If you ever asked yourself which institution does finance our project that focuses on the emergence of e-Service-Learning as an innovative pedagogical approach based on experience learning in the context of higher education in Europe, you will be interested in this article.
e-SL4EU project, led by University of Silesia, focuses on the emergence of e-Service-Learning as an innovative pedagogical approach based on experiential learning within the context of higher education in Europe. e-SL is a course-based, credit-bearing educational experience in which students participate in an organized service activity that meets identified community needs, and they reflect on the service activity in such a way as to gain further understanding of course content, a broader appreciation of the academic discipline, and an enhanced sense of civic responsibility.
The project aims to develop the University Third Mission into social engagement. The path involves constructing a set of tools and specific knowledge addressing HEI lecturers/trainers and students.
This pan-European initiative was born thanks to the framework of ERASMUS+, which is the European Union’s programme to support education, training, youth and sport in Europe. Its budget of €26,2 billion (for the period 2021-2027) provided opportunities for over 4 million Europeans to study, train, gain experience, and volunteer abroad. Erasmus+ does not just present opportunities for students. Merging seven prior programmes, it has opportunities for a wide variety of individuals and organisations.
In the rich menu of opportunities offered by Erasmus+, there are also the so-called“Cooperation Partnerships”. And this is the scheme that allowed us to have our project financed! The primary goal of Cooperation Partnerships is to allow organisations to increase the quality and relevance of their activities, develop and reinforce their networks of partners, increase their capacity to operate jointly at the transnational level, boost the internationalisation of their activities and through exchanging or developing new practices and methods as well as sharing and confronting ideas. They aim to support the development, transfer and/or implementation of innovative practices and joint initiatives promoting cooperation, peer learning and exchanges of experience at the European level. Enabling transformation and change (at individual, organisational or sectoral level), leading to improvements and new approaches in proportion to the context of each organisation.
Within the new programming period of 2021-2027, to increase the impact and qualitative implementation of Cooperation Partnerships, the following quality elements can contribute to their success: environmental sustainability, inclusion and diversity, and digital dimension.
The e-SL4EU consortium is hardly working on the tasks of the project and is showing a great collaborative spirit to reach the identified targets in order to build effective and inclusive higher education systems, as the call requires.
Giuditta Pasta, ValueDo