Title:

Public Consultation on “Opening up Education – a proposal for a European Initiative to enhance education and skills development through new technologies”

Policy fields

Education

Target groups

All stakeholders affected by education and training policies and systems, including school education, vocational education and training, higher education and adult education. Contributions are expected from public authorities, organisations and citizens.

Period of consultation

From 13 August 2012 to 13 November 2012


Objective of the consultation

The objective of the consultation is to explore the perceived need – mainly but not exclusively among education and training stakeholders – for EU action to promote the use of Open Educational Resources (OER) and of ICT in education.

New technologies, in particular the internet, together with globalisation and the emergence of new education providers, are radically changing the way people learn and teach. Open access to education resources offers an unprecedented opportunity to enhance both excellence and equity in education. The EU aims to help both individual learners and education and training institutions in Member States to benefit from these opportunities and to increase their contribution to society.

In the last quarter of 2012, the Commission will present a Communication on Rethinking Skills aiming to increase the quantity, quality and relevance of skills supply for higher economic and social outcomes. This will, among other actions, announce a new EU Initiative on “Opening up Education”: a proposal to exploit the potential contribution of ICTs and Open Educational Resources (OER) to education and skills development. This new EU initiative on “Opening up Education” will be the topic of a subsequent Communication in mid-2013.

For more information please visit the website of the Directorate-General for Education and Culture (European Commission): http://ec.europa.eu/dgs/education_culture/consult/open_en.htm