TOWARDS USER ORIENTATION AND SOCIAL INCLUSION IN THE PROVISION OF E-LEARNING SERVICES

There is a broad consensus today that increasing practice and intensity of lifelong learning has become a key requirement for Europe if it wants to remain economically competitive as well as socially inclusive. In this context much attention has focused on the ability of ICTs to improve the process of learning and training, by giving easier access to more adequate learning content and more efficient ways to learn "anything, anytime, anywhere". However, until now it has remained unclear to what extent, and under what conditions, the positive potential of ICTs for supporting "lifelong learning by all" can be turned into reality. Factors that have to be taken into account include not only access to ICTs and eLearning services, but – more significantly – also attitudes towards technology, and towards learning activities in general. There is a danger that eLearning will benefit only those segments of the population who are already very likely to practise lifelong learning, while not reaching the rest of the population. This would imply the risk that eLearning will not contribute towards (or even endanger) social inclusion. The paper reports from work in progress in the eUSER project, namely a 10-country population survey carried out in 2005 on aspects of online public services and user orientation.