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Emerging Technologies for Holistic Literacy in Adult Education

Emerging Technologies for Holistic Literacy in Adult Education (ETHLAE) aims to analyse, adapt and test methods and practices to embed emerging technologies in the ALE sector and in holistic literacy programmes, especially targeting adults’ learners in vulnerable situations.

Emerging technologies such as AI, IoT, AR/VR, and robotics offer a wide range of potential applications within all sectors of learning and education, and society at large, shaping the way that we perceive the world around us and establishing new grounds of critical engagement. The inquiry into whether technology can facilitate learning and change for adult workers in vocational and adult education has been a subject of extensive examination by researchers and educators alike , but although these technologies have been mapped and explored in various projects and initiatives, there is an identified gap in the pedagogical approaches to embed them effectively in adult learning and education contexts, especially in the provision of inclusive and accessible holistic literacy and life skills programs, as hinted in the “On the Futures of Technology in Education: Emerging Trends and Policy Implications” report of the European commission.

In this context, to better understand and tackle this pedagogical gap, the project ETHLAE: Emerging Technologies for Holistic Literacy in Adult Education comes to live! It aims to support systemic change for Adult Learning and Education (ALE) organisations in embedding technologies in the delivery of holistic literacy programmes for adults, supporting peer-learning and capacity-building activities among organisations and individuals of different countries and contexts. 

In particular, the project aims at supporting ALE educators in designing and delivering holistic literacy education programme for adults’ learners in vulnerable situations, that embed these emerging technologies, when beneficial, in a meaningful and accessible way, and developing new costum approaches, with a focus on considering social, contextual, economical and personal needs of educators and learners, their potential challenges and benefits.

Main objectives

  • Support systemic change for ALE organisations in embedding technologies in the delivery of literacy programmes for adults.
  • Identify and analyse good practices and methods for embedding emerging technologies in ALE literacy programmes in a meaningful way.
  • Adapt existing holistic literacy and life skills programme learning scenarios to meaningful embed emerging technologies, considering the specific needs of ALE organisations and adults in vulnerable situations.
  • Develop and run a capacity-building programme involving ALE learning designers, educators and learners and to support the views of both technological experts and ALE literacy experts.
  • Test of ETHLAE Toolbox and pilot the new learning scenario in at least 5 countries and with European communities of educators, with different audiences and contexts, in order to support mainstreaming and potential exploitation

News & Articles

During this two years, the partnership will provide you with the news from the project and interesting articles on Emerging Technologies and how these technologies work, Holistic Literacy Programmes design, digitalisation in education and much more!

News and articles coming soon…

Research and Methodological analysis

First things first, the consortium is conducting a comprehensive mapping and analysis of existing methods, practices, and tools relevant to the integration of emerging technologies in adult learning and education and in holistic literacy programmes.

This is currently being done by involving expert consultations and interviews to ALE educators, organisation representatives, learners, decision-makers and digitalisation especialists; reviewing literature and desk research, and identifying useful case studies and best practices which will later inform the development of the ETHLAE Toolbox. This collection and analysis of relevant methods and good practices is based on the existing work on emerging technologies in education setting at large, also from other sectors, such as schools, HE and VET and on a framework including criteria that are relevant for adults learners in vulnerable situations.

All partners are currently mapping and analysing existing methods, practices and tools deriving or already applied successfully in other sectors of education, but also conducting an exploration and scoping activity for the contextual implementation of ET in holistic literacy programme for adults in vulnerable situations, identifying main enablers and main obstacles. By examining existing frameworks and practices for holistic literacy for adult learners in vulnerable situation, there might be opportunities for learning improvements through emerging technologies.

This research is currently being done in Austria, Croatia, Finland, Romania, UK and at EU level.

Interested in participating in the research and give your contributions? Please contact EAEA: maria.ribeiro@eaea.org.

Partnership

Emerging Technologies for Holistic Literacy in Adult Education (ETHLAE) brings together seven partners from Austria, Croatia, Finland, Romania, UK and two European networks based in Belgium. The project is also supported by the Associated Partners.

European Association for the Education of Adults (EAEA), Belgium (European)

The European Association for the Education of Adults (EAEA) is the voice of non-formal adult education in Europe. EAEA is a transnational, non-profit association, based in Brussels, with 120 member organisations in 43 countries and represents more than 60 million learners Europe-wide.

Algebra Bernays University (AU), Croatia

Algebra University (AU) stands as a premier private non-profit educational institution in Croatia, dedicated to providing undergraduate and graduate programs in digital technologies. Offering a diverse range of courses, AU is committed to equipping students with the skills and knowledge needed to excel in today’s digital landscape, serving a vast student body of more than 15,000 annually.

All Digital, Belgium (European)

All Digital is a leading pan-European association based in Brussels working to enhance digital skills across Europe and support Europeans that have an insufficient level of digital skills. It represents 100+ member organisations across Europe that work with 25,000 digital competence centres providing training and support in digital skills to 1.5 million people every year.

Center for promoting lifelong learning – Centrul pentru Promovarea Invatarii Permanente – (CPIP), Romania

Centrul Pentru Promovarea Invatarii Permanente is a Romanian non-profit organisation that works in Lifelong Learning since 2005. CPIP is committed to mainstreaming the principle of equal opportunities for all citizens in public policies and associated practices, as an integral part of democratization and the
creation of an open society, to re-define the status of community co-production in all areas related to
lifelong learning.

Finnish Lifelong Learning Foundation – Kansanvalistusseura (KVS), Finland

KVS Foundation is politically and religiously non-affiliated organisation established in 1874. It is an independent foundation on everyday learning. Its core expertise is in the fields of adult learning, innovations and communication, with innovative projects and open-access publications (European Lifelong Learning Magazine and Aikuiskasvatus, a peer-revied research journal).

Learning and Work Institute (L&W), UK

Learning and Work expertise encompasses strong thematic knowledge of adult basic skills policy and
practice, and a track record of undertaking robust research and evaluation in the adult learning and skills
sector. With a heritage of over 100 years in adult education, L&W is nationally and internationally recognised and respected for its expertise in adult basic skills

Association of Austrian Adult Education Centres – Verband Österreichischer Volkshochschulen (VÖV), Austria

Verband Österreichischer Volkshochschulen (VÖV), together with its Educational Work and Research Unit (Pädagogische Arbeits- und Forschungsstelle, PAF), regards itself as a co-ordination centre for activities relevant to educational policy and pedagogics in Austrian Adult Education Centres and also as a service centre for its member organisations, the regional associations.

 

Associated partners: Swiss Federation for Adult Learning (SVEB), VHS Vienna (Wiener Volkshochschulen), European Basic Skills Network (EBSN), DAFNI KEK, Finnish Adult Education Association – FAEA (Vapaa Sivistystyö ry (VST) – Fritt Bildningsarbete rf), Timisoara Prison, Arad Prison and Gherla Prison.