There is consensus in Europe that high quality learning provision can be achieved by developing a skilled teaching workforce through initial training, continuous professional development (CPD) and mobility. The IPAL project is a joint initiative of 5 organizations from Spain, Bulgaria, Italy, Greece and Germany that seeks to contribute to achieving this task. It targets the the following groups: =Primary target group: adult education providers (organizations) and adult educators (trainers), policymakers, educational experts =Secondary target group: relevant stakeholders in other education sectors (e.g. VET) The CPD of adult trainers is weakly regulated and very much depends on the institutional policies and practices in the organizations providing adult education. It contributes to, and in turn is strongly facilitated by, an overall commitment to relevance and efficiency of adult education provision, at the level of both public policies and individual institutions. In addition, adult education trainers currently face a number of challenges that require them to gain specific skills to use new methods and approaches in training and classroom practice. The project’s overall objective was to develop quality assurance tools and training resources that promote the professional development of adult trainers and the quality of adult education. The specific objectives were: -To develop a quality monitoring tool for adult education providers’ performance with regard to the continuing professional development of adult trainers -To develop accessible and relevant training resources for adult educators targeted at improving instructional practices and equipping adult trainers with the resources and skills to introduce and use new methods and approaches in the training process, in particular methods suited to handling learner diversity, teaching in a multicultural environment, developing creativity and innovation and applying digital and ICT tools in teaching -To develop a quality monitoring tool for adult education providers’ performance with regard to overall relevance and quality of educational provision The following outputs have been developed: 1. Scorecard and screening questionnaire on adult education providers’ performance in terms of the professional development of adult educators. The tool helps each adult education provider in identifying those areas of its approach to CPD that need assessment and improvement; offer a checklist of the most typical successful approaches and institutional policies in the field of CPD and help adult education providers structure future quality monitoring and strategic development in this area. 2. Training resources and online training platform for the improvement of instructional practices in adult education. The resources have been developed in several specific transversal areas related to instructional practice. They have been organized in 8 modules to make them suitable both for self-study and for use (after possible extension, adaptation and remixing) in CPD programs in the adult education sector. The modules have been approbated and uploaded on an online learning platform 3. Scorecard and screening questionnaire on adult education providers’ performance in terms of the relevance of the adult education provision. The scorecard cover different areas of institutional performance. For each area, relevant indicators, measurement guidelines and screening questions have been developed, complemented by guidance about measurement and evaluation. In addition, in order to facilitate benchmarking and improvement, relevant good practices or superior performance have been identified. The following multiplier events have been organized in order to test, promote and disseminate the project outputs: - Pilot demonstration training in innovative instructional practices for adult educators: 40 external participants representing the target groups - Final conference in 4 project country focused on promotion and dissemination of the project results: 160 participants in total IPAL aimed at: -providing access to practical resources for training in effective instructional practices and building the capacity of adult education providers to plan, design, deliver and assess CPD programs; -providing voluntary quality monitoring tools for adult education providers in the field of CPD of staff and overall relevance of the educational product which should promote better institutional development strategies and make the organizations more able to recruit and retain qualified staff; -improving the skills of educators and instructional practices in the classroom, and increasing efficiency and relevance of the educational provision; -enhancing awareness among adult education providers and adult trainers of quality monitoring in adult education.
The project’s overall objective is to develop quality assurance tools and training resources that promote the professional development of adult trainers and the quality of adult education. The specific objectives have been: -providing access to practical resources for training in effective instructional practices and building the capacity of adult education providers to plan, design, deliver and assess CPD programs -providing voluntary quality monitoring tools for adult education providers in the field of CPD of staff and overall relevance of the educational product which should promote better institutional development strategies and make the organizations more able to recruit and retain qualified staff -improving the skills of educators and instructional practices in the classroom, and increasing efficiency and relevance of the educational provision -enhancing awareness among adult education providers and adult trainers of quality monitoring in adult education.
There is consensus in Europe that high quality learning provision can be achieved by developing a skilled teaching workforce through initial training, continuous professional development (CPD) and mobility. The IPAL project have been designed and implemented to contribute to achieving this task. It targets the the following groups: =Primary target group: adult education providers (organizations) and adult educators (trainers), policymakers, educational experts =Secondary target group: relevant stakeholders in other education sectors (e.g. VET) The CPD of adult trainers is weakly regulated and very much depends on the institutional policies and practices in the organizations providing adult education. It contributes to, and in turn is strongly facilitated by, an overall commitment to relevance and efficiency of adult education provision, at the level of both public policies and individual institutions. In addition, adult education trainers currently face a number of challenges that require them to gain specific skills to use new methods and approaches in training and classroom practice.