ABSTRACT

New demands, new markets and new opportunities offered by information and communications technology (ICT) have all contributed to the open and distance learning (ODL) agenda in Europe. The 1970s and 1980s saw the establishment of such providers as the University of Hagen in Germany, Open University of the Netherlands, National University of Distance Education and Open University of Catalonia in Spain and Portuguese Open University. Since the early 1990s, many more European universities have adopted this mode of delivery to raise their profiles, provide education more flexibly and serve new target groups and for-profit private ODL providers have also emerged. Many conventional universities now provide blended learning programmes on campus. The Internet enables institutions to distribute courses and learning materials across national borders and Web 2.0 technologies such as wikis, blogs and social networks allow students to interact and collaborate in learning and generate and share ideas and content. The strong emphasis on lifelong learning in Europe only furthers the demand for e-learning.