The aim of ECOLHE - “Empower Competences for Onlife Learning in HE” project is to examine the way in which the idea of an E-learning European HE Area (in the broader framework of the Bologna Process) has been translated into practice at national context by Academic Bodies. Our purpose here is to identify the way in which the digital challenges to promote LLL through ICT in HE is shaped in specific contexts. ECOLHE is an action research project that aims to create the best conditions of exchange best practices in: - teaching digital skills in HE - training course for teachers and tutors for improving online teaching in HE in the logic of LLL, inclusion and innovation recalled by High-Level Group on the Modernization HE - recognition and validation of teaching competences in HE for teachers’ professional development - recommendation for Academic Bodies The principal objective of ECOLHE is to understand the way in which national policies have translated the European policies, and how the universities have translated regulatory constraints in practice with the intent to intercept useful suggestion for policy-makers, decision-makers and Academic Bodies in order to built an EEHEA founded on the teacher’s professionalization and EQAS The research adopts a mixed methodology (quality and quantitative) by the realization of 6 case studies (2Italy, Spain, Greece, Ireland, Finland) through a comparative perspective. ECOLHE will examine national public policies for e-learning in HE related to case studies in order to study the transformation of key concepts from supranational level to national level. (i.e.: dominant rhetoric, orientations, legacies, obligations, risks and opportunities, expectations, educational paradigm and so on), during the implementation process. This comparative documentary analysis takes into account national laws, investments and national projects. The comparative analysis will include, at least: the definition of the HEA; the e-learning policies; digital strategies for Lifelong Learning; the promotion of ICT for social equity and inclusive learning, supporting services (guidance, career counselling, e-learning, etc.); priorities of learning and appropriate incentives; removing legal obstacles; the measures adopted for ensuring LLL; actions and projects to promote the use of ICT in HE; the question of teachers’ professionalization; internationalization and quality assurance initiatives. ECOLHE has built a partnership (Italy, Spain, Ireland, Greece, Cipro, Finland) among universities, research centres, training institutions, quality agencies, including various approaches and experiences. ECOLHE will contribute to the enhancing of digital technologies in HE focusing on: -the construction of an EEHEA -the improvement of teachers’ strategic skills for online and blended teaching in HE -training and tools for teachers and tutors for online and blended teaching in HE -the reflection about the question of recognition and validation of teaching competences for HE -the identification of recommendations and guidelines for Academic Bodies in order to promote the integration of ICT for LLL, inclusion and innovation in HE The added value of the partnership is given by the fact that the transnational partnership show different experiences in ICT teaching field The main activities will be developed following a stepwise approach A 1st step ECOLHE produces the Comparative Research Report on “Digital Technologies in HE: from the European vision to the university governance” (IO1-P2), where each Partner country realizes its case study. In the 2nd step, ECOLHE will produce a “Training Pilot for online teaching in HE“ (IO2-P3). In the 3rd step “Engagement tools for HE online learning environment (IT) (IO3) ECOLHE Project will realize a Pilot for Engagement Tools for online or blended environment in HE (IO3-P1). The 4th step ECOLHE will produce the report “Symbiotic Learning Paradigm (SLP): Teacher Competences, Methods & Approaches in HE '' and the associated tool for self-assessment of HE institutions and their professionals (UCC)”. It will be concluded by a comparative report aimed to underline the most important problems in teaching professionalization for HE. The 5th step IO5 Recommendation and guidelines for Academic Bodies (GR), regards the elaboration of Recommendation and Guidelines for Academy Body in providing them for useful framework and instruments to improve teaching quality, enhancing online and blended environment in HE.
The ECOLHE project pursued the main following objectives: - To provide decision-makers and institutions with useful data for the definition of intervention strategies and contribute to the European debate on the modernisation of HE in the digital age. - To improve the quality of teaching in HE by focusing on the professionalisation of teachers so that they could effectively respond to and operate in an ever-changing context that requires adopting new strategies and tools to foster learners’ engagement. - To disseminate good practices at European level in order to: - Promote a digital culture that takes into account the systemic complexity introduced by digital technologies, which is transforming all social and organisational practices, contexts and learning models. - Develop a new pedagogical approach for e-learning in HE, through the production of an innovative perspective that is more attentive to the qualitative dimension of online teaching and to key teaching competences in the digital age. - Establish collaborative networks and partnerships between different educational institutions offering a replicable model of research intervention in the field of experimental educational research.
Since 1999, the Bologna Process (BP) has launched a transformative journey to create a cohesive European Higher Education Area capable of meeting the challenges of the digital age, as highlighted by ECER in 2016. Quality Assurance (QA) is a cornerstone of this initiative. One of the objectives of this programme is to strengthen Lifelong Learning (LLL) through the strategic integration of digital technologies and the establishment of standardised quality assurance procedures for e-learning, as recognised by ENQA in 2009. In recent years, numerous research efforts have advocated the expansion of e-learning in the context of Higher Education (HE). However, these studies tend to offer a rather limited perspective on this transformative change. They often focus primarily on technological advances, envisaging the development of increasingly sophisticated online learning platforms, cognitive processes and management aspects such as learning analytics standards. In this context, the main reason for the ECOLHE project was to contribute to this ongoing transformative journey by focusing on the essential element of educational relationships between teachers, students and groups within these new techno-social environments.