Author Archives: imessalas

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Info Day on “Digital Tools to Prevent and Counter Hate Speech Online” by DAISSy-HOU, within the LEAD-Online project

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Poster_LEAD-Online Talk_23.10.2023The DAISSy research group of the Hellenic Open University (HOU) invites to the info day on “Digital Tools to Prevent and Counter Hate Speech Online”, to be organized within the framework of the implementation of the LEAD-Online: Learn, Engage, Act: Digital Tools to Prevent and Counter Hate Speech Online European project.The activity takes place on Monday 23rd October 2023 at 17.30’, in Patras, Greece (“My Way” Hotel), providing also the possibility of online participation, through the zoom electronic platform.

Specifically, the event is addressed to teachers, students, representatives of the civil society, journalists, social media activists and any individual or organisation that wishes and is capable of activating in preventing and combating hate speech online. It examines hate speech as a social phenomenon and the ways of countering it in its online version.

This is why, the info day focuses on presenting the innovative digital tools i.e. Hate Out! Game and Hate Speech Self-Assessment Tool, which have been developed under the responsibility of DAISSy-HOU within the framework of the LEAD-Online project. They cope with the increase of awareness in relation to the level of conscious or unconscious use of hate speech online as well as with the education in relation to ways of reporting it, countering it and supporting victims.

More precisely:

  • Participation is free of charge and open to all
  • Pre-registration is not needed
  • Online participation is available through the Zoom electronic platform, by using the following link.

This info day is the second activity of the “LEAD-Online Talks” series of project events, which aim at raising awareness on the phenomenon of hate speech online as well as educating young people (and not only), accordingly.

It is noteworthy, that the LEAD-Online project emphasizes on the need to strengthen the critical thinking and the digital skills of young people that seem to be causally related to the low level of reporting and the “normalization” of Hate Speech online. Specifically, the project aims at empowering young people, educators, civil society representatives, media and social media activists to become active agents of change. This will be achieved by training them, so that they recognise hate speech as well as persistent forms of intolerance, prejudice and discrimination, using a human rights-based approach. By exploring innovative digital tools provided by the LEAD-Online project, they will be able to classify, decode and consequently respond to Hate Speech online, and at the same time they will expand their opportunities by discussing the phenomenon, promoting attitudes and behaviours that respect human rights and values.

The  LEAD-Online is a two-year project, co-funded by the CERV European program and implemented by a consortium of seven (7) partners representing seven (7) European countries (Greece, Bulgaria, Italy, Austria, Cyprus, Romania, Croatia), with the DAISSy Research Group of the HOU, being the Greek partner.

For more information on the LEAD-Online project, and other activities of DAISSy:

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Call for Expression of Interest for the CLIP Massive Open Online Course on “Critical Visual Media Literacy and Fluency” by DAISSy-HOU

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CLIP-logoThe DAISSy Research Group of the Hellenic Open University (HOU) invites Higher Education students of Communication, Journalism and Social Science, as well as other Faculties, who are interested in developing their visual media literacy competencies, to participate in the Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) of the CLIP project, entitled  “Critical Visual Media Literacy and Fluency”.

By participating in the MOOC, the learners will gain valuable insights into the world of visual media and its impact on society. As a result, they will develop the ability to detect images and recognize stereotypes in visual artifacts. In addition, they will learn to navigate the visual landscape, discerning the credibility of the pictures they come across in their daily lives.

The MOOC of the CLIP project:

Is free of charge,and it is provided in English, through the online educational platform of the project that has been developed by DAISSy-HOU.

It starts on Monday 23rdOctober and finishes on 24th November 2023, having a total duration of fifty (50) hours.

It includes four (4) Modules, as follows:

  • Module 1: CRITICAL LOOKING
  • Module 2: RETHINK YOUR EYE
  • Module 3: DECODING VISUAL MEANING
  • Module 4: PRESERVING THE PAST

Participants who successfully complete the MOOC will be awarded a Certificate of Completion.

It will involve 150 trainees and registration is on “first-come-first-served” basis – so, registering will not be possible, once the maximum number of participants is reached.

Registration is done simply by filling in the respective Expression of interest form here.

