Training 4 Skills in Virtual Environment (T4SVEN) Erasmus Project

Project Title

Training 4 Skills in Virtual Environment (T4SVEN)

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: Pedagogy and didactics; New innovative curricula/educational methods/development of training courses; ICT – new technologies – digital competences

Project Summary

In 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic caused a global socio-economic crisis, affecting the health and jobs of millions of citizens, and entailing school closure worldwide. The sudden transition from traditional teaching and learning to digital classrooms did not leave place for carefully designed online learning experiences that would allow learners to fully benefit from the digital transformation of education. VET has been particularly affected by the school closure and the transition to emergency remote teaching as its distinctive work-based learning feature has largely been interrupted, putting practical training and the acquisition of skills for VET students at a considerable disadvantage. Virtual learning environment requires teachers to demonstrate advanced digital skills and confidence in applying web-conferencing solutions. In addition, VET teachers need to coordinate, create and share training material for work-based learning with workplace mentors. In 2020, the Proposal for a Council Recommendation on vocational education and training called for increasing the digital readiness of VET providers through the promotion of digital and participative learning environments, accessible tools and versatile digital pedagogies. The Council Conclusions on European teachers and trainers for the future from 2020 also recognised the importance of key competence development, as well as teaching contemporary VET skills. Well before the COVID-19 disruption, TALIS 2018 confirmed that the use of ICT for teaching represented the second highest priority for professional development of teachers. This project responds to the need for innovative, digital teaching approaches, such as simulations, augmented/virtual reality, or artificial intelligence, to train practical skills in VET sectors that took the brunt of the COVID-19 crisis – tourism, hospitality and transportation.
The project aims to develop a methodological framework and pilot an online training course to support VET teachers in the application of digital technologies to sector-specific skills training in digital or blended learning environments. Target participants are 40 VET teachers who will pilot the online course and engage in a peer review evaluation of the coursework. Project activities and methods include a review and an analysis of needs, required skills and challenges for teaching in a virtual environment, as a basis for the development of a conceptual framework and guidelines on digital pedagogy in VET with a strong focus on work-based learning. An outcome-based, modular curriculum for an online course on digital pedagogy will allow awarding ECVET. In line with the curriculum, an online course and supporting open source course materials and learning scenarios will be developed. To ensure the quality of project results, the project will propose methodology for assessing training outcomes of VET teachers, as well as a peer review procedure for validating the final coursework. Teachers at VET providers in each participating country will pilot the course and engage in peer evaluation. Finally, a dedicated online platform will allow the delivery of the training course and offer assessment tools, open training resources and interactive features.
The key expected results involve strengthened digital competencies of VET teachers and increased self-confidence in designing outcome-oriented, stimulating skills training in VET, introducing innovative project-based learning, and balancing online and in-person instruction. The project will equally strengthen international cooperation in digital transformation of education and advance the inclusiveness of VET by developing open source methodology for further transfer and adaptation. In terms of impact, the improved competences, motivation and self-efficacy of VET teachers to create and deliver training in a virtual environment would positively reflect on the quality of remote work-based teaching and learning in VET, as well as their cooperation with workplace trainers. VET learners would particularly benefit from more creative and meaningful learning experiences, and the improved quality of practical skills acquired through distance VET. Based on the positive impact on the quality of teaching and learning at their institutions, VET providers would increase their digital readiness and ensure the transfer of competences, pedagogy and technology across their institutions. In terms of long-term benefits, an innovative, open-source framework and course carries a high multiplication potential for transfer and adaptation by education providers, workplace trainers, policy makers and other stakeholders on both national and European levels, in VET and beyond.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 257945 Eur

Project Coordinator

AGENCIJA ZA STRUKOVNO OBRAZOVANJE I OBRAZOVANJE ODRASLIH & Country: HR

Project Partners

• HELLENIC OPEN UNIVERSITY
• UNIVERSITY OF CYPRUS
• EUROPAISCHER VERBAND BERUFLICHER BILDUNGSTRAGER (EVBB)
• PANEPISTIMIO PATRON