Blend it well! – The BLENDED LEARNING project

Quality Blended Learning is an Erasmus+ funded project launched in November 2017, focussed on the development of innovative learning methodologies to be applied in the field of adult education. The definition of ‘Blended Learning’ implies a hybrid teaching model which combines traditional classroom activities with independent study and e-learning, triggering a fundamental change in the way teachers and students approach the learning experience.

The project consortium (made by six partners from six different countries) aims to equip educators with the knowledge and skills about how to set up quality blended learning courses, in order to better meet learning needs of adult students. From this standing point, the tangible outputs of the project will be a ‘Blended Learning Handbook’ for educators and the development of the ‘Blended Learning Gym’, an interactive platform comprising a set of digital resources and e-learning best practices targeted for educators who would like to implement this methodology in their classrooms.

DLEARN strives to be at the forefront of innovation in the educational sector, and the blended learning methods are going to be the perfect compromise between digital resources and the human touch, thus representing a strong solution for the future of adult education. As the leading partner for Quality Assessment and Dissemination activities, DLEARN is working hard to ensure the proper quality and visibility for the project, making its valuable know-how and expertise feeding back the consortium’s goals and, at the same time, gaining new knowledge from the interaction with the other partners.

At the current stage, after six months of implementation, four partners are conducting an in-depth research engaging with teachers and education managers to collect their feedback on the blended courses which have already been implemented, on the relevant initiatives which are currently being adopted and on the solutions that may be designed in the future. The four selected partners are: UPI – Ljudska Univerza Žalec (Slovenia), VHS Volkshochschule Hannover (Germany), DomSpain Consulting (Spain), DIT – Dublin Institute of Technology (Ireland). Each of them is called to carry out  face-to-face interviews with a common protocol, which guarantees consistency and will be used at the end to prepare four national reports. Before the actual interviews,  a preparatory questionnaire is being submitted to respondents, in order to introduce them to the topic and gather their first impressions to drive the queries for the interviews. Thus, the blended formula (online + in presence) ultimately shapes also the research phase of the project, representing a first benchmark of the methodology for the partners themselves.

But this is not all for the interviewed teachers involved into the project! Blended Learning, in fact, will give to 14 of them (4 from Slovenia, Germany and Spain and 2 from Ireland) the opportunity to fly to Dublin and join the project’s 5-day training event which is going to take place in June. The following criteria will form the basis for the selection of participants:

  • scope of their work within their organisation;
  • level of knowledge and experience in blended learning activities;
  • motivation to disseminate the project’s results;
  • willingness to take part in other project activities.

Click  on the link below to take the preparatory questionnaire and get involved into the project! QUESTIONNAIRE