UPSKILLING ADULT EDUCATORS FOR DIGITAL LEAD Erasmus Project

Project Title

UPSKILLING ADULT EDUCATORS FOR DIGITAL LEAD

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 2016

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: ICT – new technologies – digital competences; Open and distance learning; New innovative curricula/educational methods/development of training courses

Project Summary

It is widely acknowledged that educators across all sectors but more importantly adult educators and trainers face many challenges as they deal with increasingly complex and diverse learning situations and meet competence demands in a constantly changing work environment with the evolvement of new technologies, a constantly changing labor market with highly technical demands for skills and a challenging socio-economic context. As a result, there is an urgent need for Adult Educators to enhance uptake of ICT in teaching and learning, to promote stronger coherence between the needs of the labor market thus achieving a better skills match for their adults and bridging the gap between the education and the world of work.
The Upskillead European project aims to provide adult educators/trainers a comprehensive, attractive and effective professional development programme for upgrading and up-skilling their digital skills which was offered as an in-house training and pilot-tested as on-line tool. During the implementation of the ICT training Adult Educators’ progress was carefully monitored through the use of the OPEN BADGES system supported by developed assessment tools.
The consortium, lead by RIC Novo mesto, Slovenia, consists of 6 partners from different EU countries which cover a wide range of expertise. A geographical balanced representation, as well as representation from different types of organizations to meet the needs of the project, as shown in the distribution of tasks/roles (Scientific Research Centre, NGO, NPO, ICT VET Provider) is ensured. They are all organisations with either high expertise in the field of ICT or they have great experience with adult education. All organizations possess the skills and competences required complementing each other.
Within the project 6 ICT modules were designed based on Adult educator`s needs and supported with e-learning and Open badges, as validation tool.
Based on the research we have developed UPSKILLEAD Digital Competence Framework for 6 digital competences: Staying Safe Online, Using Social Media in Education, Learning Management System (Moodle), Graphic Design, Web Design, Use of Interactive White Board. Within the Intellectual Output 3 digital curriculum and training material for adult educators have been finalized, which was necessary for the implementation of the Adult Educators’ training (pilot testing, under IO6). For recognition, validation and endorsement of the digital skills acquired by Adult Educators, Open Badge System was used. The eco-system (IO4) based on the Up-skilling Digital Competence Framework (IO2) in terms of objectives and links between the assessment tools (IO3), structure (level, hierarchy and connections), criteria and description for issuers were designed. Under IO5 partnership designed innovative interactive e-learning platform (http://upskillead-e-learning.eu) which function as an Open Learning Environment, offering interactivity options through the e-Adult Digital Academy and the e-Data Bank for the continuous digital development of Adult educators.
Within the project 16 Upskillead mentors were trained during Short-term Joint Staff Training Activity, which supported implementation of in-house and on-line training, evaluation and pilot validation. Within IO6 (pilot test) together 98 participants took part in the in-house trainings and 65 participants participated in online training implemented by all partners. Base on the feedback gained form pilot participants, SWOT Analysis of the Digital Professional Development Programme implemented under IO6 and opinion of experts of advisory board and participant committee, partnership improved all modules and also the functioning of the platform. Within IO7 Upskilled Toolkit (Open Badge Endorsement Kit) and exploitation action plan was developed to ensure sustainability of the project. Tool kit offers to users systematically review of the results of the project and instructions for using the e-Academy, gaining and sharing badges.
Project is registered on the platform Badge the world (http://www.badgetheworld.org/) thus ensuring widely use of our developed badges. Moreover, the consortium succeed to obtain support (up to now) of 226 different organisations that support the project and will use project results. The complete list of supporters is available on the project website http://upskillead.eu/supporters/. Supporters come from different European countries, which means that the project has captured the wider countries and not just the countries that formed the partnership.
Within the project 180 users of project platform gained badges. Adult Educators and other eager to asses and upgrade their digital skill and wish to take part in the on-line course can register on the e-platform on the following link: http://upskillead-e-learning.eu. Changes of ICT modules will be handled by Advisory board within Forum on project platform also after the project lifetime(publishing all novelties).

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 193888,25 Eur

Project Coordinator

RAZVOJNO IZOBRAZEVALNI CENTER NOVOMESTO & Country: SI

Project Partners

• A & A Emphasys Interactive Solutions Ltd
• PIXEL – ASSOCIAZIONE CULTURALE
• SDRUZHENIE YUNI PARTNERS
• DRUSTVO ZA RAZVIJANJE PROSTOVOLJNEGA DELA NOVO MESTO
• FUNDACJA INSTYTUT BADAN I INNOWACJI W EDUKACJI