Implementation starts in October 2011. All schools are to have access by mid-2013.
Following a tendering process, Fronter was selected as the bidder with the most economically advantageous offer for the provision of an eLearning Solution. A seven-year agreement between the Malta Information Technology Agency (MITA) and Fronter was signed earlier this year. MITA and MEEF are working together on the eLearning programme, MITA is responsible for ensuring the right ICT infrastructure is in place in schools, whereas MEEF is handling teacher training and content development.
Through this investment, learners in primary and secondary state schools will have access to high quality interactive learning content and will be able to benefit from a personal online learning space that offers opportunities to collaborate with other learners, as well as learn more independently anywhere, anytime even outside school.
The eLearning Solution will also provide educators with the means to create and maintain their learning materials online, and will enable the uploading, distribution, grading and storing of student assignments in a purposely-designed online class space. This new technology will also provide educators with the facility to assess and monitor their learners’ progress online and will facilitate the transfer of knowledge with other educators in different schools and teaching communities.
Parents, on the other hand, will be able to actively participate in their child’s learning process whilst benefiting from the advantages that an online environment provides, including facilitated means of communication with their children’s educators. The new technology will give parents easy access to their children’s learning materials and school work whilst enabling them to monitor their child’s educational progress.
Minister Gatt said that plans for the provision of an eLearning Solution were laid out back in 2008 when Government issued the Smart Learning Strategy. Government has already invested heavily on the implementation of other initiatives within this strategy, such as the provision of laptops to all teachers and by increasing the number of PCs in schools. “Government is fully committed towards this project as we believe that by investing in our children, we are ultimately investing in our country’s future.” he added.
Stephen Spiteri, who was representing Dolores Cristina, Minister for Education, Employment and the Family, said that work on the eLearning Solution has been in full swing during the past months. Training for school administrators will commence in December whilst that for teachers will start in February, at which time students will also be given log in details. “We have ensured that the eLearning Centre within the Ministry for Education is fully equipped with the necessary staff that are qualified to deal with the support that teachers in schools might have in using the eLearning solution. Members from the Centre will also be visiting schools to explain to parents how the system works and address their queries,” he said.
Implementation will be staggered and during this scholastic year 28 primary schools will be given access to the eLearning Solution and it is planned that by 2013 all state schools in Malta and Gozo will have full access. Whilst work on the development of the eLearning Solution has already initiated, the roll-out will start in October. In the coming years, Government will be investing in upgrading schools’ bandwidth speeds.
Mr. Matthew Mermagen, International Operations Vice President at Pearson Platforms and General Manager of Fronter said, “We are delighted to have been chosen to provide the eLearning solution in support of the Smart Learning Strategy. That is our objective – to support both Ministries in ensuring that the Smart Learning Strategy is a success. Fronter was developed in close cooperation with the education community and it is learning that motivates our product development. To put it very simply we use technology to make more learning possible.”
Fronter was founded in Norway in 1998 and in 2009 it was acquired by Pearson, the world’s leading education company. Winning many prestigious awards, Fronter has been acknowledged as a leader in its market. Experiencing rapid growth and expansion, the Fronter Platform is used by millions of teachers and learners in schools, colleges, universities, and professional organisations around the world, including England, Denmark, Sweden, Austria, Germany, Norway, The Netherlands and Ireland.
In 2005 Fronter became the first Pan-European Managed Learning Environment provider to achieve the highly renowned ISO 27001 certification for information security. In November 2010 Fronter’s ISO 27001 Certificate was upheld following an independent audit by DNV.
Today’s event, which was attended by all College Principals and Head of Schools, was also addressed by Fronter experts who showed some of the key features and benefits of the eLearning Solution. At a later date, recordings of the presentations will be available online at www.mita.gov.mt.
The capital investment of this project is part-financed by the Operational Programme I – Cohesion Policy 2007-2013 of the European Union (EU) under the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF). Co-financing rate: 85% EU funds and 15% national funds.
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Quelle/Source: Gozo News, 23.09.2011
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