VIRQUAL newsletter 6

Network for integrating Virtual Mobility and European Qualification Framework in HE and CE Institutions
The project of this network proposes to help educational and training institutions to achieve Virtual Mobility and to guarantee EQF implementation through e-learning, aiming at finding specific obstacles in institutions and proposing concrete and innovative solutions. It will promote cooperation and joint work among partner organizations and will link with related initiatives. It will address other educational networks to help the dissemination of the results.
The project is organized in twelve workpackages that cover all activities of the project. The core group is composed by four subject interest groups (SIG) that address the main objectives of the network. Each SIG will research the selected themes, looking for what has been done and proposing answers for the research questions. Each SIG will also look for potential collaboration with other projects and initiatives that are working in similar areas.
Latest dissemination activities attended by the VIRQUAL consortium
VIRQUAL newsletter 6
The VIRQUAL partnership conducted a number of very successful dissemination activities at the recent S-ICT 2011 and 42th EUCEN Conferences, held respectively in Vienna and Genoa, in November. The main aspects concerning the VIRQUAL Model for virtual mobility were addressed both in the keynote and in specific workshops as well as in special panel discussions with stakeholders. Amongst others, it was addressed how the VIRQUAL model and guides contribute to help learners, institutions, companies and governments dealing with different scenarios of higher and continuous education organization and legislation implement student mobility at a large scale across Europe.
The debates concerning the ‘Institutional’, ´Teacher´ and ´Learner´ versions of the VIRQUAL guides were attended by several experts, teachers and learners who had the chance to have an in-depth look at the document and analyze the relevance of these tools in order to provide institutions with the capacity to improve transparency and facilitate virtual mobility. Participants concluded that this guide covers of the most significant aspects that arise when institutions deal with issues of student’s mobility. In this sense, they’ve all felt the VIRQUAL Model and Guide will indeed help institutions and teachers design new programmes and courses in a more friendly way to foster of virtual mobility across the old continent. Besides this, institutional representatives also remarked issues related with inter-institutional agreements (e.g., accreditation, validation and transparency) and are confirmed that those are some problems in implementing virtual mobility more widely. The same observations were made by participants in the Genoa Conference. It should be underpinned however, that participants at these roundtables all mentioned how decisive institutional commitment is for assuring the quality of the learning process, thus also assuring the credibility of the virtual mobility process. Tools supporting virtual mobility exist and it is just a question of applying the proper methods and procedures to facilitate mobility.
See also VIRQUAL newsletter 5, VIRQUAL newsletter 4.