Promoting Lithuanian identity and culture worldwide is among national priorities of Lithuania, focusing on both the unique heritage and integrity with the Baltic region. Since 2020, the First Lady of the Republic of Lithuania is patronizing Lithuanian education worldwide, whereas digital education constitutes more opportunities to connect, learn and grow. Digitalisation of Lithuanian language and culture (LCC) education is promoted by Digital Agenda of the Republic of Lithuania which aims to foster Lithuanian culture and the Lithuanian language by means of ICT. Moreover, digitalisation of education on the European level is supported through EC Digital Education Action Plan (2021-2027) which proposes a set of initiatives for high quality, inclusive and accessible digital education in Europe. Hence, the project aims to strengthen the capacity of LCC educators in HEIs to provide high quality interactive and inclusive digital education. The following specific objectives are outlined to reach the aim of the project: *Develop digital pedagogical competence of Lithuanian language and culture teachers in Europe; *Support educators with high quality digital content and training materials; *Facilitate digital mechanisms to deliver the training course(s). The project targets LCC educators such as Lithuanian language teachers in HEIs with subjects of Baltic studies, and Lithuanian language schools abroad both public and private, formal and informal education. Additionally, the project targets students and researchers studying Baltic subjects, with LCC among them. There is a growing number of almost 40 Centres of Baltic Studies worldwide with more than 500 students researching the subject annually. More than 200 schools abroad are teaching Lithuanian language to almost 10k students. The project will develop digital pedagogical competence of LCC teachers in Europe by designing the specific methodology for online and blended learning (IO1) based on good practices of partners and stakeholders as well as by developing guidelines on ICT use in such training (IO2), reflecting on managing and engaging large number of multicultural groups. The project will support HEIs with high quality digital content and training materials by developing open resource materials for LCC education to be used both in studies, intensive training courses and individually by learners as the project will produce a set of reading, tasks, assessment and digitalised content on language (IO3) and culture (IO4) education for beginners and advanced users. Moreover, the project will launch an open online education platform for delivering the training course(s). An open source software-based platform (IO5) will allow managing the participants, their learning progress and achievements while the guidelines on virtual mentoring (IO6) will facilitate the work of mentors and training programme administrators. The project gathers experts in the fields of Baltic studies and teaching Baltic languages to showcase their best practices. diLILAC is implemented as a joint effort of 6 HEIs from Lithuania, Estonia, Finland, Sweden, Poland and IT partner from Germany. Numerous online workshops are foreseen to exchange good practices, involve stakeholders, and validate results. The outputs will be piloted during Baltic Summer University and Intensive LCC Winter course – an annual event since 2001 which attracted over 1500 participants from 32 countries so far. The results of the project will feature several focal aspects, like language teaching online, technology in approaching language teaching, short-term initiatives, language teaching as a means to maintain connections with the diaspora, language teaching for foreigners, the most relevant developments in the trends of Baltic languages and their pedagogy. The project will increase digital pedagogical competence of staff in participating schools and open digital learning opportunities for the target groups worldwide. The outputs will promote an inclusive approach to cooperation activities, such as higher percentage of under-represented and disadvantaged groups; participation in non-formal Lithuanian language and culture studies; development of flexible distance learning formats, customization of the training. The project is a blueprint on managing mobility obstacles such as pandemic and ensuring efficient and continuous education for students, teachers and researchers, including those with fewer opportunities. By increasing digital learning opportunities on Lithuanian language and culture, HEIs strengthen their capacity to educate and raise self-aware, multicultural and tolerant generations. Thus, the project reinforces local Lithuanian communities, helps strengthening the ties among the Baltic countries, and supports expansion of Baltic study centres worldwide. The project constitutes an exceptional added value for foreigners as well as involvement of diaspora in the field of LCC education.
The following objectives were targeted by the project: -Develop digital pedagogical competence of Lithuanian language & culture (LLC) teachers in Europe; -Support educators with high quality digital content and training materials; -Facilitate digital mechanisms to deliver the training course(s). The overarching goal of diLILAC was to enhance the capabilities and effectiveness of LLC teachers across Europe through a multifaceted approach. Firstly, the project aimed to bolster the digital pedagogical competence of these educators, recognizing the increasing significance of technology in contemporary education. By providing comprehensive training materials, the project sought to equip teachers with the knowledge and skills necessary to leverage digital tools and methodologies in their teaching practices. Furthermore, the project's focus on delivering high-quality training materials aimed to empower educators with readily accessible resources that align with their specific teaching needs. Lastly, by introducing and implementing digital mechanisms for training course delivery, the project aimed to break down geographical barriers and enable teachers to access these resources from diverse locations and time zones.
The impetus for this project stemmed from the COVID-19 pandemic, which compelled educators to hastily transition to online instruction, often lacking adequate preparation, methodologies, or tools. Lectures were conducted in an ad-hoc manner, recognizing that these solutions were temporary and offered no assurance of efficiency or desired educational outcomes. The challenges encountered were particularly pronounced at Vytautas Magnus University (VMU), which has been organizing Lithuanian Language and Culture (LLC) courses since 2001. To date, the programme has attracted more than 2000 participants from 33 countries. On average, only 30% of all applicants for VMU's LLC courses receive scholarships, underscoring the widespread interest in the programme and the potential for its expansion through digitalization. Hence, the primary objective of this project was to enhance the capacity of LLC educators to deliver interactive and inclusive digital education of high quality as there was no comprehensive platform for LLC education. The project sought to facilitate professional development and collaboration, ensuring that educators were well-prepared to navigate the digital landscape and provide an enriched educational experience.