Digital learning in Hospitals Erasmus Project

Project Title

Digital learning in Hospitals

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 2019

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: ICT – new technologies – digital competences; Inclusion – equity; Early School Leaving / combating failure in education

Project Summary

Children and youths who are unable to attend regular classes for a longer period of time due to illness or crisis situations require special school care in hospitals. Communication and collaboration with the respective schools of origin is of particular importance in order to provide the children and adolescents with the best possible content. At the same time, however, the aim is also to enable those affected not to fall out of their social structure in the classes of origin.

The overall aim of the project is therefore to improve communication between hospital schools and the schools of origin of the sick pupils. However, this does not only concern the contact between teachers, but also the contact between children and young people. In order to achieve this, three guidelines are drafted, which deal with:

+ the optimal IT infrastructure in hospital schools,
+ the possibility of direct participation in the school of origin through digital media and means of communication,
+ and the prerequisites for proactive participation via digital media in order to be able to continue to participate in the social class structure of the school of origin.

Due to the different digitalisation strategies of the schools in the different countries, the project profits substantially from the exchange of knowledge and practical know-how. The structure of participants in this project is broad:

+ Educators in hospital schools
Teachers from hospital schools refer to their practical knowledge and, together with teacher training and further training centres, create optimal conditions for schools to work together.

+ Teachers at schools of origin
The “Heilstättenschule Linz” alone will cooperate with about 500 different schools of different types in different regions of Austria during the project period. In each of these schools of origin at least one teacher (but mostly several) is involved in the exchange or contact with the hospital school. The Dothan School in Bielefeld also cooperates with approx. 450 schools of origin during the two years of the project. The participating hospital schools thus act as large multipliers of the project results within the education system already during the project period.

+ affected children & adolescents
In the course of the project, approx. 600 sick pupils per year will be cared for at the Linz sanatorium school, at the same time the Dothan school in Bielefeld will care for about 350 children and adolescents per year. By rolling out the project results in all countries, the number of children and young people reached is increased many times over.

+ Pupils from the schools of origin
Due to the abstinence of the comrade due to illness, a clear stress situation arises within the class. Through digi.LIKE, sick pupils remain in the social structure of the class, which also prevents the children and adolescents of the schools of origin from breaking off their relationships.

+ Collaborating hospitals
Schooling in hospitals is an essential part of the treatment concept. The students experience situations similar to everyday life and a continuation of social relationships, which results in an accelerated healing process.

+ Places of teacher training
The “Pädagogische Hochschule der Diözese Linz” (PH Linz), the German-Bulgarian Education Centre (DBBZ) and the “Institut für interdisziplinäre Bildung” (IIB) have expertise in teacher education, school development and media education. They make their knowledge available and profit from the results for their further work with (prospective) teachers.

Prior to the first project meeting, a detailed analysis of the work steps and needs in the hospital schools will be carried out. Afterwards, three guidelines will be worked on in the planned meetings. In addition, the results of the guidelines and preliminary considerations will be tested at the hospital classes in Linz and Bielefeld.

The results of the project will be implemented in the working methods of the participating institutions, which means that the communication structures of the hospital classes with the schools of origin will change. At the same time, PH Linz, DBBZ and IIB will incorporate the findings and results of the project into the training and further education of pedagogues.

These measures are expected to lead to a lasting sensitisation in the work with sick pupils. At the same time, awareness will be raised with regard to the burdens on teachers and children and youths in regular schools. The implementation of the results in the work of the participating institutions results in a clear long-term benefit.

Project Website

http://www.digilike.eu

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 38300 Eur

Project Coordinator

INSTITUT FUR INTERDISZIPLINARE BILDUNG (IIB) & Country: AT

Project Partners

• Dothanschule Schule für Kranke
• PRIVATE PADAGOGISCHE HOCHSCHULE DER DIOZESE LINZ
• Darzhavno predpriyatie “Bulgaro-germanski centur za profesionalno obuchenie”
• Heilstättenschule Linz