The project is built on the considerable previous experience of partners in traditional training and ODL, as well as in co-operating in the framework of joint European educational and research projects. Each partner has well-established contacts with other groups working in the field of education and with industrial companies interested in staff professional up-grading. The consortium brings together a considerable expertise in teaching, specifically in the field of ODL, as well as in artificial intelligence, neural networks, image and signal processing, high performance computing and networking. This provides an almost ideal context to carry out the multidisciplinary activities implied by the complex topic of the project. An adequate managerial structure will be created for running the project. Consortium meetings, workshops and a summer school will be organised to plan, evaluate and disseminate the results. Each year, a one-day web-based tele-workshop will also connect all partners and interested parties.The outcomes of the project will be beneficial not only for open and distance learning, but also for the traditional teaching, offering alternate solutions to trainers and trainees from different professional environments. It is expected that the project will also result in the gradual growth of a self-sustained professional network for which the present consortium represents the nucleus. By its long-term effects, the project will have not only a significant professional impact but also substantial economic and social effects.

Runtime: 1999 - 2001