The CLIP is an eighteen-month (18) project co-funded by the ERASMUS+/KA220-HED – Cooperation partnerships in Higher Education Programme of the European Union. It is coordinated by the UNIMED – Unione Delle Universita Del Mediterraneo (Italy) with Libera Universita Di Lingue e Comunicazione (Italy), ALL DIGITAL (Belgium), and the Hellenic Open University-DAISSy Research Group (Greece) as partners.

The main objective of the CLIP project is to strengthen digital capabilities of the Higher Education sector and to increase resilience to manipulation and polarisation working on the important issue of critical visual literacy, which is a fundamental component of the way european students and citizens are getting informed in the digital era.

For more information on the CLIP project, and other projects and activities of DAISSy:

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Τhe training activities of the D-ChallengHE project organized by DAISSy-HOU were a success!

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logo-D-ChallengHEThe DAISSy Research Group of the Hellenic Open University (HOU) successfully organized the staff training activities within the framework of the implementation of the “D-ChallengHE – Digital Challenge in Higher Education” European project. The activities targeted the trainers who belong to the educational staff of the project partners and took place from 20th to 22nd September 2023, at the headquarters of the HOU, in Patras (Greece). These actions were addressed to trainers

The main objective of the D-ChallengHE project is to highlight the experiences, practices and abilities of teaching and academic staff in Higher Education. In this context, the dissemination of best practices in e-learning, digitization of educational content, training and development of skills for online and blended learning, increased use of digital resources and open and distance education, are included.

More precisely, the first day of the training activities included a series of presentations delivered by experts who responded to the relevant call of DAISSy-HOU. Specifically, Mr. Christos Zotos analyzed the “Artificial Intelligence in the minds of students: Perception and Ethics” theme, whereas Dr. Panagiotis Koustoumbardis, Mr. Nikos Anatoliotakis and Mr. Dimitris Tzouvelekis presented “STEAM education through Robotics for promotion of university knowledge in society”, and Dr. Haris Tsichouridis, professor at the University of Patras and Mr. Nikos Mitrakas spoke about “Innovative teaching methodologies and tools” and Dr. Alexandros Mikrogiannidis, Professor at Open UK, described the “Genetic Artificial Intelligence in Distance Education”. The activities of the first day were completed with Dr. Gerasimos Vonitsanos presenting the role of the “Internet of Things in STEM education”.

During the second day of the educational activities, a thorough discussion evolved about the online learning environment, the online courses and the educational material, the ways of implementing the educational program of the project, as well as the evaluation tools of the courses, the educational process and the satisfaction of the trainees.

Finally, during the third and final day of the D-ChallengHE training action, emphasis was put to the role of serious games in the technology-enhanced learning as well as to the presentation of a story-writing approach and of a serious game development tool. Subsequently, the participants were divided into groups and got familiarized with the use of the serious game development tool through the implementation of a specific scenario and the appropriate guidance for its completion.

The DAISSy Research Group of HOU, organizer of the three-day training activity, was represented by Dr. Theodoros Panagiotakopoulos, Project Manager and Researcher of DAISSy, who presented the educational material created for the needs of the D-ChallengHE course entitled “Online teaching methodologies” and made suggestions on the evaluation process of the project’s educational program.

The D-ChallengHE is a two-year project, co-financed by the European ERASMUS+ program and implemented by a consortium of six (6) partners in five (5) EU member states (Greece, Italy, Slovenia, Romania and Lithuania), with the DAISSy Research Group of the HOU being the Greek partner.

 

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For more information about the D-ChallengHE project as well as other actions of the DAISSy Research Group:

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DAISSy-HOU invitation to the hybrid multiplier event of the project «Empowering the Youth through Financial Literacy.» (11.10.2023, European Parliament)

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youth-l-logoThe Hellenic Open University (HOU) and the DAISSy Research Group invite you to the multiplier event on “Empowering young people through financial literacy”, which takes place on Wednesday, 11th  October 2023 (14.00-16.00 EEST) at the premises of the European Parliament (Brussels), as well as online, through the zoom electronic platform.

The event is part of the implementation of the “Empowering the Youth through Financial Literacy” European project, and its main objective is to present the actions and deliverables of the project, as well as its results. Notably, emphasis will be put on analyzing contemporary economic issues (such as cryptocurrencies), establishing new contacts and enriching networking with stakeholders and institutions at the European level.

