Campus Numériques Français - Part1

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.

Final evaluation of the program

Synthèse finale available only in French !

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

Example of a Campus numérique initiative

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 offered : – trainings in Computer sciences : networks and systems, digital development, multimedia design – distance trainings with 6 available modules, 6 recognised degrees and 7 under construction