Last year the ICOPER workshop got the award for "oustanding performance" at ICALT, the IEEE International conference of Advanced Learning Technologies. This years theme is "Best Practices in Outcome-based Online Learning – towards Models and Development for new Learning Technologies" .

Workshop Description

The European Qualification Framework (EQF) is proposed to act as a translation mechanism across the different National Qualifications Frameworks (NQFs) in the European countries. Its implementation is supposed to help higher educational institutions and workplace organizations across Europe to exchange and compare learning outcomes presented by individuals. The primary goal of the EQF is to improve mobility of learners across European countries and educational systems. However, currently, a limited number of higher education institutions have adopted standards for describing learning outcomes, units of learning or assessment. This results in inefficiencies for both outcome-based learning design, discovery, access and re-use of units of learning.

Knowledge, skills and competences to be achieved by learners are in the focal point of the learning process. All educational activities and resources need to be related to the intended learning outcomes of a learning module or course, in order to assist the learners in successfully achieving the intended learning outcomes at the end of the learning experience.

A very useful application of technology based on these models is matching people with opportunities, that is, trying to get people into situations to which they are suited. This requires enabling learners to have access to a portable of profile of their learning outcomes achieved after their successful completion of studies.

This workshop invites papers that cover issues related to online outcome based learning:

• Design of outcome-based online learning opportunities and units of learning
• Alignments of assessment process to intended learning outcomes of learning material
• Alignments of learning material to the intended learning outcomes of the module/course
• Conceptual and data models for describing learning outcomes, assessment and units of learning
• Services and storage of outcome based information
• Use cases and prototypes towards learning outcome aware learning management systems

 The aim of the workshop will be to report on best practices identified by the ICOPER and other projects; and to give an overview of the findings concerning the suitability of specifications and standards in use in European higher education and lifelong learning institutions, as well as in schools. We would also like to invite interested parties to join the best practice network which is open to experts in the field.