Online participation requires registration by submitting the respective expression of interest form through the following link.

“Empowering the Youth through Financial Literacy” is a two-year project funded by the Erasmus+European program. Its main objective is to enhance the professional employment of young people, supporting them in acquiring financial knowledge and developing skills for their smoother integration into the labour market. In particular, strengthening young people’s entrepreneurial capacities will help address the challenges of their daily lives as employees/employees or as self-employed/self-employed.

The project is implemented by a consortium of five (5) partners representing an equal number of European countries (Greece, Belgium, Spain, Poland, and Georgia). The DAISSy Research Group of the HOU, the Greek partner, participates in all project deliverables and is responsible for developing and operating the project’s educational platform, as well as for the development of the educational program of the project, part of which is the Massive Open Online Course (MOOC), currently undergoing.

For more information about the “Empowering the Youth through Financial Literacy” project and other activities of the DAISSy-HOU:

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DAISSy-HOU announces the Online Circular Business Plan Competition through the “RE-START” project

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restart-postThe DAISSy Research Group of the Hellenic Open University (HOU) announces the Circular Business Plan Competition, to be implemented through the RE-START – Reinforcing the Circular Economy Model for START-Ups  european project.

In this context, DAISSy-HOU invites students, graduates and young entrepreneurs with an innovative business idea in the sector of Circular Economy (CE), to participate in the competition, to be held online on 30th October 2023 at 16.00 (EEST).

More precisely:

  • The candidates are invited to submit their application form by 15th October 2023.
  • Participants will receive guidance in order to be thoroughly prepared for the competition.
  • Business consulting and mentoring, networking with investors and monetary prizes await the winning teams after the completion of the competition.

The RE-START is a two-year project co-funded by the European Commission’s Erasmus+ programme, that aims at encouraging and guiding students in Higher Education Institutes (HEIs), recent graduates and potential startupers to develop a circular start-up or transform their business idea into a circular one following the definition of the circular start-ups which characterizes them as business models based on implementing at least one out of the five (5) CE strategies: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, Recover and Regenerate.

The project is implemented by a consortium of six (6) partners representing five (5) European countries (Cyprus, Greece, Spain, Portugal, Portugal, Poland). The DAISSy Research Group of the Hellenic Open University, the Greek partner, participates in all deliverables of the RE-START project and is responsible for the development of the Circular Business Plan Toolkit.

For more information about the RE-START project and other activities of DAISSy-HOU:

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DAISSy-HOU call for the Survey on Shaping the Future of STE(A)M Education

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logo-seerIf you are a pre-service teacher, in-service teacher, principal, director, or school manager, this is your time!

The “STE(A)M Education European Roadmap project-SEER” European project, currently undergoing with the DAISSy Research Group of the Hellenic Open University (HOU) as the Greek partner, supports the expansion of STE(A)M education in Europe, and it needs the  insights into the current state of STE(A)M education across all levels and types of education.

Specifically, the main aim of the SEER project is to provide a set of roadmaps to pave the way for the policy and institutional changes, which are necessary for the large-scale implementation and mainstreaming of STE(A)M education in Europe.

Within this framework, a respective survey has been launched, aiming at shaping the roadmap for STE(A)M education and shed light on the needs of teachers and educators.

More precisely:

  • The questionnaire is available in English, Greek, German, Dutch, and Italian
  • The survey is on the air until 31st December 2023
  • The participation is done simply by filling in the respective form, here.

The SEER is a three-year project, co-funded by the European Commission through the EU Horizon Program (HORIZON-WIDERA-2021-ERA-01-70 – HORIZON-CSA). It is implemented by a consortium of six (6) partners in six (6) European countries (Belgium, Greece, Cyprus, Germany, Netherlands, Italy) with the DAISSy-HOU as the Greek partner, being involved in all project deliverables and having the responsibility for the analysis of the needs and the impact for STEAM education.

