For three years, the project was funded by the German Federal Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs and by the European Social Fund in the context of the "Xenos" funding programme. Now, "Blended Learning in Prison" (BLiS) has received the Xenos-Verstetigungspreis (Stabilisation Award).
The award recognises the work of the Institut für Bildung in der Informationsgesellschaft (IBI - Institute for Education in the Information Society): The independent institute at the Technische Universität (TU) Berlin has not only devised the e-learning service for prison inmates, but, since 2009, has also pedagogically and technically supervised the "elis" learning platform.
Project manager Ariane von der Mehden on federalist obstacles, success stories across federal states and a very specific target group:
Question: Why were you awarded the Verstetigungspreis? Because your project continues even after the funding period or because an increasing number of prison inmates uses the service?
Ariane von der Mehden: Both reasons apply. It is a success indeed that we have managed to be jointly commissioned by several federal states. On the basis of the federalist principle, the law stipulates that educational service provision in prisons is a matter pertaining to the federal state. After the Nordverbund had started its "elis" learning platform already some years ago, other federal states followed suit. The last ones to follow were the Südwestverbund (Rhineland-Palatinate, Hessen, Saarland) and even Austria.
By now, 50 prisons are using the learning platform "eLearning im Strafvollzug" (e-learning in prison), short "elis". Most importantly, however, the federal states now have allocated budget funds to continue the programme by financing it from their own resources. By the way, other federal states are about to launch the programme as well.
Media competence as part of occupational competences plays a decisive role
Question: How do the prison inmates react to e-learning?
Ariane von der Mehden: Very positively. There even is quite a large number, who prefer to attend educational measures instead of working in the prison. Incidentally, it is their good right to do so. And it does make sense, because the goal is to qualify the prison inmates and make them fit for life outside prison. They are to get a foothold and find employment. In our present-day society, media competence as part of occupational competences plays a decisive role. Moreover, the opportunity to work with computers during their lessons very much motivates the prison inmates. Working with digital media renders learning more exciting and diversified.
Question: 200 interactive and multimedia learning programmes currently exist. What does this service provision actually cover?
Ariane von der Mehden: The contexts within the prisons associated with the learning platform are very different and vary. The needs and interests in a youth detention centre tend to be different from those in the adult penal system. There are illiterates, who use e-learning to learn how to write and read, some inmates catch up on completing their school-leaving certificate, others receive vocational education and training or attend continuing education courses.
But the topics cover also training in everyday life competences, social and media competences. For example, inmates can complete the European Computer Driving Licence (ECDL). It is always good to have a certificate issued at the end of a learning course. This has positive effects when looking for a job.
Internet, mobile phones and laptops are absolutes prohibited in prisons
Question: What does e-learning in prison look like? The inmate sits down in his cell in the evening with his laptop and logs in to the learning management system?
Ariane von der Mehden: No. Internet, mobile phones and laptops are absolutes prohibited in prisons. Without supervision, that is, in the cell, this is strictly out of bounds. Therefore, the first major challenge was the intention of furnishing computer rooms allowing for access to the internet. In part, this elicited huge resistance, also on part of the prison staff. By now, all involved have had good experiences with the "elis" system. The inmates are never alone in these rooms and always are supervised. Most importantly, however, in spite of e-learning they do not have free access to the internet.
Question: But they do not learn with CBT systems, do they?
Ariane von der Mehden: Via the learning platform and in addition to a range of different didactic features, the user is provided also with CBT and WBT within a media centre. This means, the user accesses the server, located here at the TU Berlin, via a tunnelled internet connection. This way, although the path leads through the internet, there is no opportunity for accessing websites.
Only during the so-called "transition management" stage - when the inmate is being prepared for discharge - or in the case of inmates being classified as trustworthy, permission is granted to enable individual select websites. Prior to this, the IBI assesses these websites in co-ordination with the teachers and supervisors and under observation of strict criteria. In this respect, security always comes first.
Question: Why is this handled in such a strict manner?
Ariane von der Mehden: The intention is to prevent a repetition of criminal activities. Also, this is to prevent inmates contacting each other without permission or storing very specific content on the computers and thus passing it on. Communication to the outside into the free internet as well as within the prison walls between inmates has to be prevented at all times. For this reason, the drives and USB ports are masked and rendered inaccessible in many prisons.