About EdReNe

A gap exists between users, who ask “where are the learning resources” and the content providers, who ask “where are the users”. Repositories address this missing knowledge about opportunities and resources. They are key disseminators of information of available learning resources. In repositories users search or browse for relevant resources (text books, websites etc.) among the vast supply on the market. Therefore, in many countries ministries of education/authorities or professional organisations have established national repositories of educational resources.

The objective of this Thematic Network is to bring together these web-based repositories of learning resources with content owners and other stakeholders within education in order to share, develop and document strategies, experiences, practices, solutions, advice, procedures etc. on the organisation, structuring and functionality of repositories.

The overall goal is to improve the provision of and access to learning resources.

Issues to be addressed include:

• Policies and strategies
• Quality criteria and assurance
• Rights protection and management
• Standards and interoperability
• Development and harmonisation/mapping of application profiles
• Types of learning resources
• Involving commercial publishers and associated agreements
• Encouraging teachers' knowledge sharing
• Linking to reviews and evaluations
• Connecting to curriculum
• Ethics, screening and clearing, and
• Web-services bridging to other portals and local learning platforms.

The project will link to/collaborate with other cross-national and/or local repositories/ collections/ catalogues, and publishers’ associations.
The project will develop practical guidelines and recommendations, but most importantly, it will establish a lasting collegial network of European repository nodes and stakeholders.
The main output of the EdReNe project will be a comprehensive website with recommendations, documentation, templates, roadmaps and documents describing issues, state-of-the-art and offering possible solutions to the problems described above. Existing repositories can cut some corners and new repositories may have a less costly and much less complicated path in life.

During a three-year period, from May 2007, the network will arrange 4 strategic seminars and 10 expert workshops. The EdReNe network will invite associated members to join the network.