For more information about the SEER project and other activities of the DAISSy-HOU:

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DAISSy-HOU at the 3rd Transnational Partners’ Meeting of the “LEARN.INC” EU Project, in Cannakale (Turkey)

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logo-learnIncOn 12th and 13th September 2023, the 3rd Transnational Partners’ Meeting (TPM) of the “LEARN.INC-Learning Incubator for Project-based Teaching and Training through Research” EU project, took place at Çanakkale Onsekiz Mart Üniversitesi (COMU), in Cannakale (Turkey). The event marked an important milestone in the project’s ongoing commitment to advancing project-based education and empowering educators in the four (4) partner countries (Bulgaria, Greece, Romania, Turkey).

The 3rd TPM of the “LEARN.INC” project, hosted by Çanakkale Onsekiz Mart Üniversitesi, the Turkish partner, brought together a diverse group of participants from the partner institutions, representing a broad spectrum of expertise and experience within the education sector. The DAISSy Research Group of the Hellenic Open University (HOU), the Greek partner, sharing valuable long-term related experience was actively involved within all sessions of the two-day TPM. Fruitful discussions and knowledge exchange during the meeting, marked the progress of the deliverables based on the project’s core objectives.

More precisely, the two-day TPM involved twelve (12) partner representatives on-site and additionally four (4) representatives on-line, so that all five (5) project partners, from four (4) countries, take part, namely: Lucian Blanga University of Sibiu- LBUS (Romania), Hellenic Open University-HOU (Greece), COMU (Turkey), Research & Training Point- RTP (Bulgaria), and University of Sofia – UniSofia (Bulgaria).

During the first TMP day, the team members carried out a comprehensive overview of the activities completed so far, highlighting the project achievements and strategies for success. Each University partner presented the main accomplishments for the first eighteen (18) months of the project implementation, as well as the forthcoming activities planned to be completed. Key topics of discussion also included the communication and dissemination strategies, as well as the quality assurance measures to ensure excellence in outcomes and impact. The project management and financial oversight procedures were assessed, as part of the project’s ongoing monitoring and evaluation plan.

Within the same framework, the consortium focused on a few of the main project topics, such as the proposed content of the training modules and their application in the virtual platform. It also led to reviewing specific administrative and financial issues, the monitoring of quality aspects as well as the sharing and promotion of activities, including the communication strategy concerning the recent period of the project implementation.

This was followed by partners’ presentations regarding the evolvement of project activities based on their responsibilities. The DAISSy Research Group of the HOU was represented by Mrs Vasiliki Takouli, Project Manager and Administrator of DAISSy, who delivered a speech regarding the structure of the methodology for the creation of an Open Access Archive of Digital Courses (OPENARC), a series of 12 common online courses in MOOC format. All the content will be derived from the two previous work packages, will be made digital, in various media (videos, presentations, etc.) and will become a resource for learning and teaching in the collaborating HEIs. She explained the concept and put questions to be considered by the partners for the next implementation steps. Then she participated actively in the elaboration and the agreement on certain aspects about the related LEARN.INC upcoming activities.

The second TPM day was dedicated to a visit at Çanakkale Onsekiz Mart Üniversitesi, a meeting with Prof. Dr. R. Cüneyt ERENOĞLU, Rector of COMU, where discussion evolved about the project activities and achievements as well as opportunities for further cooperation between the partner institutions, including through new projects in the field of education and research. Following the official part, delegates visited the facilities of COMU and learnt more about the study programs offered by the University.

The 3rd TPM of LEARN.INC was successful! The partners joined the two-day sessions with interest and team spirit, bringing added value perceived by all participants.

The LEARN.INC is a three-year project, co-funded by the European Union, under the Erasmus+ Programme, aiming at enhancing education quality and empowering educators to employ challenge-based methods for innovative teaching and learning in academia.

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For more information on the LEARN.INC project and other activities of DAISSy:

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“Smart work and open learning”: DAISSy-HOU organized with success the Multiplier Event of the “Working Smart” EU project (22.9.2023, Patras)

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logo-workingsmartThe DAISSy Research Group of the Hellenic Open University (HOU) organized with success the multiplier event on “Smart Work and Open Learning“, which took place in person on Friday 22nd September 2023, in Patras (“My Way” hotel). It is a dissemination event about the results of the “WorkingSmart: Smart working and Open Learning” European project, implemented by DAISSy-HOU, as the Greek partner, that marks the completion of the project activities.

