MODULAR VOCATIONAL EDUCATION AND TRAINING EXAMPLES OF GOOD PRACTICE IN EUROPE

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Institute for Sustainable Technologies – National Research Institute Poland, Radom 2007

MODULAR VOCATIONAL EDUCATION AND TRAINING

EXAMPLES OF GOOD PRACTICE IN EUROPE

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MODULAR VOCATIONAL EDUCATION AND TRAINING. EXAMPLES OF GOOD PRACTICE IN EUROPE

The authors’ team:

Krzysztof Symela (PL), Ludmiła Łopacińska (PL), Nigel Lloyd (EN), Marta Jacyniuk-Lloyd (EN), Nadeem Ahmad Khan (EN), Elmo De Angelis (IT), Kylene De Angelis (IT), Denitza Toptchyiska (GR), Nicole Georgogianni (GR), Istvan Kiszter (HU), Svetlana Kozlovskaja (EE), Krista Loogma (EE), Jürgen Mähler (DE), Tanja Logar (SI), Urška Marentič (SI), Julijana Cosic (SI), Rocío Blanco (ES), Cecilia Sevillano (ES), Maria Rudowski (FR), Thomas Popovac (FR), Sophie Joudrain (FR), Filippo Bignami (CH)

The editors:

Krzysztof Symela, Ludmiła Łopacińska, Nigel Lloyd, Marta Jacyniuk-Lloyd

Translation: All partners

Cover design: Tomasz Kupidura

First edition, 2007

This publication has been prepared with the support of the European Community in the framework of Leonardo da Vinci Pilot Project "European Bank for the Development of Modular Curricula and Educational Technologies – EMCET2" (No. PL/2005/B/P/PP/174021)

The content of this project does not necessarily reflect the position of the European Community or the National Agency, nor does it involve any responsibility on their part.

ISBN 978-837204-624-6

Publishing House of the Institute for Sustainable Technologies – National Research Institute in Radom ul. K. Pułaskiego 6/10, 26-600 Radom, phone (048) 364-42-41, fax (048) 364-47-65

e-mail: instytut@itee.radom.pl http://www.itee.radom.pl 1784

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Introduction

The continuous changes to the nature of work are undoubtedly influencing the foundations of modern society, including the formation of knowledge and skills. The work process is conditioned by the technologies and the abilities of the worker. The content of work is undergoing constant evolution, especially in the context of development of science and technology, but the background of this evolution lies much deeper. We see the blossoming of our scientific and technical civilisation, including information and communications technology, in an increasingly multicultural society, together with globalisation of the economy.

This evolution requires continuing development of qualifications and competencies of employees, in line with the idea of lifelong learning, in order to be able to keep pace with the changes. As a result, content of work becomes richer and transformed, but this has consequences also for the employment structure (the labour market) and the development of vocational training and development programmes (the market for educational services).

With the dynamically changing contents of work it is necessary for the training content to be flexible, which facilitates updating and adapting them to the individual needs of learners. Hence the need to build flexible programme structures, so that the educational offer can match the requirements and expectations of the labour market. These needs are best fulfilled by programmes with a modular structure, where skills dominate theoretical knowledge. The knowledge that is taught and learnt needs to focus on those skills corresponding to professional tasks, so that the processes of teaching and learning are also affected. The modular layout of programmes inspires teachers to activity in the area of selection, organisation and delivery of training content, while motivating the learners to undertake learning activities in the form of tasks and practical exercises.

The modular approach („modularity”) in education is a concept for organisation of training contents, adapted from technology (e.g. modular solutions for technical devices: computers, construction structures, electronic systems, space stations, software etc.).

As shown by international experience, the „module” is not a strictly defined concept, and definitions may vary depending on the country, institution or recipients of program offers. This is due to the fact that so far no single, global (international) approach has been developed even for the terminology, nor for the methodology for building modular training programmes. Each country is developing its own approach to modularity in vocational education and training, which is shaped by its historical, economic and educational conditions, and the education policy.

Taking into account the above considerations, this publication is aimed at sharing European experience and examples of good practice in the development of modular education in vocational education and training. It has been prepared by the partnership from Poland, United Kingdom, Italy, Greece, Hungary, Estonia, Germany, Slovenia, Spain, France and Switzerland within the two year Leonardo da Vinci pilot project (2005–2007) (No PL/05/B/F/PP/174021) “European Bank for the Development of Modular Curricula and Educational Technologies” – EMCET2”. The project is a continuation of the successful pilot project finished in 2003 PL/00/B/F/PP/140179 “European Bank forthe Development of Modular Curricula and Educational Technologies – EMCET de Bank, that was carried out by a smaller partnership of 7 institutions from four countries (Poland, Italy, Belgium, UK). The EMCET2 project has aimed at valorising products from the first project, developing new solutions to support modular training in Europe. This aim was fulfilled with the active help of all the project partners. The multi-national, multi-lingual and highly experienced partnership has made it possible to present a wide range of products to a European (and world-wide) audience in their national languages.

This publication has been printed in 10 language versions aimed at modular training providers. (and institutions interested in this issue), teachers, tutors, trainers and instructors that take part in the development of modular training, designers, and developers of modular offers, methodologists, pedagogical supervisors and public authorities, experts, scientists and enthusiasts interested in developing competencies and a modular approach in formal, non-formal and informal education.

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The publication is divided into five parts. In the first part we describe the project. The main results are described in the second part. The descriptions of modular education systems in each country participating in the EMCET2 project and it presents selected examples of good practice recommended by the partnership are described in the third part. The next part is related to the partnership and its main results. The last part is related to the Appendices that provide supplementary information.

The EMCET2 project and its results have been widely disseminated in the European, national, regional and local dimensions by the whole partnership in different publications, at meetings, workshops and seminars. The final conference of the project, organised in Warsaw in November 2007, gathered about 200 participants from different environments. They had the opportunity to see the project results, to listen to presentations and to participate in three workshop sessions that presented the ModDB (previously known as EMCET) database, European examples of good practice and the ModENet network and its website.

