The HUMANITIES Project
- Short description
The overall goal of HUMANITIES is to contribute to give a European
dimension to learning processes by utilising means already
available thanks to previous European Programmes. This project's
objective is to develop and consolidate a structure for virtual
mobility through European universities. Since, at present, actual
student mobility is not in position to increase greatly, the
promotion of virtual mobility seems to provide a very good
alternative.
In this context, the HUMANITIES project promotes a hybrid model of
teaching that includes both face-to-face and distance teaching
procedures focused on specific themes of study. Based on a gradual
and context-based integration of information and communication
technologies in University training/teaching, it applies and
assesses distance learning practice in traditional knowledge
resource centres settings whilst analysing methodology, economic
significance, educational impact, organisational efficiency and
cross-cultural outreach.
The specific objectives of the project are the following ones
:
- to develop Open and Distance Learning (ODL) as a method of
providing alternatives to traditional student mobility schemes;
- to develop and test models of ODL in traditional university
contexts;
- to examine and quantify the benefits and role of telematics in
university ODL systems;
- to apply accepted best practice principles to enhance the
models of ODL applied;
- to establish connections and synergy between key networks
involved in higher education, ODL and university-enterprise
collaboration;
- to build on opportunities provided by existing ODL products,
particularly those resulting from previous European Union
Programmes;
- to undertake research on a number of unexplored areas of ODL
implementation.
Through the "COIMBRA Group", a core of Historic European
Universities is involved in the project. The actors are Humanities
and Social Sciences faculties, that is the section of these
institutions that has been most reluctant to use distance education.
These universities have accepted to experiment telematics-based open
learning and to collaborate in curriculum innovation, in order to
build a meaningful and long-standing teaching, research and
organisation effort.
The project will make use of available technology (ISDN, Satellite,
Computer Conferencing Systems, Internet and the WEB) and, when
possible, will operate with already operational European Networks and
products developed in the framework of other European programmes,
such as COMETT, ERASMUS; ECTS and DELTA.
The project is in its second year of implementation. The University
of Geneva, through TECFA, is
taking part in one of the three domains included in the project:
Communication Sciences. During the first phase of the project
(95-96), the Communication Sciences Thematic Study Group has taken up
the analysis communication procedures in European TV News broadcast.
More information in this pilot experiment can be found in the
Report mentionned in this
page.
The subject area this year (96-97) is persuasive communication
illustrated through Campaigns of AIDS Prevention in Europe (TV,
printed material, posters, etc.).
Filmed courses - for pilot
Demo
Seminars - have been produced by two Universities: Vienna (on New
Media) and Geneva (on
Persuasive
Communication as illustrated through the Swiss AIDS prevention
Campaigns).
A common bibliography is as well as
additional
study
matrerial on the AIDS prevention campaigns in Switzerland.
- Keywords
- Open Distance Learning
- Virtual mobility
- Communication Sciences
- Participants
Daniel Peraya, Pierre Dunand, Daniel D'Ancona
- Funding
EC/OFES (Berne for the Swiss participation)
- Period
1995, 1996
- Publications
HUMANITIES I Report on
the supervision of the demo seminars of the communication sciences
thematic study group (July 1995)
- For more information...
- Write, email or call
Dr Daniel
Peraya ,
Pierre
Dunand or
Daniel
D'Ancona.
DISTANCE
EDUCATION
updated 27.11.96; pdf