E4ALL – Training in Wiener Neustadt

PeterMaz 3. May 20229. May 2022 E4ALL, Flipped Adult Education, Flipped Learning, Miscellaneous, Project

E4ALL means Education For All! In the frame of this Erasmus+ Project, the trainees from 6 different countries came to Wiener Neustadt to exchange their knowledge in Games for Education, Intergenerational Learning, and Flipped Learning 3.0 during a three days’ learning and training event. The training took place in the Hilton Garden Inn in Wiener Neustadt. 20 trainees attended the courses and learned together in a cooperative and friendly atmosphere. The Austrian Partner EBI hosted the training and presented the trainees with the cultural and economical background of Wiener Neustadt as well.

Here are some images from the first day (watch the slider!).

The topics of the first day were:

GAMES4ALL – TEAM BUILDING ACTIVITY (Challedu)
INTERGENERATIONAL LEARNING APPROACH, part 1 (EduVita)
- “learn it!”
- “practice it!”
INTERGENERATIONAL LEARNING APPROACH, part 2 (EduVita)
- ART-THERAPY (practice it!)
- (design it!)

Learning aims of the E4ALL – training

INTERGENERATIONAL LEARNING APPROACH (learn it!)

Understanding the goals of IGL (intergenerational learning) and the difference between multigenerational and intergenerational learning
Awareness of the role of emotional intelligence in IGL
INTERGENERATIONAL LEARNING APPROACH (practice it!)
Developing the competence of inclusion of both generations in teaching/learning process (elderly people as teachers, young people as teachers) on the example of language class with IGL approach

ART-THERAPY (practice it!)

Learning the basics of Art-therapy as a tool for team building and group dynamics
Raising awareness of Art-therapy: literature for further reading

INTERGENERATIONAL LEARNING APPROACH (design it!)

Ability to design a short IGL activity in small groups

Second day – Games

Challedu demonstrated three analog games, developed in a former project.

In consequence, the trains developed in three groups their own games. After intensive discussions, the trainees tested the prototypes of the games.

Third day – Critical Thinking & Flipped Learning 3.0

Peter Mazohl and Charlotte Gatti elaborated a basic approach to Critical Thinking with the trainees. In a short workshop, the most relevant items were summarized.

The Flipped Learning 3.0 Workshop started with the preparation work and the publishing of the pre-knowledge Distance Learning course (Individual Space) of the training. As a result, the participants could build up the basic knowledge about architecture and history in Wiener Neustadt. Additionally, issues like Backward Design and Bloom’s taxonomy were included in this training.
Active Learning, various group activities, and guided group discussions dominated the Group Learning Space. Essential material for this training has been transferred from the FAdE project (Flipped Adult Education)

Course leaders for the E4ALL Training

The E4ALL training was conducted by the trainers delegated from EduVita, Challedu, and EBI/EIE. The training would be led by 1-3 trainers from the thematic expert organization each day. The course’s steering group is represented by a minimum of one person delegated from each organization organizing the training.

Flipped Adult Education

Europaeische Bildungsinitiative 30. August 201830. August 2018 Flipped Adult Education, Project

This is the title of the new Erasmus+ project of the EBI/EIE. As the coordinator in this project we will initiate the development of an eBook as a guide to flipped learning in the field of Adult Education.

The objectives of the FADE-in project are to develop a course concepts to adult learning using a flipped approach. This means active and self-directed learning, to “flip” the roles (Trainer ⇒ Facilitater, Learner ⇒ Self-Determining Adult with self-responsibility for their learning (heutagogical approach). The Global Flipped Learning Initiative (GFLI) with Jon Bergman (the developer of Flipped
Learning) will be an associated partner in the project and impact with the state-of-the-art knowledge and experience of “flipping the
learning”.