The co-ordinator of the project – the editor of this publication – wants to thank all the individuals and partners’ institutions involved in the project for their understanding, and huge commitment and organisational team work. It has to be underlined that the international partnership put into the project not only their unique specialised knowledge but also their intellectual, organisational and financial resources. It assured effective co-operation for the development of the main products like the ModDB database (www.emcet.net) and the international Modular Education Network – ModENet (www.modenet.org). These products can be a platform of communication and future service for the development of the modular approach in international, European and national dimensions that will be developed long after finishing the EMCET2 project. ModENet will continue knowledge transfer, sharing pedagogical innovations and examples of good practice in modular education and training together with the development of competencies for staff participating in these process and taking into consideration new developments in lifelong learning such as the European Qualification Framework.

I would like especially to thank the Department of Vocational and Continuing Education of the Ministry of National Education in Poland and similar institutions from other European countries for the support, friendly relations and help with implementing and disseminating EMCET2 project results. It would have been very difficult to achieve all these ambitious objectives if people from the Agency of Leonardo da Vinci programme had not been so favourable (at present – Foundation for the Development of the Education System, “Lifelong Learning Program”). I also would like to thank them very much on behalf of the whole partnership.

Krzysztof Symela Co-ordinator of EMCET2 project

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Krzysztof Symela

Institute for Sustainable Technologies – National Research Institute, Poland

1. European Bank for the Development of Modular Curricula

and Educational Technologies – EMCET2

The context of the project

The pilot project „European Bank for the Development of Modular Curricula and Educational Technologies” EMCET2 was executed during 24 months from December 2005 to November 2007. The EMCET2 pilot project responds to the needs of the European market of the professional educational services (objective c – to promote and reinforce the contribution of vocational training to the process of innovation) and supports teachers and trainers in application and promotion of the modular approach in vocational education and training (priority 4 – Continuous training of teachers and trainers).

The project was designed in line with national and international strategy: the Memorandum on Continuing Education – Commission of European Communities (Brussels, 30th October, 2000), Copenhagen Declaration (Copenhagen 29th-30th November, 2002) and National Strategies of Continuing Education Development (e.g. adopted by the Polish Ministry of Education on 8th July, 2003).

The project targeted the vocational education and training system in Member States. These systems vary widely between countries: organisational and institutional situation and solutions, the adult education and training system, companies where in-company and in-service training is provided. During the project a gap has been identified in the training market between the needs of employees and the training which institutions offer. Especially for adults, there is a need to provide information on flexible training courses to increase their uptake. New technologies (such as the Internet) make it easier for adults to find information and materials concerning their further education. This Project was designed to fill the information gap about training courses in selected EU countries and to provide innovative materials on teaching and learning processes for teachers and trainers.

Therefore the project was oriented to a new form of knowledge delivery and learning – teaching process as well as developing the competence of teachers, trainers, instructors and employees of small and medium-size enterprises (MSP) and the unemployed. The potential target audience of the project outcomes is: the persons organising training, carrying out a training needs analysis and managing the training process as well as employers and employees who have to update their knowledge and skills systematically, according to the standards required for different job positions. The necessity to systematically update knowledge and continually develop employees` skills results in more and more institutions searching for more effective forms of learning aided by Information and Communication Technologies; this requires the creation of an international information source (website, database) on the possibilities of skills development in different countries.

Recognition of needs within the scope of preparing teachers and trainers (for the purpose of modernising technologies, developing, executing and evaluating modular training) is systematically carried out by the project partner institutions, which develop this kind of activity in their countries. The project, by identifying the quality development needs in the area of training courses and competences of trainers in each partner country, has resulted in recognising common European needs. The research conducted by the partners in each country revealed a big interest in training in the use of databases and websites among training service providers, teachers, managing staff as well as individuals having access to the Internet. A world-wide tendency to use Information and Communication Technologies which have been successfully applied in education is another argument for creating a user-friendly learning environment, considering the possibility of accrediting education acquired in an informal and non-formal way

In accordance with the initial assumptions, the project’s outcomes will “facilitate the mobility improvement and the quality of qualifications of youth and adults” and it “contributes to develop new

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mechanisms to assure legal mobility of employees and services” as well (in our case these are educational services) between EU member countries. The methodological support is very important for organisers of educational service that meet a lot of challenges:

• promotion and enlargement of the educational offer and access to continuing education with the use of information and communication technologies,

• enhanced flexibility of vocational education and training based on a modular approach that is oriented towards achieving real outcomes in learning – teaching,

• quality assurance, recognition and validation of qualifications and competencies obtained in formal, non-formal and informal learning taking into account the European Qualification Framework (EQF) in lifelong learning.

The „Bank” idea mentioned in the title of the initial EMCET de Bank project was taken from the model of the classical bank in the financial system. However the ModDB bank does not gather money, but instead it assembles information about modular curricula and innovative educational technologies – verified in practice. The main clients are institutions offering educational service that apply modular approach in vocational education and training for the labour market needs. Each institution that would like to deposit “virtual” money into the “Bank” (like training programmes, methodological materials, information services) can count on income in the form of access to the data resources gathered in the „Bank”, which means the ModDB database (previously named EMCET).

The partnership which has executed the EMCET2 project is:

(1) Instytut Technologii Eksploatacji – Państwowy Instytut Badawczy in Radom (ITeE – PIB Poland) – co-ordinator,

(2) Cambridge Professional Development – (CamProf, United Kingdom), (3) Training 2000 (Italy),

(4) Hellenic Regional Development Centre (Greece),

(5) National Vocational Institute for Adult Education (Hungary), (6) Institute of Educational Research, Tallinn University (Estonia), (7) GET German Education and Training (Germany),

(8) National Institute for Vocational Education and Training (Slovenia), (9) General Foundation of Valladolid University (Spain),

(10) The Resource and Initiative Unit for International Cooperation. The Center for International Educational Programs (France)

(11) Foundation ECAP (Switzerland), the so-called “silent partner” that has actively participated in the project although not eligible to receive any funding from the EU Leonardo da Vinci Programme. Detailed information about partners is included in the publication (see part 4).

