Webinar Week: Blended and Online Education

Posted on 11 March 202011 March 2020 by imessalas

WEBINAR WEEK

7-9 April 2020

Theme: Blended and Online Education

Organized by the EMPOWER expert group of EADTU

A consensus is emerging that blended education, a term that embraces various combinations of classroom presence and online study, will become the most common approach to teaching and learning in higher education.

Technology is now widely accepted as a normal part of university education, by both students and teachers, and is seen by many as the solution to problems such as scaling up with limited funding. The adoption of MOOCs and fully online education by high-ranked universities has reduced the negative view of technology in higher education. To support these changes, most universities have “eLearning centres” of some kind, with professional “learning technologists/instructional designers” who work with teachers to create and deliver blended and fully online courses. (EMPOWER, EADTU, 2020).

In this webinar week we explore good practices and new developments in the field of blended and online education.

Prof. Achilles Kameas of Hellenic Open University will give a lecture on Combined use of MOOC, eLearning and workplace learning to support professional development – the case of project MuSA.

Participation to the webinar is free of any charge. If you are interested in attending, you can see the webinar programme and register here !

Έρευνα για τις επιχειρηματικές προοπτικές των αρχαίων Ρωμαϊκών διαδρομών

Posted on 7 March 20207 March 2020 by imessalas

Στο πλαίσιο του Ευρωπαϊκού έργου Erasmus+ με τίτλο Roman Routes: All Routes lead to Rome, στο οποίο Έλληνας εταίρος είναι η ερευνητική ομάδα DAISSy του Ελληνικού Ανοικτού Πανεπιστημίου, διεξάγεται επιστημονική έρευνα με στόχο να καταγραφεί και να αναλυθεί το επίπεδο της γνώσης των νέων σχετικά με τις επιχειρηματικές και τουριστικές προοπτικές και ευκαιρίες που προσφέρουν οι περιοχές που γειτνιάζουν με τις αρχαίες Ρωμαϊκές διαδρομές στην Ευρώπη.

Η συμμετοχή σας στην έρευνα αυτή θα είναι πολύτιμη για να μπορέσουμε να αναπτύξουμε κατάλληλο ανοικτό εκπαιδευτικό υλικό που θα ενισχύσει τις γνώσεις και τις δεξιότητες όσων ενδιαφέρονται να δράσουν επιχειρηματικά εντός του δικτύου των αρχαίων Ρωμαϊκών δρόμων. Για τον λόγο αυτό σας προσκαλούμε να αφιερώσετε λίγα λεπτά για να απαντήσετε σε αυτό το ανώνυμο ερωτηματολόγιο.

Τα αποτελέσματα της έρευνας θα δημοσιευθούν και θα παρουσιάζουν τη συνολική χαρτογράφηση του δικτύου των αρχαίων Ρωμαϊκών διαδρομών στη σημερινή εποχή, αναλύοντας ταυτόχρονα τις δυνατότητες που προσφέρονται για την αξιοποίηση της υφιστάμενης πολιτιστικής κληρονομιάς, τη λήψη επιχειρηματικών πρωτοβουλιών και την τοπική ανάπτυξη.

Σας ευχαριστούμε εκ των προτέρων για τη συμμετοχή σας!

Αν θέλετε να μάθετε περισσότερα για το έργο Roman Routes, επικοινωνήστε με την ομάδα DAISSy.

EUHeritage project report: Skills profile for European Cultural Heritage

Posted on 2 March 20202 March 2020 by imessalas

The first report of EUHeritage on Skills profile analysis is out! The DAISSy research group of Hellenic Open University, partner of EUHeritage project, participated actively in the research by conducting desk research, quantitative research (survey) and qualitative research (interviews) with professionals from the cultural sector in Greece.

The current research was carried out in the period February-September 2019 as part of the project Skills for promotion, valorisation, exploitation, mediation and interpretation of European Cultural Heritage.

The report presents the data collected by the research analysis at European level.

Presentation of STEAMonEdu project during the 1st STE(A)M IT co-creation workshop on integrated STEM education

Posted on 2 March 20203 March 2020 by imessalas

Project STEAMonEdu was presented by Achilles Kameas during the 1st STE(A)M IT co-creation workshop on integrated STEM education, which was organized in the context of 38th Science Projects Workshop in the Future Classroom Lab. The event took place on 28 February 2020.

