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Author: Chara Pilidou

Next Generation Web 4.0 Entrepreneurs

Written by Chara Pilidou on . Posted in Projects & Initiatives.

 

Since 1989, the Internet has progressed from read-only sites to the ultra-intelligent, open linked environment of today. Through everyday activities, Web 4.0. provides a connection between humans and machines to create interactive data for the new, symbiotic Internet. With the use of intelligent data, virtual realities are becoming more and more common.

Bringing training and educational resources to learners in formats and on learning platforms where they are most comfortable has always been an issue for VET providers. In the current ‘socially distant’ COVID-19 reality, harnessing the power of digital technologies to bring tutors and learners together is essential.

eSMART will design and produce a bespoke, targeted entrepreneurship curriculum for young digital natives embarking on a career in the CCI sector as Web 4.0 entrepreneurs. The consortium will use a combination of interactive infographics and EduZines to present the curriculum to potential learners. A comprehensive suite of investment readiness learning materials will be developed, specifically addressing Web 4.0 entrepreneurs that deal with a wide range of business issues that are fundamental to attracting loan or equity finance for fledgling businesses. The eSMART project is committed to encouraging debate between VET tutors, learners and business.

The EntreComp Framework will be used as a benchmark for developing the curriculum, with all 15 competences in the framework addressed. eSMART will also provide essential in-service training for VET tutors to ensure that they are knowledgeable about the symbiotic Internet and its potential for new business start-ups. In addition, it will build their pedagogic and digital skills to help them harness the potential of online learning to deliver a high-quality VET service in the current COVID-19 context, where traditional institution based provision is no longer viable.

(1) present the creative entrepreneur and their management team – business management systems; strategic planning; financial management; marketing;

(2) present the investment opportunity – how to effectively sell yourself and your product; understanding your product in the marketplace; alleviating investor/financier fears and concerns;

(3) show that a relevant business model exists – routes to the market; estimating returns and revenues; vulnerability to competition and market change;

(4) present the scalability of the creative product or idea and a true market valuation – market intelligence; competitive advantage; competitor analysis;

(5) protect your intellectual property – understanding intellectual property; ownership of intellectual property; control of intellectual property assets.

Building VET Trainers Entrepreneurial Competences

Written by Chara Pilidou on . Posted in Projects & Initiatives.

How can we improve the attractiveness and quality of Vocational and Education and Training (VET) in Europe? How can we improve the competences of VET educators to engage their students in meaningful learning? How can we promote entrepreneurship education across European education systems? These questions will keep seven partners from Germany, Ireland, Spain, Greece, and Cyprus busy over the next two years.

The VETENTRE project aims to help VET trainers build their entrepreneurial competences, under the ERASMUS+ KA2 programme of the European Commission. To achieve this, the VETENTRE consortium will develop an entrepreneurship toolkit for VET educators, an e-learning space with a gamified environment, a VET and entrepreneurship curricula, and a policy recommendations report.

Designing and supporting inclusive practices in Higher Education

Written by Chara Pilidou on . Posted in Projects & Initiatives.

The InclusiveHE project focuses on supporting inclusiveness towards individuals of diverse ethnic or social backgrounds, regardless of religion, sexual orientation, migrants, people with disabilities, and other disadvantaged groups in higher education. InclusiveHE will develop the tools and resources that will support universities and other higher education institutions to develop innovative policies and practices for integrating inclusive practices in the process of designing and teaching courses and is expected to elevate the supply of high quality inclusive higher education opportunities for all.

Target groups and stakeholders in higher education, including education faculty and instructors, policymakers, and university leadership teams, learning designers, and support staff as well as students, will benefit from receiving innovative and quality guidelines and support regarding the development of inclusive practices that foster inclusion. In specific, target groups will be introduced to the stages of the design-thinking approach in order to apply this method in the design of their education programmes. This methodology serves as a framework that helps individuals to define problems, collaborate with others, develop possible solutions, and refine them through various reiterations until a viable solution is generated.

Drugs Awareness Training & Education

Written by Chara Pilidou on . Posted in Projects & Initiatives.

 

DATE – Drugs Awareness Training & Educationaims to elevate the conception and knowledge that will shape attitudes and promote empathy to drug abuse. The implementing partners of the project will share and discuss best practices regarding drug awareness and prevention, utilising their expertise and shared knowledge in the field to develop and make available a cohort of innovative tools that will contribute to holistic approaches to thwart drug abuse.

The DATE Project aims to provide a holistic approach to drug awareness and prevention by enhancing the power of education as the main focus to alert and prevent substance abuse.More specifically, the DATE project aims to bring drug awareness education to young digital citizens in their online environments. The Date project will develop the first interactive infographic-based drug awareness campaign and educational resources. The direct target groups of the project are front-line youth workers and young people.

