Slow Learning: Developing the skills of IT trainers of older people Erasmus Project

Project Title

Slow Learning: Developing the skills of IT trainers of older people

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 adult education

Project Call Year

This project’s Call Year is 2019

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: New innovative curricula/educational methods/development of training courses; Cooperation between educational institutions and business

Project Summary

Learning & education can play a very important role in reducing age segregation, as it regulates imbalance between generations and opens up new opportunities for social inclusion to older adults. Despite the fact that there is a need for providing better opportunities for education of older adults & intergenerational education & learning, education of the elderly is still a peripheral activity today, which is reflected in the development of theory and practice of this area (in particular, the development of programs and skills of education providers for older adults).

The training of older adults requires andragogically well-trained providers, who are familiar with the theory and practice of adult education, know the characteristics of the life course of the members of different age cohorts and those effects on the readiness for education, understand that older adults are an extremely diverse group of adults with very different needs and require tailor-made approaches and modes of work in educational programs.

The main problem that IT educators are facing is that they don’t have the needed skills and competences to educate older people in new technology. Educators of elderly, and specifically IT educators, need knowledge of older and contemporary image of old age in society. On one hand they are aware that older people are not all the same, that they are very different, that they are more different from each other than different members of the younger generations, but on the other hand they also know, they lack knowledge both in theory and practice on better working methods with this target group. Lot of teachers are more pedagogues (school system of teaching) than andragogists with merely basic knowledge on working methods for seniors.

Partnership of the project is composed of the following organizations:
– Ljudska univerza Ptuj (Slovenia)
– Age UK (United Kingdom)
– SOSU Østjylland (Denmark)
– p-consulting (Greece)
– CDEA (Spain)
– Estrategia y Organización SA (Spain)

Main objectives of the project are:
– Better understanding of senior expectations & needs in learning environments, focusing on IT training;
– Improved knowledge & use of pedagogical tools, new technology in educating seniors;
– Exchange of good practice among partners;
– Create the basic theoretical foundations for the implementation of education of IT to older adults;
– Get to know older adults as an extremely diverse group of adult learners for whom education is being prepared according to their needs and for them

Primary target groups of the project are adult educators, teachers, mentors, trainers, professionals in IT, who will:
– gain necessary awareness, knowledge and pedagogical tools;
– develop key competences for working with older adults
– adopt practical skills for increasing the quality and efficiency of the implementation of non-formal IT programs for seniors

Secondary target group are seniors who will be be impacted with an increased accessibility to non-formal IT learning activities, especially adapted to their needs & expectations.

Short description of the results:
– Compendium of existing innovative and effective practices and tools in teaching technology to older people
– Job Profile of IT trainers of older people
– Training programme for IT trainers
– Video for sharing the successful experiences by teachers and older people

Impact envisaged and the potential longer term benefits:
– Created tools will remain within the work culture of the organizations involved and will become a new way to implement strategic actions aiming at the building of professional job profile for IT trainers of older people
– Training methodologies and tools will be available on the website and in the community of educational providers and IT professionals. They can be used, replicated or adapted to new forms in unpredictable ways, reaching an indefinite number of people
– The network of this project will also become a space where the organizations will be able to share its best practices, tools, methodologies and difficulties and its obtained results.

Foreseen sustainability on the project:
– Training program will be used by partners and their networks even when the project will be finished
– Partners will make effort to validate the Job Profile.
– Job Profile will be used by partners and their networks to the implementation of IT training programs for seniors.
– Compendium will be disseminated and use by the partners after the end of the project
– All information will be published in partners’ websites
– Project website with all intellectual outputs will be maintained by p-consulting at least 5 years.

Project Website

http://www.slowlearning.eu

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 173120,1 Eur

Project Coordinator

LJUDSKA UNIVERZA PTUJ & Country: SI

Project Partners

• Estrategia y Organización SA
• C.M. SKOULIDI & SIA E.E.
• CENTRO DE FORMACION DE ADMINISTRACION Y HOSTELERIA SL
• SOSU OSTJYLLAND