eCoNNECT is a transnational, cross-sectoral project, including 2 vocational and 3 higher nurse education particpants, that aims at developing an on-line / blended learning module to foster best practice workplace learning in nursing. Its objectives include: (i) to strengthen workplace learning communication processes between nurse teachers and learners within and across three European countries, (ii) to employ state of the art technology to enhance teaching and assessment during the module, and (iii) to foster cross-sectoral and cross-country collaboration through the development of inter-professional and cross-cultural awareness. Project partners include Germany, Ireland and the Netherlands. The project is set within the context of European nurse education, where programmes can be provided at various levels from apprenticeship training to degree level education. Communication and teacher-learner collaboration have been identified as key factors for the development of effective workplace learning. The project aligns with the EU (2009) “Strategic framework for European cooperation and training (ET 2020)”, in particular as the module is based on shared learning outcomes for teachers and learners and as it is facilitating cross-country collaboration within participating countries. The project is centred around the implementation and testing of innovative on-line technologies such as the use of video scenarios. Discussions related to the videos will be recorded and shared instantly on-line across participating countries. Based on local and transnational discussions and learning materials, module participants will develop best practice examples for communication during workplace learning. The recorded discussions and best practice examples will form the basis for testing, as they will stimulate rich and engaging feedback sessions between participants and project partners. The project utilises shared learning approaches between school-based and practice-based teachers from vocational and higher nurse education institutions and learners from pre-and post registration nursing programmes. Within the project, there are four outputs that are being produced. The first is the curriculum, which forms the basis of the module. The second output relates to the development and testing of learning materials, which centre around communication practices during preparation, beginning, middle and the end of practice placements. The development and testing of video-based scenarios are at the focus of the third output. A handbook for the development and implementation of the module in other countries and settings is being produced in the final (forth) output. The handbook will assist other countries and settings, and potentially other health care professionals, to benefit from this project. The impact of the project relates to participants in that they will develop enhanced communication practices, role- and cultural awareness. The module will also develop participants' on-line technology competences. Multilingualism will be fostered through the active engagement of participants from countries with different languages (German, English and Dutch). Potential long-term benefits include the integration of the module into existing preceptorship training programmes at hospital (VET) and higher education levels. Through the inclusive approach, the project fosters long-term collaboration and assists in bridging the gap between VET and higher education. The module also assists in deepening nurse teachers' understanding of learner perspectives, which will enable teachers to develop student-centred approaches for workplace communication practices. This project offers an exciting opportunity to develop meaningful, engaging on-line / blended learning experiences between various nurse teachers and learners from within European countries.
eCoNNECT was a transnational, cross-sectoral project in the field of nurse education, including two vocational and three higher nurse education institutions from Germany, Ireland and the Netherlands. The project aimed to develop an online / blended learning module to foster best workplace learning in nursing. Main objectives of the project were: (i) to strengthen workplace communication processes between school based teachers, practice based teachers and learners within and across three European countries, (ii) to employ state of the art technology to enhance teaching and assessment during the module, and (iii) to foster cross-sectoral and cross-country collaboration through the development of interprofessional and cross-cultural awareness. In the context of European nurse education, programs are provided at various levels from apprenticeship training to degree level education. Communication and teacher-learner collaboration have been identified as key factors for the development of effective workplace learning. The project aligned with the EU (2009) “Strategic framework for European cooperation and training (ET 2020)”, in particular as the module was based on shared learning outcomes for teachers and learners and as it facilitated cross-country collaboration within participating countries.The project was centered around the implementation and testing of innovative online technologies such as the use of video scenarios, interprofessional and transnational virtual classroom meetings and interprofessional, multilinguistic online discussions. The project utilised shared learning approaches between school-based and practice-based teachers from vocational and higher nurse education institutions and learners from pre-and post-registration nursing programs. This led to discussions and reflection about nurse education within European countries and fostered a better understanding of the different educational systems. Roles and responsibilities of teachers and learners within and across the three participating countries were reflected and compared with each other. Within the project, four outputs have been produced. The first was the curriculum as the foundation of the module. The curriculum e.g. includes learning outcomes and describes main aspects of the teaching and learning philosophy. The second output included the development and testing of learning materials and learning activities, centred around general aspects of nurse education within Europe as well as around communication practices in the context of workplace learning. The development of video-based scenarios was at the focus of the third output, related to the different phases of a practice placement (preparation, beginning, during and end). A handbook for the implementation of the module into other countries or settings was produced in the final (forth) output. The handbook aims to assist other countries, settings and potentially other health care professionals, to benefit from the project. The handbook includes main experiences of project partners (lessons learned) as well as recommendations for others for use of the module or further development. Parts of the module were tested during the project with a group of 87 participants from Germany, Ireland and the Netherlands. School-based teachers, practice-based teachers and learners from vocational and higher education took part. They experienced transnational and interprofessional communication in a virtual environment and tried out different features of the module.The impact of the project relates to the project participants and module testing participants in that they developed enhanced role- and cultural awareness. The project supported the reflection of communication and interaction processes between teachers and learners within and across different organisations and countries. Especially the use of video scenarios stimulated reflection of communication skills and led to a deeper understanding of influencing factors in workplace learning. Online technology competences were fostered, as the use of interactive online learning features was part of the module. Moreover, the project enhanced multilingualism by integrating English language activities as well as national language parts (German, English, Dutch) and the use of translation tools. Long-term benefit of the project will include the integration of the module or parts of it into preceptorship training and nurse education. Due to different educational systems in Europe, a flexible use of the module or of parts of it will help to disseminate the overall idea of best communication and cooperation in workplace learning for nurses. The inclusive approach of the module can assist to bridge the gap between VET and higher education and foster new ways of cooperation between these.