Our project keeps pace with current challenges concerning to complex skills development, social inclusion, active citizenship, democratic values and sustainable growth, puts its thematic focus on UN global goals (i.e. SDG #4. Quality education to create a sustainable development) and entails a mixt of actions which promotes the European common values and active citizenship, strengthening the Europes skills and identity, as outlined in the Gothenburg Social Summit (COM (2017) 673 final). The project attempts a coherent response to the key priority set by EC in Modernisation Agenda for HE and exploits the transformational benefits of ITCs to enrich teaching, improve learning experiences and support personalised learning, equipping students with transferable skills to contribute to competitiveness and innovation potential of the market economy {COM (2011) 567 final}. It creates vectors of cross-border cooperation, fosters open exchange of knowledge on SDGs, addressing the EU priorities and national challenges, grasping opportunities created by new developments in digital learning, creating stronger links to business communities and civil society, recalibrating education systems to enhance social cohesions and active citizenship. The project architecture builds a meaningful way to develop international collaboration via digital learning, expanding the use of ITC-based practices, offering the opportunity to build networks of international contacts, to actively participate in society and develop a sense of citizenship and identity, widening access and internationalization of universities, enabling further new forms of strategic partnerships in the European area. It aims to design, develop and multiply innovative pedagogies (Educational Laboratory) framed by SDGs education by stimulating social, civic, and intercultural skills development of students, teachers and practitioners towards sustainable business approaches, promoting learning and teaching ICT-based practices alongside with accelerated international cooperation between education, innovation and labor market. It entails the following objectives: PO1. Analyze good practices and worldwide knowledge on economic, social, and environmental challenges and develop innovative pedagogical curricula to promote learning and teaching for SDGs. It involves HE students, academics, and practitioners in the e-survey of SD practices and civil skills in relevant sectors (i.e. education, business, labor market, civil society) and supports intercultural learning for SDGs education for HE teachers exposed to innovative pedagogies. PO2. Develop and improve educational materials in line with SDGs education to strengthen social competence and knowledge co-creation on citizenship and sustainability of eco-systems. It engages HE students, academics, experts and trainers in testing, adjusting and augmenting Educational Laboratory work with knowledge for labor market and societal needs. PO3. Harness and strengthen active citizenship, social and digital skills through cross-border exchange, reaping all benefits of ICT and collaborative learning practices. It engages HE students, academics, and practitioners in a mix of six blended and e-learning sessions of Educational Laboratory work. PO4. Spread out the benefits of synergies between cultures and educational contexts, business sectors and community, and scale-up of good practices and knowledge transfer of SDGs education, social, civic and intercultural skills at European level. It involves gathering lessons learnt from HE students, academics, and practitioners, and exposing practitioners, teachers, students, researcher and specialists to the inventory of good practices needed to solve sustainability issues. The effects of "EduLab4Future" will be the virtual integration of innovative learning experiences with inputs on societal perspectives, enhancing learners’ readiness to operate sustainable businesses by multidisciplinary views on economic, social, environmental and business governance issues. By making the best use of modernized learning curricula, centered on the concept of citizenship with ICT pedagogical approaches, it will be able to be created a professional learning contexts for all participants giving opportunities for interactive learning and understandings of multicultural challenges which steer to strengthen social competence and knowledge on sustainability of eco-systems. Through the thematic focus on citizenship and education for SDGs, and the better use of innovation and digital technology, our project induces innovation changes which transcend the involved countries by pooling of synergies across different academic specializations e.g. engineering, business and management, economics science and business administration, different fields of education e.g. bachelor and master level, leveraging effects on similar initiatives at other European levels.
Our project developed a mix of actions to promote values for freedom, democracy, and respect for the rule of law, which underpinned active citizenship and strengthened Europe's skills. It developed and transferred innovative practices, framed by SDGs, toward the acceleration of active citizenship and sustainable business for 369 students and 100 practitioners involved in e-learning sessions, 89 learners engaged in transnational learning activities, 47 teachers trained to deliver modernized curricula, as well as it attracted 252 stakeholders from education and labour market. Achieved objectives: O1. Analyzed good practices and developed pedagogical curricula to promote education for SDGs. It involved 467 stakeholders in e-survey and supported intercultural learning for 47 teachers. O2. Developed educational materials in line with SDGs education and engaged 89 learners in testing and adjusting EduLab work. O3. Strengthened active citizenship, and social and digital skills and engaged 469 learners in a mixt of six e-learning sessions of EduLab work. O4. Spread out the benefits of synergies between cultures and educational contexts, business sectors and communities and exposed 252 stakeholders to the inventory of good practices.
Our solution was a reasoned response to the key priority set by EC in the Modernization Agenda for Higher Education, and utilized the transformational benefits of ITCs, enriched teaching, enhanced learning experiences, and equipped students with transferable skills, contributing to innovation and sustainable growth of the economy. The rationale behind the partnership was the shared vision about the role of social, civic and intercultural competencies in inclusive, tolerant and secure societies. The partners had common development needs and brought complementary skills and expertise in developing and modernizing curricula and digital learning through cooperation among education, labour market and business. Through the thematic focus on citizenship and SDGs, and the better use of innovation and digital technology, the project addressed the needs of students, teachers, and practitioners together, and proposed an innovative mechanism which underpinned effective change in relation to the acquisition of transversal skills, tackled the skills shortage in different socio-economic sectors and better aligned the curricula outcomes to the needs of TGs through closer links to business and community.