Distance Learning

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The Virtual Teachers‘ Toolbox

Europaeische Bildungsinitiative Miscellaneous
The Virtual Teachers‘ Toolbox
Planning a distance learning course

The project aims to create a special virtual toolbox for teachers as a sophisticated tool for developing Open Online Distance Learning (OODL) courses which means open, online, flexible and technology enhanced education (OOFAT). The mixture of of the partners ensures the necessary competences, values, skills and knowledge for developing an innovative approach to OODL. This project uses a strategic cooperation between formal and non-formal/informal educational providers using ICT based teaching and the enhancement of digital integration in learning. It will be enhancing teachers’ professional development and support students‘ acquisition of values, skills and competences.

The 5 consortium members are well distributed in Europe:

  1. University of Crete, GR (specialised in innovative education) will focus on supporting students‘ acquisition of skills and competences,
  2. EBI/EIE, AT is a teacher training institution with experienced in Distance Learning impacts in enhancing teachers’ professional development and in OODL
  3. The I.T.E Vitorio Veneto, IT and
  4. Colegio Internacional Costa Adeje, ES are two high schools (offering a multicultural background) with different orientation in
    teaching and experienced in eLearning and modern teaching methods.
    The Colegio Costa Adeje is the coordinator in the project.
  5. The Swedish Association for Distance Education (SADE) has a special focus on OODL and OOFAT and provides experience in quality enhancement systems.

The VVT-Box methodology focuses on items which are either not yet common or still missing in Open Online Distance Education as a

  • Innovative approach to OODL
  • Appropriate quality enhancement framework
  • Innovative and completely new motivating self-evaluation method for students (Mandala method)
  • New developed innovative tool for course creators
  • Special training course for teachers to implement the new methods in course creation
  • Transferability and evaluation guide to enable the transfer to other educational fields

Technical Innovation in Blended Learning (TIBL)

Europaeische Bildungsinitiative Blended Learning, Miscellaneous, Project
Technical Innovation in Blended Learning (TIBL)
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.

  1. The applicant SAFA is an important Spanish school foundation focusing on school and vocational education,
  2. EFQBL is a VET and trainers education organisation and was founded as a dissemination tool out from a Blended Learning Multerlateral Grundtvig Project,
  3. DigiLab from the University La Sapienza and the
  4. University of Aveiro are specialised in innovation in technology enhanced training and the related pedagogy.
  5. 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

TIBL Project Logo

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.

VTT-Box

Virtual Teachers’ Toolbox (VTT-Box)

The project aims to create a special virtual toolbox for teachers as a sophisticated tool for developing Open Online Distance Learning (OODL) courses which means open, online, flexible and technology enhanced education (OOFAT). The mixture of of the partners
ensures the necessary competences, values, skills and knowledge for developing an innovative approach to OODL. This project uses a strategic cooperation between formal and non-formal/informal educational providers using ICT based teaching and the
enhancement of digital integration in learning. It will be enhancing teachers’ professional development and support students‘ acquisition of values, skills and competences.

The project team at the teaching event in Teneriffe (in front of the building of the Colegio Internacional Costa Adeje)

The 5 consortium members are well distributed in Europe:

  • University of Crete, GR (specialised in innovative education) will focus on
    supporting students‘ acquisition of skills and competences,
  • EBI/EIE (AT) is a teacher training institution with experienced in Distance
    Learning impacts in enhancing teachers’ professional development and in OODL
  • The I.T.E VITTORIO VENETO SALVEMINI (IT) and
  • Colegio Internacional Costa Adeje (ES) are two high schools (offering a multicultural background) with different orientation in teaching and experienced in eLearning and modern teaching methods.
  • The Swedish Association for Distance Education (SADE) has a special focus on OODL and OOFAT and provides experience in quality enhancement systems.

The VVT-Box methodology focuses on items which are either not yet common or still missing in Open Online Distance Education as a

  • Innovative approach to OODL
  • Appropriate quality enhancement framework
  • Innovative and completely new motivating self-evaluation method for students (Mandala method)
  • New developed innovative tool for course creators
  • Special training course for teachers to implement the new methods in course creation
  • Transferability and evaluation guide to enable the transfer to other educational fields

The project started with October 1, 2017 and will last for two years. The findings and outcomes of the project can be found at the project’s web page VTT-Box.
To follow the project’s activities and to read the related postings please have a look at the project’s blog.

 

 

The European Commission support for the production of this publication does not constitute an endorsement of the contents which reflects the views only of the authors, and the Commission cannot be held responsi­ble for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.

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.

Course in the modern computer lab of the EBI/EIE
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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