The consortium consists of four AE organisations with a complementary field of action well-distributed in Europe (Greece, Spain, Norway, Austria). This will ensure a wide scope of experience and impact to the project as well as a versatile result addressing all groups of adult learners. The consortium in detail consist of

EBI (Austria), a AE institution with an own research and technics
department focusing on elderly adults.
EDRASE (Greece) is specialist in courses held on remote places addressing adults with geographical obstacles.
Intermezzo Ungdomsorganisasjon (Norway), an AE organization with a focus on younger adults, including people with migration background and refugees, will focus on language learning and inclusion.
Asociación Juvance (Spain) is involved in the work with younger adults, many of them with fewer opportunities, and focuses on intercultural, critical learning to endorse the learners to act as active, creative, responsive and supportive citizens.

The developed eBook will enable other AE providers also to change their teaching. Courses for trainers of AE organisations will pass the project’s results to them. The project’s findings will bring an impact of renewal to AE organisations. This impact will be enabled by the professional and intensive dissemination of the project to the target groups.

Official Erasmus+ Project Partner

Europaeische Bildungsinitiative 30. August 201830. August 2018 Flipped Adult Education, Project

We got the official Erasmus+ Partner Plate for our new project “Flipped Adult Education”.

The project will start with November 1, 2018 and run until October 31, 2020. The “Flipped Adult Education” project FADE-in takes a look at the horizon of educational developments and takes in account the innovation of the last ten years. This causes to shift the training methods and training activities. Simple onsite teaching courses or technology enhanced blended learning courses must be brought to the state of the art.
Thought to its very end this should be active teaching, a heutagogical approach with self-determining learners, the use of multimedia and a change of the roles of trainer and learner. The trainer will act more as a facilitator of the learning, the learners will use technology to create self-directed learning. The consortium calls this a flipping of learning following the ideas on Jon Bergmann, published in his book Flipped Learning 2.0 (addressing Vocational Education and Training).
For Adult Education (EA) flipped concepts do not exist and are not yet published. Therefore, the consortium of 4 completely different AE providers is going to develop these concepts in a versatile way and to publish the findings in an eBook (as OER to contribute to open education).
The objectives of the FADE-in project are to develop a course concepts to adult learning using a flipped approach. This means active and self-directed learning, to “flip” the roles (Trainer => Facilitater, Learner => Self-determining adult with self-responsibility for their learning (heutagogical approach). The Global Flipped Learning Initiative (GFLI) with Jon Bergman (the developer of Flipped
Learning) will be an associated partner in the project and impact with the state-of-the-art knowledge and experience of “flipping the learning”.

eLearning and Blended Learning Materials

PeterMaz 1. January 20181. January 2018 Blended Learning, Miscellaneous, Technology Enhanced Teaching

Books were a source for learning hundreds of years. Today, they still play a role – but often in an electronical version (ebook)

To plan and develop an eLearning course covers many aspects. To ensure the necessary quality you have to consider the institutional mission, the organizational structure and the available resources. Furthermore, you have to care for a well-fitting curriculum and design, the support from faculty (or similar internal structure) as well as the students’ support and to define the competence oriented learning outcomes.

Create the content

For the content of such a well-designed course, you have to develop the best-fitting material. Content in eLearning should cover different activities and learning content in a well-defined mixture (that depends in most cases from the taught subject). The following issues must be included:

Content to gain knowledge
Activities to interact with other learners. To promote group work and to develop the skills defined in the competence oriented learning outcomes
Content to develop the learners’ attitudes (as defined in the learning outcomes)
Assessments and test environment to check the learning progress

Reuse the content

The created content should be reusable – that means, that – as a start developed – content can be used easily also in other courses. The costs of content development for one single course ar too high to create high quality eLearning courses economically.

Where to take content?

There are different types of content based on the used media. Specialists in the subject can do writing a text easily. To provide the necessary graphics or high-quality multimedia material is more difficult and in the most cases cost extensive: You have to buy the material from companies specialized in that field of multimedia or expansive internal or external specialist create it.

Images and graphics

In spite of paying a lot of money for external specialists or image agencies, you may use content from sources under the Creative Commons (or similar environments).

This chapter of the webpage will supply you with information about “open resources”.

