Kaleidoscope, a FP6 network of excellence in the technology enhanced learning (TEL) research area, was created in 2004 following a four years contract with the European commission. The aim of the network was to foster integration of different research disciplines relevant to TEL, bridging educational, cognitive and social sciences, and emerging technologies. This ambition was both scientific and strategic: - It was scientific by its aim “to develop a rich, culturally-diverse and coherent theoretical and practical research foundation for research and innovation in the field”, exploring “the different conceptual frameworks of relevant disciplines in order to delineate the commonalities and differences that frame the research objectives in the field” - it was strategic by its aim “to develop new tools and methodologies that operationalise an interdisciplinary approach to research on TEL at a European-wide level” with the expectation of a significant impact at the international level. To bring this ambition to reality, in a very fragmented European TEL research area, it chosen to involve a large number of contributors of which only a small number were already collaborating, and a large range of different research themes. A set of instruments was planned to support the construction of the network and the integration process at both the content and the infrastructure level.

1. Nicolas.Balacheff@imag.fr— Laboratoire Leibniz —IMAG - CNRS, Université Joseph
Fourier, Institut National Polytechnique de Grenoble — MeTAH research group
Concepts and methods for exploring the future
of learning with digital technologies
2004/03/09 1/16

2. At the core of our scientific struggle:
multidisciplinary and “complex”
Research on TEL is intrinsically multidisciplinary:
- The value of a TEL environments lies in the
quality of the learning it allows
- Learning, as a process, depends on the
characteristics of the environments in which it
develops
Research on TEL is intrinsically “complex”:
- Design and specification
- Software development
to
- Implementation and Use
- Scaling and deployment
2004/03/09 2/16

3. The mark of our domain:
Human learning
action
feedback
constraints
meaning and
understanding
as emergent properties of
person-machine
interactions
The key control of the learning process under the shared
responsibility of the machine, the learner and the institution
(school, enterprise, training institute, etc.)
2004/03/09 3/16

4. Our reasons for developing an academic
network focussing on foundational issues
Bridges between educational, social and cognitive
sciences and technologies have a pragmatic existence
(they work “together”) but a weak foundation
(despite success stories) what results in:
- fragility of interdisciplinary research on TEL
-> misunderstanding and disappointment, wrong expectations
- difficulty to learn from the projects
-> weak research economy
- lack of clear grounds for the evaluation of TEL
-> room for ideology and weak governance
- contingent transfer to R&D
-> too many commercial failures, dissatisfied end users
2004/03/09 4/16

5. Our reasons for developing an academic
network at a European level
To gather a critical mass of research to build a
framework and produce prototypes that make
operational an interdisciplinary approach
The need for a shared understanding of the
differences and commonalities across disciplines,
across cultures and research practices
“Learning”, “Knowledge, “Teaching” have different meaning across
the different TEL culture and different national organization
The need to shape the cooperation between the
academic world, industry and users at a programme
level.
2004/03/09 5/16

6. Our key challenges for the development of
an European Research Area on TEL
To establish processes which enable academic
research to share a common reference
To understand, formulate and address the
intrinsic complexity of research on TEL at both
a computational and an epistemological level
To build with producers, providers and users a
vision of the research needed ten years ahead
To ensure the best understanding of basic research on TEL for a
more efficient transfer to industry and a better users appropriation
To strengthen the image of what research in
TEL is in the academic world at large and for
decision making bodies at a political level
2004/03/09 6/16

7. The strategy
To implement tools to the service of TEL research
The Virtual Doctoral School: an instrument for integration
To have researchers and PhD students interact and exchange so that they can
develop a coherent understanding of concepts and methods
To help the community to face its diversity and to break the related deadlocks
To develop communication across discipline, by the co-construction of a shared
language
To provide instruments to stimulate the exploitation of
research results and technological outcomes
The Shared Virtual Laboratory: a research accelerator
Effective research programme of transferability and of reusability emerging
from concept and model building
Capitalisation of projects’ technological outcomes (e.g. prototypes)
Structured description and shared documentation of the outcomes
Availability of research tools: a service to the community
2004/03/09 7/16

8. The strategy
To implement efficient and relevant interfaces
The Academy-Industry Digital Alliance to build the interface
with industry, TEL producers and providers, through
To ensure the social and economical relevance of TEL research
The Kaleidoscope Users’ Group to build the interface with
individual and institutional TEL users at school, in the
universities, at work, at home, through
The Advanced Training activities to directly address the
non-research audience, such as: teachers, e-Learning and
TEL experts, HRD experts, policy makers…
2004/03/09 8/16