The project aimed to connect the training institutions and educational market into one European network to support the process of modularisation of the training systems in the new and “old” Member States. It was designed to improve the access to knowledge and materials (available from the websites www.emcet.net, www.modenet.org and in the ModDB database) for individuals, who wish to develop new skills and acquire new qualifications and competencies. In particular both trainers and training institutions would be involved in the development of the training modules database. The interfaces for the information systems would include all the major European language groups, providing accessibility to all and strengthening their direct international partnership, and encouraging harmonisation of national, sectoral and international training systems.

Project activities and results

The basic aim of the project was to set up the European Modular Education Network (ModENet), together with development of a multilingual database of information about modular training courses (ModDB) and an internet portal for both. They provide the necessary support and assistance for teachers, trainers, instructors and providers of educational services, who develop training programmes and materials enabling the workers, the unemployed as well as individual users to improve their

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professional competencies. The project took into account any current standards and requirements for those using a modular training approach, as well as additional functions agreed on within the partnership. Activities were undertaken in three workpackages. The first and the third packages were co-ordinated by ITeE – PIB and the second one was co-ordinated by CamProf. The main results are illustrated in Figure 1.

Figure 1. EMCET2 Project – main results

1. ITeE -NRI (Poland)

Project management and coordination of the development of IT system

2. CamProf (United Kingdom)

Coordination of the development of the Modular Education Network

ModENet

WORK PACKAGE No 2

Increasing the membership of the European network ModENet, development of the necessary documentation, enabling statement of the legal status and constituation of the Board, development of promotion mechanism and co-operation with the other, national networks. Results:

− Descriptions of examples of good practice, accreditation, certification used by Polish Network of Modular Education.

− Documentation which will be a basis for organization-legal functioning of ModENet (statute, programme).

− Formal constituation of the Board of ModENet, and a headquarter.

− Model of co-operation between ModENet and other partner countries’ networks.

− Brochure about ModENet in 10 languages.

− Information materials and multimedia presentations about ModENet.

Expanding the contents and services offered by modular training providers as well as updating the information scope of the EMCET database and website www.emcet.net

Results:

− IT system designed to meet users needs.

− List of competencies required in the profession of a modular training trainer.

− International benchmarking report presenting existing standards in partner countries and recommending European best practice standards for modular training trainers.

− Updated database and website resources in 10 languages.

− Technical documentation (source codes) and user guide of the final version of the IT system.

− Reports on testing and using the website and database resources

Management, co-ordination of activities, quality assurance (monitoring, validation, evaluation) and preparation of materials and publications for the organisation of promotion and dissemination activities of the EMCET2 project products and outcomes in the course of the project and after its finalisation.

Results:

! Document outlining the implementation of the promotion and valorisation strategy of the EMCET2 project results. ! Dissemination programmes of the EMCET project results elaborated by 8 new partners of EMCET2 project.

! New publication ”Modular Education and Vocational Training. Examples of Good Practice in Europe” printed in 10 languages, 500 copies each.

! EMCET2 project brochure in 10 languages, 5000 copies.

! Methodical workshop and seminars for the dissemination of EMCET2 project results and finding new users of the results. ! International conference summarising EMCET2 project results for ca. 150 people.

! CD (10-language interface) with multimedia presentation about EMCET2 project results and products and other dissemination and promotion materials: calendars, notebooks, mouse pads etc.

! Report on internal and external evaluation of the EMCET2 project products and outcomes. ! Other form for the dissemination of the results.

3. TRAINING 2000 4. HRDC 5. NIVE 6. TLU 7. GET 8. CPI 9. FGUVA 10. CIEP CR2i

Transfer and valorisation of the outcomes of EMCET de Bank project

PL/00/B/PP/140.179

EVALUATION OF PROCESSES & PRODUCTS

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The project partners were involved in implementation of all the main tasks:

− Identification of needs for and partners’ expectations about using the pre-existing EMCET database and the internet website. The website has been elaborated (it is accessible on www.emcet.net) and 8 new language interfaces have been prepared. To promote and disseminate the project, electronic versions of the products of the earlier EMCET project have been put into the database (publications, training modules for modular training providers).

− Design and verification by the whole partnership of the research tool to compare (in 11 countries) any existing requirements for modular training trainer. A report on the comparison of vocational qualification standards and other competencies requirements for training specialists has been drafted.

− Market research into the needs and expectations of potential members of the modular education network (ModENet). A promotion strategy for the ModENet network has been prepared and a description of good practices within the Polish Network of Modular Education has been prepared, − Development of the dissemination strategy and the valorisation of the EMCET2 project, taking into

account the expectations and needs of direct and potential beneficiaries in partner countries. Within the accepted strategy a lot of information and promotion activities have been undertaken, i.e. information brochures in partners languages, articles that have been published in journals, information about the project in seminars and conferences, and dissemination through the Internet. − Organisation of six partnership meetings (twice in Poland – Radom and Warsaw, in Slovenia –

Ljubljana, in Hungary – Budapest, in France – Paris and in Germany – Cologne), to present and evaluate the project activities and to take decisions on important issues.

− Elaborate the report on competence requirements for modular training trainer and to promote the competence profile nationally and across Europe;

− Testing and implementing the ModDB database by introducing new resources.

− External consultations and partners’ opinions, establishing the ModENet network (constitution, activities, programme), and the finalising the documentation;

− Implementing the promotion strategy and valorising the results, recruiting new members for ModENet from beyond the partnership, and formal membership of ModENet by partners .

− Appointment of the ModENet officers (Chairman, Governing Body, Secretary, Moderator) and selection of a location.

− Development of a co-operation model between ModENet and national networks (for example the Polish Modular Education Network).

− Development of the Polish Modular Education Network.

− The publication „Modular education and vocational training – Examples of good practices in Europe” in 10 languages, presenting the experience of all the partner countries.

− Preparation and production of a multimedia CD (in partner languages) about the EMCET2 project and its results and the production of other dissemination materials.

− Preparation of the evaluation report by the external evaluator;

− Organisation of workshops and dissemination seminars on the EMCET2 project results by the partners for the potential beneficiaries.

− Dissemination of the project results in media. − Organisation of the international final conference.