The STE(A)M IT project aims to (1) create and test a conceptual framework of reference for integrated STE(A)M education; (2) develop a capacity building programme for primary schools teachers and secondary STEM teachers, based on this framework, with a particular focus on the contextualization of STEM teaching , especially through industry-education cooperation, and (3) further ensure the contextualization of the integrated STEM teaching by establishing a network of guidance counsellors/career advisors in schools promoting the attractiveness of STEM jobs to their classes.

You can find out more about the STE(A)M IT project:

In the website of Scientix http://www.scientix.eu/projects/project-detail?articleId=884972
By following the social media of Scientix (follow the hashtag #STEAMIT_project).

More than 45 participants, mostly teachers and educational policy makers, from several European countries and Canada joined online, watched presentations, exchanged chats and participated in online surveys. Interesting results came up regarding the challenges and problems faced, among others, when trying to put STE(A)M education in practice or when attempting to assess what the students have learned. Other important topics were how to connect STE(A)M education with real-life problems and how to persuade students to pursue STEM-related careers.

Achilles presented the aims and objectives of the STEAMonEdu project, focusing on the approach that puts teachers and educators, both from formal and non-formal education, at the center of its approach. He presented the expected project outcomes, which include competence-based tools, online tools and tools for policy makers.

All presentations given during the event will be uploaded here: http://www.scientix.eu/spw38-at-fcl.

You can find out more about STEAMonEdu:

In the project website: steamonedu.eu
In the DAISSy research group website: http://daissy.eap.gr
In the social media by following the hashtag #STEAMonEdu

Individual learning accounts in the 2020s

Posted on 27 February 202027 February 2020 by imessalas

A high-level event for policymakers, government, educators, and industry

Οn 18 February 2020, ALL DIGITAL, with the support of JP Morgan, organized in Brussels a very important event on “Individual Learning Accounts (ILAs) in the 2020s”.

OECD defines ILAs as “virtual, individual accounts in which training rights are accumulated over time. They are virtual in the sense that resources are only mobilised if training is actually undertaken”; OECD states that “ILAs were originally introduced with the objective of boosting individual choice and responsibility with regards to training and to increase competition among training providers and thus the quality and relevance of training provision.”

The new President of European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, in her Mission Letter to Commissioner Nicolas Schmit, mentioned ILAs explicitly: “You will lead the work on implementing and updating our skills agenda, focusing on identifying and filling skills shortages and supporting reskilling as part of the just transition. You should explore the idea of individual learning accounts for people of working age, enabling adults to accumulate training entitlements and use them for quality-assured training.”

Renato Sabbadini, the CEO of ALL DIGITAL, opened the event and set the ground for the issues under debate. Then, Nicolas Schmit, the EU Commissioner himself, and OECD Director Stefano Scarpetta delivered very interesting keynote speeches. The former talked about the importance of up-skilling and re-skilling of millions of EU citizens in the next few years (“a revolution”, as he called it), while the latter presented the OECD report titled “ILAs: Panacea or Pandora’s Box”. MEP Eva Maydell, French Minister Antoine Saint-Denis, LLP Director Brikena Xhomagi and Business Europe Senior Advisor Robert Plummer participated in a panel of experts moderated in an excellent way by Hanka Boldemann of JP Morgan Global Philanthropy and debated the importance, usefulness and applicability of ILAs. Prof. Achilles Kameas, Chairman of the Board of ALL DIGITAL took the opportunity to present the role that AD has been playing in the personal and professional development of European citizens regarding digital competences, concluding that “ILAs can prove to be an important business opportunity for AD members, that is why AD is going not only to closely follow the issue, but will become an active player in the coming months”.

The event was attended by approximately 70 people, among them several EU officers, industry representatives and other key stakeholders interested in upskilling, reskilling, digital skills and professional development in general.

You can find out more about the event here:

https://all-digital.org/events/ilas-in-2020s/

You can watch a recording of the event here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ob2kOw4F-xQ

You can find out more about ILAs here:

https://all-digital.org/individual-learning-accounts/

“XENIA: HΕ Inclusiveness Index” at the EACEA Project Coordinators’ Meeting

Posted on 26 February 202026 February 2020 by imessalas

The XENIA consortium represented by Sinapsi of University of Naples “Federico II” attended the EACEA Project Coordinators’ Meeting on 12th and 13th February 2020.

The 2-day meeting gave coordinators the opportunity to share and identify the challenges and possible solutions that could support the project implementation. In particular it was a fruitful chance to disseminate the objectives and the goals of Xenia project, enlarge the network with other colleagues from Europe and boosting the visibility of the project within Key Action 3: Support for policy reform.

