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Introductory remarks on the Compendium
The cases collected in this Compendium are examples of good practice in e-learning in Europe. They wereall selected by countries participating in the ICT Cluster and Peer Learning Activities managed by DirectorateGeneral Education and Culture (DG EAC). In total, 43 cases were selected and described.A template was used for all the cases in order to obtain a comprehensive overview of good-practice cases inEurope. This makes it easier to compare them and discuss learning points between the different countries
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.The Danish Technological Institute (DTI) edited all the cases in order to make them more comparable, butformat differences remain and this should be borne in mind when reading the cases.This Compendium updates the cases presented in the reports ‘Implementation of the Education and Training2010 Work Programme — Report on Mapping of Recommendations’ and the ‘Progress Report’ produced byDG EAC in 2004. It was produced by DTI under the framework contract to support peer learning activities inthe context of Education and Training 2010.The above Recommendations and Progress Report grouped the initiatives according to the four recommendations for policy and practice proposed by the 2003 Report of the ICT Working Group.The Compendium uses a number of themes cross-cutting the various cases in order to present the good-practice examples. The advantage of this approach is that it focuses the discussion on learning issues whichcan be debated against the backdrop of national contexts. Therefore, this approach also provides anopportunity to discuss which practices can be transferred between countries and which may be specific to anational context. It also facilitates discussion on whether there are any preconditions for making an e-learning initiative successful.The cases were presented to the ICT Cluster group meeting on 15 January 2008, and the group agreed thatthe Compendium should not be seen as a simple update of the 2004 report but as a useful body of evidencethat can be used for continuous peer learning and knowledge exchange. It can also illustrate and documentcurrent DG EAC/Member State e-learning prioritiesThe Compendium can be used as a stand-alone document to support the work of the ICT Cluster group in itsdomestic ICT strategies. However, as the cases have been grouped along Lifelong Learning Programmepriorities, it can also help to identify good practices regarding themes relevant to achieving success for theLifelong Learning Programme objectives, as well as practices that support current EU policies and strategicpriorities, such as innovation. It can also help strengthen and support EU-wide dissemination activities andcooperation.
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However, since the relevant contact persons at the countries’ Education Ministries filled in the template themselves, it was in somecases difficult to maintain standard formulations, length and information on each subject.