− Agreement on the Intellectual Property Rights, commercialisation rules and further development of EMCET2 products (ModDB and ModENet) after finishing the project.

Valorisation, quality assurance and impact of the project

The aim of the EMCET2 valorisation strategy was to add value by maximising the use of the project results. Each partner prepared an individual dissemination plan based on the common strategy:

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− to involve the target groups and interested parties at local, national and European level from the very beginning and throughout the project,

− to produce final products that really meet the demands and/or interests of the target groups,

− to promote the EMCET2 project and its outcomes through the project website www.emcet.net, as well as with informative material (leaflets, posters, newsletters, etc.),

− to disseminate the know-how of the project and its products to a large number of users and interested organizations.

− to record the valorisation and dissemination activity.

The instruments for the dissemination and implementation of the EMCET2 project results were (and still will be even after finishing the project):

− Websites www.emcet.net and www.modenet.org − ModDB database.

− Networks: ModENet, PNME (Polish Network of Modular Education) and SNMTP (Silesian Network of Modular Training Providers).

− Meetings, workshops, seminars, conferences.

− Journal articles, newspaper articles, media interviews. − Reports and publications.

− Printed and electronic promotional materials

Quality management in the Project was accomplished at two levels: strategic management (by the co-ordinator of the project) and operational management (by the responsible person in the project). It was set up to achieve the basic project objectives: the extension and the development of the EMCET database (finished in 2003) into the ModDB database, the implementation of ModENet as an innovative support and promotion system for modular training. The system uses ModENet activity and the multilingual internet portal and database to provide access to information and services. The target groups (training organisers, teachers, trainers, instructors) will be able to develop lifelong methodological competencies to use the development which modular curricula offer to the labour market, and to practise with the ModDB materials, training modules and examples of good practice. People who look for the new competencies (and qualifications) required in the European labour market will be able to find modular curricula offers and find out whether they lead to recognised qualifications.

The following criteria were the basis of quality evaluation:

• conformity of outcomes with the list of detailed tasks for each partner as specified in contracts concluded with the Promoter;

• observing deadlines specified in the time-schedule;

• the standard specified for the outcomes and final products (publications, information materials, seminars, European network);

• favourable opinions of beneficiaries and users of the outcomes and final products; • monitoring results and results of evaluation (internal and external);

• diversity of dissemination accomplished by means of different media, according to the strategy and valorisation plan accepted by all partners;

• level of partners’ satisfaction;

• the outcomes and final products do not exceed the envisaged and eligible costs of the project budget (Community grant plus partners’ in-kind contribution)

The project results contribute to:

1. Increased access to continuing vocational education by increasing the access to information (modular curricula, publications, training institutions, examples of good practice etc.) and to methodological materials for the development of teachers’ and trainers’ competencies in designing modular curricula for the labour market and also developing information tools to support these process.

2. Improved quality of continuing vocational training by improving the efficiency of the market for modular curricula of vocational training and the institutions that develop and implement such

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curricula, as well as by upgrading the knowledge and competencies of the teaching staff who apply a modular approach in practice.

3. Cooperation and integration between “new” and “old” European Union Member States mainly through exchange of experience and transfer of ideas and techniques (in education, methodology, science and culture), The ModENet network has shown how to create international co-operation, at the national level the Polish Network of Modular Education has provided the model and at the regional level the Silesian Regional Network of Modular Education has provided best practice.

The EMCET2 project is very important for introducing changes in national systems, practice and vocational education. Improved and implemented database is an innovative solution at the European market of educational service. It provides essential support for members of the target groups (teachers, trainers, training organisers, training institutions, key actors in the field of education) that search for information on flexible modular training. The ModEDB database is a tool of “global” impact for the members of ModENet. The development of the network is the best way to exchange information, knowledge and experiences leading to the improvement of training methodology. It is in accord with the Copenhagen Declaration by encouraging the improvement of European co-operation in vocational education and training.

Detailed information about the EMCET2 project is available on the websites www.emcet.net and www.modenet.org, and presented in articles of this publication as well.

Regarding further development of the EMCET2 project results, the ModENet constitution sets out the co-operation and obligations of members, enabling the commercialisation of the products after finishing the project. In the future it will be necessary to transfer knowledge, pedagogical innovations and examples of good practice in modular education and training and to develop the competencies of staff participating in these process (possibly through an e-learning platform), taking into account the European Qualification Framework in lifelong learning. This will be a new challenge for the existing international partnership (ModENet). In the future it should lead to prepare next project funded by EU that would enlarge present achievements and results.

Bibliography

− Symela K.: The Principles of Implementation and Evaluation of Modular Programmes in Training of Adults.

MPiPS Warszawa, ILO Genewa, ITeE Radom 1999.

− Training Needs Assessment for Europe. Practical Methods and Tools. Projekt Leonardo da Vinci

nr LV00/006/PP/36/179 – Instytut Technologii Eksploatacji w Radomiu, Radom 2003.

− Symela K., Jacyniuk M. (red): Modular Vocational Education and Training for the Labour Market). Projekt

Leonardo da Vinci nr LV00/006/PP/36/179 – Instytut Technologii Eksploatacji w Radomiu, Radom 2003.

− Symela K. (red): (European Bank for the Development of Modular Curricula and Educational Methodologies –

integration and co-operation in the area of culture and education). Projekt Leonardo da Vinci LV00/006/PP/36/179 – Instytut Technologii Eksploatacji w Radomiu, Radom 2003.

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Wojciech Oparcik, Ludmiła Łopacińska

Institute for Sustainable Technologies – National Research Institute in Radom

2.1. EMCET/ModDB database as a tool to support modular education

Development process of EMCET/ModDB database

The database created under the first EMCET project was upgraded and extended under EMCET2. According to the assumptions of the EMCET2 project (work package no. 1):

• the content-related scope and services offered by modular training providers were modernised by adding new language interfaces to cover all 11 partner countries involved in the project.

• the database was renamed as ModDB to make clear that it is closely linked to ModENet. • the data within the ModDB database was updated and extended

• ModDB is accessible from two internet websites created within the project: www.emcet.net and www.modenet.org.