Animations

The same situation as mentioned above is in the field animations. There are many applications available either to create animations or ready-to-use animations that can be used without copyright violation.

You will also find here some information about free material and the legal conditions for their use.

What does eLearning and Blended Learning mean?

PeterMaz 1. January 20185. January 2018 Blended Learning, Miscellaneous, Technology Enhanced Teaching

eLearning means to learn with electronic media. In many descriptions it’s reduced to learning using the internet. That’s basically not correct. eLearning covers the learning process supported by any means of electronically media (Computer, CD-ROM, digitized video, sound, the Internet, …).
eLearning as a term is outdated and should be replaced by “Technology Enhanced Learning”. This covers all the learning techniques as mentioned above, also the learning using the internet (as the access to the Internet only can be done by using multiple devices¹ the learning with the Internet is fully covered by this term).

Blended Learning combines classical classroom teaching with eLearning. You may also call it “Hybrid Learning” or “Mixed Learning” – there are a lot of different terms existing – all meaning the same.

eLearning does not exist apart from already established and traditional learning venues. As new technology is introduced and adopted, it immediately becomes integrated with the instructional technology that preceded it. This is called “Blended Learning” or “Hybrid Learning” delivery.

Online learning content and strategies are showing up in classrooms nationwide. Digital content is replacing textbooks and much of it was initially used in formal or informal learning online.

If you are interested in technology enhanced learning and teaching methods have a closer look atour pages and in the blog!

¹ Multiple devices means computers, laptops, norebooks, convertibles, tablets, and even smartphones. The use and the term “multiple devices” was created by Carlos Guerrero (SAFA) and Peter Mazohl (EBI/EIE). You will find mor information in this blog post!

What is Blended Learning?

PeterMaz 2. October 20175. January 2018 Blended Learning, Miscellaneous

Blended Learning – simply defined

The term Blended Learning is generally applied to the practice of using both online and in-person learning experiences when teaching students (Abbott 2014). This term has developed for many years with changing interpretations.

Blended Learning means a teaching method, where face-to-face teaching is combined with distance learning. The teaching process is supported by the use of an appropriate learning platform. The term eLearning (modern: Technology Enhanced Learning TEL) in this document refers to the platform-supplied distance learning.

Blended Learning is a teaching method and no pedagogical or didactical concept. Blended Learning describes the technique used for teaching. This means teaching highly connected with the use of ICT. ICT offers new opportunities but also new challenges for both instructors and students (Redmond 2011). Teachers and trainers change their working place and reduce the time used in the traditional brick-and-mortar environment. Students get the independency to decide, what, where, when and how they learn during the distance learning.

Hint: This post summarizes the results of the BladEdu project.
Text & Graphics: (c) 2016 Peter Mazohl

Sources
Abbott, S. (2014): The glossary of education reform. Blended Learning Definition. Available online at http://edglossary.org/blended-learning
Redmond, Petra (2011): From face-to-face teaching to online teaching – Pedagogical transitions. Available online at http://www.ascilite.org.au/conferences/hobart11/downloads/papers/Redmond-full.pdf

Technical Innovation in Blended Learning (TIBL)

Europaeische Bildungsinitiative 1. October 20171. January 2018 Blended Learning, Miscellaneous, Project

Working with a tablet during distance learning

The project developes C-VET training courses for training performed in formal and in non-formal C-VET education. These courses use Blended Learning as a technology enhanced method and focus on the use of multiple devices (as used by the trainees an everyday life). The innovation is the implementation of a trainee-focusing pedagogical framework based on heutagogy, the development of an all-encompassing quality enhancement framework (including also the pedagogy) and the approach to the diversity of various technical equipment (the multiple devices). The project is complementary to a Grundvig Multilateral project by transferring the theoretical developed outputs to a practical implementation in a different (but similar) educational sector.

The project combines knowledge and experience from VET training institutions with the research and innovation potential of universities.

