Author: PM

Digital Transformation is a key priority across all major EU directives and policies. The European Commission has prioritized digital skills development and recognized education and training stakeholders as key players in making innovations mainstream to meet the education sector’s needs (EC, 2018). Vocational Education and Training (VET) is an integral part of education providing lifelong learning systems equipping individuals with skills responding to the needs of the economy but also with skills important for personal development and active citizenship. Thus, the European Commission emphasizes the need for VET to become more fit for the digital age and align with the technological progress and market demands as it has a crucial role in helping people to find jobs, especially after the pandemic.

The present Toolkit is a practical guide that can be used by VET providers/trainers as supplementary material to advance their professional practices towards digitalisation. In particular, it provides knowledge and understanding of digitalisation in the VET sector, the importance of vital digital skills for educators and learners, and how to develop a digitalisation strategy.

This Toolkit aims to build the capacity of VET professionals to design and develop a digital action plan. Also, is contains strategies that aim to enhance educators’ digital skills and learners’ digital literacy. Another aim of this Toolkit is to allow VET providers and learners’ to reflect on their digital readiness and improve their digital skills in order to align with the technological progress and market’s needs.

The GROOVE Toolkit is organized into 6 main sections:

Section A: Digitalisation in the VET sector

Section B: The Digital Competence Framework for Citizens (DigComp 2.1)

Section C: The Digital Competence Framework for Educators (DigCompEdu)

Section D: The European Framework for Digitally Competent Educational Organizations (DigCompOrg)

Section E: Strategy development

Section F: Teaching Pedagogies and Instructional Strategies

Read more in EPALE: https://epale.ec.europa.eu/en/resource-centre/content/manual-digitalisation-vet-sector

“Well done on conducting the self-assessment! I prepared for you recommendations for each digital transformation area based on the capacity level of your organisation. You can discuss them with your organisation’s management to identify the most appropriate solutions for your case. Always remember, improvement is an ongoing and collective process.”

The above text is an outcome from the Intelligent Tutor developed to provide recommendations for enhance the digitalisation of your organisation. This smart AI-oriented system was built under the project GROOVE, that aims at building the capacity of VET providers/trainers to digitize, modernize their practices and build VET learners’ digital literacy.

The intelligent tutor will give you step-by-step instructions for preparing a digital action plan based on a self-assessment of your organisation’s digital capacity. Let’s answer the questions below with integrity and honesty, and leave the rest to us. At the end of the assessment, you will be provided with comprehensive recommendations for digital transformation which you can discuss with your organisation’s management.

The intelligent tutor is now an online app/web environment designed to simulate a human tutor’s behavior and guidance. It was designed to provide guidance on the steps to follow in designing a digital action plan for the VET sector, and practical tips for implementation. It consists of a login interface and personalised instructions for preparing a digital action plan based on a comprehensive self-assessment.

Feedback and consultation includes advice on how to improve the digital capacity of the VET organisation in digital strategy, digital teaching, strategy development, use of technology, partnerships, organisation of alternance, infrastructure, digital devices, technical support, sharing experience, CPD opportunities, online educational resources, virtual learning environments, communication with community, addressing students’ needs, fostering creativity, student collaboration, feedback and assessment, self-reflection, safe behaviour, responsibility, and creation of digital content. These cover a broad range of areas that are essential to address within the digital transformation process of VET organisations.

Visit the Intelligent Tutor: https://elearning.grooveproject.eu/your-digital-action-plan-guide/ (free registration is required)

Learn more about the project: www.grooveproject.eu

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Read in EPALE: https://epale.ec.europa.eu/en/blog/intelligent-tutor-here

The implementation of the Digital Transformation Training Programme for VET in Cyprus was implemented in three phases. First, CARDET and INNOVADE collaborated to deliver an face-to-face introductory session to participants on the 17^th of November 2023 in Nicosia. This session included presentations, activities, and discussions with the aim of highlighting the importance of digital transformation in all aspects of the VET sector. Specifically, participants were guided to reflect on the digital competences within a spectrum activity related to the digital aptitude of their organization and trainers. In addition, this first session framed the concept of digital transformation marking, but not limited to, its main dimensions according to the GROOVE pre-work and analysis: (a) Digital literacy and tech skills, (b) Innovation & absorption, (c) Learning modalities, (d) Growth culture. For this discussion, the DigCompOrg, frameworks from the organizational management (e.g., SWOT), and theories of the management of change, were particularly utilized to guide the conversations. In the second part, the focus turned into the practical digital competences of trainers related to teaching and students’ assessment. Finally, participants were guided to create an account and navigate into the GROOVE eLearning platform, through which they attended the online training package. This self-autonomous learning consisted of the longest and most important part of the training. The online course includes detailed content for digitalizing VET organizations into three modules:

Module 1: Developing the organisation’s Digital Strategy focuses on the strategies you can follow to develop a digital action plan for your VET organisation. This includes conducting an initial research such as SWOT and target group analysis, drafting the organisation’s vision, setting the strategic objectives, and selecting strategies to monitor the action plan implementation.

Module 2: Enhancing the Digital Capacity of VET Trainers presents practices on how to promote VET trainers’ organisational communication, professional collaboration, reflective practice and continuous professional development, based on the European Commission’s DigCompEdu.

Module 3: Empowering Learners’ Digital Competence presents practices on how to promote VET learners’ digital competences, as defined by DigComp 2.2. In addition, the module outlines examples of assessing learning outcomes using technology and adopting EU key directives for recognition of learning outcomes.

This online course is publicly available for users to attend upon registration to the eLearning Platform. A specific feature of the online self-directed learning was the implementation of the self-assessment through the Intelligent Tutor. In brief, the intelligent tutor provides step-by-step instructions for preparing a digital action plan based on a self-assessment of the respondent organisation’s digital capacity.  At the end of the assessment, users are provided with comprehensive recommendations for digital transformation which they can plan with the organisation’s management. Based on this pre-work, participants were invited for a second training session with the project partners.

