Multimedia Competencies for University Staff to Empower University – Community Collaborations Erasmus Project

Project Title

Multimedia Competencies for University Staff to Empower University – Community Collaborations

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 2020

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: Overcoming skills mismatches (basic/transversal); New innovative curricula/educational methods/development of training courses; ICT – new technologies – digital competences

Project Summary

Context/Background: MUST project aims to develop tools to train university staff in creating and using multimedia technologies effectively, so that they have the skills to created more realistic and attractive content of their communication in education research and university-community projects. MUST training curriculum and the created resources will constitute a dedicated service offered in universities by DigiCoaches which are university staff who will provide training to other internal/external users/trainees in creating-using multimedia technologies effectively. The project will enhance the quality and relevance of knowledge and skills of university staff in the area of multimedia technologies.
Objectives of the Project: The project is designed to improve and diversify university staff skills in creating-using multimedia technologies effectively (for education, research, university-community projects, advertising and communication to public). Also, the project will improve and diversify the services offered to university users and other university staff by offering a complex training programme that empower these users with key skills and the opportunity to develop their multimedia competencies. This will be achieved by training university staff (DigiCoaches) who will then train other users, students, staff and citizens in general to use multimedia technologies. Universities have always been public spaces that have been set up to share and give access to learning and enrichment resources. The introduction of new multimedia technologies is part of the mission to teach 21st-century skills; multimedia is an example of the type of resource that will transform today’s universities into cutting-edge learning hubs and give communities access to technologies that will have a significant impact on such fields as education, scientific research, architecture, manufacturing, engineering, healthcare etc. Its important to note that the goal of multimedia technologies in universities is to create a realistic perception of the users on novel learning technologies and potential of digital resources and reinforce that learning with simpler hands-on projects.
Description of activities/Number and profile of participants: Following delivery of comprehensive training in creating and using multimedia technologies effectively, university staff in the 5 universities in the project (from RO, ES, LT, SI and MKD) together with 2 companies from DE and PT (experts in creating digital resources) will then pilot the new multimedia skills development curriculum among university users at each university – min 50 DigiCoaches will be trained in the consortium (during C1-3). Initially, the new training curriculum will be integrated into the existing university staff training programmes in each of the EU partners in the project. Following this, the DigiCoaches will train other university staff during the project (at least 20% of each university partner staff will receive MUST training and will gain specific professional competences in multimedia). More than 300 universities staff will be mentored through online instruments/courses provided by the Consortium partners taking part in the MUST project and through their involvement in multiplier events (E1…E5) and other dissemination events.
Methodology to be used in carrying out the project: For the MUST project implementation there will be 6 core activities which will deliver the outcomes of the project: A1 Project management; A2 Mapping multimedia skills development to empower university-community interaction; A3 Developing, testing and implementing multimedia skills development training curriculum; A4 Elaborating multimedia skills development trainers’ toolkit; A5 Validating quality assurance and improvement of training curriculum and materials; A6 Transferring project results and best practices. Institutionalizing multimedia skills development in each university partner in the project to ensure ongoing training of university staff for future generations.
Results & impact: Running MUST project within universities will lead to an increase in the number of multimedia resources creators-users in these institutions, but also to an increase of promoting of these innovative technologies among the stakeholders and community. Assimilation of these innovative technologies by university staff will lead to their personal development through MUST lifelong learning program and to the diversification of the services offered to users of university communities, increasing their attractiveness to the younger generations for higher education. By default, this will increase the visibility of these institutions, not only locally/regional but on the international level. This project represents an opportunity not only for technical background trainees, but anyone who wants use multimedia in various fields. MUST project is expected to have immediate & long term effect on improved and modernized education.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 308247 Eur

Project Coordinator

UNIVERSITATEA POLITEHNICA TIMISOARA & Country: RO

Project Partners

• KAUNO TECHNOLOGIJOS UNIVERSITETAS
• Verein für sozialwissenschaftliche Beratung und Forschung e.V.
• UNIVERSIDAD DE ALICANTE
• STORYTELLME, UNIPESSOAL LDA
• SOUTH EAST EUROPEAN UNIVERSITY TETOVO
• Mednarodna fakulteta za družbene in poslovne študije