EUA PUBLICATIONS 2014 E-LEARNING IN EUROPEAN HIGHER EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS RESULTS OF A MAPPING SURVEY CONDUCTED IN OCTOBER-DECEMBER 2013 MICHAEL GAEBEL, VERONIKA KUPRIYANOVA, RITA MORAIS, ELIZABETH COLUCCI Copyright 2014 © by the European University Association All rights reserved. This information may be freely used and copied for non-commercial purposes, provided that the source is acknowledged (© European University Association). European University Association asbl Avenue de l’Yser 24 1040 Brussels, Belgium Tel: +32-2 230 55 44 Fax: +32-2 230 57 51 A free electronic version of this report is available through www.eua.be 9789078997511 2 E-learning in European Higher Education Institutions November 2014 Results of a mapping survey conducted in October-December 2013 Michael Gaebel, Veronika Kupriyanova, Rita Morais, Elizabeth Colucci 3 Contents Foreword ................................................................................................................................................. 6 1 Executive Summary ..................................................................................................................... 7 2 Introduction .............................................................................................................................. 13 3 About the survey ....................................................................................................................... 14 3.1 Survey goals and structure .................................................................................................... 14 3.2 The sample ............................................................................................................................ 14 3.3 Institutional profiles .............................................................................................................. 16 3.4 Glossary ................................................................................................................................. 17 4 E-learning in European higher education ................................................................................. 19 4.1 National and institutional strategies ..................................................................................... 19 4.1.1 National policies and strategies .................................................................................... 19 4.1.2 Institutional strategies .................................................................................................. 22 4.2 Institution-wide use of e-learning and types of provision .................................................... 24 4.3 Flexibility of online learning .................................................................................................. 27 4.4 Number of students engaged in e-learning .......................................................................... 30 4.5 Use of e-learning in disciplinary and generic skills teaching ................................................. 33 4.5.1 Preferred disciplines for e-learning............................................................................... 33 4.5.2 Transversal and cross-functional provision .................................................................. 34 4.6 Infrastructure and support ................................................................................................... 35 4.7 Support and incentives for students and staff ...................................................................... 37 4.8 Institutional management and coordination ........................................................................ 39 4.8.1 E-learning units ............................................................................................................. 39 4.8.2 Role of senior leadership .............................................................................................. 41 4.9 Quality assurance .................................................................................................................. 42 4.10 Real and intended benefits of e-learning ............................................................................. 43 4.10.1 General experience with e-learning .............................................................................. 43 4.11 Future prospects for e-learning: flexibility of provision, effectiveness and collaboration ... 46 4.11.1 Flexibility of provision and effectiveness ...................................................................... 46 4.11.2 Prospects for collaboration ........................................................................................... 48 5 Institutional take-up of MOOCs in Europe ................................................................................ 50 5.1 Institutional take-up and perceptions of MOOCs ................................................................. 50 4 5.1.1 Institutional take-up of MOOCs .................................................................................... 50 5.1.2 Reasons for involvement or lack of interest in MOOCs ................................................ 54 5.1.3 Initiating MOOCs ........................................................................................................... 57 5.2 Institutional experience of MOOCs ....................................................................................... 58 5.2.1 Courses provided .......................................................................................................... 59 5.2.2 MOOC platforms ........................................................................................................... 61 5.2.3 MOOC languages of instruction .................................................................................... 62 5.2.4 Participation and completion rates .............................................................................. 64 5.2.5 Integrating MOOCs into the provision of teaching and learning .................................. 67 5.2.6 Validation of MOOC learning ........................................................................................ 67 5.2.7 Collection of data on MOOCs ........................................................................................ 69 5.2.8 Technical universities as a possible special case ........................................................... 70 5.2.9 Strategic priorities for the future .................................................................................. 70 6 Conclusion: the urgency of bridging policy and practice in e-learning in Europe .................... 71 7 ANNEX ....................................................................................................................................... 74 A1 Participation in the survey by country .................................................................................. 74 A2 Participating institutions ....................................................................................................... 75 A3 Evidence of national strategies for e-learning ...................................................................... 81 A4 List of tables and figures ....................................................................................................... 91 5 Foreword With the emergence of Massive Online Open Courses (MOOCs) it seemed that, beyond the bounds of the e-learning communities and their activities, generally, little attention had been paid to how information technologies (ICT) impacted higher education teaching and learning. There were voices pointing out that the rise of MOOCS was just one particular, albeit spectacular element, of the much broader agenda of digitalisation (i.e., e- and online learning), in which many universities have been involved for quite some time. While this is difficult to prove, the recent heated debates on the strategic importance of e- and ICT-based learning for European higher education, and predictions made about the future of higher education, revealed a lack of European-level data on e-learning in higher education. It was for this reason that EUA decided to conduct this survey, in order to be in a better position to contribute to ongoing policy discussions, and to support our members in their efforts to further enhance and promote innovation in learning and teaching. The results of this survey are surprising. Apart from a few notable exceptions, almost all institutions are involved in some forms of e-learning. It seems that there has been no sudden and disruptive change, but rather that a gradual adaptation has taken place, which continues at different paces and scales across Europe. Nevertheless institutional responses to MOOCs do suggest that European higher education institutions are capable of responding swiftly to new strategic challenges. The transformative potential of e-learning will require further studies. Fortunately, it appears that several European and international surveys are underway and will be available in 2015. It is to be hoped that they will help to complete the picture. We also hope that this e-learning survey will contribute to the broader debate that EUA has launched on learning and teaching innovation. EUA intends to use the present study as a point of departure for further work with members and partners who contributed to the survey. On the basis of concrete case studies, we hope to be able to refine the analysis of what works and what does not, in this new and exciting field. Lesley Wilson Brussels, 30 October 2014 Secretary General European