The WorkingSmart project aims to challenge EU SMEs to consider the empowering culture created by new technologies and smart working with different approaches to work and life styles between women and men. The project will define the profile of the Smart Work Manager/Advisor and train him/her to be able to address resistance to change within and outside EU organizations, primarily resistance not (only) to the technical dimension of change, but also to the social and cultural dimension of change (personal relationships) that will accompany digital change.

The multiplier event was addressed to entrepreneurs, managers and executives, employees and freelancers and was very popular, attracting the interest of more than forty (40) participants, members of the project’s target groups and areas of activation.

The sessions were launched by a welcome address by Christos Pierrakeas, Professor of the University of Patras, Deputy Director of DAISSy, and a presentation of the activities of the Research Group, emphasizing on its vision and mission.

Then, Vasiliki Takouli, Project Manager of DAISSy, presented the Working Smart project and analyzed its actions, objectives and results, as well as the specific role of DAISSy, which developed part of the educational material and also contributed to the creation of the professional profile of the Smart Work Manager/Advisor, being one of the main objectives of the project.

Accordingly, Hara Kokkinou, DAISSy Researcher, presented the professional profile of the Smart Work Manager/Advisor, analyzing the way of creating and thinking based on the desired profile as well as its goal.

This was followed by a presentation by Rizo Chaliabalia, DAISSy Researcher, on the Working Smart online platform and the training material, included in the project results, to be used for the training of candidates wishing to familiarize themselves with remote working. It is noteworthy that, during the updating of the training material, ten (10) representatives of the stakeholders took part in this process and contributed to the documentation by providing constructive comments.

Εmphasis was put to the interconnection of WorkingSmart with Agile2Learn, a related European project that is also being implemented by DAISSy-HOU as the partner in Greece, which was presented by Katerina Nikolakopoulou, Researcher of DAISSy, analyzing its content.

The sessions were finalized by reflecting on the activity, that led to a fruitful discussion on the introduction of distance working and the ways of motivating SMEs to integrate it, into their operating framework. The atmosphere was pleasant and the comments were positive, regarding both the usefulness of such projects and the willingness of active participation, in future initiatives of this kind.

The DAISSy Research Group of the Hellenic Open University is thankful to the participants and all those companies that contributed to the success of the dissemination event, through their continuous support.

The WorkingSmart is a two-year project co-funded by the European Union, under the Erasmus+ programme. It is implemented by a consortium of six (6) partners from five (5) countries (Spain, Italy, France, Slovenia, Spain, Greece) with the DAISSy Research Group of the HOU as the Greek partner.

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For more information about the WorkingSmart project and other DAISSy Research Group activities:

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DAISSy-HOU actively participated in the 4th Transnational Partners’ Meeting of the “NEFELE” EU Project in Maastricht (Netherlands)

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On 19th and 20th September 2023, the “European Association of Distance Teaching Universities (EADTU)” hosted the fourth Transnational Partners’ Meeting (TPM) of the “NEFELE-NEET prevention in Educational systems through positive Future vision Enhancing Learning and teacher Education” EU project, that took place in Maastricht (Netherlands).

The TPM was attended in presence by representatives of the partners i.e. the European Association of Distance Teaching Universities (EADTU), the Hellenic Open University (HOU), the University of Naples Federico II (UNINA), the University of Applied Sciences and Arts of Southern Switzerland, (SUPSI) and SMARTED (SM).

The NEFELE project aims at modelling innovative methodologies for middle school pre-service teachers that can support adolescents’ career construction and a positive vision of the future. Specifically, NEFELE provides curricular frameworks based on career development and positive psychology through tools (such as Massive Open Online Course-MOOC, digital game and OER Shared Platform), in order to orient teachers’ supportive behaviours.

On the first TPM day, the sessions started by focusing on the state of the art and open issues of the NEFELE MOOC. Specifically, the partnership discussed the certification process of the MOOC, which is developed under the responsibility of the DAISSy Research Group of the HOU, being the Greek project partner. DAISSy-HOU participated in the TPM and was represented by Achilles Kameas, HOU Professor, Director of DAISSy, Vasiliki Takouli, Project Manager and Administrator of DAISSy, as well as Rizos Chaliabalias, Senior researcher of DAISSy.

