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New Project Launched: TEST

PeterMaz news, Project
New Project Launched: TEST

The EBI/EIE is partner in a new ERASMUS+ project where the EBI/EIE has written the application.The project aims to develop and evaluate multimedia based teaching material using the innovative “Analogous Compare and Transfer” Method (acronym ACAT) approach to teach science subjects, namely physics, biology and chemistry. The ACAT method is a methodology concerted on the pattern of thinking of girls enhancing the well-known logical paths boys are using normally and supports the learning of boys as well.

A study from 2017 proofs the acceptance of the pedagogical approach and confirms the usability with an evident preference of female students. In general, the students appreciate the method with higher approval of the female learners. In the same way, the female learners show a stronger agreement to the use of multimedia material, specifically using the described method and to enable the transfer from everyday life images to scientific imagination and clear ideas dealing with the currently discussed problem.

Project Objectives

The objectives are

  • Use of an “image-based teaching system” which favours the scientific learning behaviour of (approx. 70 % of) girls with a good learning success for boys as well
  • Developing multimedia-based and/or interactive examples of best practice (called tools in this application) focusing on physics (for example quantum physics), biology (for example virtual dissections) and chemistry (comprehending chirality utilizing VR-technology).
  • Use a self-evaluation model for students to estimate their increase of competences
  • Evaluation of these examples in several schools (transnational)
  • Development of a transferability guide for teachers
  • Publishing of the created and evaluated material as OERs

The project starts with December 2018 and lasts for two years.

The applicant organisation is the Colegio Internacional Costa Adeje (Spain), partners are Dragonskolan (Sweden), the Europäische Bildungsinitiative (Austria) and the Dublin Dun Laoghaire Education and Training Board (Ireland).

What does ACAT mean?

PeterMaz Miscellaneous, Project
What does ACAT mean?

This is the acronym for the “Analogous Comparison and Transfer” Method. This pedagogical approach to teaching STEM subjects was developed by Peter Mazohl (EBI/EIE Austria) and published at the ICERI 2017 (International Conference for Education, Research, and Innovation in Seville).

An example for the ACAD transfer in Quantum Physics (What are quantum objects?)

This method means a new pedagogical approach to strengthen female learners in STEM subjects. The method was developed in School Education and focuses on the age of 16 to 18 years old students. The method uses analogous comparisons by taking examples or situations from everyday life and in consequence the logical or analogous transfer to the scientific problem. The method uses the development of imaginations or “pictures in the head” to develop a view of the analogy; this picture is transferred as a problem-solving idea to the concrete scientific problem. Multimedia material like animations are used to provide a higher level of imagination and to develop the understanding for the discussed problem. The method was developed in the disciplines physics, mathematics and computer science and was tested in physics at high school level.

It turned out that male learners also benefit from this approach and get a deeper understanding in the fields of science.

To proof the ACAT method and to test the usability and get some reference to the published study an ERASMUS+ KA2 School Project was started (with December 2018). The project’s outcomes will be several examples of the implementation of the ACAT method, tested and evaluated in a Spanish, an Irish, and finally in a Swedish school.

New Project launched: CICERO

Europaeische Bildungsinitiative Blended Learning, CICERO, Project
New Project launched: CICERO

The EBI/EIE (Austria) is partner in a new project “Enhancing Digital Competence through Photography” about digital competences. The project partners come from Spain, Greece, and Portugal. The official coordinator is the University of Stockholm, Sweden. The application has been written by Peter Mazohl (from the EBI/EIE) with peer reviewing of Harko Verhagen from the University of Stockholm.

Digital Photograpy is closely connected with Digital Competences

The objectives of this project are to develop and implement special courses for adults teaching Digital Competences by Photography. Learners learn to take digital images of certain quality, to develop digital competences (using the DigComp 2.0 framework [1]), editing images, use of images in medias and other related competences. A photo contest will be used to motivate learners (and other adults) to submit their photos; these images will be published in the European Cultural Heritage Database.

This approach of teaching digital competences is new: There are elements of project-based learning in combination with Blended Learning. The training method behind is active and group-based learning.

In the project, different types of adults are going to be targeted: younger adults (to increase their digital competences and to give them better chances on the working market), older adults (to prevent the exclusion of society due to missing digital competences) and disadvantaged people living on remote places (for example Greek islands).

