The Efit initiative

The main findings of the Insight study, based on internet research and the 2007 Insight country report on ICT in education in Austria, show how the Efit initiative, lead by the Austrian government, has reached a great deal of targets.

As a first step, it is to be underlined that in the past few years Austrian schools' connectivity has increased: on average 68 per cent of all the Austrian schools have a broadband access to the internet, even if the difference between primary and secondary schools remains huge. Moreover, 88 per cent of the Austrian teachers have used computers in the 12 months prior to the survey, while 470,000 pupils and students have got the European Computer Driving License (ECDL).

Several projects targeting e-learning were set up, such as:

• e-learning in notebook classes;
• eLSA, elearning in everyday school life;
• Museum Online, dealing with arts and culture teaching - learning process.

The EContent and the eLearning Cluster initiative

Other major projects have been launched, fostering e-learning and the production of econtent. The eLearning Cluster initiative has involved pioneer schools in each of the Austrian provinces making them work in clusters to implement practical models of e-learning.
The eight critical success factors are:

• every pupil can test “e-learning sequences” within the next two years;
• a Teams of teachers work on a programme to find possibilities and limits of e-learning methods and materials in their subjects;
• all teachers should acquire experience with e-learning sequences in their subjects;
• good school experience is developed together in regional networks;
• school programmes are made with an integration of e-learning in their lectures and exams;
• head teachers find it quite important to support this e-learning integration process in all subjects;
• a steering group of the school partners is established to support content and didactic development as well as to co-ordinate initiatives in disciplines and subjects;
• cluster school are working in networks and offer their students (and teachers) additional certified qualifications in IT and e-learning skills.

Under the aegis of the eContent initiative, teaching/learning software and e-learning materials are being developed. Besides this, the Ministry of Education portal offers a one-stop-shop for all e-learning activities within the framework of the Ministry itself, aiming at becoming an eContent clearinghouse. Other online offers comprise the new multimedia library service, the libraries online project and the Virtual School Austria, a platform resulting from the cooperation between Austria and European Schoolnet.

For further information:

P2V project information
Wiki: http://p2v.wikispaces.com/School+Valorisation+%28WP5%29
Portal: http://p2v.eun.org
Blog: http://blog.eun.org/p2v/

Austria Country Brief:
http://insight.eun.org/shared/data/pdf/country_brief_p2v_austria.pdf

Austria Country Report:
http://insight.eun.org/ww/en/pub/insight/misc/country_report.cfm

Austrian Federal Ministry of Education, the Arts and Culture:
www.bmukk.gv.at/enfr/school/index.xml

Efit initiative:
www.efit.at

eLSA project:
http://elsa.schule.at

The Austrian ministry's educational portal:
www.bildung.at

Virtual School Austria
www.virtuelleschule.at

Libraries online project:
www.schulbibliothek.at