EMCET2 project activities included restructuring the functionality of the database which had been developed in the earlier EMCET de Bank project (2001–2003). The main changes were aimed at facilitating the ease of use of the database, increasing its user-friendliness, according to the expectations of the new multinational partnership. The input forms were changed (see annex – data base forms) to reflect the restructuring of materials from the EMCET database into the ModDB database, and all the information in the EMCET database was adapted to the new format. As a result of a partnership decision, the ModDB database is divided into 7 thematic blocks (Figure 1):

1. institutions, 2. modular curricula, 3. dictionary,

4. products: methodological materials and good practices, 5. qualification standards/profiles,

6. publications, 7. experts

Some of these blocks are publicly available through the Internet, others are only available to registered members of ModDB.

The partners were involved in the testing of individual thematic blocks and were also responsible for the quality of language interfaces and data placed in ModDB. The EMCET database offered only Polish and English interfaces, ModDB is available in ten language interfaces: English, Polish, German, Italian, Spanish, French, Greek, Hungarian, Slovenian, Estonian.

EMCET was implemented on the ORACLE platform. Due to technical reasons and limitations on the number of licences it was decided to use PHP standard and MySQL database management system as the platform for ModDB. This enables the use of database resources simultaneously by an unlimited number of people. It should be mentioned that the software used in the creation of EMCET database is made available free of charge. Naturally, the data resources from the EMCET de Bank project have been updated and transferred into ModDB.

The main beneficiaries of the ModDB database are the following user groups: project partners and the members of ModENet, PSK and RŚŚKM networks, modular education and training providers, teachers, lecturers, trainers and instructors involved in the realisation of modular training, designers of modular curricula offers, methodologists, experts and scientists having interest in developing modular approach in formal, non-formal and informal education, educational administration, pedagogical supervisors and labour market institutions. A separate group of beneficiaries is people searching for vocational training curricula which have specific characteristics (using the ModDB search facilities and classification of modular training curricula).

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Figure 1. Thematic blocks in ModDB database

The usage rules of the database

ModDB has been implemented as a computer system consisting of the internet website and database administered by the Institute for Sustainable Technologies – National Research Institute in Radom. The access to the database has been controlled by introducing an authorisation system.

The selection of an appropriate language interface can be made by clicking the icon of the appropriate national flag. In order to use the ModDB database one has to click the hyperlink „Database” on the main www.emcet.net website (Figure 2).

Figure 2. The main website of EMCET2 project

Information for entitled users (login and password required)

Information for all e-users of Internet

(logging not required)

1. INSTITUTIONS

Modular Training Providers and ModENet Members

2. MODULAR CURRICULA Recommended Offer of Modular VET

3. GLOSSARY OF TERMS Modular Vocational Education and Training

4. ITEMS

Methodological Materials and Examples of Good Practice

5. STANDARDS

Occupational qualifications Standards and Competencies Profiles

6. PUBLICATIONS

Recommended Publications

7. EXPERTS

Details About Experts Recommended by ModENet Members

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After this operation the publicly available database blocks (institutions, modular curricula, dictionary, which do not require registration as a ModENet member) will appear (Figure 3). These thematic blocks are designed for users who are able to view the data, but are not authorised to interfere, remove or modify the contents.

Figure 3. Homepage of the ModDB database

There are two groups of database users • unregistered users:

may download materials in the form of files, view and search available information, but only from the. three publicly accessible thematic blocks: institutions, modular curricula, Dictionary;

• registered users:

are able to use all database resources.

The registration of new users, allotting accounts and authorisation for them is carried out by the ModDB database administrators (entitled employees of ITeE – PIB in Radom).

The registered user has to log in to the system by writing his or her username and password. After the user has been logged in, a webpage appears which enables access to all of the database, including the thematic blocks with restricted access: institutions, modular curricula, methodological materials and good practices, qualification standards/profiles, publications, dictionary, experts (Figure. 4)

Search of database resources

Each thematic block of the database has its own individual search criteria, so that users may easily pose an inquiry and find the desired information.

Since the database stores data in ten languages, when defining the inquiry it is necessary to specify the search language. The criterion of the search language is independent from the interface language of the database. Thanks to this feature it is possible to search the database in different languages, without the need to change the interface language. Figures 5-11 present the inquiry form for each thematic block.

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Figure 4. Website after log-in with access to all thematic blocks of the database

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Figure 6. Form for searching the database resources for the block “Modular curricula”

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Figure 8. Form for searching the database resources for the block “Methodological materials and good practices”

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Figure 10. Form for searching the database resources for the block “Experts”

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When entries in the database fulfil the criteria specified by the enquiry, a list is displayed. By selecting a desired item from the list, its information will be displayed (Figure 12).

Figure 12. Fragment of information about a selected institution

Development prospects of the ModDB database

More and more frequently schools, teachers and students make use of modern information and communication technologies either to keep pace with changes or to be more attractive and competitive in the marketplace. The resources gathered in the ModDB database offer great chances for the development of staff competencies and for ensuring the quality of educational services based on a modular approach. The database has an open „structure” which allows further development by adding new elements and additional functions, depending on users needs.

In the next development stage of the database the following aspects in particular will have to be considered:

− using feedback from ModENet members to enhance the ModDB database in terms of user-friendliness and usefulness;

− wide promotion of ModDB in different environments (sectoral, international, national, regional and local) to increase the number of training modules described in thematic block 2 and the number of hits. ModENet is likely to be the key to this dissemination and promotion;

− systematically updating and complementing the data for the other thematic blocks;

− extending the cooperation with national, sectoral and transnational databases of similar content to ensure interoperability;

− converting the module 2 database of information about training modules so that instead of being a secondary database which needs to be constantly updated, it becomes a search engine of all the primary databases listing training modules (in the same way that price comparison web sites search all the known retailing sites to find out the cost of a particular item);

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The ModDB database constitutes one of the major resources of the ModENet network (the other resource is the ModENet members themselves), It is therefore an important support for the dynamically developing European market of educational services. It has taken the innovative EMCET database and considerably enhanced it, ensuring online access to materials and new services for European providers of modular curricula, individual recipients of training offers and other users interested in the development and exchange of ideas in the application of modular approach.

