Quality Essential Skills for Teachers in Online Learning (QUEST)
Context
Quality Essential Skills for Teachers in Online Learning (QUEST) is a 24-month strategic partnership project developed by Romanian Angel Appeal Foundation in collaboration with Newschool, a Norwegian instructional design company; the Autonomous University of Barcelona; Succubus Interactive, a French game design company; and Nicolae Grigorescu National College in Romania.
The five partners from four European countries aim to enhance the skills of pre-university teachers in utilizing digital learning in education.
Erasmus +
Erasmus+ is the EU program for education, training, youth, and sport for the period 2014-2021. It combines seven previous programs and offers opportunities for a wide range of people and organizations.
The goal of Erasmus+ is to contribute to the Europe 2020 Strategy for growth, employment, social equity, and inclusion, as well as the EU’s strategic framework for education and training.
Specific issues addressed by the program include:
- Reducing unemployment, particularly among young people
- Promoting adult learning, especially for new skills required by the labor market
- Encouraging young people to participate in European democracy
- Supporting innovation, cooperation, and reform
- Reducing early school leaving
- Promoting cooperation and mobility with EU partner countries
The Erasmus+ program is managed by the European Commission (the EU’s executive body), the Education, Audiovisual and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA), national agencies in the program countries, and national offices in some partner countries.
For more details, visit Erasmus+.
Objectives
The project has the following objectives:
O1: Develop, in an academic and collaborative manner, 5 IT-based learning modules that address essential skills for quality online learning (online presence, interaction and dialogue, gamification, instructional design, feedback, and assessment).
O2: Create a European network of trainers consisting of 18 teachers who will participate in an advanced Training of Trainers (T.O.T.) consisting of 10 days of training.
O3: Enhance the digital skills of over 2,450 teachers to enable them to deliver high-quality online courses focused on student engagement, interactivity, and academic progress.
18 teachers will participate in an intensive T.O.T. made up of 2 sessions of 5 days each:
Module 1: Building Confidence in Online Communication
Module 2: Gamification and Instructional Design for Online Learning
By the end of the project, 5 intellectual outputs will be completed (in English and the 4 project languages—French, Spanish, Norwegian, Romanian) and disseminated as e-learning courses:
IO1 E-learning Building Confidence for Online Communication
IO2 E-learning Interactive Management of Online Classes
IO3 E-learning Gamification of the Online Classroom
IO4 E-learning Instructional Design for Online Learning
IO5 E-learning Assessment and Feedback in Online Environments
An e-learning platform will host the 5 modules, and through the project’s dissemination activities (9 online seminars, 4 national multiplication events, and a comprehensive communication and dissemination plan), QUEST products will reach at least 10,000 teachers.
