PRosthetic and Orthotic specialist MOdules for Higher Education Training in Europe Erasmus Project

Project Title

PRosthetic and Orthotic specialist MOdules for Higher Education Training in
Europe

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: New innovative curricula/educational methods/development of training courses; Recognition, transparency, certification; Cooperation between educational institutions and business

Project Summary

The objective of the PROMOTE-project is to provide professionals in the domain of the clinical disciplines Prosthetics and Orthotics (P&O) with continuous training, to bring the profession to an academic level and to train more highly qualified P&Os for the European market.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) identified a dramatic shortage of healthcare professionals in the P&O work field, leading to limited access to quality services for people with disabilities in many countries across Europe. Competence guidelines for the profession were installed by WHO while the International Society of Prosthetics and Orthotics, ISPO, accredits study programmes that live up to these standards. However, currently, only 6 programs in Europe meet these standards and are accredited accordingly. Even in countries offering formal education in P&O, many professionals in the sector still lack academic acknowledgement and career development opportunities, which in turn leads to low motivation in choosing P&O as a career. Furthermore, the development of this profession demands keeping pace with the knowledge of new technologies and scientific evidence, rendering the academisation of this profession necessary.
The current urgent need in the P&O sector is a higher permeability between different European studies and institutes, where a consistent and accessible European pathway in P&O training can be created.
The core output of PROMOTE is a comprehensive modular teaching and learning programme, offered to three target groups.

The first target group are Bachelor graduates of 180 ECTS-credits programmes, who therefore lack 60 ECTS-credits to reach the entry-level for the European Master studies. The full PROMOTE programme will cover these 60 ECTS-points to bridge the gap. For Bachelor students in related professions who have acquired any number of credits, the programme can add the missing P&O knowledge.
Secondly, PROMOTE addresses the professionals without an academic degree who will be enabled to have their competencies validated according to the European Qualifications Framework (e.g. via the ECVET system) and to acquire qualification on the EQF level 6, which will give them access to an academic career or continuous professional development.
Thirdly, PROMOTE targets doctoral research students in the field of biorobotics and other rehabilitation techniques (based on engineering master degrees). It offers modular CPD to obtain important practical knowledge and skills in the field of P&O.

In detail the following results will be achieved in the three-year project:
· a modular learning programme to close the gap between the existing Bachelor and Master programmes in P&O and VET
· a competence framework for P&O based on the European Qualification framework
· learning outcome descriptions along with ECTS, ECVET validation systems
· a competence-based learning and validation approach for the modular study and learning programme
· a comprehensive piloting phase for the aforementioned three target groups
· a train-the-trainer course for educational personnel
· a rich online platform with asynchronous and synchronous learning and collaboration instruments and learning content to support blended learning
· an inventory of Continued Professional Development units in P&O for professionals
· an online-based Resource Center for P&O, promoting standards and education
· a profound implementation and valorisation strategy

To reach these goals in an efficient way, we first need an extensive stocktaking phase to further specify the target groups. Competence frameworks will be developed and modules will be created accordingly. We plan to pilot the project with a group of around 50 students.
The new opportunities generated through this project will be made known to schools and P&O service centres across Europe in order to recruit students for the pilot and for the continuation of the programme. For this purpose, members of the PROMOTE team will be present at educational congresses and professional exhibitions throughout Europe. Our own existing and developing networks in educational and P&O associations will be used.
PROMOTE will be developed in a consortium consisting of five members. Three of the leading educational European Higher Education Institutes in the P&O sector participate: PFH Göttingen (GER), Thomas More University (BE) and Scuola Santa Anna Pisa (IT). They are three of the six institutions in Europe holding an ISPO accreditation. Then, the consortium is completed by Human Study (HS) as international P&O VET institute and the Blended Learning INstitutions Cooperative (blinc) as an expert in Competence Oriented blended learning and validation.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 426135 Eur

Project Coordinator

GESELLSCHAFT FÜR PRAXISBEZOGENE FORSCHUNG UND WISSENSCHAFTLICHE LEHRE GMBH & Country: DE

Project Partners

• SCUOLA SUPERIORE DI STUDI UNIVERSITARI E DI PERFEZIONAMENTO S ANNA
• BLENDED LEARNING INSTITUTIONS COOPERATIVE
• THOMAS MORE KEMPEN
• Human Study e.V.
• SMART REVOLUTION SRL