XENIA is implemented by a Consortium of 7 Partners from 5 European countries (Italy, Ireland, Slovenia, Greece and Spain). The project will develop an innovative and integrated tool that will support European Higher Education Institutions -HEIs- in evaluating the actual level of inclusiveness of their environment and in identifying any efforts that can be placed to best address the needs of sexual and gender marginalized groups and ensure the protection of their fundamental rights and academic opportunities.

DAISSy Research Group of the Hellenic Open University will participate in all project WPs by conducting the research, developing the INDEX, piloting XENIA activities in Greece and contributing to the project dissemination and exploitation activities.

For more information regarding XENIA project and/or more news of the DAISSy Research Group:

Facebook: @DAISSyResearchGroup, @XENIA Erasmus+ Project #XENIA #socialinclusion #genderequality

Website : http://daissy.eap.gr

Email : info@daissy.eap.gr

Συνάντηση του έργου “Re.M.I.D.A. – Renewed Models for the Inclusion of Disadvantaged Adults”

Posted on 24 February 202024 February 2020 by imessalas

Η ερευνητική ομάδα DAISSy του Ελληνικού Ανοικτού Πανεπιστημίου συμμετείχε στην 2^η συνάντηση του έργου “Re.M.I.D.A. – Renewed Models for the Inclusion of Disadvantaged Adults”, στην Οραντέα της Ρουμανίας 11-12 Φεβρουαρίου 2020. Το έργο Re.M.I.D.A. συγχρηματοδοτείται από το Πρόγραμμα Erasmus+ της Ευρωπαϊκής Ένωσης (Key Action 2).

Το έργο Re.M.I.D.A. αποσκοπεί να συμβάλει στην αντιμετώπιση του προβλήματος του κοινωνικού αποκλεισμού για μειονεκτούντες ενήλικες πάνω των 45 ετών. Σε αυτή την ηλικιακή ομάδα, το πρόβλημα της ανεργίας με το πέρασμα του χρόνου μονιμοποιείται, και αφορά κυρίους τους εργαζομένους με χαμηλό μορφωτικό επίπεδο, με περιορισμένα προσόντα ή δεξιότητες, ή μετανάστες ή πρώην φυλακισμένους. Επομένως, είναι βασικό και αναγκαίο να υπάρχουν δράσεις που να υποστηρίζουν αυτή την ηλικιακή ομάδα, των άνω των 45 μειονεκτούντων ανέργων.

Το έργο Re.M.I.D.A. στοχεύει στο να αναπτύξει ένα καινοτόμο μοντέλο παρέμβασης που να στοχεύει στην ενδυνάμωση (empowerment) των ατόμων της ηλικιακής ομάδας 45+ που διατρέχουν κίνδυνο κοινωνικού αποκλεισμού. Αυτό το μοντέλο θα βασιστεί στη μεθοδολογία Lego Serious Play και θα ενσωματώσει μεθοδολογίες που αφορούν εκπαίδευση ενηλίκων. Επιπλέον το έργο έχει ως στόχο να υποστηρίξει τις δομές καταπολέμησης της ανεργίας μέσω της εκπαίδευσης των στελεχών τους σε αυτή τη μεθοδολογία.

Στην κοινοπραξία μετέχουν επτά εταίροι από επτά χώρες (Ιταλία, Ελλάδα, Ισπανία, Πορτογαλία, Ρουμανία, Βουλγαρία, Σλοβενία).

Κατά τη διάρκεια της συνάντησης, οι εταίροι συζήτησαν τα διάφορα πακέτα εργασίας και τις προκλήσεις, καθόρισαν τις προτεραιότητες και έθεσαν το σχέδιο δράσης για τους επόμενους μήνες του έργου.

Στη δεύτερη ημέρα της συνάντησης και κατά τη διάρκεια σχετικού workshop δόθηκε η ευκαιρία στους εταίρους να μελετήσουν και να πειραματιστούν στη μεθοδολογία Lego Serious Play.

Η ερευνητική ομάδα DAISSy θα συμβάλει σε όλες τις δράσεις του έργου, όπως η έρευνα πεδίου, η ανάπτυξη του MOOC, η πιλοτική εφαρμογή του στην Ελλάδα και η διάδοση και αξιοποίηση όλων των αποτελεσμάτων του έργου.

