Web 2.0, cloud computing and the rapid adoption of internet-enabled phone and tablets have revolutionised the we live and work, but not yet the way we learn as students of vocational training or higher education. This is regrettable since many digital and mobile resources are proven to increase adult learner engagement and information retention, as well as being suited to “hard to reach” learners or those who like to direct their own learning activities “on the go” from their mobile device. Part of the reason for the low integration of mobile and digital learning tools into HE and VET is that many of these put technology before pedagogy and teachers are unconvinced by their worth. However, the lack of confidence and lack of training in the use of these new platforms is also a cause. As a result, very few students across Europe are taught by digitally confident and supportive teachers. MODERN will increase the ability of VET and HEI educators to pursue innovative teaching strategies supported by the intelligent use of digital learning platforms. We believe that mainstream digital technology has matured sufficiently so as to allow us to usefully present and rank the tools that exist today (rather than creating new ones), select the most promising in terms of student-centred approaches, and then generate, test and promote: a) an interactive online Toolkit to offer practical guidance for educators wishing to incorporate mobile and digital elearning resources. It will be categorised according to user needs and include an overview of top 20 tools, their pedagogical strengths, validation and assessment options, technical specifications, learner management options and links to best practice and further support. b) A short “Innovation in Teaching” course. The content is designed to motivate/guide educators to pursue more innovative pedagogic strategies on the basis of mobile and digital resources, 48 of whom will undertake the course during the project lifetime. However, the real value of the course is that each module will be delivered via one of top 5 digital platforms previously identified, hence participants gain confidence in their use and access “how to” guides which allow them to recreate the course in the corresponding platform all by themselves. Our partnership is formed by VET and HEI specialists, from across the profit, non-profit and public sectors. The project will be led by Canice Consulting, an international consultancy in the field of business VET with a growing specialism in digital elearning and marketing platforms. Two universities will contribute to the research and pilot test phases, Universitat Politecnia de Valencia (represented by their Research Centre on Software Production) and University of Szczecin, while Momentum Marketing and Canice Consulting will share the design, writing and programming of the Toolkit and Innovation in Teaching multi-platform course. Finally, the project will be disseminated and exploited amongst our two target groups – VET and HEI providers – by leading pan-European organizations, namely the European Forum of Technical and Vocational Education and Training (EfVET) and the European University Continuing Education Network (EUCEN). The intended direct impact of the project can be summed up in bringing VET and HE educators to the point where they are willing - and able - to “think mobile first”. This involves generating greater acceptance of the mobile phone as a learning ally (rather than distraction) and upskilling trainers, teachers and lecturers in their knowledge of available tools and appropriate pedagogical strategies so that they are confident in their ability to select and use appropriate mobile and digital resources in their everyday teaching activities. This will then cause a ripple effect, as adult learners, the majority of whom are young adults, will benefit from a markedly improved learning experience, via improved pedagogical strategies, greater ability to drive their own learning process and increased “on-the-go” access to learning especially when outside the classroom. It will also enable MODERN teachers to boost career progression, and make institutions more competitive in terms of attracting students and producing excellence in results.
CONTEXT/BACKGROUND: MODERN explores the premise that there are significant barriers to the full exploitation of mobile and digital resources in adult education. Despite a rapid proliferation of cloud-based educational tools, platforms and learning environments, the quality of same is extremely varied. The partners concurred with the UK's Innovation Agency NESTA's Decoding Learning (2012) report that notes that the field “is characterised by weak or undeveloped pedagogy” and by tools which “put technology above teaching and excitement above evidence.” OBJECTIVES: MODERN is highly innovative in terms of its strategic focus. Mainstream digital technology has matured sufficiently so as to allow MODERN to usefully rate tools that exist today rather than creating new ones, and focus on embedding these tools in sound pedagogical theory in order to increase the confidence and skills of teachers’ to use them. This is the first time that such an approach has been taken at European level and this core innovation is complemented by a series of additional innovative features of the project. PARTICIPATING ORGANISATIONS - 6 organsations Canice Consulting (CC), (project lead/co-ordinator) is an established private company based in Northern Ireland which operates in the fields of local and regional development, enterprise education and management and technical support to EU networks and programmes. The company has developed particular specialisms in online learning development. Services include Training Solutions, eLearning content creation, learning technologies and learning strategy design and consulting. Learning Technologies include Learning Portals, Learning Management Systems, Content Development Systems, Performance Support tools, Virtual Classroom tools and more. Universitat Politecnica de Valencia (UPV)- One of Europe’s top 50 new universities, UPV is a public university offering modern, flexible degree courses designed to meet the demands of society. 36,000+ graduate and post graduate students interact with more than 5,000 members of teaching, research and administrative staff across 14 faculties, while the Lifelong Learning centre has an enrolment of more than 80,000 students. Momentum Marketing Services (MMS) is an Irish training organisation focused on developing progressive vocational education programmes and platforms to enable entrepreneurs, employees and young people entering the world of work to participate as fully as possible in the contemporary labour market. UNIWERSYTET SZCZECINSKI (US) Szczecin University has emerged as the leading HEI in West Pomerania, Poland. In total it has over 30,000 students in full-time, evening and part-time studies in 27 subjects in 13 faculties. The university maintains close ties to the private sector and local enterprises as well as cultivating international cooperation, an essential element of raising the quality standards of research and teaching. EfVET is a European-wide professional association which has been created by and for providers of technical and vocational education and training (TVET) in all European countries. Its mission is to champion and enrich technical and vocational education and training through transnational co-operation by building a pan-European network of institutions and practitioners. EUCEN, the European Association for University Lifelong Learning, is the largest European multidisciplinary Association in University Lifelong Learning. Founded in 1991, it is registered in Belgium as an international non-profit making organisation and has 195 members from 36 different countries. MAIN ACTIVITIES/RESULTS/IMPACT In terms of impact, the MODERN project deliverables target specific groups: - • Teaching staff in Vocational Education and Training • Teaching staff of Higher Education institutes • Managers, curricula advisors and policy makers working in VET and HE • Representatives from the software and app developers industries IO1 Audit of Digital and Interactive Learning Resources IO2 Pedagogic Assessment of the top 23 Modern tools is complete and available online on the project website. IO3 is a very practical Toolkit which takes learners through a 5-step process to getting started with the top 23 Modern Tools. IO4 Innovative Teaching Course Curriculum entailed the development of a short course to motivate/guide educators to pursue more innovative pedagogic strategies using mobile and digital elearning resources IO5 take the curriculum from IO4 and turns it into a short e-learning course to motivate/guide educators to pursue more innovative pedagogic strategies using mobile and digital elearning resources. Uniquely, each module of the course will be taught using a different platform, thus integrating learning outcomes with the delivery mechanism. Allof the above resources are available and free to use on www.modern.pm in the three project partner language - English, Polish and Spanish.