In “Bucharest Communication”, 2012, European Higher Education Area, Ministerial Conference, it was stated: “We reiterate our commitment to promote student-centred learning in higher education, characterised by innovative methods of teaching that involve students as active participants in their own learning”. This project (TOX-OER) faces this principle joining as partners Universities and research centers from 7 European States, with high level of knowledge and skills in subdisciplines of Toxicology. This is a transversal science in human and environmental health, society well-being and economy, being part of high-education curricula in Pharmacy, Human and Veterinary Medicine, Environmental Engineering, Biology, Law/Regulation and Forensic Sciences. The profile of partners are adequate to the project needs, to transfer the scientific expertise from one to the other partners, to improve their scientific knowledge and skills, and to strengthen the educational offer and quality among the participating Universities. This project aims to enhancing digital integration in learning, teaching, training and youth work at various levels by developing scientific, pedagogical, informative and formative materials in Toxicology (ICT-BASED), in their specialized field, which is available both to all partners and through OPEN EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES (OER). The preparation of unified studying materials by experts on different areas increases the quality of learning. Noteworthy, in this project, it is design an international MOOC on Toxicology. To carry out the MOOC customization & implementation we have figured out five stages: syllabus; open Source MOOC platform; OER module creation; certifications and credit recognizable; harmonization of the OERs. This MOOC is translated in all partner-country languages (Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, Romanian, Czech, Bulgarian and Finnish) and potentially addressed to a plurality of target groups with different learning needs. Furthermore, it is created a MOOC Collaborative Design Development Tools to guide/support partners during the creation and the implementation of the Advanced MOOC Toxicology (TOX-OER Learning Modules). It is also created conditions to recognize and certify the learning outcomes carried out by participants through the Toxicology MOOC fruition. This makes this material available to Europeans and also to South America and Africa people. Of note, the OER could be used in the Lifelong Learning scenario, being useful in long distance teaching in diverse social, economic and cultural contexts and reaching AUDIENCES OF DISADVANTAGED BACKGROUNDS. Thus, due to the lack of European MOOCs in Toxicology, the OER and the MOOCs resulting from this project is fundamental resources to improve the access of learning, the active learning, the virtual and blended mobility. All the material remains available even after project end. The different target groups that is reached and benefits from this project are: a) staff of the consortium, benefiting of the various tools (like distance learning); b) scholars, undergraduate students, PhD students, post-docs of programs related to pharmacy, medicine, environmental protection, food safety, and forensic; c) interested professionals in the field: environment biologists and engineers, food and health professionals, authorities and police forces. Participation in scientific meetings and seminars and publication of the achievable tools in Toxicology journals allows to disseminate the outcomes of the project in the academic environment. Toxicology is also important for general community as basic knowledge of the field can prevent risks associated to chemical exposure at home, in workplace and open environment, to drugs, “medicinal” plants, and drugs of abuse. As methodology, communication between partners has been through physical meetings and virtual meetings (IT tools) have been held each three months and whenever necessary. Four full partnership meetings have been carried out, one at the beginning of the project in Salamanca for the scientific discussion of the toxicological themes, to be presented by the involved partners in workshops open to students and professors. Also intensive learning courses enables direct contact between interested students and experts in the selected fields of Toxicology. Two other interim meetings have been held in Bologna and Králové before the final meeting in Porto to prepare the final report of the project. This final meeting has been include an open session to the community in order to share the outputs of the project and to discuss the pedagogical and scientific improvements with recognized experts in the area. The results are used to prepare a future Join Master among the partners. In fact, after this project it is expected to increase the number of students interested in the courses related with Toxicology.
In “Bucharest Communication”, 2012, as part of the consolidation process of the European Higher Education Area, the commitment to promote student-centred learning, characterized by innovative teaching methods involving the students as active participants in their own learning was reiterated. Following these guidelines, the TOX-OER project (Learning Toxicology through Open Educational Resources) was conceived to support learning in the field of Toxicology through the application of Open Educational Resources (OERs). Toxicology is a transversal science that addresses important aspects of human health and the environment. Although this discipline is taught in different Degrees and Postgraduate programs, its formation is very uneven among the different European countries. In addition, there is a serious deficit in terms of Continuous Education, both for those wishing to start in this science, and for professionals related to it. Therefore, the main objective of the project was to improve digital integration in learning and teaching by applying the use of OERs, through the development of a massive open online course (MOOC) in Toxicology. It was also an essential objective for its achievement the creation of a scientific and pedagogical consortium in the field of Toxicology among experts from different countries, which was able to promote the educational offer and its quality between universities, through the transfer of each one's scientific expertise. The consortium, led by the University of Salamanca, has been carried out by professionals of very different fields (experts in Toxicology, Chemistry, New Technologies, Pedagogy...) belonging to 7 countries, which include the Universities of Salamanca (Spain), Porto (Portugal), Bologna (Italy), Charles (Czech Republic), Applied Sciences of Southeast Finland (Finland), Transylvania of Brasov (Romania) and a Research Institute (Space Research and Technology Institute, Bulgaria). To carry out the customization and implementation of the MOOC, five stages were defined: 1) Definition of the curriculum; 2) Creation of an open platform for the MOOC; 3) Development of the OERs; 4) Certification and recognizable credits; 5) Harmonization of the OERs. This MOOC has been translated into the languages of the partner countries (Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, Romanian, Czech, Bulgarian and Finnish) and English. This makes this material available to Europeans and also to people in Latin America and Africa. For the development of the project it was necessary to carry out several activities: 1) Face-to-face and virtual meetings, to reach agreements, propose strategies and resolve doubts. 2) Intensive learning courses, to allow direct contact between interested students and experts in Toxicology. 3) Conferences or events in different scenarios (face-to-face, blended and online), to test the results that were generated and get feedback to help improve the products. This activity was carried out through: "multiplier events", integrated courses in undergraduate and postgraduate programs and even in MiriadaX Platform; 4) Dissemination to publicize the utility of the MOOC. The MOOC is aimed at a plurality of groups with different learning needs. The following individuals will benefit from this project: a) consortium staff; b) academics, undergraduate and graduate students; c) professionals related to Toxicology; d) general population, which may acquire basic knowledge about common poisonings. It should be noted that the MOOC could be used in the Lifelong Learning scenario, being useful in distance learning in diverse social, economic and cultural contexts and reaching disadvantaged audiences. The results of this project have materialized in the development of the first MOOC in Toxicology in Europe (http://moodle.toxoer.com/). It has also generated a book (in English and Spanish) entitled: "Challenges in Open Educational Resources: the case of TOX-OER MOOC ", which gathers the experience of the development of this project through a technical, pedagogical and personal vision, so that it can be used in other educational areas. It has also structured an educational program in Toxicology to be used by other professionals. As additional results, a "Diploma of Specialization in Toxicology", with a recognition of 33 ECTS by the USAL that will contribute sustainability to the project has been created. As proof of the interest generated, the MOOC has reached an impact of thousands of users that are growing exponentially. In short, this project has created a Strategic Partnership between Higher Education Institutions to respond to a scientific demand through innovative educational tools.