Since COVID-19, many universities have been forced to switch to online learning. This sudden change (also known as “The Great Online Pivot”) has been challenging for students and educators. This emergency pivot to online learning has impacted all educational levels. To salvage the academic year, educators with no prior online teaching experience were called to convert their courses to distance learning modules. Adapting curriculum on the fly, educators were forced to adjust student expectations and explore new instructional methods to replicate in-person classes. It was found that such initiatives had different level of success – deciding factors were educator skills and the academic field. Regarding the second factor, fields such as architecture and fine arts, imposed barriers on developing engaging online learning activities due to the requirement of student interaction with physical models. V4U brings together a strong partnership (4four universities from Denmark, Greece, Spain and France, 1one research center from Greece, and 1one SME from Spain) targeting the requirement for both educator competencies with online digital learning and for interactive online tools. The project aims to develop an innovative e-learning platform to accommodate a pedagogical approach for distance learning and to facilitate the training process of architecture and fine arts students in virtual technologies. Moreover, it will develop a training plan and material for the development of skills in virtual technologies. Such skills will also aiming to increase architecture students chances for a faster and better insertion on the labor market by improving their skills in immersive technologies (VR). The project will investigate employers, students and teaching staff perspective on the gap on skills in immersive technologies and collect existing best practices in the field at EU level. The project will improve the capacity of universities to deliver courses regarding skills in virtual technologies by training teaching staff and increase the collaboration between universities and business sector/employers. Moreover, The projectit will also increase the awareness on the importance and application possibilities of virtual technologies. All partner universities will include the training course in virtual technologies developed in their facultative / extracurricular curriculum with an expected 350 participants trained over a 3 -year period, after the project’s end.
The project aim was to address the challenges that impact the feasibility and quality of distance learning in Architecture and Fine Arts by developing: - A cutting-edge online learning environment designed to support educational methods for remote learning while simplifying the student training in digital technologies. - An educational program tailored to foster expertise in both virtual realms and remote teaching methods, aligned with the DigCompEdu guidelines to standardize digital educational strategies across Europe and encourage unified digital skill development for educators. Concretely, the project addressed the objectives of: 1 Creating a curriculum and resources aimed at enhancing proficiency in virtual technologies, tailored to the specific needs within fields like architecture, art, and design. 2 Building a digital learning environment equipped with VR features to aid hands-on learning experiences for students using the formulated curriculum. 3 Elevating the understanding of both educators and learners in higher education about competencies required in immersive and virtual technologies.
Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) have faced significant disruptions due to the COVID-19 crisis. Data from the inaugural IAU Global Survey reveals that a large percentage (85%) of European HEIs had to switch to remote learning, with an additional 12% halting educational activities to explore alternative methods. Globally, about 7% had to completely shut down their educational activities in the spring of 2020. This sudden transition to digital platforms was not only unexpected but also lacked preparation, affecting both educators and students during periods of social distancing. The initiative aimed to tackle the complexities of integrating Virtual Reality tools into the educational processes for fields like Architecture and Design. The technology is envisioned not just as an emergency substitute during pandemics, but also as a valuable asset for future online pedagogy.