disseminating scientific and educational content, new professions (Transfer), large-scale standardisation and governance projects, and partnership creation.

In accordance with its ideals of solidarity, partnership and co-development, the AUF has established four operational objectives in order to foster the use of information and communication technologies in higher education and research : building human capacity in training (http://foad.refer.org/) bridging the digital divide by helping establish networks with southern universities developing a policy for scientific content in French promoting French-language presence and research on international committees (standardisation, normalisation and regulation)

Through its 45 open and distance learning programmes, the AUF participates directly in the attainment of the United Nations’ Millennium Development Goals and the UNESCO programme, Education for All. The AUF deploys a network of 29 French-speaking digital campuses and 11 information access centres bringing together over 15 000 subscribers, at the heart of member universities. Open and distance training For the 5th consecutive year, the AUF offers a range of Open and distance trainings that can be financed by a student allowance granted to a limited number of shortlisted applicants among the partner universities. This grant covers for great part of academic and tuition fees. For the year 2008-09 the AUF shall provide 535 student allowances to take one of the 54 degrees available at the distance.

Budget In 2007, the AUF’s initial budget amounted to EUR 40.5 million, 82% of which came from France (EUR 33.2 million), followed by Canada (EUR 2.6 million), Quebec (EUR 1.2 million), the French Community of Belgium (EUR 0.6 million) and Switzerland (EUR 0.09 million).

Programme expenditures account for 78.6 % (EUR 31.9 million), while 3.5% were dedicated to institutional expenses and 17.3% to administrative expenses.

Example of Campus numérique

Campus numérique PEGASUS

The partnership :

• Université des Antilles et de la Guyane, Université de Haute-Alsace
• Université de Nice-Sophia Antipolis, Université du Havre
• Université Paris 13, Université du Sud Toulon Var
• Université de la Réunion,Université Paul Cézanne-Aix Marseille III

The Pegasus platform enables adult students to graduate for DAEU (Diplôme d'Accès aux Etudes Universitaires), a recognised national degree equivalent to Baccalauréat. Therefore DAEU is the second chance for adult learners that wish to access higher education institutions or take a higher examination in public service. There are two types of DAEU degrees with a special focus on A-Letters / B-Science. Each student registers in the nearest partner university from his hometown but then study for DAEU at distance.

Projects

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Internal evaluation france

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