Digital Adult = a Better Life

"<< Background >>According to a recent Eurostat study, the adult population of European countries has few digital skills, in a maximum of 56%. There is also a big gap between rural and urban areas in the European countries, in terms of basic digital skills. According to the DESI (EU) index, 2021 in Romania, 35% have basic digital skills, Italy – 44%, Portugal almost 55%. Only 38% of those aged 55-74 and 32% of the retired and the inactive possess basic skills in this domain.The partner organizations discovered that there is no coherent programme at the country level to solve this general problem. The lack of digital skills among European adults worsened living conditions during the covid 19 epidemic. Therefore many adults and seniors did not know how to ask for medical help or for food supply and remained isolated.These adults from this European target group needed and requested our support for improving their digital skills in their attempt to improve their living conditions and avoid social isolation.This is a European problem with a European solution and European funding. The combination of expertise in the domain of adult education of the partners creates a European educational instrument which cannot be realized by each organisation alone.<< Objectives >>O1. Increasing the number of adult education programs by 20%,in physical and online format for at least 150 adults aged 50+ from rural areas and small towns in partner countries, aiming to improve their basic digital skills by the end of the 12-month project.O2. Accesibility to the set of digital learning toolkit as an open educational resource for at least 150 adults aged 50+ from rural areas and small towns in partner countries, aiming at autonomous learning and social inclusion.<< Implementation >>- Creation of promotion materials for project objectives and activities;- Creation of didactic materials for project experts and for organizations and stakeholders interested in promoting digital education among adults;- The achievement of the final result ""Teaching-Learning Strategy on Digital Literacy"" (TLSDL) as an open educational resource that includes teaching-learning-evaluation activities for experts and stakeholders;- Creation of educational materials for the preparation of physical and virtual mobility workshops for the target group and experts;- The achievement of the final result ""Digital Learning Toolkit"" (DLT) as an open educational resource with interactive activities for adults who acquire digital skills;- Teaching lessons. Holding interactive lessons for digital education and English lessons for the target group;- Realization of monitoring, evaluation and progress reports, to ensure quality and measure the impact of the project on target group;- DEOR activities and promoting the project on the EPALE platform and social media;- Realization of the website https://digitaladult.ro/ as OER.<< Results >>The concrete output and other results were:- ""Teaching-learning strategy on digital literacy"" (TLSDL), an educational instrument for development of the digital skills addressed to educational experts who have in this open resource an open educational resource with modern interactive materials that can be used during lessons and workshops for adults.- ""Digital learning toolkit"" (DLT) is an OER for improving digital skills and social inter-human relationships in the target group. It is also a virtual library that any adult can use in their personal interest to develop their digital and communication skills as well.- The website of the project https://digitaladult.ro/ which includes open educational resources that can be used by any stakeholders, local autohorities, for the purpose for which it was created according to the project's objectives;- a Guide for using TLSDL & DLT which includes modules for using TLSDL and DLT.- At the end of the project, there are at least 150 adults who have acquired the necessary digital skills and the capacity for social integration and to prevent socio-economic isolation due to age.- A better management of the organization through a variety of digital instruments."