Improving Digital Pedagogical Competences of VET Teachers in the Tourism Sector Erasmus Project

Project Title

Improving Digital Pedagogical Competences of VET Teachers in the Tourism Sector

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: ICT – new technologies – digital competences; Pedagogy and didactics; Open and distance learning

Project Summary

The project is in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, and especially the outbreak of its second wave. Trying to control the situation which constitutes the largest global public health crisis in a century, EU governments are already again (like in spring) putting in place a series of restrictive measures, including ‘social distancing’ and school closures. With the recent shift to online and distance learning, education and training systems are facing challenges regarding their digital education readiness. Teachers and trainers have to be equipped with knowledge in order to develop and improve their digital pedagogical competences in order to safeguard the inclusive nature of learning opportunities.
Some VET teachers are proficient and devoted to using digital and online learning, and in these cases the learning process becomes a mutual endeavour in which students learn from the teacher, and vice versa. Others recognise the importance of digital and online learning but have limited skills. Still others are ambivalent or refuse to try out such practices.
Many VET teachers find challenges of distance learning due to COVID-19 situation. The content of their materials is not sufficiently attractive for the students and they are not involved in the process of learning. Their attention could be much better preserved if the learning material is presented in a more interactive way. This can be achieved by transforming and adapting the learning content, including gamification as a pedagogical approach in the vocational e-learning process.
The main objective of the project is Development of digital pedagogical competences of VET Tourism Teachers in the COVID-19 situation.
Specific objectives are:
• To support the providing of high quality inclusive digital education in VET;
• Development and use of open educational resources, open textbooks and free and open source educational software;
• Strengthening the cooperation and networking between Vocational Tourism Schools;
• Prepare education professionals for equity, diversity and inclusion challenges in the digital learning environment;
• Encourage teachers to use School Education Gateway during the project implementation and after the project activities;
• Target qualifications: cook, waiter, hotel receptionist
Target groups:
Direct beneficiaries: Teachers in VET schools/centres in the tourism sector.
Final beneficiaries: VET learners in the tourism sector.
The implementation of the project objectives includes 3 IOs:
IO1 – Study and online consultation workshop on the lack on digital competences in teaching in VET (tourism sector)
IO 2 – Development of Innovative Open-Source Educational Software
IO 3 – Development of open-source digital library
The implementation of the project will positively contribute to the achievement of the following expected long term impacts on the project target groups:
• Providing teachers with quality and specific digital pedagogical competencies and tools supporting rendering the teaching process more attractive and effective for learners during the Covid-19 situation.
• Creation of ICT tools to enhance digital pedagogical competences of teachers.
Result 1: Development of high quality attractive digital content.
Result 2: Development of Innovative Open-Source Educational Software
Result 3: Online resource (open-source digital library for VET in Tourism sector).
The methodology, chosen for achievement of the project general objective and concrete aims, ensures development of applicable and sustainable products, which can be transferred beyond the partnership and the project lifetime.
The ImDiPeT project activities are designed into 3 IOs. For each IO we have agreed to have a leading partner with all partners contributing to dedicated aspects of activities planned. Furthermore, for all IOs each lead partner will be supported by 1 partner as co-leader. The IO leaders as well as the IO leader supporting partners were selected according to their specific expertise and capacity required for the competent IO leadership and coordination. The organisation of the project work covers different types of activities related to management, administration, content generation, ICT and software development, communication, reporting, quality assurance and other related issues.
The long term impact is:
– cover the needs for improved digital skills of the educators in VET tourism sector;
– development of strong links between VET schools, VET providers and IT companies;
– creating a joint open source digital library applicable on EU level;
– development of an innovative tool – Open source educational software that will improve the quality of training offered by VET schools and VET providers on EU level;
– inclusion of information about project outputs on the web sites of project organizations and dissemination of ImDiPeT project products along their partnership networks;
– “multiplication effect” – translation of project outputs in additional languages.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 126960 Eur

Project Coordinator

Coopérative pour le Développement de l’emploi dans les métiers du patrimoine & Country: FR

Project Partners

• KULDIGAS TEHNOLOGIJU UN TURISMA TEHNIKUMS
• Profesionalna gimnaziya po turizam “Pencho Semov”
• INSTITUT ZA PODGOTOVKA NA SLUJITELIV MEJDUNARODNI ORGANIZACII ZDRUZHENIE
• Visja strokovna sola za gostinstvo in turizem Maribor