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LDV TOI Project Overview

Project objective: INGOT Transfer of Innovation

Project control – Ian Lynch (The Learning Machine – Ingots)

Scope:

To provide and roll-out the European Standard for accredited qualifications and support for learning about Open Systems and transition to web based technologies. Based on proven successful innovative practice in the UK, the INGOT programme reduces qualification costs and lowers barriers to entry to formal qualifications.

Initially, translation of support materials for Romania, Bulgaria, Spain and Czech Republic. Creative Commons licensing will enable the widest possible audience. 100 teachers will be trained as assessor trainers and financially self-sufficient quality assurance centres set up in each partner country, providing local service industry employment. Focus on younger children and groups currently not in education, employment or training.

Objectives:

• To lower barriers to entry and cost of providing direct support to EU citizens in socially disadvantaged groups to enable them to gain vocationally related qualifications, thereby facilitating personal development. through the universal take up of formal, nationally accredited qualifications, cross-referenced with the EQF.
• To provide a focus that facilitates migration of SMEs, schools and government organisations from proprietary desktop technologies to open web based technologies, enabling a more competitive and dynamic knowledge-based economy.
• To facilitate the set up of new service led businesses that support open systems throughout Europe, providing grades that are easy to read and compare, while supporting credit accumulation and transfer.

PARTNERS:

Spain: Agifodent - http://www.agifodent.es

0034958486897 – Contact is Encarnación Jiménez Guerrero

Provide support through a project mailing list, forums and dissemination channels, producing publicity for the project and exploiting networks such as the Spanish Confederation of Education who work with more than 6000 schools in Spain. They will support work in assessor training, checking technical details of translation, the certification trials in Spain, the development of e-learning resources and the establishment of an INGOT moderation centre in Spain.

Romania: FCASEC - http://www.fcasec.com

0040745705987 – Contact is Mr Catalin Soare

Lead Work Packages 5 and 8. For WP5, translation and localisation, the most cost-effective solution is to match the expertise and experience of the Romanian partner in this field to low local economic costs. For Work Package 8 (Quality assurance and certification trials) the Romanian expertise and experience in inspection work is a particular benefit since a good deal of this work will combine feedback from users and feeding back to WP1 and the PRINCE 2 framework.

Czech Republic: Euroface Consulting - http://www.euro-face.cz

420 777011717 – Contact is Katerina Nevralova

Work Package 7, developing supporting e-learning resources for qualifications accredited in the UK QCF, cross-referenced with the EQF. This work will draw on extensive experience of collaborating with others in EU projects, including Socrates, Leonardo da Vinci, Phare and European Social Fund. In addition EC will be involved in all other work packages including assessor training, setting up a long-term and sustainable INGOT centre in the Czech Republic.

Bulgaria: National Training Center Ltd - andy@educenter-bg.com

359 2 8572001 – Contact is Andrey Stoycheff

NTCBG will lead on Work Package 3, research and needs analysis for the establishment of INGOT centres in each partner country and Work Package 6 the production of a training and reference manual for open systems. Contribution to translations and establishing an INGOT Centre in Bulgaria.

Justification:

1. To further its impact and realise its full potential, the EQF needs cross-referencing to national frameworks with practical evidence that this can support comparability of qualifications transnationally (Bruges-Copenhagen Process)

2. Vocational learning in technologies needs more emphasis on preparation for change and associated enterprise if Europe is to become the most competitive and dynamic knowledge-based economy in the world (Lisbon)

3. Learning pathways that enable those traditionally excluded from formal qualifications need further development (Lietch Report and QCA foundation tier research)

4. Current information systems, including training and education, are heavily entrenched in legacy proprietary systems at a time when Open Source Software is the biggest change taking place in the software industry since the 1980s (Gartner)

5. UK education agency BECTA identified potentially large savings if schools adopted Open Source software (UK Schools Open Source Project recently funded to raise awareness and attempt to "grow" a community supporting open source resources for schools)

6. Lietch report and QCA foundation tier research identify weaknesses in existing qualifications in supporting inclusion of those not currently participating in formal qualifications. (The Helsinki Communique priority to further development, testing and implementation of common European tools.)

7. Spain is an early adopter of open source software in the public sector yet there are no qualifications in Spain that support users in making the transition to open systems and Spain has not yet developed lower level qualifications or aligned the NQF to the EQF in this area.

8. In Romania, Bulgaria and Czech Republic vocational learning is under-developed in schools. By UK standards the use of technology to support learning is meagre. (Eurybase)

9. The INGOTs were originally developed to make technological change manageable taking account of the current position and increasing global emphasis on open systems and open source software.

10. Trials in Germany, Poland, Portugal, Turkey and Spain through Comenius and The Learning Machine's own resources have established that the fundamental approach is compatible with the wide range of cultures and methods across Europe.

11. The INGOT qualifications support all the key aspects emerging from the Bologna Declaration, Lisbon Strategy, Owner - Agifodent - (Documentation and community support) Bruges-Copenhagen Process and the subsequent Helsinki Communique in the context of ICT and enterprise.

Key performance indicators:

1. All support mechanisms in place to provide free access to the learning materials that underpin INGOT qualifications
2. Comprehensive support in English, Romanian, Bulgarian, Czech and Spanish through web site development and handbooks.
3. 24 units of e-learning resources in 5 languages underpinning qualifications in the UK QCF
4. 100 teachers trained as assessor trainers in INGOT methods.
5. New qualifications handbook available in 5 languages.
6. New handbook for teachers of Open Systems in 5 languages
7. New handbook for INGOT Moderation Centres supporting policies and sustainable management
8. Financially self-sufficient INGOT Moderation Centres for INGOT qualifications established in each country.
9. 3000 learners certificated by the end of year 2
10. Final conferences/workshops in each country attended by at least 100 delegates

Key INGOT features / hypotheses:

1. If the teacher assessment is accurate, few learners will be entered for formal tests they are likely to fail.
2. Teachers/learners can decide more flexibly how they use assessment to support the learning process.
3. Bureaucracy associated with collecting coursework evidence is reduced since the external tests verify the outcomes of the teacher assessment.
4. Feedback to the teacher/assessor helps improve consistency over time.
5. External testing with IT management can be timed to suit the learner rather than the "system".
6. External tests can be shorter and less expensive to administer acting as more precise diagnostic tools.
7. There is greater transparency because the competencies and assessment criteria are freely available in simple language with explanations of the expectation and are used as part of the teaching process.
8. On-line verification of certification reduces the likelihood of certificate fraud.
9. Local delivery of certification at the place of assessment is more immediate and motivating to the learner.

Work Packages:

1. Management Coordination and Financial Control (TLM) - October 2009 to October 2011
2. Assessor Training (TLM) - October 2009 to October 2011
3. Research and Needs Analysis to establish Centres (TNTCB) - October 2009 to October 2011
4. Documentation and Community Support (Agifodent) - October 2009 to October 2011
5. Translation and Localisation (FCASEC) - October 2009 to October 2011
6. Training Manual in Open Systems (NMCB) - October 2009 to March 2011
7. Develop and Support e-learning resources (EuroFace) - October 2009 to October 2011
8. Quality Assurance and Certification trials (FCASEC) - October 2009 to October 2011
9. Publicity and Dissemination (Agifodent)  - October 2009 to October 2011

Budget details and user trials