Empowering schools’ transition readiness to a distance/hybrid learning model enhanced by cloud technology tools Erasmus Project

Project Title

Empowering schools’ transition readiness to a distance/hybrid learning model enhanced by cloud technology tools

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 : Partnerships for Digital Education Readiness

Project Call Year

This project’s Call Year is 2020

Project Topics

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

Project Summary

During the recent Covid-19 pandemic, and following the measures imposed by EU countries, on a local level, relating to education, many schools were forced to rapidly transfer their entire educational process, on-line (UNESCO, UNICEF and the World Bank (October, 2020) – What have we learnt? Overview of findings from a survey of ministries of education on national responses to COVID-19), implementing a distance learning model. The changes occurred over the course of the academic year, imposing a great time pressure for rapid changes and immediate implementation accompanied with technical problems (Educational Institute of Scotland (May, 2020) – Teaching During the COVID-19 Shutdown survey). Even though researches of the past decade have heavily focused on the transition to a digital learning environment, the level of readiness of each organisation to do so in a matter of days was not a priority up to now, especially considering the fact that researches show that it is a popular belief that education is behind the technology curve and that it is time to catch up (Pearson (August 2020) – The Global Learner Survey, August 2020).
The wide range of available, open source, cloud tools led to several set of toolkits being used in several implementations of a distance learning approach leading in turn to confusion between the educational community both to teachers and students who found themselves having to use multiple platforms and tools in different contexts.
The ETRe Project aims to empower schools to increase their transition readiness to distance/hybrid learning model by targeting teachers, school leaders (decision makers) and policy makers.
By providing them with:
– a competence framework based on existing ones, and set a minimum level of mastery of critical teachers’ and students’ competences that will ease their rapid adaptation to a transition to a distance/ hybrid learning model,
– a report on available, open source, cloud tools (collaboration, storage, communication, planning, etc.) and platforms that support their parallel use presenting the information and pros and cons of the tools in easy-to-read infographics
– a guide on how to rapidly and efficiently adapt and digitalise the educational content used in classrooms to a distance learning, supported by technology, approach
– a certification process that will set a standard for the required level of readiness an educational organisation should have to sufficiently make a swift towards a distance/hybrid learning model.
Its transnational implementation aims to make an impact at an EU level by implicating partners with a geographical disparity. A university, a school, an educational association, a technology and an EU projects experts organisation as partners will provide communication channels with all the project’s target groups and enlarge the overall target audience.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 238390 Eur

Project Coordinator

SCHOOL OF THE FUTURE INTERNATIONAL ACADEMY (SOFIA) LIMITED & Country: UK

Project Partners

• European Association of Erasmus Coordinators
• SPOLECZNA AKADEMIA NAUK
• Prof. Ivan Apostolov Private English Language School
• Zdruzhenie za evropska edukacija i mobilnost AMETA Veles
• European Digital Learning Network