Online Learning Engineering Environment - OLEE

The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly impacted education, highlighting the need for rapid redesign of traditional, physical learning practices. Research-based learning, especially in vocational ...

The OLEE project sets itself the aim to assist VET Trainers and learners of the Engineering sector in the transition towards a digital educational & research ecosystem in the post covid-19 era. The concrete OBJECTIVES to be achieved include the following: O1: The designing and piloting of innovative online resources. In particular, delivering an Virtual Laboratory for Engineering lab-work activities O2: Reinforcing the ability of VET providers to provide high quality, inclusive digital education. O3: The promotion of networking and collaboration between EU institutions, sharing of resources and expertise O4: Support towards the VET communities for the acquisition of digital competences O5: Supporting the Engineering sector & building their resilience & digital capacity

The project was divided into four main Project Results (PRs), each with 18 accompanying activities. Additionally, a Learning, Teaching, and Training (LTT) activity was planned to take place towards the end of the third Project Result, with specific activities; PR1:A1: Determining technical requirements and designing the virtual lab. A2: Developing the virtual lab for technical professions. A3: Creating online experiments for technical labs. A4: Integrating these experiments as part of the virtual lab. PR2:A1: Creating training scenarios for the experiments. A2: Developing learning materials from those scenarios. A3: Testing the experiments in real teaching environments. A4: Embedding them into current training curricula. PR3: A1: Outlining training for trainers to design online experiments. A2: Developing self-training material to enrich experiments. A3: Refining training materials based on feedback. A4: Uploading materials as Open Educational Resources (OER) on the e-learning platform. A5: Creating an online community to develop more resources. PR4: A1: Developing the certification procedure. A2: Establishing the OLEE certification standard. A3: Testing and refining the procedure. A4: Implementing the certification process. In addition to these activities, project coordination and management were ongoing throughout, alongside dissemination efforts, including four Transnational Partner Meetings and five Multiplier Events organized in each participating country.

The OLEE project aimed to support VET teachers, trainers, and learners in the engineering sector as they adapted to the challenges brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic, transitioning to a virtual environment suited for the digital age. The project achieved several key outcomes, divided into tangible (TR) and intangible results (IR): Tangible Results (TR): TR1: Innovative training materials were created in Open Educational Resource (OER) format, aligned with DigiComp, and tailored to the needs of VET trainers and researchers. These materials were made available in five languages. TR2: Approximately 100 VET teachers/trainers directly benefited from the project, including 12 who participated in training and certification, as well as trainers from consortium partners. TR4: Around 70 VET providers benefited from the project’s results. About 60% of individuals participating in the DigEdu+ training and certification process were from VET centers, receiving direct benefit from the project’s outputs. TR6: The project actively involved education stakeholders and policymakers, with each partner engaging 2-3 additional stakeholders during the curriculum development and testing phase, adding 12-18 indirect beneficiaries. TR7: An innovative virtual learning laboratory was developed for the engineering sector, providing a resource for future use by stakeholders. Intangible Results (IR): IR1: A new digital education culture was created, where VET teachers, trainers, and learners adopted a holistic approach to digital pedagogy in sectors known for experimentation. IR2: VET teachers/trainers acted as agents of change by implementing and promoting digital education practices, supporting inclusivity, and helping reduce VET dropout rates. IR3: New techniques were developed for setting up user-friendly and interactive e-learning materials. IR4: The overall e-learning experience was improved through better understanding of digital education practices and the adoption of new pedagogical techniques by VET teachers and trainers. IR5: Research and lab activities were made more user-friendly, inclusive, and affordable for a broader segment of VET learners.