Improving VET Distance Learning through a Gamified Asynchronous eLearning Methodology (d-ICT)

<< Background >>The current partnership tried shed light on the COVID’s lockdown implications on the VET education and found some significant gaps that led them to apply for the project. The fast-moving transition to the distance learning education caught the VET educators unprepared as many of them have not built the capacity to provide interactive lessons online so far. For that reason, the current project sought to deepen its knowledge about the needs of VET educators, through a second-stage bottom-up analysis and addressed those needs by compiling, developing and disseminating interactive digital educational experiences and tools. << Objectives >>Through the current project, the consortium partnership aimed to achieve the following objectives: - To meliorate the digital skills and competences of VET educators in the field of distance learning - To create an innovative gamified asynchronous eLearning experience - To combine the assets of gamification and distance-learning - To boost the interest and curiosity of VET learners and keep them captured in the process of teaching, thus, reducing the phenomena of drop- outs due to the boredom non-interactive distance-learning creates - to empower interaction and teamwork with classmates under distance learning circumstances - To raise awareness about the significance of facilitating the distance learning methodology through interactive approaches like digital gamification<< Implementation >>The activities planned can be categorized under 4 classifications: MANAGEMENT ACTIVITIES, MONITORING ACTIVITIES, (FINAL) PROJECT IMPLEMENTATION ACTIVITIES, DISSEMINATION ACTIVITIES. << Results >>With regard the Project Results: PR1: Lessons Learned: Exploring the taken resolutions aimed at facilitating distance learning in the COVID-19 era PR2: “d-ICT e-Toolkit”: Introducing distance learning practices and digital tools to facilitate the e-Learning experience and prevent drop outs PR3: A Gamified asynchronous eLearning experienceWith regard the project outcomes: - The video-recording of Digital Storytelling interviews by 5 VET educators, as a significant experiential and educational material through the distance learning engagement with their learners- One “d-ICT e-Toolkit” translated in consortium country languages (Excluding the technical partner language Portuguese [ISQe] as an introduction to the world of distance learning innovation including: 1. An e-Curriculumwith e-Units, 2. an e-Book with practical interactive distance learning techniques, introductionto Digital Gamification and its applications in distance learning and digital gamification techniques 3. an e-Tool with interactive educational tools, digital gamification tools, tools to facilitate distance learning experience 4. The “d-ICT Website” that will act as an Open Educational Resource (OER) 5. Piloting sessions in 6 countries, by 7 organizations to 20 target users per partner that will test and validate the produced material with a 5 beneficiaries each (per VET educator) in real e-classroom 6. 7 national Multiplier Events.