CONTEXT: Visual literacy is often defined as the ability to read, write and create visual images. It is a concept that relates to art and design but it also has much wider applications. Visual literacy is about language, communication and interaction and as such is an increasingly crucial skill for today’s entrepreneurs. However, this importance has not yet led to its teaching being widely introduced into entrepreneurship curriculum. Today’s business environment is very visually oriented. Instagram, social media, tiktok and advertising etc - all image-rich disciplines - have become almost ubiquitous. The NEED for entrepreneurs to be visually literate in this technological age was never greater. And as Baker (2016) suggests: “business communication modules, for example, are ideal for teaching visual communications principles and techniques.” OBJECTIVES: Hence, the objective of our project is clear: strengthen the visual literacy of entrepreneurs by introducing innovative visual literacy training into adult entrepreneurship education curriculum and courses. To achieve our objectives, we will: -Undertake EU wide research to identify Best Practice in the use of visual literacy education within entrepreneurship education in the adult education sector (IO1) We will collate the results of this research into a Good Practice Guide Book which will motivate educators and organisations to implement these visual pedagogies into their teaching. -Determine the most relevant, useful and easy-to-use digital graphic, image and video technology and tools, and share this knowledge with the Adult Ed sector so that entrepreneurship educators have the knowledge, skills and resources to improve teaching and learning using visual content - INVOLVE Toolkit (IO2). -Produce the first Visual Literacy for Entrepreneurs online course to enable entrepreneurs to develop their visual competences in a very practical manner - Visual Literacy for Entrepreneurs Online Course. (IO3) PARTICIPANTS The project will respond to the following needs of these target groups: i) New and future Entrepreneurs need practical training opportunities to become better at problem solving, innovation and communication, and to stay up-to-date with the visual technologies affecting their sector ii) Adult Educators and Trainers need support in modernizing their pedagogic approach and strategic use of digital visual technology in ways that better cater to learning needs of their learners and future performance in the workplace. iii) Adult Education Organizations and Stakeholders, who need the vision and tools to support educators in implementing innovative teaching strategies within their organizations and who need strategies to boost the quality and attractiveness of adult education at scale. The project also responds to the needs of adult learners, especially those low-skilled, low-qualified learners from disadvantaged backgrounds or those with ID who need more effective and appropriate ways to develop their skills in order to achieve employment and lead active civic and social lives. RESULTS: These outputs, combined with our strong dissemination (including multiplier events), exploitation and implementation will produce the following results within the project’s lifespan: - 40 education stakeholders, pedagogic experts and adult education providers will participate in the research and review phases of the Good Practice Guide. - 24 adult education teachers/trainers will participate in testing of Toolkit - 48 adult learners/entrepreneurs will take part in testing of Online Course - 300 adult education teachers receive or download our outputs will increase their knowledge of why visual literacy is critical to education and how it can be taught effectively using digital resources. IMPACT: ADULT EDUCATION TEACHERS and TRAINERS The overall impact will be an increase in the number of educators incorporating visual literacy techniques and tools into their entrepreneurial teaching/training programmes and becoming more competent using digital visual technologies. This impact will be visible: they will use more visual online tools, software from the cloud, and vary the delivery of the training from classroom and one-to-one, to more flexible distance training and self-led training for adult learners. In the long term, teaching professionals working in adult education will enhance their own career prospects in an increasing visual society. ADULT learners This group represents our end target group on whom the impact should be most valuable. They will achieve more rapid progress in the development of their key competences: - improved entrepreneurial capacity and skills - improved personal development and visual literacy skills - improved employability and work readiness skills - improved digital skills, both for communicating, and for learning to learn These will be measurable in relation to two key competence frameworks (EntreComp & DigComp 2.1).
INVOLVE is a Europe-wide cooperation project aimed at strengthening the visual literacy of entrepreneurs by introducing visual literacy training and innovative tools into adult entrepreneurship training programmes and courses. The aim is to make entrepreneurs (in the broadest sense), employees and job-seeking adults more creative, productive and competitive by improving their visual literacy, and to do so by making this theme more present, qualitative and adapted in entrepreneurship teaching programmes in the adult education sector.
Today's business environment is very visually oriented. Instagram, social networks, TikTok, advertising... - all image-rich disciplines - have become almost ubiquitous. The NEED for entrepreneurs to be visually literate in this technological age has never been greater. And as Baker (2016) suggests: "business communication modules are ideal for teaching visual communication principles and techniques." INVOLVE, Integrating Visual Literacy Training into Entrepreneurship Education, is a project that aims to help entrepreneurs, in the broadest sense, to promote themselves and their project through images and visual tools. Visual literacy is often defined as the ability to read, write and create visual images. It is a concept that relates to art and design, but also has much broader applications. Visual literacy is about language, communication and interaction, and as such is an increasingly crucial skill for today's entrepreneurs.