According to recent research, deep learning and the development of critical and higher order thinking skills only occur through interaction and collaboration. Although collaborative learning is widely known and used in different learning approaches, the concept of collaborative learning supported by the modern ICT technologies for the vocational training for the methods of successful implementation of automation solutions in manufacturing is a factor which makes CoLS project approach innovative. The general aim of CoLS project is to develop an innovative collaborative training approach including curricula and ICT training online collaboration learning solution in the field connected with introduction of automation for enterprises and other people interested in those areas. CoLS training system will especially support group communication, group interactions and will add also elements of gamification which shall lead to greater motivation of learners. The target groups of the project are: entrepreneurs and employees of enterprises who want to enhance competitiveness of their companies as well as improve their qualification also future entrepreneurs and students who want to develop business in manufacturing sector. For Universities, Research Centers, VET trainers and VET providers project is aimed for the people that want to improve or update their learning curricula. CoLS will be developed in close cooperation of five partners from four European countries – Poland, Romania, Portugal and Bulgaria. The applicant - Industrial Research Institute for Automation and Measurements – PIAP (Poland) is a national research institute working with various branches of industry and has extensive experience in implementing and coordinating national and international projects. PRO-MED (Poland) participated in many projects for educators and adult learners including university staff and students. UPM (Romania) is described as a University for Community, the stakeholders are involved in the quality assurance of the educational programs and they benefit directly of the latest achievements of the university. AidLearn (Portugal) is an expert and has high experience in the dissemination and exploitation of project results, also is experienced in producing video films, based on life experience. European Center for Quality Ltd. (Bulgaria) is a modern consulting company specialized in two fields - development and management of projects under different EU programmes and development and implementation of international standards for quality management. All partners took already part in several different national, international projects and European Union programmes, therefore their former experience in this sphere will contribute to the creation of a working and successful partnership within and after the project realization. Partners will use adapted EQAVET (European Quality Assurance Reference Framework for Vocational Education and Training) recommendation methods and their indicators for monitoring progress, quality as well as achievements of the project activities. The project aims to development of following main results described in details in the proposal: - O1 CoLED Teaching Methodology - developed CoLED teaching methodology providing specific information on actual needs, requirements & preferences of the target groupswill be created with a methodological approach and will guide the users how to use CoLED platform and the learning materials including organization of training, group problem solving and definition of case studies. - O2 CoLED Guidelines - the CoLED guidelines will represent short summarized description of the portal functionalities and training materials elaborated. They will also function as a dissemination/marketing teaser to get the audience interested in the course. - O3 CoLED Collaborative Teamwork Platform - CoLED innovative interactive platform will support group interactions, gamification of learning (achievements), group communication, evaluation of team tasks and projects, group discussions, identification of users activity (logs system) and other. - O4 CoLED Automation for Manufacturing Training - training programme for people intending to introduce solutions for automation and robotics. Project aims to reach wide audience consisting of the following target groups representatives: entrepreneurs and employees of enterprises, future entrepreneurs and students who want to develop business in manufacturing sector, people that want to improve or update their learning curricula from Universities, Research Centers, VET trainers and VET providers. The final version of the project results will provide a sound basis for development of spin off products also after the project end. The portal and training materials will be available in several languages and further adaptations (additional languages and country specific adaptations) will be also possible.
The general aim of CoLED project was to develop an innovative collaborative training approach and an online ICT training solution for collaborative learning in the field of automation for enterprises. The CoLED project was focused on the development of new dedicated ICT solutions integrated with an e-Learning platform supporting collaboration learning, positive interdependence, individual accountability, face-to-face and online promotional interaction, appropriate use of collaborative skills, group processing, etc. The target groups of the project were: entrepreneurs and employees of enterprises who want to enhance competitiveness of their companies as well as improve their qualification also future entrepreneurs and students who want to develop business in manufacturing sector. For Universities, Research Centers, VET trainers and VET providers project is aimed for the people that want to improve or update their learning curricula. CoLED was developed in close cooperation of five partners from four European countries – Poland, Romania, Portugal and Bulgaria. All project partners had previous experience from realization of Erasmus + projects and were actively dealing with VET trainings, this assured that consortium consisted of entities with complementary competences guaranteeing the realization of the project while maintaining high quality of results and also proper involvement in project activities, also proper involvement of project target groups which involvement was the key factor for achievement of high results quality, dissemination and expected sustainability. All partners were involved in creation of Intellectual Outputs, Dissemination, Quality Management, Internal Evaluation and progress monitoring. The project aimed develop of following main results: - O1 CoLED Methodology - The CoLED Methodology is a comprehensive document describing the blended learning methodology of the CoLED project. The training model provides the pedagogical framework for the CoLED course implementation, which focuses on distance learning (self-paced, e-learning and elements of gamification) and tutoring (synchronous and asynchronous support) and takes into account the specific needs of the target groups. It provides detailed information about the principles of adult education; e-learning principles; the individual learning pathway; peer-to-peer learning; and tutoring. The learning objectives and training content of the CoLED course are described and relevant learning activities are suggested. - O2 CoLED Guidelines - The CoLED Guidelines provides summarized description of the portal functionalities and the CoLED training materials. It serves as a user’s guide for the CoLED platform but also covers the structure and content of the e-learning platform, the applied training methodology and the transferability of the CoLED course. - O3 CoLED Collaborative Teamwork Platform - The CoLED platform (www.coled.moodle.pl) is the innovative collaborative learning environment customized and adapted to the needs of the project target groups. The ICT platform supports collaborative learning with its specific features including course materials and contents personalization through an individual learning path, engagement & wide collaboration features including badges and certificates, multimedia features, In-depth discussions and feedback on the learning contents, differentiation & personalization, accessibility & portability by mobile devices, online/offline access to contents, notes, and collaboration tools. The platform is available in all project languages. It provides not only the CoLED course but also introductory courses about Moodle and Moodle Cloud, as well as international events and the final CoLED Online Conference for Sustainability. - O4 CoLED Automation for Manufacturing Training - The CoLED course on Automation for manufacturing is practice oriented, transferable and re-designable training and assessment resources for people interested in introducing solutions for automation and robotics. The course is targeting entrepreneurs and employees of enterprises, future entrepreneurs and students who want to develop business in manufacturing sector. The course is available on the CoLED collaborative training platform and is available in English, Polish, Romanian, Portuguese, and Bulgarian. Project reached wide audience consisting of the following target groups representatives: entrepreneurs and employees of enterprises, future entrepreneurs and students who want to develop business in manufacturing sector, people that want to improve or update their learning curricula from Universities, Research Centers, VET trainers and VET providers. The portal and training materials are available in several languages with possible further adaptations (additional languages and country specific adaptations).