Για περισσότερες πληροφορίες σχετικά με το έργο Re.M.I.D.A. και άλλες δράσεις της ερευνητικής ομάδας DAISSy:

Facebook: @DAISSyResearchGroup

Website : https://remidaproject.eu/

Email : info@daissy.eap.gr

Kick off meeting of DELTA project in Patras, Greece

Posted on 10 February 202010 February 2020 by imessalas

The DAISSy Research Group of the Hellenic Open University organized the Kick off Meeting of the 30 months project DELTA (Digital Excavation through Learning and Training in Archaeology). DELTA is funded in the context of Erasmus+/KA2 EU programme (Strategic Partnerships for Higher Education), and its official launch took place in Patras, Greece on November 8^th and 9^th of 2019.

DELTA is an EU transnational initiative that brings together 4 partners/ Universities of three countries (Greece, Italy and Czech Republic). The partnership consists of 3 Universities that have a specialization in Archaeology and excavation techniques [NKUA, MUNI, UNIBAS], while the coordinator [HOU] has a long experience in e-learning courses and in developing online platforms.

The project, which is coordinated by DAISSy Research Group of Hellenic Open University, aims to design and develop a course that combines the physical space of an archaeological excavation with the digital space of online learning. With this course, students of Archaeology will be able to improve update their knowledge and skills and develop digital and 21st century skills in particular.

In the two day meeting, partners presented their University, shared their opinions, expertise and advice based on their roles and project tasks of the forthcoming project activities. During the second day of the meeting in Patras, the participants had the opportunity to visit the New Archaeological Museum in Patras and guided by Archaeologist of Ephorate of Antiquities of Achaia (EFAACHA) in a scheduled tour, to the exhibitions and archaeological collections and findings derived from excavations in Achaia.

The project meeting closed with decisions on the next actions on Intellectual Outputs I and II.

DELTA is for Digital Archaeology students!

Posted on 7 February 20207 February 2020 by imessalas

The DELTA (Digital Excavation through Learning and Training in Archaeology) project is a transnational programme funded under Erasmus+ EU program (Strategic Partnerships for Higher Education) and is coordinated by the DAISSy research group of Hellenic Open University (daissy.eap.gr), bringing together 4 partners from 3 European countries (Greece, Italy and Czech Republic). The project started in October 2019 and has a duration of 30 months.

DELTA aims at the design and development of an open course through which students of Archaeology will be able to update their skills and develop new digital and 21^st century skills. The project is innovative since it integrates the excavation site as an instructional tool in the classroom-based instruction of Archaeologists using digital means.

The course will support a blended learning process through an open, online-learning platform as well as face to face and on-site learning with a transnational mobility of students and their professors of Archaeology.

After the blended learning, selected students from each partner University with their Professor/educator will be able to be trained and work together in multinational groups and benefit from the knowledge and skills exchange in a joint excavation (Intensive Study Programme-ISP), in the historical place of Marathon, Greece.

DELTA will result in the design and development of a Teaching Handbook in four languages as well as the creation of Policy and good practices towards the application of new methods and modernization of excavation practice using the news technologies.

For more information, you can visit the website: project-delta.eu

“Boosting digital skills and competences of libraries in Europe” Kickoff Meeting

Posted on 7 February 20207 February 2020 by imessalas

DAISSy Research Group of the Hellenic Open University participated in the Kick off Meeting of the three-year project “Boosting digital skills and competences of libraries in Europe”. BIBLIO is co-funded by the Erasmus+ Programme of the European Union under Action KA2 – Cooperation for innovation and the exchange of good practices – Sector Skills Alliances, and its official launch took place in Bari (Italy) on January 27th and 28th.

BIBLIO aims to address the skills gap in the library sector due to digital transformation. The project has been created by the consortium of 10 partners from five countries (Belgium, Bulgaria, Greece, Italy, Latvia). The partnership includes sectoral organisations – national and international library networks and organisations; VET providers, a university and two European networks in digital skills and library professionals.

During meeting, the partners discussed various work packages and challenges, defined the priorities and set the action plan for the first year. On Day 1 the partners talked about the management and communication, prepared for the needs analysis research, got introduced to the coaching circle methodology and the good practices in mapping emerging job roles, based on the experience of MuSA project. The second day was devoted to the VET curricula, MOOC design and delivery, specialisation course for library professionals, and project dissemination activities.

DAISSy Research Group of the Hellenic Open University will participate in all project Work Packages by conducting the research, developing the MOOC, piloting BIBLIO activities in Greece and contributing to the project dissemination and exploitation activities.

For more information regarding BIBLIO project and/or more news of the DAISSy Research Group:

Facebook: @DAISSyResearchGroup, @DigitalBiblio
Website : http://daissy.eap.gr
Email : info@daissy.eap.gr