"<< Background >>At the core of ""Hacking Innovative Pedagogies: Digital Education Rewilded"" (HIP-DER) is the goal of fundamentally re-imagining traditional university education. This innovative project responds to the challenges of building a more equitable and inclusive digital society and emphasises the transformative role higher education can play in developing more active, digitally competent and diversity-minded European citizens. The intention is to rethink how to use new digital technology in more creative ways that support transformative pedagogical approaches. Such approaches in this project have an underlying philosophy of listening, responding and co-creating with networked communities of teachers and students and do so in innovative ways that allow us to ‘rewild’ out-of-date models of university education. By rewilding we mean processes that start by removing or unbundling traditional structures, objects and practices and refurbishing them with those more native, fit-for-purpose and transformative to a given environment. Rewilding is a response to the way many digital technologies have been merely assimilated into traditional ways of teaching and habitats of learning. It seeks to disrupt traditional approaches that have been slow to respond or lack agility to take advantage of exciting new pedagogical and interdisciplinary opportunities for 21st century learners. By hacking innovative pedagogies this project also seeks to re-envision the current higher education ecosystem by finding ways to connect and grow patches of unique teaching and learning into rewilded habitats of transformative pedagogy. Such habitats will also seed and support digitally-enhanced pedagogy that is equitable, diversity-minded and inclusive for all learners.<< Objectives >>Set against our reimaginative and transformative ambitions, this project has five main objectives.Firstly, it seeks to create active and unbounded learning spaces where teachers, students and digital education experts meet physically and virtually to reimagine traditional university habitats, formats, practices and infrastructures.Secondly, it aims to ‘hack’ existing pedagogy by finding creative ways of overcoming known barriers and obstacles to more innovative and transformative pedagogies.Thirdly, it endeavours to create a lasting legacy by building new places and spaces for the production of knowledge and open educational resources. This includes static and rich media, a digital makerspace and a MOOC that are freely available and can be shared through various powerful networks to inspire and support other European educators.Fourthly, it aims to develop teacher digital competences by providing self-assessment tools and empower the European teaching and learning community to utilise computerized systems in innovative, creative ways to improve and develop more effective digital teaching and learning capacities.Finally, the project is based on principles of equity, diversity and inclusion and all activities will aim at meeting the present needs of teachers and students since this will support them also in the future.<< Implementation >>The project implementation involves four stages:In STAGE 1 – we identify the success criteria of the project and develop a framework on how to build on teachers’ and students’ existing knowledge and experiences of integrating digital teaching and learning approaches. In STAGE 2 – we develop rewilding tools, including a digital Makerspace (a virtual place in which teachers and students with shared interests, can gather and work on digital pedagogy projects, sharie ideas, online tools, and knowledge), self-assessment methodologies and a MOOC.In STAGE 3 – we focus on the delivery and evaluation of resources and outputs, to fine-tune, adjust and ensure that digital pedagogy resources address the principles of equity, diversity and inclusion.In STAGE 4 – the activities will focus on the Dissemination, Exploitation and Evaluation, so we can ensure that resulting outcomes will reach European university teachers to the benefit of their students.<< Results >>The project we will produce 6 distinct results: Result 1: A state-of-the-art Report providing existing insights on HIP that establishes a strong foundation and allows us to connect experts in the field and pockets of current innovation.Result 2: A Framework for Rewilding Digital Learning Ecology - to provide a structure we can test and adapt so we can share effectively with others how to rewild their university education.Result 3: A Compendium of Innovative Practices - to illustrate with cases and stories for others derived from examples including from the project’s digital Makerspace.Result 4: Guidelines for Hacker Pedagogy - to provide a blueprint on how to apply a bottom up- approach to university pedagogyResult 5: Competency Assessment Tool - to self evaluate and self monitor progress in being digitally competentResult 6: A MOOC to synthesise and fully integrate our results through a powerful open access tool enabling continued upskilling, professional development and community building and connections.We will produce a number of publications including methodologies, published state-of-the-art reports and research findings which we will share with University communities and networks to share our findings and resources and seek critical and constructive feedback for improvement and ensure the successful spreading of the project’s results. These results will allow us to train trainers and use our networks to share transferable formats, methods and materials for in-service university teacher training.They will allow us to detail teaching examples that focus on hacking education development that support students` diversity, autonomy and voice and impact positively on European higher education digital competence building."

1. Context:Starting with the first founded university in Bologna in the 11th Century, higher education has been evolving continuously, yet the pace of this evolution is not as fast as the changes that we observe in practice. Today, this discrepancy is not only limited to the content of the curricula but also the expected skills and competencies. Each and every discipline has been in continuous search of the “right” way of formalization of education both content and skill wise. This project is focused on architectural design education incorporating discussions on the role of STEAM (Science Technology, Engineering, Art and Mathematics). It is proposed that STEAM as a holistic approach provides a valuable structure for curricula of architectural design education and related skills and competencies. It is evident that 21st Century skills and competencies should be much different than the ones delivered in the 20th Century due to rapidly developing and spreading new design and information technologies. This project re-positions STEAM in architectural design education by contemplating 21st-century skills (a.k.a. survival skills) of architects.2. ObjectivesArchiSTEAM project aims to define and embed necessary survival skills enabling learners to work in collaborative and interdisciplinary ways into architecture curricula by means of STEAM approach. The proposed structure of the curriculum helps architecture students to have the necessary knowledge and skills to become proactive members of the knowledge economy and be able to cope with future challenges and sustain their professions. In this regard, as it is explored in the ArchiSTEAM project, skill sets that should be conveyed to students are as important as the knowledge that they should gain through their education. The main objectives defined to realize this aim is listed below:Assessment of STEAM skills in existing curricula in architecture schools. It is aimed to reveal the best practices on how STEAM skills are addressed and how the generic STEAM module can be developed in this respect. Delivery of Generic STEAM modules regardless of the discipline aiming to furnish students with survival skills in rapidly changing environment and technology. Adaptation of developed generic STEAM modules in the existing architecture curricula.Development of architectural education content matching the learning objectives and outcomes considering the STEAM skills developed during the project.Development of digital materials for dissemination along with the best practices in proposed courses and the workshops. 3. Main Activities:Within the scope of this project, to fulfill the stated objectives, a comprehensive field analysis is conducted via research and questionnaires. The outcomes of these analyses are synthesized and a new module including the proposed skills are developed together with the researchers of the partner institutions via gathering activities i.e. transnational meetings, short-term trainings, and online meetings. Then, the outcome of these discussions is reported in a collaborative environment which can be reached from the project website (http://archisteam.com/outputs/). The proposed STEAM approach and related skills are tested through not only the adaptation of the modules into the courses of partner universities but also with the workshops conducted in Turkey, Bologna, and Aalborg with 25-30 students from each country. As a result of the courses and the workshops the proposed module is validated.4. Results and ImpactProject is aimed to add valuecreate and impact in terms of increase in quality ofin education based on STEAM approach. With this project, an educational epidemic promoting creativity through science, technology, engineering, art and math skills is triggered starting from architectural education. The utilization of this approach throughout the education life of individuals may facilitate the paradigm shift in educational design. The initial impacts are measured through the workshops and dissemination events conducted in the partner countries. The written and verbal feedbacks from students, instructors and professionals attending the dissemination events reveals that the proposed STEAM modules enables new perspectives in the field of education. 5. Longer-term benefitsThe outcome of the project is not only focused on architecture education and covers generic STEAM modules which are applicable to any discipline facing the challenge of adapting itself t rapidly changing conditions. As a result, nextfuture generations are aimed to be capable of adapting new technologies from a creative perspective resulting in innovative perceptions with sustainable skills in the course of lifelong learning. The qualitative shift of future generations competencies will provide added value in local, regional, national and international levels.

Artificial Biology, Robotics and Art (ABRA) is an exploratory project designed to promote knowledge alliances across the research fields of artificial biology, robotics, art and design in the context of sustainability. The project explicitly promotes transdisciplinary knowledge and capacity building in higher education in order to tackle the skills gaps and mismatches in students and educators while addressing environmental and climate goals and promoting excellence in teaching and skills development. Through transdisciplinary teaching and training, ABRA facilitates the exchange of sustainable best practices that foster creativity and innovation while developing a shared language that prepares students and teachers to tackle complex problems and solutions relevant for the twenty-first century. The starting point for ABRA is the recognition of the need to develop a transdisciplinary curriculum and training that keeps pace with scientific research and emerging technologies (artificial biology, robotics, artificial intelligence, material sciences, etc.). The most pressing problems facing human societies will require creative and innovative solutions from experts working jointly and collaboratively across disciplines and sectors, including science, technology, art, design and culture. There is mounting evidence that transdisciplinary research is more likely to produce ground-breaking results when compared to mono-discipline research. At present, curricula and advanced degree programs do not go far enough to promote transdisciplinary thinking and practice. When students complete their education, they are insufficiently prepared to work competently with actors and representatives from other fields. Transdisciplinary education supports learners with transferable tools and methods that enable adaptation required for working across fields and foster the permeability between different education and training pathways. ABRA specifically bridges the fields of art, science, engineering and design through the development of educational initiatives and capacity-building activities that contribute to novel collaborations and solutions that span the fields of artificial biology, robotics and art. The project’s objectives are:- To tackle the skills gaps and mismatches in students/educators/researchers by promoting transdisciplinary knowledge exchange that will lead to synergistic collaborations and research outcomes- To promote and reward excellence in teaching and skills development through the exchange of sustainable best practices that foster creativity and innovation- To address environmental and climate change by establishing an ongoing, multi-sector dialogue about concrete sustainable actions that can produce impactful solutions and practices - To create new pathways for art + science + engineering-driven creativity and innovation for increased sustainability- To promote capacity building for students and researchers and students that empower them to develop new processes, technologies, and methods of applying existing technology towards sustainable solutions.ABRA capitalizes on the significant transdisciplinary experience and expertise of the consortium members. Each of the consortium partners brings deep discipline-specific knowledge and expertise across interrelated areas. Specifically:1 - Aalborg University’s (AAU) Research Laboratory for Art and Technology (RELATE) and Human-Robot Interaction Lab focus on human-centered approaches and solutions for robots across industry, health and the arts. 2 - The Department CIBIO at University of Trento (CIBIO) integrates classical cellular and molecular biology approaches with the new powerful tools of systems and synthetic biology. 3 -Aalto University (AALTO) Art Department offers students access to emerging knowledge and practices at the intersection of multiple fields through an arts-driven engagement with societal, political, ecological and philosophical concerns and artistic approaches to art-science-technology practices. 4 - The Institute of Advanced Design Studies (ADES) in Hungary, a non-profit, independent educational organisation, offers studies in design for sustainability to students from all backgrounds, designed specifically to complement existing education programmes to increase educational diversity for sustainability across disciplines. ADES students are trained to bridge scientific and technological discoveries and developments with the needs in society and environment through design.

The COVID19 pandemic has caused a seismic change in the delivery of third-level education with the widespread adoption of remote teaching and digital technologies to support over 220 million students whose studies have been disrupted. In science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) courses many complimentary activities including laboratory work, traditionally performed in presence, have been curtailed or substituted with a virtual or simulation-based experience. These approaches do not have the benefits of tactile, hands-on activities where students experiment using equipment encountered in professional settings to observe, manipulate and understand complex physical processes.The HELP (Home Electronics Laboratory Platform) project delivers an innovative response to the challenges of COVID19 for the operation of STEM labs. In the longer term, providing authentic lab experiences in the pandemic era has created an opportunity to rethink how students can best acquire practical competences and build their understanding of STEM subject. HELP is driven by research results that show active teaching methods promote effective teaching and learning and increase students’ satisfaction. HELP supports active learning with students having practical, constructive, industry-relevant learning experiences undertaking laboratory work off-campus using low-cost equipment which gives the same interface as a laboratory-based experience. Using the HELP approach, future STEM programme delivery could be revised to blend at-home, virtual and on-campus lab sessions to the mutual benefit of students, faculty and the institute management. This will also improve access to STEM programmes.The HELP platform integrates three core elements: 1) HELP KIT for students to undertake laboratory activities at home, 2) HELP COURSES to guide students through learning activities and 3) HELP ONLINE an online support tool for staff and students to collaborate. Thus HELP offers an innovative learner-centred process to maximise the remote lab experience during and after the current pandemic. The project actions will deliver:•Two generations of HELP KITs to enable STEM students to carry out lab work at home.•HELP COURSES for at least 8 courses to maximise the learning opportunity of the HELP kits•An online platform (HELP ONLINE) that creates a virtual community of practice for students and teachers to share experiences•An assessment of the impact of HELP on the learning outcomes and engagement of 500+ students with recommendations for further development.•A sustainable plan for scaling HELP availability during and after the project.The three core elements of the HELP platform will be delivered in an iterative development process. The developed platform will also be tested by institutes outside the partnership and the tools will be widely promoted and made available to interested target institutes.The consortium is comprised of four different Educational and Research Organisations, each of whom has a significant track record in project delivery and faces challenges in addressing the operation of labs in a COVID19 environment. The consortium brings together the necessary skills in STEM education, electronic system design, research-led teaching methods and impact evaluation, technology-enabled distance learning and project management and delivery to achieve the objectives of the HELP project.In preparation of this project, the partners have agreed on a project plan starting from a HELP prototype that will be trialled in academic year 2020/2021 while COVID19 constraints apply. The partners are enthusiastic about the potential of this platform to deliver student-centred laboratories that improve on the traditional experience both during and after the pandemic. The HELP impact on student learning will be assessed by deploying the platform in a wide range of courses and performing quantitative and qualitative measurements of the impact on student learning and engagement.The project will be managed effectively and efficiently and will follow the Lead Partner Principal. A project management committee (PMC), with equal representation of all partners, will be established and meet quarterly and will be guided by the project plan and a consortium agreement of all partners signed at the start of the project. Project actions are set out across 8 interrelated workpackages (WP). Each WP has a designated WP leader and agreed schedule, milestones and deliverables and all partners will be active in the realisation of every WP objective and deliverable. Ongoing internal evaluation of all aspects of project delivery will closely inform the management process.All intellectual outputs from the project will be widely disseminated, published in academic papers and open source. The partners will also supply low-cost HELP KITs to all interested institutions.

<< Background >>The Covid-19 pandemic sparked the uptake of digitally enhanced learning and teaching environments, providing an urgent reason for acceleration. According to the DigiHE report published in January 2021, most European institutions were able to respond rather rapidly by extending already existing strategies and policies for online and blended learning. Similarly, the E+ EVOLVE project reported that the Covid-19 pandemic made reinforcing the need for implementing Virtual Exchanges due mainly to the drastic drop in physical international mobility. The INVITE project aims to develop teaching and learning competencies for designing and implementing new virtual and blended modalities of international collaboration in European Higher Education Institutions, an objective aligned with several ambitions of the European Commission agenda for Higher Education, especially with the directions indicated by the recent Digital Education Action Plan 2021-2027 aiming at enabling digital skills of educators to improve the quality of digital practices in education, the new Erasmus+ Blended Intensive Programs priorities, the green agenda for internationalization among others. INVITE complements other Erasmus + program funded projects addressing virtual exchanges and digital competencies in higher education, with its innovative perspectives not covered by other projects so far:It builds bridges among digital ecosystems and international and cross-border collaborations to enhance the teaching and learning process. It creates a strong educational basis for organizing high-quality and meaningful international virtual and blended academic programs and modules. It considers the “student-centered” and active-learning approaches as the basis of teaching and learning to propose solutions to global challenges.It extends the participation of disciplines not usually concerned by intercultural exchanges such as engineering, agriculture, health, and others, increasing the possibilities for interdisciplinary collaboration. It gives teachers and students the needed skills to develop creative international blended and virtual programs, adding value to their careers. It will identify approaches to bridge bottom-up innovation with institutional strategies exploring ways to create opportunities for strategy development.It will have a considerable impact on cross-border teacher collaborations and the involvement of institutional staff to support such innovations.<< Objectives >>The INVITE project aims to develop teaching and learning competencies for designing and implementing virtual and blended modalities of international collaboration in European Higher Education Institutions. To this aim the project will pursue five specific objectives:Map the current institutional and educational approaches to the different cross-border and international collaboration in virtual and blended learning environments adopted by Higher Education Institutions in Europe underlying the practices that make a meaningful and sustainable contribution to teaching and learning processes. Develop an active-learning design framework applicable for different international virtual and blended modalities that enrich the teaching and learning process with proposed pedagogies, didactics, and toolkits. Design and implement an action-training online program targeting interdisciplinary teachers and institutional staff from HEI institutions to build capacities to design, implement and sustain innovative international virtual and blended programs/initiatives.Develop an open interactive digital ecosystem that will host the action-training program and also support the organization of international competition hackathons bringing together institutions and teachers in the design of innovative international virtual and blended collaborations addressing urgent problems aligned to the SDGs and the Green agenda. Identify Higher Education policies and strategies for innovation in teaching and learning aiming to establish and sustain cross-border virtual and blended programs.<< Implementation >>The INVITE will develop several activities to achieve the proposed goals:Map the current institutional and educational approaches to the different cross-border and international collaboration in virtual and blended learning environments adopted by Higher Education Institutions in Europe. Selection of good practices and case studies explored in depth through interviews, underlying the factors that make a meaningful and sustainable contribution to teaching and learning processes.Engaging HE academic staff with expertise in innovative educational methodologies (e.g. problem-based learning, adaptive teaching, and assessment, computer-supported collaborative learning, learning-by-doing, problem-solving, etc.) in the systematization of international virtual and blended initiatives in order to support their pedagogical value. This framework will encourage creativity, skill development, and knowledge dissemination among learning designers in a pedagogically sound way.Guidelines on innovative methodologies adaptable for virtual and blended modalities. From R1 and R2A1, it will be identified, classified, and published a menu of active methodologies and didactics suggested to be applied in different kinds of international virtual and blended modalities, such as Collaborative Online International Learning projects, Project Oriented Learning Environments, Co-design virtual exchanges, Blended Intensive Programs, etc. Design and implementation of open online interactive training modules for the development of digital competencies for educators, with the aim of enabling them to implement effective international virtual and blended learning environments. Specific modules will be dedicated to institutional advisors and educational developers to promote awareness and mechanisms to support, scale up and sustain international blended and virtual mobility initiatives.Organization of the competition days -hackathons- with the participation of an international jury composed of undergraduate & postgraduate students, teaching, learning, and innovation experts as well as guests. The “hackathon” will bring together institutions and teachers internationally in the design of innovative international virtual and blended collaborations addressing urgent problems aligned to the SDGs and the Green agenda. Develop an Open Interactive Digital Ecosystem in the form of a platform that will host the action-training program and facilitate the organization of hackathons. Furthermore, the platform will contain a shared space for teachers to contact peers and design projects. Develop guidelines and technical specification for adapting the open interactive digital ecosystem to training and innovation activities in educationReview of the evidence on institutional policies, instruments, and processes, their impact, including unintended consequences and risks. The evidence will be reviewed, focused on the most relevant European experiences. Four main drivers will be systematically explored: strategy and policies, facilitating structures, support instruments, and the role of international collaboration.Develop policy recommendations based on a deliberative dialogue with institutional stakeholders to validate the evidence collected aiming to identify enablers and drivers for sustainable innovation.<< Results >>Through the INVITE project, we expect to achieve several outcomes and resultsOutcome 1. Understanding the innovative ways for international collaboration in virtual and blended modalities in HEI through developing R. 1.1 An overview of existing and emerging international virtual and blended modalities for teaching and (T&L) identifying its key characteristics, scope, and specific contribution to the improvement of teaching and learning process in HE; and R. 1.2 Selecting good practices and case studies to draw a profile of the most innovative and adaptable methodologies that are currently being used in HE for implementing international collaboration in virtual and blended learning environments. Outcome 2: Designing, implementing, and assessing student-centered international virtual and blended modalities. Through the development of R. 2.1 A learning design framework proposal for student-centered activities in cross-border blended and virtual environments and R. 2.2 Guidelines on innovative methodologies that could be effective for improving T&L in international virtual and blended modalities. Special attention will be given to methodologies such as problem-solving, problem-based teaching, collaborative learning, and others applicable to such environments. Outcome 3: Teachers and Institutional staff equipped with the skills, and resources for designing, implementing, and sustaining international virtual and blended programs. Through R. 3.1 Online interactive training modules and micro-credentials to build teachers’ capacities and institutional staff to implement effective virtual and blended environments for T&L in international settings and R.3.2 Repository of open materials to share tools and guidelines to support the design of international virtual and blended programs.Outcome 4: Mobilize teachers and institutional staff for designing innovative international virtual and blended projects aiming to solve global and societal challenges. Through the development of a digital learning ecosystem (R.4.1.2) that will host training modules and hackathons bringing together teachers to design innovative international collaborations addressing urgent problems such as the SDGs and the Green agenda (R4.1.1&R4.1.3). The whole ecosystem will be offered as OER so other interested parties can adjust it for their own use. Evidence-based guidelines on the design, implementation, and evaluation of such days will support the uptake of such activities by others. Outcome 5: Linking bottom-up initiatives with institutional policies and strategies. Through the development of R.5.1 Evidence-based report on institutional policies and strategies for enhancing teaching and learning innovation for virtual and blended modalities. And R.5.2 Policy recommendations based on a deliberative dialogue with stakeholders on barriers and enablers for virtual and blended modalities. Furthermore, it is important to mention results such as:- Initiating a new form of cooperation between partners by creating joint virtual and blended programs that could benefit from external Erasmus + funding for BIP - Blended Intensive Programs. - Increasing the scale of virtual and blended programs between partner organizations- Creating a digital learning ecosystem across borders and among different HEIs, which is composed of a transnational learning community that collaborates, and that hosts the activities and the shared resources. - Getting to know the national cultures of participants taking part in the project.- Captivating the interest of HEIs from outside the partnership in the field of the project such as those of the European Universities where partners belong to.