The speakers of the workshop „How to use digital learning environments“ presented digital infrastructures developed by the governments of the autonomous region of Andalusia and by the state of Baden-Württemberg. They are used by adult education organisations in the field of E-learning and blended learning.

Francisco Castillo García, a former staff member of the lifelong learning department of the government of Andalusia (Junta de Andalucía), looked back on eight years of developing a learning management system for the regional network for lifelong learning. The aim of the project was to provide a better access to education to more adults by offering blended learning opportunities. Another objective of the digital infrastructure was to foster cooperation between teachers and to facilitate the exchange and the sustainable use of educational materials. Content and curricula were coordinated through a system managed by the regional distance learning institute IEDA (Instituto de Eseñanza a Distancia de Andalucía).

On behalf of IEDA, María Isabel Gil Cumplido gave some examples of the practical use of the digital infrastructure. Instruments like Moodle or Skype, video conferences and gamification promoted the interaction between teachers and learners and allowed direct feedback to the tasks.

Roland Bauer, a representative of the Ministry for Culture, Youth and Sports of the state of Baden-Württemberg, presented the digital campus for further education. Its learning management system ILIAS comprises virtual meeting rooms, which facilitate video lectures in interdisciplinary courses. It is also possible to get advice on further education opportunities via chat. The infrastructure is open for adult education organisations in Baden-Württemberg, but it can also be used beyond through different service packages. For instance, the course database of the German employment agency is based on this particular learning management system. Benefits for the users are data protection, legal security and technical support. Unlike the Andalusian learning management system, the digital campus of further education of the state of Baden-Württemberg does not provide any joint curricula.

Among the users of the digital campus of further education is the association of adult education institutions “Volkshochschulverband Baden-Württemberg”. One of its members, Dr. Julia Gassner, gave some insights in the practical use of the digital infrastructure. It is possible, for instance, to share resources such as exercises, tests, handbooks for teachers or self-directed learning modules. This is especially relevant for regional cooperation projects. 

A central message of all the four speakers was: Digital learning environments are useful when they offer an added value. This was the case in the examples from Andalusia and Baden-Württemberg, where an increased exchange between institutions, teachers and learners has been identified as a benefit. The digital infrastructures provided a better access to education for broader target groups. The participation in further education increased in both regions; especially in Andalusia, where people in rural regions sometimes have a long way to the next adult education institution. The speakers also stated that the economic crises had motivated the higher demand for adult learning opportunities in Andalusia. The fact that a learning management system providing shared resources is a cheaper alternative to in-classroom-learning, finally served the developers of the Andalusian tool as an argument towards political decision makers.

Taking up a statement of a previous keynote lecture, the participants also discussed the future of learning. Some of them held that digitalisation and free access to learning resources shifted the focus of adult education from contents to services like consultancy or the facilitation of learning processes. However, most participants believed that in-classroom-learning wouldn’t disappear in the near future, as learning in a group, for instance in a local Volkshochschule, was still very attractive to many adult learners.