HOTSUP - HOlistic online Teaching SUPport 

The project started on 01.04.2021 and will last 24 months, i.e. until 31.03.2023.

The project is financed by Erasmus+.

The project website can be found at: hotsup.eu

 
PROJECT DESCRIPTION:

During the lockdown caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, school closures at all levels were widespread, resulting in a potential decline in the quality of teaching in many countries. Reducing the negative impact of this situation requires an urgent solution also to be found in the entire higher education sector. All lecturers faced problems related to the lack of direct contact with students, which resulted in a reduction in the effectiveness of classes’ activities and students' motivation.
The project aims to provide holistic support for competencies in a post-pandemic environment. The support will be based on the diagnosis of needs and a dedicated offer supporting the development of competencies in the three dimensions: methodological (pedagogical), technical and technological. Linking these three aspects in the context of remote and hybrid learning is important and contributes to the innovation of the project and the stability of its effects. These will be able to be used both in post-pandemic times and indirect communication. The solutions are addressed to educators at the academic level, but it is not excluded to expand the group of beneficiaries.

OBJECTIVES OF THE PROJECT:

The specific objectives are:

• improving and modernizing online learning to meet the needs of academic staff and students when conducting classes in virtual and extended mode,
• promotion of the combination and optimal match of pedagogical, technical, and technological solutions in the design of effective forms of classes,
• improving the skills of lecturers in the three above-mentioned aspects, considered individually and in mutual interactions.

PARTNERS:

The partnership consists of:

• Project Leader: Poznan University of Technology (PL) Faculty of Engineering Management, Faculty of Architecture, Faculty of Chemical Technology;
• LUMSA, Rome (IT) - Department of Pedagogy; 
• University Ramon Llull - Barcelona (SP) - Faculty of Engineering; 
• University of Maribor (SL) - Faculty of Logistic; 
• ValueDo, Florencja (IT), a company operating in the field of online and digital training

PROJECT’S STAGES:

Work on the project was divided into four stages:

1. Analysis of gaps, which will provide input data to define a list of possible digital tools, on which research will be carried out using the method of in-depth interviews and surveys among lecturers and students.
2. Development of an open online platform with elements for searching and retrieving information, analyzing the pedagogical features of the digital tools indicated in the first stage and suggesting potential situations of their use.
3. Development of an open platform to support educators in solving technical problems. It will allow them to diagnose the range of teaching skills and support with tips and methods, collected in one place.
4. Implementation of software and a dashboard to monitor the technological aspects of virtual training, allowing to assess the involvement of participants and propose corrective actions to the instructors.

EFFECTS:

The expected short-term effects will be to increase the knowledge and skills of educators in the fields of pedagogical, technical and technological skills and tools necessary for effective conducting of classes in virtual and hybrid circumstances, as well as in order to increase the participation and engagement of students in various course’s activities. In the long term, the project aims to ensure greater inclusivity, which will ensure that every student (in direct contact with the teacher or online) has equal opportunities to participate in the acquisition of knowledge, also by adapting the educational path accordingly to individual differences.