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Open Professional Collaboration for Innovation
Open Professional Collaboration for Innovation
Start date: Sep 1, 2014,
End date: Aug 31, 2016
PROJECT
FINISHED
The project addressed the issues raised in Bruges Communique, namely, increased competition of institutions and professionals, as well as rapid technological change. These issues were addressed via prepared training materials and facilitation of (C)VET, VET teachers and trainers, as well as adult educators who, being professionals, should learn how latest innovations in education (such as Open Educational Resources (OER), innovative ICT tools, new curriculum design models) affect sustainability of their organization and learning services.
As institutions are challenged with the shift in the target learner profile, when nowadays learners are migrating throughout the world and Europe and require learning services to be open, to be provided in international settings and available any time, anywhere and in their working places, teachers, trainers, and adult educators need training and consultancy on how to create learning for new target groups.
The vision for 2020, (C)VET and adult education includes high quality, new modes of curriculum and learning services, courses which develop expertise for higher level qualification characterized by innovation and excellence. Online learning and open educational resources meet these needs and suggest solutions for innovative, quality work-based learning curriculum designing.
The main project aim was to foster open and international professional collaboration for innovation by creating possibilities for teachers and trainers to openly collaborate in the development and adaptation of open educational resources, online curriculum designing using created and adapted OER, curriculum licensing and adaptation for online work-based learning.
In order to reach the aim, the following project results were created and activities undertaken:
1. Training materials on
- OER and sustainability models,
- ICT tools to develop and adapt OER, and
- innovative curriculum designing for work - based learning for CVET, VET and adult education
were developed and used by teachers, trainers and adult educators for OER and curriculum development.
2. 48 OER were created or adapted in English and national languages by CVET, VET teachers and trainers and adult educators.
3. Curriculum for diverse target groups, including work-based learning for CVET, VET and adult education using OER, innovative tools and sustainability models was developed in English and translating adapted to national languages. One version of the developed curriculum (either national or English) was piloted with the learners from CVET, VET or adult education sectors.
The 6 consortium institutions represent 2 professional associations (one national, one European), 2 training organizations for companies and adult learners, a VET organization and a university. The experts from the mentioned institutions collaborated and created the training materials, and based on the training guidelines trained the teachers, trainers or adult educators from their institutions for the development of OER and innovative curriculum. CVET, VET teachers, trainers and adult educators collaboratively developed or adapted OER and online curriculum for online work-based learning.
The most important result of the project was the started open collaboration for innovation among CVET, VET and adult educators. A strategic partnership of professionals working at different institutions started professional collaboration in an open way and will continue so involving more and more institutions from the professional networks.
To ensure the started collaboration and sustainability of the created results, the developed and tested curriculum was not only shared between partnership but also made open for other learners or institutions either to openly browse the learning content, to learn independently in a selected module or download the full version of the selected module to be delivered at their institution. In order for teachers, trainers and adult educators (from and outside the partnership) to share, adapt and use the OER, created or adapted in the project, the editable versions of each OER were shared in the project website. This public access of editable versions of each OER ensures the open use of project results in the long term. This was appreciated and met with enthusiasm by most of the participants, whom this innovation was introduced. Also the created training materials are already planned and used in the events that focus on OER, even after the project was ended.