XL for HE Project: Extended Learning for Higher Education teachers and trainers

The project has five main objectives: 

1. Developing, testing and adopting new approaches to teaching and learning for higher education, where learning is not only “hic et nunc” (the best training is here and in presence), but also with a new “anywhere and anytime” option (the best way to set up learning is what allows you to define your time, rhythm and place). 
2. Improving teachers’ pedagogical and digital skills (in particular with regard to the implementation of extended learning, providing them with concrete examples of proven, agile and cooperative working methods and digital tools). 
3. Offer students individual and collaborative learning activities in person and online. 
4. Create a community of teachers who can exchange experiences, learn from each other and develop ideas in common. 
5. Provide decision-makers and providers of education technologies guidance on how to improve digital teaching equipment and software. 

The two main results of the project are the creation of two documents that aim to facilitate the work of teachers in the creation of effective blended courses: 

1. Toolbox of practices of extended learning 
2. The teacher practical handbook to extended learning 

These two documents are the result of 3 trials conducted by all partners in their courses. To design the experiments conducted in the courses of each partner involved in the project, the methodological approach “Smart Learning Design” was chosen. This is an instructional design approach designed to manage this new complexity in the teaching-learning process. In the SLD method, “learning events” are the main elements of the model and are recognizable and recurrent units in time and space that can be traced to events related to knowledge acquisition (collection of frontal content, collection of interactive content), application and manipulation of knowledge (transformation of content, discussion, practice/experience, production/investigation), and learning-related events. These elements were tested in the various courses in the form of activities experienced in the courses. 

The XL project involves six countries, namely Ireland, Spain, Italy, Sweden, Belgium, and France, and aims to create a community of teachers who can exchange experiences, learn from each other, and develop common ideas. The project seeks to identify the strengths and weaknesses of blended learning and to offer a new learning option, i.e., "anywhere and anytime," which allows people to manage their own time, pace, and place of study. 

TU Dublin contact: 

• Tom Nolan Lecturer in the School of Informatics and Cybersecurity 

Partners : 

• University of Mälardalen (Sweden) 
• University Miguel Hernandez (Spain) 
• Institut of Formation IFOA (Italy) 
• Polytechnic University of Milan (Italy) 

• University Technologique of Dublin (Irlande) 
• Belgium IT Academy Support Center BiASC (Belgium) 
• Université de Pau et des pays de l'Adour (France) 

Join our online community on Linkedin: XL4HE Trainers & Teachers - Online Community 

Project n. 2021-1-IT02-KA220-HED-000027596 

This project has been funded with support from the European Commission. This website 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.