ABOUT LANGOER

3-year network (January 2014- December 2016) supported by action KA2 Languages of the Lifelong Learning Programme, European Commission

How can less used languages, including Regional and Minority languages, benefit from Open Educational Practices (OEP)? How can Open Educational Resources (OER) be shaped to foster linguistic and cultural diversity in Europe? What policies are favourable to the uptake of quality OER in less used language communities?

Less used languages face the risk of linguistic/cultural dependence in the fast evolving OER/OEP landscape currently dominated by English. The LangOER network addressed the needs of two main target groups: educators and policy makers. For the former, the project offered face-to-face and online training sessions in 7 languages, aimed at raising awareness of OER/OEP and covering the creation and use of multilingual and interactive OER. For the latter, capacity building was targeted through expert pan-European events, policy support and consultation mechanisms seeking to overcome barriers to OER uptake.

The partnership consisted of a set of key players: a global organisation for open and distance education, a consortium of 30 European Ministries of Education linked to the biggest network of European schools, a research centre on multilingualism / network of multilingual schools in minority language areas in Europe, universities with R&D activity and strong local and national reach, and companies with experience in quality e-learning activity at European level.

Activities comprised comparative studies, policy making papers and a showcase of best practices, complemented by conferences, webinars, an awards competition and social network based discussions.

The network’s real challenge was to enhance the linguistic and cultural variety that Europe is proud of, on the international scene of Open Education.

Key findings were published in EL, EN, LV, LT, NL, PL, SE and Frisian. Network impact was guaranteed through the dissemination potential of LangOER project members, especially pan-European and international networks.

Partnership

Fryske Academy, The Netherlands (Project coordination)
Web2learn, Greece (Project management)
European Schoolnet, Belgium
University of Gothenburg, Sweden
Jan Dlugosz University, Poland
Mykolas Romeris University, Lithuania
International Council for Open and Distance Education (ICDE), Norway
European Foundation for Quality in E-learning, Belgium
Rezekne Higher Education Institution, Latvia

LangOER Project Related Resources

Featured

Policy Briefs, OER

As Open Educational Resources (OER) move higher on the educational agenda for many countries, the uptake of OER in languages which are less used than world languages (particularly English) is lagging.

Open Educational Resources (OER) – and ICDE

Info note in relation to the LangOER Conference on Open Education: Promoting diversity for European Languages, 26-27 September 2016.

Policy Brief: Open Education Resources In Your Own Language, In Your Way

This policy brief from ICDE suggests policy recommendations for for the development of OER in less used languages and has been distributed to 53 Ministries of Education in Europe and beyond. The policy brief was produced as part of the LangOER project, of which ICDE is one of nine partners.

LangOER ‘Open Education: Promoting Diversity for European Languages’ project drawing to a close

On 26-27 September the ‘Open Education: Promoting Diversity for European Languages’ conference of the LangOER project, organized by European Schoolnet, took place successfully in Brussels, Belgium.

LangOER Conference: ‘Open Education: Promoting Diversity for European Languages’

From 26 to 27 September 2016, the LangOER project, in cooperation with EdReNe, the Educational Repositories Network, will hold its final conference titled ‘Open Education: Promoting Diversity for European Languages’ in Brussels, Belgium.

Policy Brief - Open Educational Resources in your Own Language, in your Way

This policy brief, authored by a team of ICDE staff as part of the LangOER project, suggests policy recommendations for governments to take action for the development of OER in Less Used Languages.