Through examples of the Joint Research Centre’s work to support the Member States in their implementation of digital competence in their agendas (e.g. DigComp framework, SELFIE), the presentation will illustrate how the so called “Open method of coordination” works in the field of education and training. On the other hand, the presentation will also evoke interesting research questions that will help European Union to reach its goals for the future (e.g. AI in Education, digital networks to support on-the-job-training). https://ea-tel.eu/jtelss/jtelss2019/futuretel-open-seminar/

1. A few insights
about
the EU agenda
for
teaching and learning
in the digital era
Riina Vuorikari, PhD
Unit Human Capital & Employment
European Commission, JRC, Sevilla
FutureTEL Open Seminar, 05 June 2019, Bari
@vuorikari

3. Who am I?
Riina Vuorikari, from Finland - I now work in Seville, Spain!
Research fellow in the JRC since 2013
2013-2000 in European Schoolnet
as Senior Research Analyst and
Project Manager
Background: Teacher education in Finland,
Hypemedia studies in Paris,
Doctorate from OUNL in 2009
Slideshare: https://www.slideshare.net/vuorikari
Twitter: https://twitter.com/vuorikari
https://ec.europa.eu/jrc/en/person/riina-vuorikari

4. European Commission: DG JRC (Joint Research
Centre)
• Internal science and knowledge service
of the European Commission
• Policy neutral: has no policy agenda of
its own
• JRC mission is to support EU policies
with independent evidence throughout
the whole policy cycle
• Work for more than 20 EC policy
departments

5. Things we’ll touch upon today
• How EU works in the field of education and training: OMC
• Example 1: Benchmarking targets
• Example 2: Digital competence framework and digital learning
• Example 3: AI in education (example of work in progress: with
teachers a
nd for teachers)

6. Goals:
• To better understand the EU mechanisms in the field of education
and training
• Maybe even helps you work with your EU projects!
• To showcase how the evidence-based policy making works &
the role of DG JRC
• Career prospects: Maybe even inspire one of you to seek a job in
the JRC or other public bodies linking science with policy-making

7. Example 1. Open Method of Coordination (OMC)

8. 1. Open Method of Coordination (OMC)
• A tool in policy areas that remain the responsibility of national governments
(= the subsidiarity concept, e.g. education and training where EU has no legislative powers)
• Soft law mechanisms such as guidelines and indicators, benchmarking and sharing of good practice
• Based on the voluntary cooperation of its member states - no directives, no official sanctions,
the European Commission has primarily a monitoring role
• Creates a common understanding of problems and helps to build consensus on solutions and
their practical implementation.
• Stages (roughly) from wikipedia:
• the Council of Ministers agrees on (often very broad) policy goals, e.g .ET2020
• Member states "transpose" (if they wish) guidelines into national and regional policies.
• Sometimes: specific benchmarks and indicators to measure best practice are agreed upon and results are monitored
and evaluated (e.g. Education and Training Monitor).

9. 1. Open Method of Coordination (OMC)

10. Example 2. Digital Skills and digital learning challenges
are high on EU agenda

11. Communication: School development and excellent teaching for a great start
in life
11

12. Digital Skills and digital learning challenges are high on EU agenda
• Communication (EAC & CNECT): Digital Education Action Plan, 2018
• Council Recommendation on Key Competences for Lifelong Learning, 2018
• Communication (EAC): School development and excellent teaching for
great start in life, 2017
• Communication (EAC): A renewed European agenda for Higher Educatio
2017
• Communication (EMPL & EAC): New Skills Agenda, 2016
• Communication (CNECT, JUST,..): Digital Single Market, 2015

13. Digital Competence is one of
the 8 key competences
Digital Competence involves the
confident, critical and responsible
use of, and engagement with, digital
technologies for learning, at work,
and for participation in society
{COM (2018) 24 final}

14. DigComp 2.0, also available as LinkedData

15. Digital skills index: All data is available through Eurostat

16. https://ec.europa.eu/jrc/digcomp

17. Conceptual
mapping
Case studies
analysis
Experts’
workshop
Online
Consultation
First proposal
Stakeholders’ Consultation
Validated proposal
69 references 100+ (15 in-depth) 95 experts 17 + 9 EC
40 consultants
JRC workflow and processes for creating
competence frameworks

18. Other competence frameworks

19. Example 3. AI in Education

20. Example 3. AI in Education

21. Example 3. AI in Education (teacher-facing aplications)

22. Example 3. AI in Education
“Five wicked
challenges” from“Educ-
AI-tion Rebooted?” By
NESTA, UK
No1: “Teachers
burdened with excessive
workload, affecting
wellbeing, retention and
recruitment”

23. Might AI and some intelligent
tutoring systems with
half-hearted visions of
learning/pedagogy be the
lower hanging fruit of
digital technology?
What about the visions
for empowering learning and the individual?

24. Ask yourself: Whose challenges are we solving anyway?
Create an European vision for AI in education that fits
your local needs and context
ET 2020 pursues the following four common EU objectives:
• Make lifelong learning and mobility a reality;
• Improve the quality and efficiency of education and training;
• Promote equity, social cohesion, and active citizenship;
• Enhance creativity and innovation, including entrepreneurship,
at all levels of education and training.

26. Thank you
Riina.Vuorikari@ec.europa.eu
@vuorikari

27. Example 4. Makerspaces in Education, exploring future implications
No
link with intended learning outcomes/
curriculum goals
No
link with intended learning outcomes/
curriculum goals
Maker programMakerspace
Maker program
Makerspace
Link with intended learning outcomes/
curriculum goals
Link with intended learning outcomes/
curriculum goals
I. II.
IV.III.
Makerspace
No link
with intended learning (outcomes/ curriculum goals)
Link
with intended learning (outcomes/ curriculum goals)
Maker program