Status and Developments of eLearning in the EU10 Member States: the cases of Estonia,Hungary and Slovenia

This article summarises research carried out between 2006 and 2008 by IPTS (Institution for Prospective Technological Studies) in collaboration with a consortium of experts from 10 member states, led by ICEGEC. The project gathered information on eLearning developments to assess drivers and barriers and to suggest implications for policy and research in the 10 member states that joined the European Union in 2004. Three examples of countries (Estonia, Hungary and Slovenia) demonstrate that, while the group is not homogeneous, commonalities can be detected. Reports show that all the EU10 countries have been catching up with the older member states in ICT penetration and skills, but large digital divides remain due to regional, social and economic divides. Educational institutions are equipped with ICT, but not always at the same level in classrooms as in EU15. Universities are using ICT in education, but mostly for material provision purposes. Enterprises seem to have higher usage of eLearning solutions than in EU15, but these are not equally available for all employees. Lack of focus and coordination in policies to support eLearning developments has been assessed to be a major barrier. In general, EU10 seems to be facing similar challenges to other European countries, although specific efforts are needed to help close the divides and engage people in lifelong learning with the new opportunities ICT could provide.