Eco-friendly or Green technologies use environmentally sensitive approaches and provide opportunities for social and economic progress. They encompass activities focused on mitigation of the health and economic burden to the society imposed by the inadequate exploitation of natural resources. Education approaches make an important contribution to these efforts. The nowadays educational demands need learning providers whose professional development is of high quality. Playing a substantial role in enabling trainees to improve their ability to adapt to changes in the labor market and society, educators need to have access to high quality initial and continuing professional development and support. This is especially important for adult educators. The teachers, trainers and other adult learning providers play a key role in promoting social inclusion, active citizenship and personal development of adults. To perform this social function, adult educators need to be better equipped with knowledge, skills and attitudes to impact the learners’ realization.
ECO-Train project reflects these demands creating an ICT-based training scheme – a model for organization and functioning of a training process that promotes learning opportunities for adult learning providers. It is based on the principle of design, organization, delivery, and assessment of Learning Outcomes implementing European Qualification Framework (EQF) descriptors. The model is developed on the basis of the subject area Eco-friendly technologies. It is constructed as a tool to facilitate adult educators learning that reflects their prior knowledge and skills, corresponding to EQF level 5, level 6 and 7; their responsibility and autonomy as science teachers of adults; and the new/upgraded competences (knowledge and skills) in the areas of Ecology, Eco-chemistry and Bio-based & circular economy.
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Pre-required EQF Reference Level |
New/ upgraded competences (knowledge and skills) in: |
Pre-required responsibility and autonomy |
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B.Sc. / M.Sc. in Science Teaching (Biology, Chemistry, Economics) |
The e-training scheme offers opportunities adult educators’ prior knowledge and skills to be updated/upgraded with new competency in the three subject specific areas. For this purpose, within each competency area basic information about the main features of the body of knowledge is given, together with a pool of relevant Learning Outcomes. The ‘knowledge’ part of the Learning Outcomes is presented as Units of Learning Outcomes (ULOs), the basic components of a competence. An exemplary customized Training Pathway leading to acquisition of new/upgraded competences (Knowledge and Skills) is demonstrated. It outlines the possibility a trainee to make personalized choice and to build one’s individual training scenario. Furthermore, exploiting the European system for gaining and transfer of credit points, the successful Training Pathway completion will lead to credit points accumulation and Certificate acquisition.
In this way the training scheme intends to develop diversified Training Pathways to motivate more people, equipped with specialized knowledge and practical workplace skills to become adult educators.