Virtual Teachers’ Toolbox Erasmus Project

Project Title

Virtual Teachers’ Toolbox

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 school education

Project Call Year

This project’s Call Year is 2017

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: Quality Improvement Institutions and/or methods (incl. school development); Open and distance learning; ICT – new technologies – digital competences

Project Summary

The project aims to create a special virtual toolbox for teachers as a sophisticated tool for developing Open Online Distance Learning (OODL) courses which means open, online, flexible and technology enhanced education (OOFAT). The mixture of of the partners ensures the necessary competences, values, skills and knowledge for developing an innovative approach to OODL. This project uses a strategic cooperation between formal and non-formal/informal educational providers using ICT based teaching and the enhancement of digital integration in learning. It will be enhancing teachers’ professional development and support students‘ acquisition of values, skills and competences.

The 5 consortium members are well distributed in Europe: University of Crete, GR (specialised in innovative education) will focus on supporting students‘ acquisition of skills and competences, EBI/EIE (AT) is a teacher training institution with experienced in Distance Learning impacts in enhancing teachers’ professional development and in OODL The I.T.E VITTORIO VENETO SALVEMINI (IT) and Colegio Internacional Costa Adeje (ES) are two high schools (offering a multicultural background) with different orientation in teaching and experienced in eLearning and modern teaching methods. The Swedish Association for Distance Education (SADE) has a special focus on OODL and OOFAT and provides experience in quality enhancement systems.
The VVT-Box methodology focuses on items which are either not yet common or still missing in Open Online Distance Education as a
* Innovative approach to OODL
* Appropriate quality enhancement framework
* Innovative and completely new motivating self-evaluation method for students (Mandala method)
* New developed innovative tool for course creators
* Special training course for teachers to implement the new methods in course creation
* Transferability and evaluation guide to enable the transfer to other educational fields

The activities during the project’s lifetime will develop (and provide as results) a
1. So-called “reverse pedagogical approach” by taking the viewpoint of students and supplement them best in learning.
This pedagogical approach is based on self determined learning, called Heutagogy) and is a means for acquisition of skills and
competences of learners, especially in science (so-called MINT subjects) and language teaching.
2. Completely new motivating self-evaluation method called the “Mandala Self-Evaluation”. This is a graphical method to define
competence based learning outcomes and to evaluate the learner’s’ success and to motivate students).
3. Virtual web-based toolbox as an Open Educational Resource (OER). This innovative public available tool enables teachers to enter
the parameters of a planned course in an interactive user interface. The database driven service creates the required material and
delivers it in digital form. The outputs are appropriate material like course structures, checklists, instructions for quality
enhancement, timetables, and other helpful means for the course planning and implementing.
4. Special course (as a MOOC) for teachers available as a Online Distance Learning course with OERs.
Tested and evaluated pilot courses for students (as examples of best practice) including all project-related innovation, practices
and tools will also be available as OER sources.
5. Transferability and evaluation guide to transfer the developed tools, products, and methodologies to other educational sectors
(Adult Education, Vocational Education and partly Higher Education)

Approximately 1420 students, teachers, decision makers, researchers and other stakeholders will be impacted by the project.

The dissemination is using web-based channels, like social media, Youtube, SlideShare, a Web Blog and symposium based events in the identified target group of teachers. EDEN – the European Distance and eLearning Network is also foreseen for dissemination.
The sustainability of the products is ensured by the project partners with the necessary resources for the next years. The transferability and evaluation guide to other educational sectors is an added value.
A longer lasting benefit is
* To provide a first experience of an innovative teaching and learning way in School Education supervised by the University of Crete with the impact of the experience of SADE from Sweden, a country with one of the longest lasting Distance Learning experiences.
* An impact to new research in Heutagogical pedagogy and to future studies and research
* The new approach to open and innovative education, providing a fully embracing of the digital area
* The boosting of open and digital educational resources
So the project impacts to the target group, to the addressed learners, institutions and finally to the society.
This impact to stakeholders is a necessary mainspring for further meaningful activities in development educational systems in School Education on a European level.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 148058 Eur

Project Coordinator

Colegio Internacional Costa Adeje & Country: ES

Project Partners

• PANEPISTIMIO KRITIS
• Europäische Bildungsinitiative
• I.T.E VITTORIO VENETO SALVEMINI
• Swedish Association for Distance Education (SADE)