A talk at the eLearning Conference, Brussells 19-20 MAy 2005 The joint venture between the academic research on learning technology and industry along the past decade shares similarity with the gold rush: great effort for a too small outcome. From all the energy spent, “acadustry” has emerged; a chimerical community of practice, merging academic and industry objectives and traditions. The relevance and fruitfulness of this new community is questionable. This presentation will suggest revisiting the orientation of the eLearning research policy, taking into account the differences in nature between academic research, R&D and actual production and use. Among the priorities of policies to discuss, the following will be mentioned: (i) an incentive to reach a research consensus that complements the standardization effort; (ii) a strategic alliance between industry and research at a basic level for a common and enhanced understanding of differences and commonalities; (iii) a new balance between long lasting support to research, especially for pan-European initiatives in the context of ERA and in line with the current FP6 Networks of Excellence, and competitive calls focussing on specific actions. At a thematic level, this presentation will outline the lessons learned throughout the past decade and express a view on research priorities from a foundational and applied perspective.

1. Towards a Learning Society
eLearning
Brussels 19-20 May 2005
For a renewed academy
industry research partnership
Nicolas Balacheff
CNRS (France)
1

2. Towards a Learning Society
eLearning
Brussels 19-20 May 2005
A movement toward the learner
Yesterday and today
 One teacher
 Many students
 A single time & space location
Today and tomorrow
 Single student among many
 Several didactical agents
 Multiple time and space
A common
concern
do they learn?
2

3. Towards a Learning Society
eLearning
Brussels 19-20 May 2005
A movement toward the learner
Yesterday and today
 One teacher
 Many students
 A single time & space location
A common
concern
do they learn?
Today and tomorrow
 Single student among many
 Several didactical agents
 Multiple time and space
3

4. Towards a Learning Society
eLearning
Brussels 19-20 May 2005
A movement toward the learner
Yesterday and today
 One teacher
 Many students
 A single time & space location
A common
concern
do they learn?
Today and tomorrow
 Single student among many
 Several didactical agents
 Multiple time and space
4

5. Towards a Learning Society
eLearning
Brussels 19-20 May 2005
A movement toward the learner
Yesterday and today
 One teacher
 Many students
 A single time & space location
What
do they
learn?
Today and tomorrow
 Single student among many
 Several didactical agents
 Multiple time and space
5

6. Towards a Learning Society
eLearning
Brussels 19-20 May 2005
The weight of knowledge (content)
Mathematics
Narration
Natural sciences
Robotic
Surgery
Representation
Action/feedback
Learning control
6

7. Towards a Learning Society
eLearning
Brussels 19-20 May 2005
The weight of knowledge (content)
Mathematics
Narration
Learning is
Natural sciences
situated because
Robotic
learning is
Surgery
knowledge
dependent
Representation
Action/feedback
Learning control
7

8. The challenge of
Towards a Learning Society
eLearning
complexity
Brussels 19-20 May 2005
Technology
Learner
Situations
8

9. The challenge of
Towards a Learning Society
eLearning
complexity
Brussels 19-20 May 2005
• Document
• Simulations
• Microworld
• Knowledge
• Ability
Technology
• Interactive
• Wireless
• Distributed
• Ubiquitous
• Trustable
Learner
• Autonomous
• Socialized
• Collaborative
Situations
• School
• Informal learning
• Learning at work
9

10. The challenge of
Towards a Learning Society
eLearning
complexity
Brussels 19-20 May 2005
• Document
• Simulations
• Microworld
• Knowledge
• Ability
Technology
• Interactive
• Wireless
• Distributed
• Ubiquitous
• Trustable
Learner
• Autonomous
• Socialized
• Collaborative
Situations
• School
• Informal learning
• Learning at work
10

11. The challenge of
Towards a Learning Society
eLearning
complexity
Brussels 19-20 May 2005
• Document
• Simulations
• Microworld
• Knowledge
• Ability
Technology
Learner
inquiry
learning
collaborative
learning
• Autonomous
• Socialized
• Collaborative
mobile
learning
• Interactive
• Wireless
• Distributed
• Ubiquitous
• Trustable
Situations
• School
• Informal learning
• Learning at work
11

12. The challenge of
Towards a Learning Society
eLearning
complexity
Brussels 19-20 May 2005
• Document
• Simulations
• Microworld
• Knowledge
• Ability
Technology
Learner
inquiry
learning
collaborative
learning
• Autonomous
• Socialized
• Collaborative
mobile
learning
• Interactive
• Wireless
• Distributed
• Ubiquitous
• Trustable
Situations
• School
• Informal learning
• Learning at work
12

13. The challenge of
Towards a Learning Society
eLearning
complexity
Brussels 19-20 May 2005
• Document
• Simulations
• Microworld
• Knowledge
• Ability
Technology
Learner
inquiry
learning
• Trustable
collaborative
learning
• Autonomous
• Socialized
• Collaborative
mobile
learning
• Interactive
• Wireless
• Distributed
• Ubiquitous
• Trustable
Situations
• School
• Informal learning
• Learning at work
13

