Learning for anyone, at any time, at any place
With the shift towards the knowledge society, the change of working conditions and the high-speed evolution of information and communication technologies, peoples' knowledge and skills need continuous up-dating. Learning, based on collaborative working, creativity, multidisciplinarity, adaptiveness, intercultural communication and problem solving, has taken on an important role in everyday life. The learning process is becoming pervasive, both for individuals and organisations, in formal education, in the professional context and as part of leisure activities. Learning should be accessible to every citizen, independent of age, education, social status and tailored to his/her individual needs.
To meet these social challenges is a leading issue of European research into technologies to enhance learning in the 6th EU Framework Programme for Research and Technological Development (2002-2006).
In the Information Society Technologies (IST) work programme 2003-2004, the focus of research in this area has been laid on applications of technologies for user-centred learning, building on the concepts of ambient intelligence and ubiquitous computing. For up to date information on the progress and results visit the Technology-enhanced Learning site of the European Commission.