“FILLING THE GAP”: THE LEUVEN EXPERIENCE

Take eight totally committed partners and bring them to a very welcoming university to work on inclusive distance learning… the result is enclosed in just one word: awesomeness!

In March 2022, the team of the Erasmus+ project “Filling the Gap: Open Educational Resources for supporting teachers in distance learning” spent five days at University College Leuven Limburg in Belgium, for discussing project developments and for realizing the training activity “Close in the distance learning: becoming a tutor”! 

The first 2 days were dedicated to the project management: during the TPM (Transnational Project Meeting), we examined the work done, planned next steps and discussed on how to improve our project’s outputs, the MOOC on Distance Learning and the Distance Learning Activities Kit (DLAK). Particular attention was given to how to be more effective during the second part of the week, the training days on MOOC and DLAK contents.

Then, 30-31 March and 1 April were dedicated to the Learning Teaching and Training Activity “Close in the distance learning: becoming a tutor” which aims were to give participants good basis for piloting the MOOC on distance learning during the next months and to collect feedback on the work already carried out. Teachers from partners’ schools and researchers from UCLL were invited for join the project team for the training experience and give their essential opinions.

After UC Leuven gave participants an overview of the online course’s structure and modules, UC Limburg showed the general technical outline of the platform used.  Each team then trained participants on the assigned topic. Platon and Liceo Fanti presented the first module Didactic Planning, Archilabò module 2 and 4 OER and inclusion and Thematic focuses on inclusion and psycho-physical wellbeing of teachers and students, Bernardin Frankopan School and Colegio Huerta Santa Ana the module on Evaluation. Irecoop ER, as coordinator of the second output, described the kit of distance learning activities (DLAK).

Each presentation was followed by a group work during which all participants discussed on general feedback and gave some ideas on how to make contents and activities more creative, attractive and informative.

At the end, UC Leuven and Irecoop ER summarized the conclusions and next steps, namely feedback integration and developing of the platform.

The project team is very grateful to all participants who worked with us in a so dynamic way: these days were really inspiring, we learned a lot from others colleagues, both professionally than personally. At the end of the week somebody said “I’ve felt like in a big family!”: cannot be more true.So, stay tuned for the next updates on our project website: MOOC and DLAK will be ready soon!