14. Towards a Learning Society
eLearning
Brussels 19-20 May 2005
Research, to take up the challenge
• The return of investment in research
– Reliability, universality and openness of its outcomes
– A method to learn from success and failure
• The cost of research
– The theoretical nature of its outcomes
– Its method (explicit conceptualisation, rational
validation)
– Keeping asking “why?”
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15. Towards a Learning Society
eLearning
Brussels 19-20 May 2005
The emergence of “Acadustry”
• The strength of an original movement
– A dramatic increase of the links between academy and industry
around human learning
– Based on a synergy of European TEL research and industry
– A growing awareness of the economical role of TEL research
– The challenge of “innovation”
• A problematic situtation
– A research driven by the calls
not by the market, not by theoretical needs
– A research organisation constrained by contractual formalisms
– The erosion of the “academic” specificity
– The confusion between Research, R&D and Deployment
15

16. Towards a Learning Society
eLearning
Brussels 19-20 May 2005
The emergence of “Acadustry”
• The strength of an original movement
– A dramatic increase of the links between academy and industry
tion
around human learning
ova
nn
– Based on a synergy of EuropeaniTEL research and industry
s up
– A growing awareness ofd economical role of TEL research
pee the
s
– The challenge It “innovation”
of
• A problematic situtation
– A research driven by the calls
not by the market, not by theoretical needs
– A research organisation constrained by contractual formalisms
– The erosion of the “academic” specificity
– The confusion between Research, R&D and Deployment
16

17. eLearning
Towards a Learning Society
Brussels 19-20 May 2005
The emergence of “Acadustry”
• The strength of an original movement
– A dramatic increase of the links between academy and industry
tion
around human learning
ova
nn
– Based on a synergy of EuropeaniTEL research and industry
s up
– A growing awareness ofd economical role of TEL research
pee the
s
– The challenge It “innovation”
of
• A problematic situtation
– A research driven by the calls
inst
aga
k
ures
f ai l
not by the market, not by theoretical needs
– A research organisation constrained by contractual formalisms
wea specificity
– The erosion of thet“academic”
I ’s
– The confusion between Research, R&D and Deployment
17

18. Towards a Learning Society
eLearning
Brussels 19-20 May 2005
Basic
research
18

19. Towards a Learning Society
Need 1: a critical consensus at a
conceptual and methodological
level, across disciplines and
research practices
Basic
research
eLearning
Brussels 19-20 May 2005
Need 2: de-fragmentation of
the research workforce, its
geographical and
institutional distribution
19

20. Towards a Learning Society
Need 1: a critical consensus at a
conceptual and methodological
level, across disciplines and
research practices
The mission of
Basic
the FP6
Networks of
research
Excellence
eLearning
Brussels 19-20 May 2005
Need 2: de-fragmentation of
the research workforce, its
geographical and
institutional distribution
20

21. Towards a Learning Society
Need 1: a critical consensus at a
conceptual and methodological
level, across disciplines and
research practices
The mission of
Basic
the FP6
Networks of
research
Excellence
eLearning
Brussels 19-20 May 2005
Need 2: de-fragmentation of
the research workforce, its
geographical and
institutional distribution
For a renewed Academy-Industry alliance
Objectives
–
–
–
–
Consensus building about research outcomes
Intelligibility of theoretical results in a R&D context
Understanding of the “needs” and “problems”
To establish a common understanding of the priorities
• Conditions
– Interface between basic research and R&D
– Long lasting cooperation around testbeds
– Balance between long term research and R&D
21

22. Towards a Learning Society
eLearning
Brussels 19-20 May 2005
Obstacle 1:
European eLearning companies are mostly SMEs
anchored in a country or a region
Obstacle 2:
European demand (users) is marked by
the diversity of the culture of learning
For a renewed Academy-Industry alliance
Objectives
–
–
–
–
Consensus building about research outcomes
Intelligibility of theoretical results in a R&D context
Understanding of the “needs” and “problems”
Common understanding of the priorities
• Conditions
– Interface between basic research and R&D
– Long lasting cooperation around testbeds
– Balance between long term research and R&D
22

23. Towards a Learning Society
eLearning
Brussels 19-20 May 2005
Obstacle 1:
European eLearning companies are mostly SMEs
anchored in a country or a region
Obstacle 2:
European demand (users) is marked by
the diversity of the culture of learning
For a renewed Academy-Industry alliance
Objectives
by 2010
–
–
–
–
Consensus building about research outcomes
Intelligibility of theoretical results in a R&D context
We “needs”
Understanding of theneed a and “problems”
Common understanding of the priorities
• Conditions
SME grid
– Interface supported by research
between basic research and R&D
– Long lasting cooperation around testbeds
– Balance between long term research and R&D
Systematic
NoEs
cooperation
23