EUN-Schoolnet Project Overview

Description of the Virtual Workspace Project
Description of the Virtual Library Project
TECFA's EUN-Schoolnet Site

The Virtual Workspace Environment (VWE) Project's main objectives

The overall objective is to develop a general and adaptable virtual workspace environment (VWE) for use in conjunction with the EUN platform. The Virtual Workspace Environment will be based on open standards for platform- independent, object- oriented and distributed application development

The VWE will be an integrated part of the EUN platform and will be open for use by all parts of the EUN. The VWE can be seen as an advanced extension of the EUN technical platform, but may also be used as an application, entirely separated from the EUN technical platform. The VWE will particularly enhance the activities of more advanced users by:

Providing a Virtual Workspace Environment, containing tools for basic communication and collaboration, based on technical and pedagogical approaches.
Develop the VWE in such fashion that the users (mostly teachers) are given control of their own tools and that the tools easily can be adapted for different needs and educational situations. The tools will be developed with education in mind and they will be implemented in such way that they can be combined in an optional way by users on a different technical knowledge level.
Providing a framework and API for integration of new tools and software by thirds party developers.
Verify the usability of the VWE by validating the ststem in actual practice in various contries, to form the basis for a large-scale demonstration at a European level.

By providing this functionality, this project encourages virtual collaboration in European education and creates conditions for the use of new and innovative pedagogical approaches when using ICT in European education. The development within the project will aim towards a durable technical development with an environment that can evolve in phase with the rapid technical development in a way that supports the concept of open standards.

Keywords

Information and communication technologies, distance learning, virtual workspace, collaborative tools

Collaborating Partners

Umeå University, LITU, (Teacher Education ICT Development Unit), Sweden
UNI-C, Danish Computing Centre for Research and Education
SUN Micro Systems, Sweden

Funding

Switzerland: Office Fédéral de l'Education et de la Science (OFES)

Period

Two years, from October 1998 to September 2000

Publications

Visit the EUN-Schoolnet project's WEB site

last up-date 28.2.99