According to the European statistics (2018) only 20-25% of students in EU schools are taught by teachers who are confident with technology use and 43% of Europeans lack basic digital skills, whereas 71 million students attending schools in Europe need to develop their skills for the digital society.
Thus aiming at both students and teachers such EU initiatives as Digital Education Action Plan (EU Commission, 2018), intends to support technology-use and digital competence in education. Moreover, in light of the "COVID-19" emergency, many "traditional" teachers have discovered and started using distance learning modality.
Besides, EU countries show a different situation in the development of the e-learning system in adult education. For example, on the base of Eurydice’s report (2015) the percentage of adults (25 - 64 years old) who participated in distance learning (formal or informal), on EU average rate of 2.2%, were: 1.5% (-0,7) in Bulgaria, 4.9% (+2,7) in Spain, 1,5% (-0,7) in Italy and 0.7% (-1,5) in Romania (Eurostat data).
In Spain, the relatively high participation rate seems to reflect the efforts made by the Ministry of Education, Culture, and Sports (MECD) that enabled several complete publicly funded distance learning programs.
While the registered data are negative in Bulgaria, Italy and Romania, even if different large-scale programs and private initiatives promoting e-learning training for adult education are active.
Nevertheless, neither the teachers nor students are sufficiently prepared and equipped to produce effectively a teaching and learning process engaging the adults, who are, in most cases, immigrants.
Therefore, in this context, the needs revealed are the following:
Thus aiming at both students and teachers such EU initiatives as Digital Education Action Plan (EU Commission, 2018), intends to support technology-use and digital competence in education. Moreover, in light of the "COVID-19" emergency, many "traditional" teachers have discovered and started using distance learning modality.
Besides, EU countries show a different situation in the development of the e-learning system in adult education. For example, on the base of Eurydice’s report (2015) the percentage of adults (25 - 64 years old) who participated in distance learning (formal or informal), on EU average rate of 2.2%, were: 1.5% (-0,7) in Bulgaria, 4.9% (+2,7) in Spain, 1,5% (-0,7) in Italy and 0.7% (-1,5) in Romania (Eurostat data).
In Spain, the relatively high participation rate seems to reflect the efforts made by the Ministry of Education, Culture, and Sports (MECD) that enabled several complete publicly funded distance learning programs.
While the registered data are negative in Bulgaria, Italy and Romania, even if different large-scale programs and private initiatives promoting e-learning training for adult education are active.
Nevertheless, neither the teachers nor students are sufficiently prepared and equipped to produce effectively a teaching and learning process engaging the adults, who are, in most cases, immigrants.
Therefore, in this context, the needs revealed are the following:
- Improving teachers’ skills in the use of elearning modality;
- Identifying an effective pedagogical approach to overcome the issue related to low competences in ICT of adult learners;
- Defining an effective evaluation and assessment system in distance learning which requires increasing flexibility, in terms of modular programs and qualifications within the adult education system.
- Defining a common framework for the identification of teaching and learning approach to promote and implement effectively the integration of new technologies in adult education;
- Reinforcing the assessment and evaluation system in distance learning;
- Designing open education resources aiming to define the technical skills for the didactic use;
- Utilizing the attractiveness of technology to improve social inclusion focused, mainly, on language skills improvement and responsible use of technology in terms of safety and ethical rules.;
- Improving the collaborative sense among teachers and schools.