The applicant SAFA is an important Spanish school foundation focusing on school and vocational education,
EFQBL is a VET and trainers education organisation and was founded as a dissemination tool out from a Blended Learning Multerlateral Grundtvig Project,
DigiLab from the University La Sapienza and the
University of Aveiro are specialised in innovation in technology enhanced training and the related pedagogy.
SADE is a specialist in Distance Learning and quality enhancement frameworks.

These participants ensure a consortium well-distributed in Europe.

The project results impact to the trainer community in Europe providing innovative and modern training (based on Blended Learning and including workplace-based training) with a technology enhanced approach to training using multiple devices.

EBI/EIE was founding member of the EFQBL and still is close connected to this organisation.

Web page of the project

The webpage of the project offers considerations about Blended Learning, the use of multiple devices, pedagogical considerations in context with the training and the specific training conditions in web-based C-VET training and the working trainees.

The created project results including the developed toolbox are free for use.

The EBI/EIE

European Initiative for Education

The „European Initiative for Education“ (EIE) is an international (European) private Non-Profit education and training organization in Austria (legal status: association). There are offices in Wiener Neustadt / Austria, Adeje/Spain, and in Athens/Greece.

**Image**: Course in the modern computer lab of the EBI/EIE (© Peter Mazohl, with the authorization of the presented trainees).

Mission

EIE’s mission is to endorse an innovative approach to education, training, and culture; this is done by using the method of „Blended Learning“ as an advanced technique of education and training. A new challenge for us is the Erasmus+ Programme of the European Community.

The EIE is integrated into a network of similar institutions in Europe; there are training organizations, educational establishments, research and development centers, public authorities, specialists etc.

The scope of courses is focused on Technology Enhanced Learning (formerly called e-learning) with the learning platforms Moodle, Blended Learning; Multimedia (Interactivity and Multimedia Content), Content Management Systems, Presentation Techniques, and Project Management.

The EBI/EIE is not only a training association but also involved in research. The research team of the EBI publishes regularly the current research results and is involved as a speaker at international conferences, for example, the ICERI (in Seville).

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Projects

We are actively involved in the Erasmus+ Programme and offer:

Training in the Frame of KA 1 projects (training for teachers, trainers, and adult learners)
Strategic Partnerships – KA 2 projects

Since the autumn 2013, the EBI/EIE is involved in European Projects or coordinates one. In 2015, the EBI/EIE and other partners from the BladEdu founded the European Foundation for Quality in Blended Learning, EFQBL, as a dissemination tool for Blended Learning. In consequence, the EBI/EIE cooperates regularly with this organization.

VTT-Box (School Education)
This project has been finished in November 2019.
TIBL-Project (EFQUBL)
This project has been finished in November 2019.
Flipped Adult Education (Adult Education)
This project has been started in 2018 and finished finally in August 2021 (Prolonged due to COVID-19)
DigiComPass (Adult Education)
This project aims to develop a course package to increase digital competencies of adults (following the DigComp 2.1 Framework)
BonJour! (Adult Education)
The project aims to enhance media literacy among older individuals through journalism and digital skills training, fostering social activism and bridging generational digital divides by establishing a pool of media educators tailored for the elderly, supported by a methodology, professional profile identification, training curriculum, and an e-learning platform.

CICERO (Adult Education)
This project was dealing with digital competencies and digital photography. It was started with the Kickoff Meeting in Wiener Neustadt and finished with a final meeting at the University of Stockholm.
The project was awarded as a “Project of Good Practice” by the Swedish National Agency.
TEST (School Education)
This school project focusing on the development of multimedia-based learning tools for science subjects started in the autumn of 2018 and has been finished in 2021.
CONNECT (Higher Education)
The project cares about the development of an innovative multidisciplinary and cross-sectional curriculum for students from the computer and information, health, and social sciences background.
InterMedia (Adult Education)
This project cares about multimedia and interactivity in learning.

Here you will find an overview of all our ERASMUS+ Projects.

Research

The research unit of the organisation is led by Peter Mazohl and Harald Makl. Here you will find the overview of the EBI/EIE’s research work.

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