Specifically, upon the self-directed practice, participants gathered into a hybrid event to present their Digital Action Plans to their colleagues. This activity proved very useful to collect feedback and exchange ideas with other organizations. This session was marked by the provision of the micro-credential to participants upon the full completion of the training. Overall, the training package was an intensive learning experience with positive implications to both the partner and participating organizations.

EUROTraining is proud to announce the successful rollout of its pilot program under the GROOVE project, marking a significant step forward in the digital transformation of Vocational Education and Training (VET). This initiative, developed collaboratively by project partners, has been adequately adapted by our team to meet the specific needs of our participants and local community.

Throughout this journey, our focus has been on equipping VET trainers with the necessary digital skills to navigate and excel in today’s fast-paced educational environment. To achieve this, we utilized the comprehensive toolkit and training package provided by the GROOVE project, customizing the content to resonate with our audience. The toolkit and training modules, including ‘Developing the Organization’s Digital Strategy’, ‘Enhancing the Digital Capacity of VET Trainers’, and ‘Empowering Learners’ Digital Competence’, have been instrumental in our endeavor.

We’ve witnessed a great shift in how digital strategies are perceived and implemented. A notable outcome of our participation in the GROOVE project has been the creation and nurturing of a network of enthusiastic stakeholders. The project has catalyzed a new wave of enthusiasm and commitment towards digital education among educators and policymakers alike. This was especially evident during our multiplier event at the end of November, which followed the pilot trainings in October and mid-November. The event became a dynamic forum for stakeholders to share experiences and discuss the practical application of digital skills in the Greek educational sector.

Throughout this project, several key lessons emerged. We learned the importance of contextualizing digital education strategies to fit the local cultural and educational landscape. Tailoring content to the specific needs of Greek learners and trainers ensures greater engagement and applicability. Additionally, the project highlighted the need for ongoing support and resources to maintain the momentum of digital transformation in education.

Our commitment extends beyond just training. We are dedicated to nurturing a community in Greece where digital learning and teaching are foundational to modern education. The GROOVE project has not only equipped educators with new skills but has also laid the groundwork for continued collaboration and innovation in Greece’s digital education sector.

A collaborative effort among the six European partners from the Groove project,- spread for Spain, Cyprus, Greece, Portugal, Austria, and Ireland- has culminated in the successful completion of a the “Digital Transformation Training Programme for Vocational Education and Training (VET) providers and trainers”. This groundbreaking pilot phase, conducted during Result 3, aimed to equip participants with essential skills to navigate the dynamic landscape of digital education.

The comprehensive training programme addressed the specific needs of VET providers and trainers across all partner countries, with each partner implementing training for 20 VET teachers/trainers in their respective nations. This phase focused on the practical application of digital education strategies, empowering participants to:

• Design and implement action plans for the digital transformation of their educational organizations.
• Integrate digital technologies to modernize programs, including processes, operations, organization, continuous professional development, and curricula.
• Design and deliver online programs aligned with the needs of VET learners and the characteristics of VET subjects, balancing remote teaching with hands-on activities.
• Develop strategies to enhance VET learners’ digital literacy.

Participants from Spain, Cyprus, Greece, Portugal, Austria, and Ireland have provided overwhelmingly positive feedback, emphasizing the programme’s success, relevance, and applicability in their professional contexts.

This collaborative achievement reflects the commitment of the seven partners to advancing digital education in VET, contributing significantly to the modernization and effectiveness of vocational training across Europe.

VET centers are part of a world that is constantly changing, and an increasingly digitized society and labor market. For this reason, VET trainers and centers must respond to these needs and demands of society and the labour market, in order to train VET learners of the future with the necessary skills that will help them to function in a digitalised environment. To this end, it is necessary to develop and develop frameworks for action that make it possible to agree and coordinate various aspects that affect the use of technologies in education. from those related to organizational issues, to others that are more pedagogical and typical of the teaching and learning processes.

It is at this point that VET centers need guidance and help, for which they can rely on the Intelligent tutor, a tool that can be used within the VET center itself, to serve as a point of reference and diagnosis for the VET center and as a tool for improvement for a real and adequate integration of technologies in the education of learners. This tool is developed within the Erasmus GROOVE project, which has taken as a reference the European Framework for Digitally Competent Educational Organisations (DigCompOrg), developed by the Joint Research Centre (JRC) of the European Commission.

The implementation of the GROOVE training in Cyprus was conducted on Friday, 17th November 2023, brought together VET trainers from Kes College, fostering a focused exploration of digital strategies in vocational education. The session followed a well-structured training that aimed to introduce participants to the project’s goals, develop buy-in for the blended learning components, and provide hands-on activities, such as a digital competence self-reflection spectrum activity and group discussions on the importance of technology in education.

The training involved themes such as defining digital transformation in the VET sector, engaging participants in a group brainstorm to identify the benefits of enhancing digital capabilities in teaching, learning, and administration. Practical activities focused on teaching and student assessment, encouraging participants to formulate SMART digital goals and explore various digital tools. The session concluded with participants enrolling in the learning platform, emphasizing the seamless integration of digital tools in the training process. Overall, the training set a solid foundation for participants to actively engage with digital strategies in vocational education through the online platform.

The GROOVE intelligent tutor will give you step-by-step instructions for preparing a digital action plan based on a self-assessment of your organisation’s digital capacity. Let’s answer the questions with integrity and honesty, and leave the rest to us. At the end of the assessment, you will be provided with comprehensive recommendations for digital transformation which you can discuss with your organisation’s management.

Access the Intelligent Tutor here.