Bibliography

− Source materials Leonardo da Vinci no. PL/2005/B/P/PP/174021. ITeE – PIB, Radom 2005–2007.

− Poradnik użytkownika Bazy danych EMCET. ITeE – PIB, Radom 2007.

− Resese G.: Java. Aplikacje bazodanowe. Najlepsze rozwiązania. Helion, Gliwice 2003.

− Ulman J.D., Windom J.: A first course in Database Systems. Wydawnictwa Naukowo-Techniczne, Warsaw

2000.

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Nigel Lloyd, Nadeem Ahmad Khan, Marta Jacyniuk-Lloyd

Cambridge Professional Development, United Kingdom

2.2. Modular Education Network – ModENet

Introduction

ModENet (Modular Education Network) is a network of modular training providers as well as individual enthusiasts, researchers and experts across various disciplines who aspire to the modular approach in various fields of vocational education and training. One of the main aims of EMCET2 project was to create the network of training providers across Europe and beyond. The task was led by the team from Cambridge Professional Development (CamProf) with the co-operation of the rest of the partnership of the EMCET2 project. A four-phase strategy was proposed during the project kick-off meeting:

Phase One:

Market Research: to identify the target groups who could be the potential members of the Network and to gather information about their numbers, needs and expectations

Phase Two:

Product Definition: to develop the business plan, agree on the services to be offered, the institutional setup, devise the name, investigate the financial viability and pricing structure.

Phase Three:

Establishing the Brand: to create the functionality on the website, to develop the ‘look and feel’ on the website, and other materials such as a publicity brochure for the network, and to develop the legal framework, constitution and to identify office bearers for the network

Phase Four: Building Membership: to recruit members for the network and devise strategy for self-sustainability after the end of project

Market Research – Target Groups

With the expansion of EU and more countries joining the Union, the size of population of EU has expanded to nearly 500 million and it is expected to grow still further. As EU has expanded dramatically, the scope of the Network across Europe is increasing significantly. Keeping in view the varied composition of EU countries in terms of size and structure, the estimated number of Vocational Education (VE) students and trainers is numbered in millions. For instance in UK alone the number of Vocational and Further Education (VE/FE) college students is over 6 Million. This huge pool of potential Network members in the shape of University researchers, VE/FE College lecturers, trade associations or professional vocational training providers could be linked together through the Network. Our market research conducted in 2006 suggests that the most likely members for the Network will be the vocational training providers in both public and private sectors (see below). All partners in the project have identified it as the area where the probability of finding members will be maximum.

In the first phase, market research was carried out in order to identify potential target groups who would become potential members of the Network. A further aim was to carry out needs analysis for the identified target groups in the partner countries and therefore a two-part questionnaire was prepared: • Part I to know the likelihood of finding potential members from various sectors from partners’

perspective.

• Part 2 for onward distribution to at least 10 potential members in each partner country.

A discussion paper containing the questionnaire was distributed to the partners and the questionnaire was also piloted with experts in the field of VE/FE in the UK; and the final draft was distributed to partners in February 2006. The summary of results from nine countries was presented to the second partners meeting in June 2006. Some issues and concerns were raised by the partners

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throughout the process of data collection; and their concerns were addressed through web discussion and extended e-mail replies.

A summary of the potential market segments in each partner country is shown in Table 1 below: It is interesting to note that there are both similarities and differences in the potential target groups in different countries. The colleges of further education, universities, training providers as well as educational research institutes have emerged as highly potential target group within the project partnership.

Table 1: Countries identifying the Market Segments (category of person in type of organisation) likely to join the Network

Market Segments Trainers Researcher Head of Institutions Consultants /Experts VE Students Employers (internal Training/Staff Development) U, P, S, F P, G, F, Gr P, I, E, F, Voluntary organisations/NGOs S, E, F, Gr I, G P, I, G, E, H, Gr R& D organisations P, E, Sl P, E, I, G, S, H, Gr, Sl E, I, G U, P, E, I, G, H, Gr P Network/ Association of Training Providers P, I, G, S, F, H, Gr, Sl, Sp P, I, G, S, F U, P, I, G, S, F, H Professional Institutions P, I, G, S, E, Sl, Sp P P, I, G, S, E, F, Gr, Sp P, I, S, F, Gr University/FE/ VE Departments U, P, I, G, E, F, H, Gr, Sl U, P, I, Sp, G, S, E, F, Sl P, G, E, Gr G, S, E, F, H, Gr, Sl U, P, I, G, E, F Educational Research Institutes P, I, Sl, Sp U, P, I, Sp, G, S, E, F, H, Gr, Sl P, G, S, E, H, Gr P, G, S, E, F, H, Gr Vocational Education Training Providers U, P, I, G, EGr, S U, P, I, E, Gr U, P, I, G, S, E, H, G, R, Sl U, I, E, H Trade Associations U, F G U, P, I, F, H G

Key: U = United Kingdom, P = Poland, I = Italy, G = Germany, Sp = Spain, Gr = Greece, F = France, E = Estonia, Sl = Slovenia, H = Hungary, S = Switzerland.

In Poland, UK and Italy, there is a high probability of of recruiting potential members from Educational Research Institutes and from Networks or Associations of training providers. On the other hand, all partners are of the view that there is least probability of recruiting potential members from Trade Associations, Employers or NGOs.

In response to part 2 of the questionnaire, we received 64 filled questionnaires from a variety of respondents: teachers, university trainers, and association of networks of small/medium enterprises. The most precise data set was obtained from Italy, however, due to small sample size (in some cases only two or three respondents), it is not meaningful to draw quantitative generalisations at national level. However it is possible to identify similar or different patterns in the opinions of the respondents, and to take all respondents together:

• Only 11% wanted to join the Network in order to communicate with other modular training providers on a regular basis. The reason for the small percentage might be due to the fact that not all respondents were training providers and others would be least interested to communicate with the training providers.

• On the other hand, 46% of the respondents mentioned their keen interest in exchanging ideas through the network. A possible explanation could be that more teachers/ trainers had responded to

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the questionnaire. The implication is that the Network should provide a forum for on-line exchange of ideas.

