Language Massive Open Online Courses Erasmus Project

Project Title

Language Massive Open Online Courses

Project Key Action

This project related with these key action: Cooperation for innovation and the exchange of good practices

Project Action Type

This project related with this action type : Strategic Partnerships addressing more than one field

Project Call Year

This project’s Call Year is 2014

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: Teaching and learning of foreign languages; Open and distance learning; ICT – new technologies – digital competences

Project Summary

Language literacy is an essential life skill for the 21st century. It is a fact that learning a foreign language is a good way to improve brain function and acquire social skills. Moreover it is an effective way to explore other languages and cultures in order to obtain a professional advantage in labour market. As language skills are in much demand the need for related on line courses is widespread.
Also, new innovative technologies open new educational possibilities and change the way that we learn and teach. In fact, changes in digital technologies are happening much faster than our ability to monitor their impact. As a result, the look and feel of learning environments, the role of teachers, the nature of the learner and what and how they learn are being transformed. MOOCs (Massive Open Online Courses) is a new format for distance learning.

The aim of the project is to research the potential of MOOCS in Language Learning, to explore the pedagogical framework of Language MOOCs, to develop a toolkit for the creation and management of Language MOOCs and OERs and to test the use of OERs in language MOOCs in a pilot course.

The consortium is consisted of 5 organisations: 3 NGOs : Active Citizens Partnership from Greece(coordinator), Centro Studi ed Iniziative Europeo from Italy and Community Action Dacorum from UK. One Adult Education Provider, iberika education group from Germany and one Higher Education institution, Hogskolen i Sor-Trondelag from Norway (at the second year of the project HiST has been merged with NTNU). All the partners have active engagement with language training and new pedagogies, the have experience in the design and delivery of language learning courses at different levels and have experience and confidence in the use of ICT tools for teaching and learning.

Main activities of the project are: Production of a publication as to the broad principles through which theory is applied to online language learning and teaching practice, a report contains exploration, classification and evaluation of available MOOCs for language learning, and a complete guideline containing all the core course elements of a Massive Open Online and Interactive Language Learning Environment. Development of Open Educational Resources in 5 partner languages based on authentic materials. Implementation of pilot language learning MOOC for English, Greek, Italian, German and Norwegian. Organization of project Final Conference in UK and 4 national level events in partner’s countries.

Further, the strong engagement with language skills as a vital element within the frame of lifelong learning will result in the adoption and integration of MOOCS and OERs on language learning practice. The change expected is improved teaching/learning experience and learners language performance across disciplines and educational levels.

The LangMOOCs project outcomes and expected results and impacts are consistent with European 2020 strategies and its flagship initiatives, especially the Agenda for New Skills for New Jobs, Rethinking Education (2012) and the priorities of the Erasmus+ call uptake in teaching and learning, through the support of learning and access to open educational resources (OER) in the education and training fields, supporting ICT-based teaching and assessment practices and by promoting the transparency of rights and obligations of users and producers of digitised content; contributing to the modernisation of Europe’s education systems as outlined in the 2011 EU Modernisation Agenda; contributing to the reduction of low-skilled adults. All the project outcomes are specifically designed for free/open access in order to promote open educational practice and add value to all initiatives mentioned above.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 205928 Eur

Project Coordinator

Active Citizens Partnership & Country: EL

Project Partners

• iberika education group gGmbH
• DACORUM COUNCIL FOR VOLUNTARY SERVICE LTD
• CESIE
• NORGES TEKNISK-NATURVITENSKAPELIGE UNIVERSITET NTNU