Emphasis was put to the presentation of the final version of the MOOC, delivered by Vasiliki Takouli, who explained in detail its content, the way of operation and the benefits for the trainees and the tutors. More precisely, the MOOC units cover the following topics: current threats and challenges of the labour market, competences needed for career transitions, career development and the role of teachers in students’ career transition, positive psychology and the use of technologies and tangible user interfaces in the educational context.

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Then, the SMARTED project partner presented the gamification approach of the NEFELE game and explained the steps for creating scenarios and the game to be useful in the classroom to enhance adolescent career exploration.

On the second TPM day, the meeting focused on the NEFELE OERs (Open Educational Resources) shared platform, the project deliverable scheduled in these months. The main idea is to create a WebApp on career guidance to promote career decisions in students and help other people (teachers, parents, career practitioners) find helpful information on career paths, to support adolescents.

NEFELE is a thirty-month (1st December 2021-31st May 2024) project, funded by the Erasmus+ EU program, implemented by a consortium of six (6) partners from five (5) countries (Spain, Italy, Switzerland, Netherlands, Greece) with the DAISSy Research Group of the HOU, being the Greek partner.

For more information on the NEFELE project and other activities of DAISSy:

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DAISSy-HOU coordinated the Training of Trainers Workshop of the “LEARN.INC” EU Project, in Patras (Greece)

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On 6th ,7th and 8th September 2023, the DAISSy Reasearch Group of the Hellenic Open University (HOU) coordinated the Training of Trainers Workshop (Tot) of the “Learn.Inc-Learning Incubator for Project-based Teaching and Training through Research” EU project, that took place in Patras (Greece) and was supported by all project partners.

In a rapidly evolving educational landscape, equipping educators with innovative teaching techniques and digital readiness is essential. The LEARN.INC project is committed to empowering educators with innovative teaching techniques, digital readiness, and transversal skills development. In the wake of this idea, a Training of Trainers workshop was implemented at the headquarters of the Hellenic Open University (HOU) in Patras (Greece), which highlighted the significant benefits for participants and the broader community.

During the workshop, educators representing the LEARN.INC partners, i.e. Lucian Blaga University of Sibiu (Romania), Sofia University St Kliment Ohridski (Bulgaria), Research & Training Point Foundation from (Bulgaria), Hellenic Open University (Greece) and Canakkale Onsekiz Mart University (Turkey), who were exposed to a range of innovative pedagogical techniques, allowing them to create more engaging and interactive learning experiences. These insights, coupled with a focus on digital readiness, equipped educators with the skills and tools necessary to effectively leverage digital technologies in their teaching practices.

One of the workshop’s key emphases regarded the development of transversal skills, including problem-solving and critical thinking. Trainees were encouraged to explore challenge-based research and practice, enhancing their own skills while gaining valuable tools to help their students excel in an ever-changing job market.

Moreover, the workshop fostered networking and collaboration among participants from diverse backgrounds. This networking not only facilitated knowledge sharing but also opened doors for future partnerships, further enriching the educational ecosystem.

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Beyond these strengths acquired by the participants, the impact of such initiatives extends to communities and stakeholders. The enhancement of education quality through well-prepared graduates benefits local communities by producing individuals better equipped to meet the demands of the modern job market. Communities also benefit from the potential for dynamic community programs and initiatives that result from engaging with educators exposed to innovative teaching methods and digital tools.

In essence, the LEARN.INC Train of Trainers workshop serves as a beacon of hope for education communities. It emphasizes the importance of continuous professional development for educators and ensures that they remain at the forefront of innovation in education. As the world evolves, so must our teaching methods and approaches, and workshops like this play a pivotal role in making that a reality.

The three-day Tot involved ten (10) partner representatives on-site as well as six (6) additional representative on-line, so that all project partners take part.

The LEARN.INC is a three-year project, co-funded by the European Union, under the Erasmus+ Programme. It is implemented by a consortium of five (5) partners from four (4) countries (Bulgaria, Greece, Romania, Turkey) with the DAISSy Research Group of the HOU being the Greek partner.

For more information on the Learn.Inc project and other activities of DAISSy: