In the midst of the pandemic, online learning, also known as e-learning, has become an essential ally for education. Ensuring the quality of this transformation across Europe is one of the main objectives of research projects that are being launched in 2021.
In the European context, e-learning encompasses a wide variety of teaching methods depending on the country in which it is applied. To analyze how this method of learning has been put into practice in national contexts within the European higher education space, the Erasmus+ ECOLHE project was born. ECOLHE stands for Empower Competences for Onlife Learning in Higher Education, and the UOC is one of the participating institutions.
Montse Guitert, coordinator of the Edul@b research group and the ECOLHE project at the UOC, explains that it is a research-action project aimed at creating conditions for the exchange of best practices in various aspects, such as teaching digital competence in higher education, validating teaching competencies, and online teaching strategies. The project has a duration of 36 months and a budget of over 416,000 euros. It is led by the Link Campus University Foundation in Italy and involves six other universities and entities from a total of six countries.
The research includes six case studies in the different participating countries, except for Cyprus. In the case of Spain, the UOC will analyze the online education system it develops with the participation of representatives from all areas of the university: administration, students, faculty, researchers, and management bodies. Specifically, the implementation, management, and evaluation of digital innovation in the university’s educational project will be studied.
The Universitat Oberta de Catalunya (UOC) is a leading university with over 25 years of experience in innovative online learning methodologies. It has the eLearn Center, whose objective is to promote educational innovation focused on online learning. According to Carles Sigalés, Vice-Rector for Teaching and Learning at the UOC, „the pandemic has highlighted the idea that transitioning to online mode is not as simple as it seems. A university that offers online education organizes itself completely differently, so the shift from face-to-face to online is not automatic.“
„This internal view will be complemented by the participation of political leaders in the education sector, and a local report will be prepared to serve as a case study of a fully online university in a comparative report. This report will include the other cases analyzed by the project partners, which are face-to-face universities,“ details Guitert.
In conclusion, the ECOLHE project is a significant initiative that aims to enhance the quality of online learning in higher education across Europe. By exchanging best practices and analyzing different case studies, the project seeks to improve the implementation and management of digital innovation in education. The UOC’s participation in this project highlights its expertise in online learning and its commitment to driving educational innovation in the digital age.