Council Resolution on eLearning

The aim of this resolution is to encourage European Union (EU) countries and the Commission to undertake initiatives to facilitate the integration of information and communication technologies (ICT) in education and training.

ACT

Council Resolution of 13 July 2001 on eLearning [Official Journal C 204 of 20.07.2001].

SUMMARY

The Stockholm European Council (23-24 March 2001) reaffirmed that improving basic skills, particularly information technology (IT) skills, is a top priority for the European Union (EU).

Actions required of EU countries and the Commission

The resolution calls on EU countries to:

• continue their efforts concerning the effective integration of information and communication technologies (ICT) in education and training systems and the initial and in-service training of teachers and trainers;
• capitalise on the potential of the Internet, multimedia and virtual lifelong learning environments;
• speed up the integration of ICT and the revision of school and higher education curricula;
• encourage those in charge of schools to integrate and manage ICT effectively;
• ensure more rapid provision of equipment and of a quality infrastructure for education and training;
• encourage the development of high-quality digital teaching and learning materials to ensure the quality of resources available online;
• take advantage of the opportunities offered by ICT for facilitating access to cultural resources, such as libraries, museums and archives;
• support the development and adaptation of innovative teaching that incorporates the use of technologies;
• take advantage of the communication potential offered by ICT to foster European awareness;
• support virtual forums for cooperation and exchange of information;
• capitalise on the experience gained from initiatives such as European School Net and European Network of Teacher Education Policies;
• foster the European dimension of the joint development of higher education curricula;
• enhance research in eLearning;
• promote partnerships between the public and private sectors;
• monitor and analyse the process of integration and the use of ICT in teaching.

This resolution also invites the Commission to:

• pay particular attention to the implementation of the eLearning action plan and to the concrete future objectives of education and training systems;
• support existing European portals in order to promote collaboration and exchange of experiences in the area of eLearning and pedagogical development;
• implement support actions at European level to ensure that experiences are shared, to establish cross-border links and to encourage information and communication measures;
• consider together with EU countries whether the eSchola initiative could develop into an ongoing activity;
• support the testing of new learning environments and approaches;
• undertake strategic studies on innovative approaches in education;
• intensify research, experimentation and evaluation relating to the pedagogical, socio-economic and technological dimensions of ICT;
• support the development of European multilingual educational resources, platforms and services;
• report to the Council on the results of these activities no later than December 2002. An interim report shall also be presented to the Council in November 2001.

Background

The institutions' interest in new technologies indicates that the importance of these technologies is increasing. Since the Lisbon European Council (23-24 March 2000), which set the strategic goal of creating a competitive and dynamic knowledge-based economy and specific objectives relating to ICT and education, several initiatives have been taken: the 2001 employment guidelines, the resolution relating to educational multimedia software, the communication on eLearning and the eLearning action plan. More recently, the Stockholm Council (23-24 March 2001) reaffirmed that improving basic skills, particularly IT skills, is a top priority for the EU.

RELATED ACTS

Decision No 2318/2003/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 5 December 2003 adopting a multiannual programme (2004 to 2006) for the effective integration of information and communication technologies (ICT) in education and training systems in Europe (eLearning Programme) [Official Journal L 345 of 31.12.2003].

last update 16.08.2010