Portugal

This will be achieved by utilising existing resources and models for teacher education in IBSE, both pre-service and in-service. In addition to SAILS partners adopting IBSE curricula and implementing teacher education in their countries, the SAILS project will develop appropriate strategies and frameworks for the assessment of IBSE skills and competences and prepare teachers not only to be able to teach through IBSE, but also to be confident and competent in the assessment of their students‟ learning. Through this unified approach of implementing all the necessary components for transforming classroom practice, i.e. teacher education, curriculum and assessment around an IBSE pedagogy, a sustainable model for IBSE will be achieved. SAILS will provide teacher education workshops in IBSE across the twelve participating countries and promote a self-sustaining model encouraging teachers to share experiences and practice of inquiry approaches to teaching, learning and assessment by building a community of practice.

 “SAILS aims to prepare teachers, not only to be able to teach through Inquiry Based Science methods but also to be confident and competent in the assessment of their students’ learning.”

A European approach

The SAILS consortium consists of thirteen partner organisations, including universities, SMEs and a multi-national organisation, from across twelve European countries. The strength of this consortium lies in its vast experience and expertise in the areas of science education, teacher training and resource development for teaching, learning and assessment.

By using a pan-European approach, SAILS will ensure that the diverse practices built up in each country can be analysed and shared, resulting in the development of models of best practice. These can be used not only in all the consortium countries but will also be available for other countries to adopt. This European approach raises the standard for everyone by encouraging national implementation, and by extending and promoting innovation in science teaching and learning in the classroom.

“The long-term aim is to generate a greater interest in science subjects at school, improve the take-up of science at third level and thereby increase the number of skilled graduates for employment in science and technology in Europe”.

The Q-Cert-VET project has announced that the standard NP 4512:2012 "Vocational training management system, including technology enhanced learning – requirements” is now available after initial testing and publication. Due to approval of certification scheme OEC010 by the Portuguese Institute for Accreditation (IPAC) on November 23rd, all certification bodies can apply to IPAC for accreditation and thus gain the ability to certify training institutions with the standard. Furthermore, all training institutions can now request accredited certification for their management system, if it has been implemented in accordance with the requirements of NP4512. “We are very satisfied with the progress of the standard and the potential it has shown in the first pilot-tests,” remarked Christian M. Stracke, scientific coordinator of the Q-Cert-VET project and ISO Convener of the international standard committee ISO/IEC JTC1 SC36 WG5 Quality Assurance and Descriptive Frameworks, “thus it is with great joy that we announce its general availability to all relevant certification bodies and training institutions.”

Q-Cert-VET partners in Portugal, Germany, and Romania responsible for pilot-testing have been active since the beginning of the public inquiry phase last April. Pilot-testing began in Portugal with the initial version of the standard in the Portuguese language, allowing for punctual testing without the need for translation. Two different training companies in Portugal, Prisma and iZone, have been using the standard to assist in structuring their training programmes. The Prisma Training Institute, located in Lisbon, has adopted NP 4512:2012 to its various training offers in the fields of IT and project management. iZone Knowledge Systems, also located in Lisbon, is using the standard in similar fields. Their use of the standard provided the first feedback on its practical advantages, helping to prepare the standard for its international application at Q-Cert-VET pilot-testing partners in Romania and Germany. They now await auditors to examine their implementation of NP4512 and to determine that it fulfils the prescribed requirements.

The implementation process of the Portuguese Standard NP4512:2012 at the Regional Training Centre for Local Public Administration Cluj-Napoca has been systematically and successfully carried out. Active preparations for the pilot test started in July 2012, before the Romanian version of the NP4512:2012 had been delivered and the actual implementation process could be started, the Romanian project team prepared themselves by getting familiar with ISO 9000:2005 and ISO 9001:2008, since CRFCAPL possessed no implemented quality management system and thus no experience with the terminology and requirements of such standards. However, this lack of specific knowledge proved to be no impediment at all for the conduct of the pilot testing. According to CRFCAPL, once the project team became acquainted with the Portuguese Standard all worries were lifted – the new standard successfully extracted the structure and requirements of ISO 9001:2008 and integrated them into the context of training institutions. Thus, most of the requirements seemed very precise and self-explanatory to the CRFCAPL team. The more complex requirements are accompanied by notes explaining terms and statements which could give raise to uncertainties. All of these, together with the very useful annexes which add informative value to the standard, provided great help during the implementation process. As soon as the training centre concludes its preparations, auditors trained in NP4512 will investigate its implementation in the Romanian context.

