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Digital Area for Networking Teachers and Educators

2020-1-CZ01-KA226-HE-0943682020Partnerships for Digital Education ReadinessfinalizedGood practice
Countries: CZ|IS|SK|PL|PT · Grant: €258,999
Open and distance learningICT - new technologies - digital competencesNew innovative curricula/educational methods/development of training courses

Project summary

DANTE - Digital Area for Networking Teachers and Educators is a project created to support of HEI education through a project supporting digital competences among teachers, academic staff, HEI education providers and university students and establishing a cooperative network among educational institutions. Outputs will be aimed to these objectives and will help us to increase the quality of teaching and attractiveness of study. As understood by the European Commission, the digital competence and digital skills are considered to be a part of the basic skills and key competences of all people to live and participate in a technology-driven world. It is therefore necessary to learn from the COVID-19 crisis as it pushed all of us to use the digital technologies in a massive way and we should be prepared for the future. The European Commission also puts a great emphasis to the infrastructure, connectivity and digital equipment, effective digital capacity planning and development, education of digitally competent and confident teachers and development of high-quality teaching content, user- friendly tools and secure platforms. The key area of the project is to support the skills and competences mentioned above and this is where the partners of the project (universities from 5 different countries) aim their activities. Although the universities are ready to provide high-quality education to their students, thanks to the situation we all are facing now with the coronavirus pandemy, the education strategies, approaches and methodologies had to be adjusted to this situation. It is necessary to provide university teachers with the necessary knowledge, skills, equipment and sources needed to smooth switch from the face-to-face teaching to digital (online) education. The primary target group of the DANTE project are university teachers, IT staff and university management. The secondary target group are education providers, policy makers and university students. The objectives of the project mainly are: 1. contribute to the fulfilment of the Digital Education Plan 2021-2027 of the European Commission (EC) 2. respond to the underprovision of digital education within HEI programmes. This will be achieved through the development of a set of guidelines for digital education that will: a) raise awareness for the importance of digital education at HEIs, b) create a state-of-the-art understanding among teachers and students for relevant digital skills and competences, c) facilitate and catalyse the integration of digital learning experiences into HEIs programmes d) provide guidelines complemented with short instruction videos to inspire and support teachers in teaching. e) implement innovations in communication between teachers and students and in evaluation that motivates in DE f) desing of necessary IT infrastructure and processes readiness for DE The objectives of the project will be achieved through the development of the following intellectual outputs: IO1: DANTE market research and survey report IO2: DANTE guidelines HOW TO develop a digital course IO3: DANTE guidelines HOW TO set up the IT infrastructure for digital education IO4: DANTE guidelines HOW TO communicate with students and motivate them in digital education IO5: DANTE digital courses in the fields of Business and Economics The project will be realised within a 2-year long, interdisciplinary co-creation (5 HEIs from 5 different countries) in digital education and is expected to unfold impact across 5+ EU Countries involving 35+ teachers, IT staff, university management and 100+ students cooperating in development of guidelines and digital course and pilot testing.

Objectives

The main objective/idea of the DANTE project was the support of HEI education through a project supporting digital competencies among teachers, academic staff and university students and establishing a cooperative network among educational institutions. Outputs will help HEIs to increase the quality of teaching and attractiveness of study and improve skills and capacities of educators. The key area was to support the skills and competencies mentioned above and this is where the partners of the project (universities from 5 different countries) aimed their activities. Although the universities are ready to provide high-quality education to their students, thanks to the situation that were facing during the coronavirus pandemy, the education strategies, approaches and methodologies had to be adjusted to that situation. It was necessary to provide university teachers with the necessary knowledge, skills, equipment and sources needed to smooth switch from the face-to-face teaching to digital (online) education.

Background

Digital competence DC - (as described by European Commision (EC) in European Digital Competence Framework – DigComp) is “a multi-dimensional construct that includes knowledge, skills and attitudes in a range of areas, including creative use of digital technologies, safe and responsible use and data literacy. Within DigComp, digital competence is defined as the confident, critical and responsible use of digital technologies for learning, work, and participation in society. This understanding of DC has been further elaborated featuring 21 competencies described under five ‘main competence areas’: information and data literacy, communication and collaboration, digital content creation, safety and problem-solving. We all should learn from the COVID-19 crisis as it pushed all of us to use the ICT technologies in a massive way and we should be prepared for the future. The EC also puts a great emphasis to the infrastructure, connectivity and digital equipment, effective digital capacity planning and development, education of digitally competent and confident teachers and development of high-quality teaching content, user-friendly tools and secure platforms.

Project partners (5)