ConductIT Erasmus Project

Project Title

ConductIT

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 higher education

Project Call Year

This project’s Call Year is 2018

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: New innovative curricula/educational methods/development of training courses; Open and distance learning; Creativity and culture

Project Summary

Online and digital content is rapidly changing the way we provide education. ConductIT seeks to explore this territory in an area that
is not always associated with digital and online teaching practices – music performance. This implies considerable innovation, and in
some ways a proof of concept; showing that MOOCs are useful in teaching music performance in general, and specifically in
conducting.

ConductIT is exploring the MOOC (Massive Open Online Course) as a platform for teaching conducting, and develop on-campus
courses that implement the MOOC as part of the curriculum, in combination with traditional teaching formats, thus creating a
blended learning environment. The project will develop and produce a MOOC that functions as a stand-alone, but that also will be
utilized in combination with tailored on-campus courses, designed to complement the MOOC.
The outputs of ConductIT, the MOOC and the accompanying blended learning courses, will be aimed at three target groups:

1. music students and musicians who want to develop their knowledge and skills, typically in preparation for formal conducting
studies or to become conducting professionals.
2. conductors and educators who are active as conductors in their line of work and who wish to develop and further their skills in
conducting through continued education. These conductors typically work with community orchestras, wind bands and choirs, or as
educators in primary and secondary education.

3. The MOOC as a stand-alone will also be suitable as recreational education for musicians and music lovers who want to understand
more about conducting and conductors, but who do not plan to practice the craft and art of conducting.

In terms of dissemination of the experiences gained through this project, the target audience are institutions who are involved in
music education, and who consider using online resources such as MOOCs in conjunction with music performance education. The
MOOC will become an open resource, and thus will have considerable reach. The two project conferences contribute to
dissemination.

The MOOC will be developed in the creative area where the partners’ specialized and complementary competences intersect; highly
specialized knowledge of conducting education and of its reach, highly specialized knowledge of music theory and analysis, and
highly specialized knowledge of distance/e-learning, both specifically in conducting and in a broad context.
Intangible results:
• Increased understanding of e-learning and of blended learning within the partner institutions, and among those reached by the
project’s dissemination.
• Promotion of a modern approach to e-learning and blended learning, and the advance of inter-institutional collaboration on digital
learning resources among policymakers in the partner institutions and among those reached by the project’s dissemination.
• Contribution to increased quality in conducting education, both at the partner institutions, but also among the users of the MOOC.

Tangible results:
• MOOC in conducting.
• Development of curricula/study programs for conducting courses at the University of Stavanger, University of Aveiro and Royal Northern College of Music, that utilize the MOOC in conjunction with traditional teaching formats, creating a
blended learning environment.

ConductIT has the potential of making an impact, both in terms of providing tangible improvements and contributions to the area
of conducting education, but also as a proof of concept and as an illustration of a modern implementation of digital resources and
implementation of blended learning in higher music education. The project will publish its results, and the MOOC will remain an
open source, potentially reaching a high number of conducting students.

Project Website

http://conductit.eu

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 372724,95 Eur

Project Coordinator

UNIVERSITETET I STAVANGER & Country: NO

Project Partners

• THE OPEN UNIVERSITY
• UNIVERSIDADE DE AVEIRO
• ROYAL NORTHERN COLLEGE OF MUSIC