DITES
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As highlighted in the recent work of the European Commission (2016, 2020/a; 2020/b; 2020/c), digital transformation gives a rapid acceleration thanks to the development of new technologies, including artificial intelligence, robotics, cloud computing, blockchain, industry 4.0 and the new Internet era. These innovations have a deep impact on lifestyles, socio-economic systems and learning processes. Digitalization and new technologies play a central role in this process, influencing the way people live, interact, study and work. Some professions disappear, others are replaced, and new ones are created; many professions and activities are transformed, and new ones will emerge.
Although several opportunities are emerging thanks to digital transformation, the greatest risk is given by a poorly prepared society to face the future: 90% of the jobs in the future require skills in the digital field (EE. CC, 2016); 44% of Europeans do not even manage the basic skills (Carretero, Vuorikari, Punie, 2017).
The education system is expected to lead this process, accompanying people throughout the entire period of their life, to take the opportunities and meet the challenges of a globalized, interconnected and rapidly evolving world [CEDEFOP, 2019].
This scenario impacts learning systems and models (Capogna et. al, 2020; 2021; 2023), as they must provide young people and citizens to live fully in new societies characterized by innovation, equity, and resilience, according to objectives for integrated sustainable development. Lifelong Learning (LLL) requires strong partnerships and synergies between business, education, research, working and learning environments. The education maintaining its high-quality profile must be accompanied by extracurricular activities and characterized by a broad approach, moving in an increasingly mobile and digital society, and exploring new ways of knowing.
Digital technologies play an important role in the development of more flexible learning environments, supporting the development of new skills: problem-solving, critical thinking, cooperation, creativity, computational thinking, self-employment. Strengthening digital skills, using new technologies and constructing new methods for learning, represents a new challenge for educational systems.
The project contributes to promote future and transferable skills, supporting educators and support staff, to think and integrate innovative teaching/learning practices in the digital era, reinforcing the development of key competences. Considering the crucial role of the entire educational system, understood as macro-system.
Instruction-education-training-university-orientation & transition-labour market, the project aimed at providing:
- an overall framework on digital innovation;
- methodologies and best practices on active learning processes;
- new methodological approaches;
- quality relationships among teachers, students, mentors and labour market;
- strengthening the profiles of the teaching profession.
Based on these premises the consortium worked during the whole project with the intent of providing schools and Higher Education institutions with a general framework to better understand the potentialities offered by digital transformation in strengthening teaching/learning processes, fostering employment and professional growth, including promoting new active citizenship in young people, to give them:
- the opportunity to increase their critical knowledge about the potentialities of new technologies and enhance their digital skills;
- a methodology for creative and active learning processes in the field of digital innovation;
- a set of helpful information, orientation and training activities about new learning paths, pedagogical approaches, and specific training modules to empower digital skills for teachers and students,
- the creation of laboratories for innovation in the field of digital culture;
- the creation of an international community for sharing best practices;
- the dissemination of digital culture and integration of new educational approaches within the different learning paths.
To reach these goals the project elaborated five closely related Intellectual Outputs (IO), and a Short-Term joint staff training, briefly summarised in this final report:
IO1 – NEED ANALYSIS: Active citizenship for digital society.
IO2 – Excellence in teaching, learning and skills development.
IO3 – School Contest: from the idea research to digital start up.
IO4 – Active Learning for digital innovation.
IO5 – Release Project results and Recommendations.
