By implementing our OLE project we aimed at addressing our needs related to integrated linguistic, methodological and technological updating of the teaching staff; the motivation of teachers and students in teaching-learning processes incorporating affective factors, creativity and methodological innovation, the new technologies and broader contents related to the cultural heritage and current affairs of European countries. Our overall objective included quality of teaching through methodological, linguistic and humanistic approaches. This was to be achieved by means of approaching different areas: - developing and improving the professional skills of our teachers - the updating of foreign language skills in an increasingly globalized environment. - Increase the motivation and personal satisfaction of both teachers and students in their daily classroom dynamics. - Improve the capacity to bring about the modernization and international scope of our center. - Identify inspiring cultural figures to incorporate them into teaching processes.
We decided to apply for this project as a result of the implementation of different changes in our syllabus such as the introduction of advanced courses at C1 level, and the integration of the new skill of mediation both in our teaching practice and also its evaluation. We realized we needed further specialization in the methodology of teaching advanced students and the integration of Mediation, not to mention updating our linguistic competencies in the languages we teach. After carrying out a needs analysis we realized there was a need for integrated linguistic, methodological and technological updating of the teaching staff and the integrating of ICT. The teaching of adults with intergenerational groups requires a diversity of approaches to reach different ways of learning. In order to achieve this diversity of approaches, there was also a need to increase the motivation of teachers and students themselves in the teaching and learning processes taking into account affective factors, creativity and innovation. Apart from these motivation springs, there was a further motivating factor i.e. to broaden our knowledge of the diversity of European cultural heritage and improve the low international projection of our institution.