The Global Conservatoire for a Digital Age (GloCoDA) is a two-year project to transform the quality and methods of online teaching in performing arts higher education. The project responds to the rapid demand for online learning during Covid, and the urgent need to develop accessible, inclusive, professionally-informed and practice-led courses for 21st century performers-in-training. During Covid it became clear that there are many benefits for conservatoire students to engage in online learning. Today's conservatoire students require well-designed courses that complement their practical activities while preparing them for a global and digital future. Students need access to more inclusive, globally-informed, progressive courses that their home institution may not be able to provide. Students also welcome flexible study patterns, greater subject choice and variety in delivery styles. Having acquired myriad digital skills at pace, it is now time for conservatoires to consolidate and move on from the rapid response to Covid-19. The GloCoDA project proposes that basic 'conversion' of traditional in-person teaching to video-conferencing is unsatisfactory. In addition, conservatoire teaching staff frequently lack the competencies and confidence to design and deliver courses that meet the needs of students and the profession. There is now an opportunity to engage in deep critical reflection about the optimum blend of online and in-person teaching for 21st Century artists in a post-Covid era, and to improve student access to cutting-edge curricula. To do so, there needs to be international institutional collaboration to develop models of practice and teacher training in high-quality online course design and delivery. The GloCoDA project responds to this situation by developing courses that are digital by design and digital in content, enabling students to develop high level skills in digital fluency, global citizenship and cross-cultural collaboration. The evaluation of this cutting edge course portfolio will lead to the development of an open access online course for performing arts teachers in higher education, supported by a website and training workshop. The GloCoDA project builds on the digital expertise of four world-leading conservatoires: the Royal Danish Academy of Music; the University of the Performing Arts, Vienna; the Royal College of Music, London; and Manhattan School of Music in NYC. By combining their online experience, digital resources and unique subject expertise, these four institutions will develop a set of distinctive online courses that demonstrate best practice in online transnational education in the performing arts. Sixteen cutting-edge new credited courses will be made available to all students in all four institutions. Throughout the project the project leads, teachers and technicians will engage in peer sharing and curriculum workshops at four transnational meetings to co-curate content and collaborate on cutting-edge pedagogies. The project will produce three significant and related outcomes. The first is the portfolio of international online courses delivered to students across all four institutions. The second will be a detailed research study of the challenges of online delivery in conservatoires and an evaluation of GloCoDA's new models. The third output will be an open access online course to develop conservatoire teacher competencies in online design and delivery. By combining pedagogy, research and staff development, GloCoDA will transform the traditional teaching models in conservatoire education to meet the needs of 21st century performing arts students and graduates.
The project will produce three significant and related outcomes. The first is the portfolio of international online courses delivered to students across all four HMEI institutions. The second will be a detailed research study of the challenges of online delivery in HMEIs and an evaluation of GloCoDA's new models. The third output will be an online web resource to develop HMEI teacher competencies in online design and delivery. By combining pedagogy, research and staff development, GloCoDA will transform the traditional teaching models in conservatoire education to meet the needs of 21st century performing arts students and graduates.
The Global Conservatoire for a Digital Age (GloCoDA) was a two-year project to transform the quality and methods of online teaching in performing arts higher education. The project was envisioned in order to respond to the urgent need to develop accessible, inclusive, professionally-informed and practice-led courses for 21st century performers-in-training. While the rapid demand for online learning during Covid-19 was a motivating factor for the project, it has looked beyond that and has focussed on finding solutions to long-term implementation of digital asynchronous learning across national boundaries in the context of Higher Music Education Institutions (HMEIs). Today's conservatoire students require well-designed courses that complement their practical activities while preparing them for a global and digital future. Students need access to more inclusive, globally-informed, progressive courses that their home institution may not be able to provide. Students also welcome flexible study patterns, greater subject choice and variety in delivery styles. Having acquired myriad digital skills at pace, it is now time for conservatoires to consolidate and move on from the rapid response to Covid-19. The GloCoDA project has identified the need for competencies and confidence in HMEI teaching staff to design and deliver courses that meet the needs of students and the profession. This is based on the observation that basic 'conversion' of traditional in-person teaching to video-conferencing is unsatisfactory. The project was created to leverage upon the opportunity to engage in deep critical reflection about the optimum blend of online and in-person teaching for 21st Century artists, and to improve student access to cutting-edge curricula. To do so, there needs to be international institutional collaboration to develop models of practice and teacher training in high-quality online course design and delivery. The GloCoDA project responds to this situation by developing courses that are digital by design and digital in content, enabling students to develop high level skills in digital fluency, global citizenship and cross-cultural collaboration.