The developed courses will provide the (more or less) same content und use the identical pedagogical approach, but be developed, implemented, performed and evaluated to the specific target groups.

One of the aims of the project is to organize an European Photo Contest (out of the participating partners and their trainees) to collect images showing “European Heritage”. This contest will be open for all Europeans and be a means of dissemination of the project.

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[1] DigComp Framework: https://ec.europa.eu/jrc/en/digcomp/digital-competence-framework

Image source: Pixabay (CC0 License)

Flipped Adult Education

Europaeische Bildungsinitiative Flipped Adult Education, Project
Flipped Adult Education

Adult Education
(Source: PixaBay)

This is the title of the new Erasmus+ project of the EBI/EIE. As the coordinator in this project we will initiate the development of an eBook as a guide to flipped learning in the field of Adult Education.

The objectives of the FADE-in project are to develop a course concepts to adult learning using a flipped approach. This means active and self-directed learning, to “flip” the roles (Trainer ⇒ Facilitater, Learner ⇒ Self-Determining Adult with self-responsibility for their learning (heutagogical approach). The Global Flipped Learning Initiative (GFLI) with Jon Bergman (the developer of Flipped
Learning) will be an associated partner in the project and impact with the state-of-the-art knowledge and experience of “flipping the
learning”.

The consortium consists of four AE organisations with a complementary field of action well-distributed in Europe (Greece, Spain, Norway, Austria). This will ensure a wide scope of experience and impact to the project as well as a versatile result addressing all groups of adult learners. The consortium in detail consist of

  • EBI (Austria), a AE institution with an own research and technics
    department focusing on elderly adults.
  • EDRASE (Greece) is specialist in courses held on remote places addressing adults with geographical obstacles.
  • Intermezzo Ungdomsorganisasjon (Norway), an AE organization with a focus on younger adults, including people with migration background and refugees, will focus on language learning and inclusion.
  • Asociación Juvance (Spain) is involved in the work with younger adults, many of them with fewer opportunities, and focuses on intercultural, critical learning to endorse the learners to act as active, creative, responsive and supportive citizens.

The developed eBook will enable other AE providers also to change their teaching. Courses for trainers of AE organisations will pass the project’s results to them. The project’s findings will bring an impact of renewal to AE organisations. This impact will be enabled by the professional and intensive dissemination of the project to the target groups.

Official Erasmus+ Project Partner

Europaeische Bildungsinitiative Flipped Adult Education, Project
Official Erasmus+ Project Partner

We got the official Erasmus+ Partner Plate for our new project “Flipped Adult Education”.

The project will start with November 1, 2018 and run until October 31, 2020. The “Flipped Adult Education” project FADE-in takes a look at the horizon of educational developments and takes in account the innovation of the last ten years. This causes to shift the training methods and training activities. Simple onsite teaching courses or technology enhanced blended learning courses must be brought to the state of the art.
Thought to its very end this should be active teaching, a heutagogical approach with self-determining learners, the use of multimedia and a change of the roles of trainer and learner. The trainer will act more as a facilitator of the learning, the learners will use technology to create self-directed learning. The consortium calls this a flipping of learning following the ideas on Jon Bergmann, published in his book Flipped Learning 2.0 (addressing Vocational Education and Training).
For Adult Education (EA) flipped concepts do not exist and are not yet published. Therefore, the consortium of 4 completely different AE providers is going to develop these concepts in a versatile way and to publish the findings in an eBook (as OER to contribute to open education).
The objectives of the FADE-in project are to develop a course concepts to adult learning using a flipped approach. This means active and self-directed learning, to “flip” the roles (Trainer => Facilitater, Learner => Self-determining adult with self-responsibility for their learning (heutagogical approach). The Global Flipped Learning Initiative (GFLI) with Jon Bergman (the developer of Flipped
Learning) will be an associated partner in the project and impact with the state-of-the-art knowledge and experience of “flipping the learning”.

VTT-Box

Virtual Teachers’ Toolbox (VTT-Box)

The project aims to create a special virtual toolbox for teachers as a sophisticated tool for developing Open Online Distance Learning (OODL) courses which means open, online, flexible and technology enhanced education (OOFAT). The mixture of of the partners
ensures the necessary competences, values, skills and knowledge for developing an innovative approach to OODL. This project uses a strategic cooperation between formal and non-formal/informal educational providers using ICT based teaching and the
enhancement of digital integration in learning. It will be enhancing teachers’ professional development and support students‘ acquisition of values, skills and competences.

