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EPICS for Virtual Erasmus LOGOS Open Conference
on strengthening the integration of ICT research
effort Budapest 19-20 January 2009  
George Ubachs
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Our frameworkThe EU Lifelong Learning Programme

• 3 million individual participants in student
  mobility by 2012. Reality is 1.7 million
  participants over the last 20 years. Unrealistic
  to achieve the goals set for mobility.
• The current scheme is restricting for lifelong
  learners. Discriminating non-mobile/lifelong
  students.
• Solution only by supplementing the current
  physical mobility schemes with institutionalised
  virtual mobility schemes the opportunities of
  achieving the goals set in student mobility can
  be approached.

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Our definition of VM

• Two or more institutions agree to offer their
  students the opportunity to acquire a number of
  ECTS points at one of the foreign partner
  universities by virtual presence or through a
  joint international activity of the partners
• EPICS is focussing on virtual mobility and not at
  distance education as such.
• Meaning university to university relation.
• Student exchange (enrolling at another
  university) and virtual seminars
  (internationalisation within the university)

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Forms of Mobility of Students

• Physical Mobility (PM)
• on-site physical travel stay in a country
  abroad
• for limited period
• takes substantial amount of time / creates
  additional cost
• student experiences face-to-face activities and
  meetings, teaching and the everyday life of the
  country
• social, cultural and educational enrichment

• Virtual Mobility (VM)
• from home, university or work place / no physical
  stay abroad
• no restrictions in length of time spent studying
• time and cost effective
• no face-to-face activities
• access to courses and study schemes in foreign
  country communication with teachers and fellow
  students abroad via ICT
• educational enrichment
• (interaction intercultural competences)

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E-MOVE models of virtual mobility
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CSVMCross sector Virtual Internships

• Remote internships targeting talented distance
  education students and
• top-class business assignments.
• EADTU offers a matchmaking service for
  organisations that wish to address a business
  challenge for distance working skilled students
  and for non-mobile students who are looking for
  state-of-the-art working credentials.
• Offers http//www.eadtu.nl/internships/default.as
  p?page3langnl

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What does Virtual Mobility add?

• Facilitate accessibility and widen participation
  of students and universities
• Virtual mobility can offer more flexible mobility
  (shorter, time and place independent)
• more personalised and more specialised
  opportunities for the student.
• enriched content
• broadened international experience (multi
  country)
• new opportunities of mobility for students and
  staff (permanent) virtual learning communities,
  virtual internships, the involvement of many
  universities simultaneously in a project or
  course, international collaborative learning and
  teaching
• combining physical mobility with virtual
  components so that students can follow obligatory
  learning activities while staying in a host
  university.
• Therefore, virtual mobility reinforces
• European mobility in HE

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EPICS Key Objectives

• To increase student mobility
• throughout Europe
• To support the realisation of a European Higher
  Education Area by organising a
• Virtual Erasmus scheme.
• Approach

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PARTNERS

• P1 EADTU (NL)
• P2 EuroPACE (BE)
• P3 NSHU (SE)
• P4 OUNL (NL)
• P5 UNED (ES)
• P6 OUUK (UK)
• P7 EITF /TU (EE)
• P8 Uninettuno (IT)
• P9 Universidade Aberta (PT)
• P10 Anadolu University (TR)
• P11 Fern Schweiz (CH)

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Approach

• Share expertise and experience of Virtual
  Mobility coordinators
• Combine networks of Virtual Mobility
• Extend as well as offerings of Virtual
  Mobility courses
• Develop the supporting technical
• Integrate infrastructure of EPICS

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Building EPICS
Build on existing initiatives E-MOVE 3 models
of Virtual Mobility REVE modes of Virtual
Mobility by traditional universities Venus
Virtual and E-Mobility for Networking
Universities in Society VM-base VM before and
after student exchange SPUTNIC technology
enhanced international educational
cooperation Net-Active model of intercontinental
virtual mobility CSVM and CVBE model of virtual
internships MORIL European model of Open
Educational Resources Build additional services
and add new courses Building supporting
networks Like in Physical mobility the dynamics
of Virtual mobility is to come from University
staff organised in bi-lateral and multilateral
networks
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What is EPICS offering?

• In EPICS we will integrate the available
  knowledge and expertise on VM by its consortium
  of experts in this field. Make current VM
  initiatives sustainable
• Concept Students looking for international
  courses can find a selection of these on their
  own universitys website rather than on project
  title
• EPICS is not just a database of courses, but a
  fully supported offering of European virtual
  mobility courses.
• Improved accessibility and attractiveness
• Overcome barriers and opportunities of
  accessibility restricting factors like
• -student admission,
• -fee structures,
• -assessment modes etc.

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How to guarantee recognition?

• Recognition of degrees and credit points is to be
  guaranteed by
• Agreements to guarantee recognition of degrees
  and support to students
• Trust between institutions mutual awareness
  amongst the institutions involved and the
  reliability of quality education.
• Quality assurance systems should be applied. The
  need to accredit the quality of all university
  institutions and of the education provided.
• Transparent information students and staff
• Flexibility there are still huge organisational
  differences. The maximum flexibility should be
  applied, notwithstanding the necessary
  strictness, to any academic recognition carried
  out between different universities.
• Innovative methods that facilitate learning, by
  incorporation of ICTs into the educational
  scenario.

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Concluding

• Virtual Mobility will not replace Physical
  Mobility. VM is a supplement to
• achieve the mobility goals set and widen
  participation in a lifelong
• Learning context.
• Virtual mobility will not only contribute to the
  original vision of the
• Erasmus Programme it will also deliver new
  flexibility and breadth to
• the ambition.
• With the further development of
• new learning environments
• new educational models,
• and exploiting the full potential of ICT
• virtual higher education is likely to be one of
  the most
• Important driving forces in the academic
  community, with virtual
• mobility playing a core role in the European
  learning space.

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• Thank you
• George.ubachs_at_eadtu.nl