• 42% of the respondents wanted to use the Network for increasing their network of contacts.

• Interestingly, 44% looked for the opportunity to sell courses and only 19% for the opportunity to buy courses from the Network.

In response to the question on how current needs were met and at what cost, there was a huge variety in responses. The time invested for meeting their current needs ranged between none to 150 hours with a cost ranging from nil to 3000 Euros in some cases. This indicates that a network with an affordable subscription would attract more individuals and organisations. One of the respondents mentioned that even a ‘subscription to VET directory’ costs £295 per year, which was quite a lot, and they do not want to subscribe to the directory. Though the individuals (as opposed to organisations) mentioned that they would be interested in selling their courses, none spent money for this, and they currently used their contacts and invested time to get information about new courses.

Brief Summary of Target groups in EMCET2 partner countries

The partners provided information on the size and characteristics of the target groups in their country.

In UK, there are 171 universities and around 409 institutions of Further Education. There are over 6 million students nearly 150, 000 trainers in the area of vocational and further education. These target groups use modular training across various vocations and can be targeted as potential members for the Network. However virtually all this training is modular and modular training is already fully established.

Poland has a huge potential as modular vocational education and training is beginning to be introduced. There are over 20,000 vocational training providers, 1,000 vocational training consultancies and over 2,000 trade associations. Over 50 networks of training providers also exist and hence there is a high likelihood of recruitment of members to the Network from Poland.

In France people’s access to further education and training is directly linked to their employment status. Employees can be trained as part of their company’s training scheme or ask for personal training leave. French job-seekers, by benefiting from an additional qualification, can increase their chances of getting back into employment. AFCCI (Association of French Chambers of Commerce and Industry) are the second biggest training body in France after the National Ministry of Education. Each year the 540 training centres that they manage, train 500,000 students, apprentices, from first level qualifications through to higher business schools or engineering qualifications. The number of young people including apprenticed young people (in France apprenticeships of basic training) is about 747,000. Companies and public sector employees are around 3.5 million and generally get support from employment-based routes to training.

In Italy, training organisations and Universities are producing and executing training mainly connected to the productivity context aimed at SMEs, new immigrants and disabled people. New training is taking place for people with low qualifications or just graduate – looking for first employment – all of them are subject to 120 hours a year of “New apprenticeship training” in a modular setting. At present each provider is preparing their own modular content in the same subject area so there is a huge market of training providers and consultancies that would be interested in joining the Network.

Greece has high proportion of potential enthusiasts in the area of vocational education and training. Research carried out for the national Statistical Service of Greece in 2002 suggests that 9.2% of the population was involved in vocational training, from which 5.6% (6.9% men and 4.3% women) have attended and completed a vocational training course lasting more than six months.

In Estonia, there are two Educational Research Institutes and 76 VET schools enrolling 29,915 VET students. The number of graduates in the year 04-05 stood at 7049. This number suggests that there is likelihood of finding members for the Network from Estonian market.

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In Germany, the number of young adults leaving general schools alone are about 950,000 and they will enter the training market in 2006-7. In addition, there will be young people seeking vocational education and training after leaving partially qualifying vocational schools or vocational preparation schemes, their number cannot be accurately estimated. Assuming the VET participation rate of 2003, about 593,000 new training contracts would have to be concluded nationwide in 2006-7 (Federal Ministry of Education and Research 2006).

Hungary has an estimated number of 23,000 VET trainers and around 216,000 VET students. The modular approach is quite new in the Hungarian context and it is estimated that a large number of individuals and organisations would join the Network. Spain has a slightly different system and 55 universities of higher education and 75 employment services are jointly responsible for providing training to the staff.

General data concerning VET and the school system in Switzerland shows somewhat similar trends. There are around 1.5M pupils and students (of whom 400,000 people participate at tertiary level, where modularisation could play a significant role). Also 130,000 secondary and tertiary level certificates and diplomas are delivered every year by training institutions. Those involved in providing training could be the potential member of the Network.

The estimates mentioned above provide the basis for reaching out to the potential target groups in the 11 partner countries. The figures mentioned above are estimates provided by the partners for their own countries and give an over-view of the potential market for the Network.

Definition of ModENet

The partnership decided that the Network would need a better name than ENMTP (European Network for Modular Training Providers) and so an internal competition was held, which ultimately selected “ModENet” (Modular Education Network). This name was registered in Poland and the domain name www.modenet.org was purchased.

The partnership decided that the EMCET DataBase and ModENET should be brought together under a single organisation and management structure.

After careful deliberation and brainstorming, the EMCET2 partnership agreed the following vision and mission statements for ModENet:

Vision

ModENet (Modular Education Network) will become a self-sustaining network of modular education providers and enthusiasts across Europe and the rest of the world, known throughout the community of modular education providers in VET, the first source of expertise on modular education and training, with active participating members.

Mission

ModENet’s mission is to enable individuals within organisations to develop and share best practices and modules, enhancing their capability in developing career-oriented lifelong education. The next stage was to develop the business strategy for the network and the CamProf team drafted a comprehensive business plan for ModENet. The Business Plan built on the information from the market research. Its 15 pages provided sections on:

• the relationship between the EMCET database and the ModENet network, • categories of membership,

• products and services, • the market,

• subscription ratek,

• activities including those which are potentially income-generating activities, • staffing,

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• corporate organisation,

• administration, responsibilities of the administration, • governing body, responsibilities of the governing body, • responsibilities of the ModENet members,

• the legal structure and constitution,

- critical risks and vulnerabilities: political, socio-economic, environmental, technological and others, • financial projections.

Some of these sections are spelled out below. CamProf engaged John Konrad, the animator for the most successful CEDEFOP Virtual Communities, to advise it on how best to run the Network.

ModENet Offer

ModENet aims to be the first point of contact for all training providers, researchers and enthusiasts interested in a modular approach to teaching/learning. ModENet offers:

for a Training Provider:

ModENet is the ‘one-stop-shop’ bringing together potential buyers and sellers of training modules. Some of the featured benefits include:

• Global Networking with training providers from all across the world.

