The main objectives of ECCE LUDUS, implemented by a strategic partnership involving organizations in Italy, Greece, Spain, Slovenia, and Turkey, are aimed at modernizing the school sector in line with Erasmus+ priorities and digital transformation. The implementation aimed to achieve the following specific results: 1. Increase transnational training and CPD opportunities for secondary school teachers and educators, equipping them with digital knowledge and skills in innovative STEAM-oriented practices for integration into formal learning pathways; 2. Provide innovative digital edutainment resources for STEAM-oriented teachers and educators, including the creation of a virtual reality ESCAPE ROOM editor, to put the methodology into practice and demonstrate the powerful impact of cross-sector digital tools in EU school contexts; 3. Ensure sustainable and long-term alliances between schools, Third Sector Entities (ETS) and experts, through the creation of a platform designed to facilitate the exchange of good practices at european level (EU HUB) and build a community of professionals promoting edutainment in schools.
The ECCE LUDUS Project was designed to actively support the digital transformation of the european school system, in line with the horizontal priorities of the Erasmus+ program. ECCE LUDUS aims to address the need to equip secondary school teachers and educators with a set of tools and knowledge on new technologies and innovative methodologies to integrate into formal curricula, with the goal of increasing motivation towards Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Mathematics (STEAM). The main needs addressed were: (i) the need for schools to access innovative, flexible, and user-friendly tools that combine cross-sector synergies (edutainment, gamification, and AI); (ii) the crucial need to provide education professionals with transnational Continuing Professional Development (CPD) opportunities, essential for acquiring the digital and pedagogical skills necessary to integrate these innovations; (iii) the need to address the low motivation of students, especially young girls, towards STEAM subjects, by demystifying science as a difficult subject through playful and engaging approaches.