In Germany, Q-Cert-VET pilot-testing partner Helliwood Media & Education is underway with the implementation of NP4512 through certification scheme OEC010. Helliwood is currently identifying and defining the processes and sub-processes required for the structure of the new standard. As Helliwood had already implemented another standard, the “Quality Mark E-Learning” (QSEL), a comparison of the QSEL with the NP4512 made particularly evident the innovative aspects of the new NP4512 standard. The new standard fits Helliwood’s needs for E-Learning very well – their typical work processes include the development, implementation, and maintenance of professional multimedia and E-Learning applications for clients and in cooperation with different partners projects within the fields of learning and literacy, media competence, and community. As with the other pilot-testing companies, auditors trained in NP4512 will examine their implementation of the new standard, to ensure that the proper steps have been taken and that Helliwood’s identified work processes fit its requirements. Thus an example case for the applicability of the standard in the German national context will be established.

For more information on the Q-Cert-VET project and the standard NP4512, as well as more specific information concerning its pilot-testing phase (upon its conclusion), please visit the project website at www.edu-certification.eu/, like the project’s Facebook page at www.facebook.com/QCertVET, and follow the project Twitter account at twitter.com/#!/QCertVET for the latest project news.

From “rhetoric to practice“ to “make LLL a reality“. This aim remains a key priority on the European policy agenda while offering crucial challenges in professional practice for all educational institutions and stakeholders. But how can universities do justice to their responsibility and role as “important social actors contributing to the better integration of adult learners, in particular through the recognition of informal and non-formal learning”? How could universities be supported “to invest more in services for learners” and to “better use their partnerships and effectively communicate the results of their cooperative activities”? How can they become truly LLL universities?

The highly praised results of the BeFlex Plus project made clear recommendations in response to these questions and produced excellent training materials as a valuable learning resource targeted at university staff and their partners and stakeholders – both actual and potential - to reflect on their institutional situation, to develop action plans, and to IMPLEMENT changes. The materials cover 5 key topics:  

• Exploring Diversity in University Lifelong Learning
• Implementing Institutional Change
• Curriculum in Partnership
• Regional Collaboration and Partnership in University Lifelong Learning 
• Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL)

Over 2 years (January 2011 to December 2012) the IMPLEMENT project aims to further disseminate and actively exploit the results of the BeFlex Plus project.  The approach is based on the idea that the potential for transfer and implementation is strongest when key partners are supported to act as multipliers, to adapt and to work with the materials according to their own needs and the specifics of their home university and national context.  The objectives are:  

• to add value to the existing training materials on the 5 topics by adapting them to national needs, using them in real training at institutional, national and transnational events, and
• to develop and deliver an online version of each topic in order to provide a sustainable and dynamic solution for the longer term exploitation of the learning resources and best practice examples.

At the end of this Year 1, the results achieved are:

• the materials adapted and piloted at institutional events in 4 countries
• 6 new case studies prepared and used as resources  in these sessions
• transnational workshops held in Genoa (IT)
• checklists prepared for engaging learners and for using case studies in training
• a first draft of the on-line version of one of the topics – RPL – presented in a transnational event (Genoa, IT) and feedback obtained
• dissemination presentations made in international settings (Granada (ES) and Genoa (IT) and leaflets distributed widely
• the public website for dissemination that you are visiting now
• an internal management site for the development of the on-line tools set up on moodle

In Year 2, we plan to:

• hold a further institutional event will be held in the University of Graz (AT)
• develop all 5 topics in on-line versions that will be sustainable
• deliver a face-to-face workshop on the topic of Curriculum in partnership and present a draft of  the on-line version of the topic Regional development at a trans-sectoral event in Graz in May 2012
• deliver all 5 topics in face-to-face and on-line versions in a transnational event in Malta in early November 2012
• undertake full-scale dissemination using a range of tools including social networking