Foster, mUltiply and connecT adUlt Edcation Erasmus Project

Project Title

Foster, mUltiply and connecT adUlt Edcation

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 for adult education

Project Call Year

This project’s Call Year is 2018

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: ICT – new technologies – digital competences; New innovative curricula/educational methods/development of training courses

Project Summary

FUTURE (Foster, mUltiply and connecT adUlt Edcation) is project for the exchange of good practices that aims to create and promote innovation in the adult education sector, with the objective of fully embracing digital education. Specifically, the project focused on the analysis and understanding of future scenarios for the adult education sector, related to the use of digital-supported tools and methodologies for educational dynamics, teaching processes, inclusive learning and teaching methods for adults.
The project was born from an initiative of the European Digital Learning Network and its members (some part of this consortium), which dates back to the European survey promoted between May and September 2017. The consultation “What do you think about the future of digital Education and Training in EU? ” aimed to understand the perspective of those who work in education and training with a bottom-up approach. The intent was to collect relevant data from professionals in this area, gathering a clear picture of the “As is” situation and suggestions for improvement and changes. The survey (counting 1000 people engaged at various degrees in the world of education and sponsored as a Pledge of the Digital Skills and Jobs Coalition) allowed collecting valuable information about education and training, with a dedicated focus on Adult Education.

FUTURE produced the following results:
1. a collection of case studies relating to the most effective methodologies applied to learning through Information and Communication Technologies (ICT);
2. a database of tools available online, free, customizable, open-source and easily adaptable to multiple training subjects, analyzed and decoded by the project partners according to their orientation to be adapted on the needs of trainers and students;
3. An online repository (Future kit) collecting the resources developed in the previous two points.

A minimum of two educators from each partner was involved in the pilot test of the results produced, in order to validate the case studies and the tools collected in terms of relevance, effectiveness, degree of customization and accessibility. The selection of educators for the pilot test was carried out by each partner within their own national and educational context, thus ensuring the necessary geographical coverage and the representation of various local and national Adult Education sectors. In addition, the feedback collected from the direct target group of the project made it possible to verify the potential impact of the resources obtained among professionals in the sector, thus using the responses collected to refine the results according to a co-creation process.

The rproject results have been mainly aimed at adult education educators, providing them with practical tools for improving their skills, in consistency with the strategy “Upskilling Pathways: New Opportunities for Adults” (EU 19.12.16 on improvement paths for skill level: new opportunities for adults). In accordance with its pillars, FUTURE’s activities have supported initial training and continuing professional development of dedicated staff for the delivery of skills level improvement paths, in particular teachers and professional trainers.

FUTURE has shown a significant potential for transferring and disseminating its results on various sectors of education, thanks in particular to the implicit transversal nature of digital skills and the participatory methodology used for the development of project results. In fact, the concept of digital education does not relate exclusively to the field of adult education, but it embraces instead the whole education sector, according to a horizontal approach of mutual contamination and interdisciplinarity. Based on this principle, the products of the project have been designed in order to facilitate an application as flexible as possible, using a simple and never excessively technical language in order to be accessible to a wide audience.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 93758,68 Eur

Project Coordinator

European Digital Learning Network & Country: IT

Project Partners

• AINTEK SYMVOULOI EPICHEIRISEON EFARMOGES YPSILIS TECHNOLOGIAS EKPAIDEFSI ANONYMI ETAIREIA
• POLITECHNIKA LODZKA
• UPI – ljudska univerza Zalec
• FUNDACION TECNOLOGIA SOCIAL
• E-business Academy
• ISTITUTO DEI SORDI DI TORINO
• EUROGEO VZW