Teaching Basic Digital Competences for Seniors Erasmus Project

Project Title

Teaching Basic Digital Competences for Seniors

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 2017

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: Access for disadvantaged; International cooperation, international relations, development cooperation; ICT – new technologies – digital competences

Project Summary

The development of digital competences is important not only for active users currently in younger ages but also for the seniors’ use in various areas of their life to more effectively handle various kinds of challenges. Since the digital technologies exist widely – or rather, it should be said: may exist each aspect of our lives, often allowing faster, more comfortable and cheaper handling of daily tasks: from purchases, through arranging for social meetings, professional work up to learning and paying bills.
In Turkey and our 5 partner countries Greece,Romania,Bulgaria,Lithuania and Croatia, we are still dealing with a large group of older people not using new technologies, namely the digitally excluded. These people are not able to use the opportunities offered by the digital technologies in everyday life. Only few of them use the network services in an intermediate manner – due to the help of a close person with the appropriate competences.
In this context, we have developed our ‘Teaching Basic Digital Competences for Seniors’ innovative strategic partnership project, which we have prepared together with institutions that face similar problems to develop a ‘flexible course teaching program’ based on special age groups aimed at our elderly citizens over 65 to teach basic digital skills through a ‘smart application’.

   Our project have started on 11.12.2017 and ended on 10.12.2019. With this project, our institutions aimed to develop and implement innovation in the field of digital literacy by producing quality and concrete learning outputs for elderly citizens over 65 years old. Within the scope of the project, 5 transnational project meetings have been organized in 3 participating countries, 2 short teaching/training program have been supplied to institution staff in 2 countries on related topics , 2 intellectual outputs have been developed and 2 multiplier events based on intellectual outputs have been organized . 120 seniors have been trained in their own countries, results were assessed and tested and dissemination activities have been organized.
In this framework, our institutions have understood the following current needs in the teaching of basic digital competencies for citizens aged 65 and older by developing ideas and innovations on how to solve the problem with their outputs.
These are;
– strategic dimension of teaching digital competencies for elderly citizens, characteristics of trainees,
-historical dimension, education levels and functions, teaching methods and techniques, benefits on the trainees, effects
-critical and safe use of information society and technology
-communication and social networks
-basic computer use, internet usage, classification via internet, storage, content generation, information presentation and transfer
-access to E-government and other online public services,
-access to education and training environments such as E-learning, E-Course, E-Library, E-School
-daily news , E shopping, E-mail, E-commerce services
-the use of smart phones and basic applications.

    With this project we have implemented the recommendations of the Council of Europe 2006/962 / EC within the European Union’s 2020 Education and Lifelong Learning objectives. So, with the education, excursion, observation and experiences being carried out with the project
In global and European dimension;
– digital qualifications have been increased in our 65 year old and above citizens who are our primary target
– the social integration of this segment isolated from society have been integrated in technological sense,
– learning social and civil skills have been encouraged.
-awareness of cultural and Europeanness identity have been increased
– by avoiding the use of unnecessary resources, time and personnel and resources have been saved
– entrepreneurship, creativity and innovation have been promoted at every stage of education and training
– equality, social solidarity and active citizenship have been supported
– improve quality and productivity in education and training
– lifelong learning participation of at least 15% of adults have been provided.

   At the local and institutional level;
-learning have been provided on an international level to adult education staff across institutions
-key competencies and skills of strategic staff responsible for adult education have been developed in order to improve the quality of teaching and learning in our institutions
-our institutions have been able to appeal to adult people from different segments and meet their educational needs
-organizations have reached the capacity to teach basic digital qualifications for 65-year-old and older citizens
-organizations have been able to meet basic learning needs of targeted age range
-organizations have been updated into international standarts and level
-organizations have ensured social integration

As a result, by implementing our project activities in this direction, we have raeched our planned targets.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 94325 Eur

Project Coordinator

Konya Meram Halk Egitim Merkezi ve Aksam Sanat Okulu & Country: TR

Project Partners

• CENTRUL PENTRU PROMOVAREA INVATARII PERMANENTE TIMISOARA ASOCIATIA
• Ustanova za obrazovanje odraslih Dante
• Vardakeios School of indigent children
• BALGARSKA AGENTSIYA ZA RAZVITIE
• ASOCIACIJA APKABINK EUROPA