NetCampus SOCRATES project (2000-2002)

Aims:

The objective of the project is to improve the understanding of the potential benefits of networking between universities through ICT and the critical factors for a successful implementation. The project is concerned primarily with attitudinal obstacles such as the overall resistance against the very essence of ODL and deep-seated prejudices against ICT as an instrument that is beneficial to teaching and learning.  Practical problems such as copyrights, quality control and credit transfer will also be addressed.  Solutions for the obstructions and obstacles identified will be developed and validated and demonstrated through pilot actions.

The primary target group of this project is faculty staff and decision-makers at universities and the students.  The secondary target group includes governments, professional organisations, training managers and teacher trainers.

Partners:

1. Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, LINOV - http://www.kuleuven.ac.be 
2. Universiteit Twente - http://www.utwente.nl  
3. Universidad Politécnica de Madrid - http://www.upm.es
4. Helsinki University of Technology, Lifelong Learning Institute Dipoli - http://www.dipoli.hut.fi 
5. Warsaw University of Technology - http://www.imio.pw.edu.pl/wwwzpm/humans/bgalwas.html
6. Universitatea “Politehnica” Bucuresti 
7. Universitatea Tehnica din Cluj-Napoca - http://www.utcluj.ro/vlaicu 
8. College of Surveying and Land Management, The University of West Hungary - http://geoinfo.geo.info.hu 
9. Technical University of Kosice - Elfa, Ltd - http://www.tuke.sk
10. University of Ljubljana – Faculty of Economics, – Slovene National Contact Point for Distance Education - http://www.ef.uni-lj.si/ncp/
11. NETTUNO – Network per l’Università Ovunque - http://nettuno.stm.it  
12. University of Bologna - CITAM - http://www.citam.unibo.it/ 

Results:

(1) a review study of existing expertise and experience on providing ODL in a networked environment, (2) the design and development of models and methods to solve the obstacles identified, (3) validating the models through pilot activities and (4) setting up a variety of dissemination activities within and outside the consortium of partners to promote the understanding of the potential benefits of networking between universities through ICT and the critical factors for a successful implementation.

The project will result in a better understanding of inter-institutional networking through ODL: its potential for learning and teaching, the critical success factors, the main processes involved. It will provide demonstrations of successful implementation scenarios for networking as well as solutions for a number of attitudinal and practical obstacles.