Education, like many other areas, has evolved over time and adapted to technological advances, going from traditional paper-based tools to the most current online ones. Everything has changed in a very short period of time, and the European Union is at the forefront of this shift.
Hence, the aim of projects such as Sostra, co-financed by the Erasmus+ 2018 KA24 program, is to promote online education; in this case, for teachers of adults. Upholding the skills that any 21st-century educator should possess, the project's partners have defined 15 "soft skills" that they consider fundamental, and that users can acquire digital accreditation of.
Six partners - from Finland, Italy, Poland, Romania and Spain, including the University of Cordoba - participated in this project to help develop these skills in teachers of people over 18 years of age.
Francisco Saco, principal investigator at the UCO on this project, explains that the purpose was to "achieve a better understanding of these social skills," which were summarized in 15 explanatory podcasts: respect for others, critical thinking, motivating for development, inclusion, ethics, active listening, empathy, asking questions, creativity, passion and self-motivation, self-awareness, attention to diversity, adaptability, a positive attitude and honesty.
After these competencies were identified, they were programmed on the Sostra.eu platform, to which each user has access to register and complete the activities proposed for each skill, with total freedom. This means that a teacher is not obligated to go through the 15 actions. Rather, teachers can choose those that they deem necessary for their pedagogical work. In addition, for each of the learning modules that they complete they earn badges; that is, digital credentials recognized by the "Open Badge" system, Google and other platforms, such as LinkedIn and Facebook, with the support of the UCO and the University of HAMK (Finland).
Ultimately, the aim is to promote the development of these soft skills in European adults and to promote an open digital learning process in several languages, offering people the chance to acquire new knowledge.
The process begins with an initial self-diagnosis of skills already possessed. Then one selects skills to be developed, and demonstrates his knowledge of the selected area through a proposed activity. Finally, a digital credential is obtained once the module has been completed.
The researcher also considers it key that this methodology can be followed online, and autonomously, in accord with the approach that is prevailing in Europe, and that it also leads to the acquisition of a digital diploma.
The SOSTRA project - “Soft Skills Training and Recruitment in Adult Educators” (2018-1-FI-KA204-047243) - was funded by the European Union through the ERASMUS+ 2018 KA204 call.
Report financed by the CONSOLIDA-UCO ECT2020-000810 project through the Europe Networks and Managers - Europe Technological Centers 2020 call.