Erasmus+ Promoting Effective Communication for Individuals with a Vision Impairment and Multiple Disabilities
Erasmus + Project Key Action 2 - Cooperation for Innovation and the Exchange of Good Practices (Strategic Partnerships for school education):
PROMOTING EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION FOR INDIVIDUALS WITH A VISION IMPAIRMENT AND MULTIPLE DISABILITIES –
Code of the project: 2017-1-ELO1-KA201-036289
Acronym: PrECIVIM
Rationale of the project. During the past three decades, there has been a dramatic increase in the number of persons with visual impairments and additional disabilities (MDVI) within the general population of persons with visual impairments. People with MDVI constitutes a distinct and heterogeneous group with a unique set of needs and every student with MDVI presents a unique educational challenge. The current project concerns the training of teachers regarding how to assess and teach communication skills to children with MDVI. Communication is fundamental in learning, acceptance by peers and meaningful participation in the home and community. Assessing communicative skills in children with MDVI is a challenge. A range of subskills need to be assessed, such as receptive, expressive skills, sensory and motor skills related to communication, collaboration with families is required, conducting structured and unstructured observations are important and there is a need to request evaluations by specialists. The accurate assessment of communication will enable teachers to set realistic goals, develop appropriate learning exercises and address the educational needs of children with MDVI.
Objectives of the project:
- to develop a screening inventory of the communicative profile of MDVI students,
- to create communicative, learning, and social opportunities for students with MDVI,
- to promote the collaboration between universities, schools and associations of individuals with visual impairments and multiple disabilities.
- to point out the best practices and guidelines for the development of effective communication regarding students with MDVI enhancing their acceptance and promoting their inclusion from a broader social context.
The outcomes of the project will be shared through the project portal as Open Educational Resources(OER).
Coordinator:
- University of Thessaly-Greece
Partners:
- Babes Bolyai University, Department of Special Education, Romania
- Roehampton University-RU
- Special School for the Deafblind – Greece
- Special School for the Visually Impaired Cluj -Napoca, Romania
- Whitefield Academy Trust –UK
- St Barnabas School for the Blind – Cyprus
- Amimoni – Panhellenic Association of parents and friends of visually impaired people with additional handicaps - Greece
- European Blind Union
- IT Company.
Intellectual outputs:
- a report on scoping regarding the situation analysis which will address and determine the special needs and challenges from the current situation students with MDVI and their needs (intellectual output - tangible)
- a joint training material for the training of all participating educators (school staff) which will be based on the scoping (intellectual output - tangible)
- a portal which will include three distinct sections: (a) public dissemination, (b) private collaboration, and (c) e-learning module (intellectual output - tangible)
- training events during which schools, associations and universities will collaborate to encounter communication difficulties of students with MDVI by screening and evaluating (event - intangible outcome)
- a guide with the best practices regarding ways of implementing the developed communication tool (intellectual output)
- a policy recommendations and guidelines report which will include recommendations and guidelines for policy makers and stakeholders (intellectual output - tangible)
Erasmus + Project: Service learning in higher education – fostering the third mission of universities and civic engagement of students
Erasmus + Project: Service learning in higher education – fostering the third mission of universities and civic engagement of students
Acronym: SLIHE
Summary of the project:
The project is founded on the most up-to-date reflection of universities about their own roles within modern society and the binds between their components, institutions and community. The connection between higher education area and society is seen as the third mission of universities. The strategy developed world-wide in relation to the 3rd mission for several decades, is service-learning. Thanks to it, universities fulfill their basic mission in a complex way and prepare a new generation of experts able to integrate academic qualities, social responsibility and civic engagement. Some HEI in European higher education area have been applying service-learning strategy for several years, however, it begins to be discovered or still remains unknown in most countries of Central and Eastern Europe. The same is true for the reflection about the social role of universities. The main aim of the project is to strengthen capacities of HEIs related to the fulfillment of their 3rd mission and to enhance civic engagement of students through implementation of the innovative service-learning strategy in the region of Central and Eastern Europe.
The partial aim of the project is to improve quality and relevance of study offer in the field of implementation of service-learning strategy in the higher education curricula through development of training curricula and materials adapted to the context of Central and Eastern European countries. The project is based upon experience and expertise of partners from 6 EU and 2 non -EU countries (associated partners) in the field of implementation of service-learning strategy, putting forward new international, innovative and so far unrealized outcomes. The project coordinator is Matej Bel University in Banská Bystrica. Project partners come from Czech Republic, Romania, Croatia, Germany and Austria. There are more than 480 participants presumably involved in the project. The number includes teachers, students, target groups in the communities, conference participants.
The project activities consist of creating, testing and spreading innovative outcomes used during the realization of the project and upon its completion in order to develop and spread the service learning strategy in the field of higher education and outside it, fostering social roles of universities and civic engagement of students.
Among main innovative outcomes of the project there are: 1) training for teachers in service learning and a guide for trainers, 2) manual for implementation of the service learning strategy in the higher education, 3) recommendations for implementation of service-learning in HEIs and best practice examples. The outcomes of this kind have not been produced so far but they are of key importance for service-learning development and implementation. The outputs will be published in English as well as in national languages. All outcomes will be available online on the project website.
There are 6 transnational working sessions planned within the project, centered on the conception of intellectual outcomes and steering of the project. Steering activities include project management, monitoring, evaluation, dissemination, communication and follow-up. The key dissemination activity will be a 2-day international conference. All project outcomes are planned so as to be usable upon the project completion. Apart from partner institutions, their teachers and students, the project will have impact on local communities. It will show in broadening cooperation between actors and decision-makers of various kind – a civic society, citizens and universities. The project is a step towards creating of a network of institutions in the field of service-learning on the European level.
Project duration: 1.9.2017 – 31.5.2020
Total: 33 months
Identification details of partners SLIHE:
- Univerzita Mateja Bela /Matej Bel University - www.umb.sk
- Universitatea Babes Bolyai - www.ubbcluj.ro, Contact person: Alina Simona Rusu, PhD
- Univerzita Palackeho v Olomouci - www.upol.cz
- Sveuciliste u Rijeci, Filozofsky Fakultet u Rijeci - www.ffri.uniri.hr
- Universitaet Fuer Weiterbildung Krems - www.donau-uni.ac.at - Telephone: 004327328932266
- Katholische Universitat Eichstatt - Ingolstadt - www.ku-eichstaett.de
Associated partners:
- Center for the Development of Learning Service in Latin America - www.clayys.org
- International Association “Open Interactive School” Non-profit organization - www.ioskole.net
Link to the SLIHE project: www.servicelearning.umb.sk
