The EU-funded Up2U (Up2University) project has announced that openUp2U, a version of its trusted, remote learning platform will be available to all schools and universities across Europe, in an effort to support continued learning during the COVID-19 pandemic.
openUp2U has been developed and offered in direct response to COVID-19, with the support of Up2U project partners including GÉANT, NORDUnet, CERN, ownCloud, PSNC, KIFU, NTUA, GRNET, GARR, The Open University and MIUN.
The Up2U platform is a Next Generation Digital Learning Environment (NGDLE) that is modular, interoperable, highly customisable and portable. Based on open source technology developed by European not-for-profit organisations and research institutions such as CERN, it offers services such as course management, video-conferencing and file sharing integrated into a learning management system so that teachers and students can collaborate in real-time, supporting remote learning and educational support.
These services include:
- Moodle – a course management system based on a free open source software package designed to help educators create effective online courses.
- eduMEET – an open source web-based video-conferencing platform developed in the GÉANT (GN4-3) Project, that provides a self-hosted, secure and trustworthy environment for distance learning. eduMEET is currently in Beta stage.
- SWAN – a turn-key platform to produce digital notebooks to be created in a simple web interface – with text, code, pictures and video – that can be stored in CERNBox.
- CERNBox powered by EOS and ownCloud – the Sync and Share storage solution for Science, that allows students and teachers to work and collaborate anytime and anywhere from their mobile devices.
Erik Huizer, CEO of coordinating partner GÉANT adds, “The Up2U project, established in 2017, works with National Research and Education Networks, universities, secondary schools, research institutes and SMEs, as well as the wider education community to provide a trusted platform where teachers and students collaborate on learning. At a time when universities and schools are being temporarily closed, we are making this platform available at pace that is much faster than we would apply under normal circumstances, to facilitate remote learning so that students are not disadvantaged at an important time in their education.”