• Access to debate rooms, web blogs, and contact information about the special interest groups for the exchange of experiences and best practices.

• Opportunity to up-load and download information about training modules, and contact with other training providers.

• Unlimited access to training databank of modular training providers in various disciplines. • An opportunity for international comparisons and benchmarking.

• The first point of contact for latest news and events in the field of modular education and training. for an Individual Trainer/ Researcher:

ModENet enables individuals to network with experts/ trainers and colleagues. They can exchange ideas, learn about latest developments, find links to relevant organisations and access to the latest research. They will also have an opportunity to publish their work.

for Enthusiasts:

Those who wish to promote the use of training modules will find ModENet a great opportunity for connecting with the global community of like-minded enthusiasts, and fulfilling their training and professional development needs.

Types of Membership Offered

It was decided to offer three types of Membership, with the subscriptions depending on whether the member is from a high or low GDP country.

− Individual ModENet membership – for those enthusiasts who don’t buy or sell course modules, but want to participate in ModENet.

− Organisational membership – allows an unlimited number of staff of member organisations to benefit from individual membership of the ModENet network, exchanging expertise and using it for professional development.

− Advertising membership – allows member organisations to upload information of their modular training offer to the EMCET database and update it. Members of the organisation also benefit from membership of the ModENet network, exchanging expertise and using it for professional development. The annual fee is substantially higher than either of the above, and is dependent on the number of training modules advertised.

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High GDP countries are defined as: in Western Europe (UK, IRL, D, F, I, CH, S, PT, Benelux, Nordic), North America, Middle East (Israel, Saudi, UAE, Oman), Far East (Japan, Taiwan, Korea, Australia, New Zealand). Other countries are considered to be low GDP countries and will be offered substantially lower subscription rates.

Establishing the ModENet Brand

Having reached agreement on the nature of ModENet, it was possible to start creating the functionality and establishing the brand, At the same time, the legal statutes were carefully planned and the first draft of constitution of the network was created. The ITeE Graphics Department designed a house style for ModENet, which has been used for the website contents as well as for a brochure. A strategy was also devised for marketing and promotion of ModENet. As part of this branding, it was decided to rename the EMCET DataBase as “ModDB” so that it shares the brand image.

ModENet website: www.modenet.org

The heart of the network is its website. CamProf engaged Elspeth and Mark Timmans, first to advise on how best to create the desired functionality, and then to build it. They recommended the use of Moodle software.

Moodle (Modular Object-Oriented Dynamic Learning Environment) is ‘open source’ (and therefore free) and is a free Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) and Learner Management System (LMS). Moodle has been developed for and by the educational community and provides extensive functionality to cover the requirements of the local school through to universities and hospitals. It is well established with over 30,000 education sites operating worldwide with 63 sites having more than 20,000 users. Moodle is acknowledged to be one of the easiest VLEs to download and upgrade. Moodle is free to download and use, making it a cost effective method of developing online communities. There are alternative open source VLEs but Moodle is the most established and widely used. Moodle is being constantly updated and improved by users in similar situations. There are no commercial influences or restraints imposed: Moodle allows client customisation without any of the constraints put on by proprietary versions. The Moodle website is extremely informative and facilitates collaborative support for users in a number of ways. The Moodle Community has over 200,000 registered users speaking in over 75 languages including discussions in Polish.

Although the requirements for the ModENet community differ from the traditional teacher /student relationship in which Moodle developed, there is all the functionality in Moodle which ModENet will need.

The site requires all users to register and be logged in before most of the site content can be viewed. A pre-login page welcomes users and outlines the site’s aims and facilities. Clicking the “login” button takes users to the login/registration page. When the user has logged in, the homepage appears with navigation to all of the site’s pages and features.

The homepage shows: − Terms and conditions (link to). − Classified advertising (potentially). − Links to a chat room, glossary etc.

In addition there are screen areas containing: − Calendar.

− Upcoming events. − List of participants.

− Links to other websites such as ModDB. − Latest news.

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New users can register themselves as guests using “Email-based registration”. This system allows ModENet to collect personal information before automatically emailing a link which, when followed, allows the user to create an account. Users can specify in their account profile whether they can be contactable by email.

A privacy policy has been developed and a code of acceptable behaviour for members.

Figure 1. The main website of Modular Education Network – www.modenet.org

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Social networking

ModENet aims to promote social networking between members. This is possible via a homepage link “Participant” which provides a list of all registered users (not necessarily logged in). From the list it is possible to see details of other users and view their profile, send messages and access their blogs and site contributions. Whenever a user makes a contribution to the discussion their name is attached, other users reading their contribution can view their profile. Users can upgrade and update their own profile by adding:

• Free text descriptions.

• Keywords describing interests, projects and so on. • A Picture.

• Whether they are contactable by e-mail.

It is possible to host online meetings such as chat rooms and discussion forums. Such meetings can be time limited, restricted to specific user groups and can link to documents, links, websites, images, video or other types of content. Chat rooms allow multiple users to chat in real time achieving quick results but with only the administrator able to create a log of what has been ‘said’. Discussion forums allow participation at times of the individual’s choosing, and generate a visible record.

ModENet offers collaborative content development, for example of the glossary.

ModENet Governance

The ModENet Constitution was agreed and it has been officially registered as an organisation in Poland. The first meeting of the Governing Body of ModENet was held after an EMCET2 Partnership meeting in Cologne, Germany. Mrs. Marta Jacyniuk-Lloyd was elected as the founding ModENet chairperson and the roles of secretary and treasurer have been entrusted to representatives from ITeE, Poland. Nadeem Khan is the Facilitator.

Recruiting ModENet Members

At the end of the EMCET project, ModENet has been publicly launched at the EMCET conference in Warsaw. This included workshops for conference participants to learn about ModENet and the opportunity to try out its facilities with the support of the CamProf ModENet team.

In addition there is a membership recruitment campaign. All the partners have provided the facilitator with contact lists of potential members. The new members comprise individuals and organisations from well beyond the project partnership and from well beyond Europe. Invitations have been sent along with the ModENet brochure to over 500 experts/ individuals. Members have started on-line registration and we envisage membership to grow in the near future (see part 5.1).