Traditions, Recipes, and Cuisines of Europe using Smartphones

Written by Chara Pilidou on . Posted in Projects & Initiatives.

Inclusive learning societies should be one where people are given opportunities to develop and to cooperate as equal individuals. By harnessing ICT (Information and Communication Technologies), barriers to participation for older people and migrants could be removed by using mobile phones as a learning tool.

In this aspect, the project TRACEUS – Traditions, Recipes, and Cuisines of Europe using Smartphones – aims to develop and curate a database of recipes, cuisines, and traditions associated with European cuisines using mobile devices (smartphones and tablets) as learning tools. More specifically, the TRACEUS project aims at using an accessible model which builds on harnessing inclusive technology learning for citizens (older people and migrants) at risk of being e-excluded in the traditional sense and ensuring that their culinary customs and traditions are recorded in an accessible way. Target groups of learners will benefit from receiving quality training to become authors of digital content in which they can share knowledge, skills, and experiences. 

The VET-ification of Online Gaming through innovative challenge-based learning

Written by Chara Pilidou on . Posted in Projects & Initiatives.

According to Eurostat, in 2019, 16.4% of young adults in the EU, aged 20-34 years old, were neither employed nor receiving training nor education. CARDET, in collaboration with Association de Gestion des Fonds Européens from France and partners from 6European Union countries, participate in the project CASINO, under the ERASMUS+ KA2 programme of the European Commission.

The CASINO project aims to motivate NEETs (Not in Employment, Education, or Training) to engage in vocational education and training by developing a compendium of Digital Breakouts to develop key transversal skills such as literacy, numeracy, critical and creative thinking, taking the initiative, learning to learn through information retention, and digital literacy.NEETs will enhance their professional profile as they will be equipped with innovative methodologies and strategies to use learning materials. Thus, they will gradually grow their development with learning, personal development, self-esteem, and motivation.

Intergenerational mentoring and learning in the workplace

Written by Chara Pilidou on . Posted in Projects & Initiatives.

With increasingnumbers of employed people with jobs at risk due to advances in technology or demand for new skillsets and approximately 7 out of 10 EU workers requiring at least moderate digital skills to do their job (Cedefop), the digitalisation of jobs and tasks is an emerging trend. This means that training adults for acquiring core skills needed to succeed in their careers is vital for their future employability. The EU Commission communicated an inclusion and diversity strategy in 2017 promoting the inclusion of older staff to equal work opportunities as younger staff. 

The LearnGenproject’s focus is to combat segregation, discrimination, and social exclusion of marginalised workers. It supports older workers (aged 50+) as well as young workers (18-30 years) to develop necessary core skills to teach and learn from each other, making them less vulnerable to professional challenges. The main project outcomes include an Intergenerational Learning Curriculum, a Training Package for employees trained to become Mentors and an eLearning Platform and OERs available to the general public. LearnGen also supports SME managers, HR Managers and Trainers to design, implement and monitor effective inclusive policies and practices. The project is expected to bring about deeper understanding at organisational and transnational level, on combating ageism and social exclusion.

CTApp: Teaching Students Computational Thinking Through a Mobile Application

Written by Chara Pilidou on . Posted in Projects & Initiatives.

Computational Thinking as a fundamental competency that all literate citizens should develop through compulsory education, to complement the three other core skills, that is, reading, writing, and mathematics. Computational Thinking (CT) is a thought process (or a human thinking skill) that uses analytic and algorithmic approaches to formulate,analyse and solve problems.

In recent years, Computational Thinking (CT) have also been promoted by most educational stakeholders as a skill that is as fundamental for all as numeracy and literacy and is considered a universal competence,which should be added to every child’s analytical ability as a vital ingredient of their school learning.

In this context, the CTApp project aims to develop create a mobile game that encourages young people to acquire computational thinking skills.

In particular,the project has three objectives:

  1. A State of the Art on Serious Gaming & Computational Thinking.
  2. The Design, Implementation, and Evaluation of a Mobile Serious Game in Computational Thinking (CTApp).

Teacher Training Courses & Materials development on using the CTApp mobile game (e.g., handbooks &instructive videos).

Modelling a European Cross-curricular Study Programme for Upper Secondary Schools

Written by Chara Pilidou on . Posted in Projects & Initiatives.

DEEDS aim to contributing to the construction of the European Education Area through the development of a model of European exchange and study programme among general upper secondary schools.

DEEDS has the following objectives:

  1. To develop and test a joint transnational curriculum/programme among the involved schools.
  2. To identify a set of common assessment and certification methods tailored to the acquired competences and skills.

To build organisational capacity in upper secondary schools through the identification and the solution of administrative/management problems pertaining long term transnational mobility of pupils.