The project team at the teaching event in Teneriffe (in front of the building of the Colegio Internacional Costa Adeje)

The 5 consortium members are well distributed in Europe:

  • University of Crete, GR (specialised in innovative education) will focus on
    supporting students‘ acquisition of skills and competences,
  • EBI/EIE (AT) is a teacher training institution with experienced in Distance
    Learning impacts in enhancing teachers’ professional development and in OODL
  • The I.T.E VITTORIO VENETO SALVEMINI (IT) and
  • Colegio Internacional Costa Adeje (ES) are two high schools (offering a multicultural background) with different orientation in teaching and experienced in eLearning and modern teaching methods.
  • The Swedish Association for Distance Education (SADE) has a special focus on OODL and OOFAT and provides experience in quality enhancement systems.

The VVT-Box methodology focuses on items which are either not yet common or still missing in Open Online Distance Education as a

  • Innovative approach to OODL
  • Appropriate quality enhancement framework
  • Innovative and completely new motivating self-evaluation method for students (Mandala method)
  • New developed innovative tool for course creators
  • Special training course for teachers to implement the new methods in course creation
  • Transferability and evaluation guide to enable the transfer to other educational fields

The project started with October 1, 2017 and will last for two years. The findings and outcomes of the project can be found at the project’s web page VTT-Box.
To follow the project’s activities and to read the related postings please have a look at the project’s blog.

 

 

The European Commission support for the production of this publication does not constitute an endorsement of the contents which reflects the views only of the authors, and the Commission cannot be held responsi­ble for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.

Projects

Projects

The EBI/EIE was involved in numerous national and European projects. In these projects, the EBI/EIE was either coordinator or contributed to the project as researcher or executing partner.

LLP-Projects

LLP LogoThe EBI/E/E participated in two important projects in the frame of the LLP program.

  • Grundtvig Learning Partnership CreaTech (2008 – 2010)
  • Grundtvig Multilateral Project Blended Learning Quality – Concepts Optimized for Adult Education (2013 – 2015)

Erasmus+ Projects

Erasmus+_LogoErasmus+ aims to promote the sustainable development of its partners in the field of higher education, In 2017, the EBI/EIE (with the partner association EFQUBL) started two new Erasmus+ Strategic Partnerships.

In 2018, another three projects were launched:

  • Flipped Adult Education (FAdE Adult Education)
    Erasmus+ 2018-1-AT01-KA204-039224
  • CICERO – Enhancing Digital Competence through Photography
    Erasmus+ 2018-1-SE01-KA204-039051
  • TEST – Technology Enhanced Science Teaching
    Erasmus+ 2018-1-ES01-KA201-050186

New projects started in November 2020 (one with the EBI/EIE as a coordinator).

  • Intermedia – Implementation of Interactivity and multimedia-based content using Multiple Devices in Adult Education
    This will care about the development of multimedia-based and interactive content for courses using multiple devices.
  • CONNECT
    This is an Erasmus+ Higher Education (with two universities as partners) with the aim to create a platform for a Community of Practice.
  •  

    E4ALLE4ALL – Education for All
    The general aim of the project is to support adult educators in designing, delivering, and promoting more attractive and inclusive education for all generations of adult learners. The direct target group of the project includes the members, workers, co-workers, educators, and volunteers of the Third Sector adult education organisations

Projects with the new ERASMUS+ Programme (after 2020).

The priorities for the new Erasmus+ program include promoting inclusion, digitalization, and environmental sustainability while enhancing skills development and fostering innovation in the fields of education, training, youth, and sport.

The cooperation with the University of Cyprus enabled another project in 2022.

  • DigiComPass – Digital Competences Recognition Framework for Adult Education
    The project started in December 2022. It aims to develop a course package to enable adults to increase their digital competencies. The project focuses on the implementation of Flipped Learning 3.0.

Future Projects

The EBI/EIE will apply for new projects in the future. The focus will be set on Adult Education, Digital competencies for teachers, trainers, and adults, technology-enhanced teaching, training and learning, cultural awareness, and related items.