9. The strategy
Integrating research structures
Special interest group (SIG)
- To gather expertise on new or strategic issues to be addressed.
- Based on individual commitment.
- Workshops, conferences etc.
European project teams (ERT)
- To structures the field at the level of the research units
- To stimulate the mutualisation of knowledge and know-how
- To favour the construction of a shared scientific policy
- To enrol different disciplinary expertise and approaches
Jointly executed research projects (JEIRP)
- To focus on the key issues of the field, to fill in gaps.
- To prepare the best conditions to carry out actual research
projects
2004/03/09 9/16

10. Structure of the joint programme of actities (JPA)
Integrating instruments
Integrating
structures
ERT
Virtual doctoral
school
ERT
Shared virtual
laboratory
ERT
ERT
SIG
Advanced training
activities
SIG
JEIRP
JEIRP
JEIRP
SIG
SIG
SIG
JEIRP
JEIRP
Research actions
2004/03/09 10/16

11. How do we know that integration is successful?
Structure of the joint programme of actities (JPA)
Integrating instruments
Integrating
structures
ERT
Virtual doctoral
school
ERT
Shared virtual
laboratory
ERT
ERT
SIG
Advanced training
activities
SIG
JEIRP
JEIRP
JEIRP
SIG
SIG
SIG
JEIRP
JEIRP
Research actions
10/18
The strength of the contribution
to and from the backbone
Shared production and use of resources
Participation in SVL and ATA activities
Use of SVL support for research projects
Formal recognition of the VDS by
national bodies
Number of realised co-authored publications
Number of co-supervised PhD project
Number of mixed PhD examination boards s
Exchange of postdocs, sabbaticals etc
externally funded shared projects
…/…
2004/03/09 11/16

12. Topics currently addressed
Artificial intelligence and education
Computer supported collaborative
learning
Computer supported inquiry
learning in science
Context and learning
Learning Grid
Learning and technology at work
Narrative and learning
environment
Participatory design
Philosophy of e-Learning
SIGs
Production of educational format
Technology enhanced learning in
mathematics
ERTs
JEIRPs
Interaction between learners’s internal
and external representation in multimedia
environments
Personalised and collaborative trails of
digital and non-digital learning objects
Mobile Support for integrated learning
Conditions of productive learning in
network learning environments
Semantic web and learning
Interaction & collaboration analysis
supporting teachers and students self
regulation
Building visual blocks for tangible
mathematics
spin off
2004/03/09 12/16

13. “…turning Kaleidoscope NoE into a dynamic Europeanwide virtual research organization with its own structures
and management bodies”
e
up e
ro anc itte
’ G alli om
s
er al c c
Us igit tifi
D ien
Sc
Coordinateur
Scientific manager
Executif committee
Core Group
Contractors General Assembly
Steering bodies to be
renewed periodically
Users’ groups
Industry and SMEs
Academic research units
2004/03/09 13/16

14. “…turning Kaleidoscope NoE into a dynamic Europeanwide virtual research organization with its own structures
and management bodies”
e
up e
ro anc itte
’ G alli om
s
er al c c
Us igit tifi
D ien
Sc
Advisory bodies
Coordinateur
Scientific manager
Executif committee
Core Group
Contractors General Assembly
Digital alliance
Users’ group
Steering bodies to be
Intenational committee
renewed periodically
Users’ groups
Industry and SMEs
Academic research units
2004/03/09 14/16

15. “…turning Kaleidoscope NoE into a dynamic Europeanwide virtual research organization with its own structures
and management bodies”
e
up e
ro anc itte
’ G alli om
s
er al c c
Us igit tifi
D ien
Sc
Coordinateur
Scientific manager
Executif committee
Core Group
Contractors General Assembly
The CGA devolves to the
Core group the governance
of the network
The Executive committee
implements decisions
The Scientific manager
orchestrates and stimulates
Users’ groups
Industry and SMEs
Academic research units
2004/03/09 15/16

16. “…turning Kaleidoscope NoE into a dynamic Europeanwide virtual research organization with its own structures
and management bodies”
e
up e
ro anc itte
’ G alli om
s
er al c c
Us igit tifi
D ien
Sc
Coordinateur
Scientific manager
Executif committee
Core Group
Contractors General Assembly
The CGA devolves to the
Core group the governance
of the network
The Executive committee
implements decisions
The Scientific manager
orchestrates and stimulates
Toward sustainability
- step 1: the capacity to renew the governance bodies
- step 2: to engage the structuration at a national level
- step 3: to find the best organization format within ERA
2004/03/09 16/16