In a policy document entitled Opening Up Education, published on 25 September, the European Commission pushed universities to embrace digital teaching and make more course material freely available online. However, it concedes that adequate business models may not exist yet to support a radical shift in focus. This deals with the impact of digital technologies on all aspects of education, from schools and universities through to vocational education and informal learning.
The Commission’s analysis of the university sector concludes that the digital infrastructure is good, but not yet fully exploited.
The Commission is particularly anxious about MOOCs (Massive Open Online Courses), where it sees Europe lagging behind the United States. MOOCs are short educational programmes, delivered free of charge over the internet, with no entry requirements or size restrictions.
