E-learning projects and results Dr. Adina Ionescu The Romanian Foundation for Quality Promotion, Romania

Improvement of Employment Chances of the Unemployed and the Visual and Auditive Disabled by using Virtual Learning Applications - IECUVADVLA Grundtvig 2 - LLP project ► The Romanian Foundation for Quality Promotion (RFQP, Bucharest, Romania) ►“Octav Onicescu” High School (Bucharest, Romania) ► Institut Arbeit und Technik (Gelsenkirchen, Germany) ► Széchenyi István University (Gyor, Hungary) ► Fry-Samuels & Associates Company (Lymington, U.K) ► I.E.R.- Stichting International Excellence Reserve (Eindhoven, the Netherlands)

IECUVADVLA The target group: ► the seniors unemployed; ► the seniors unemployed with visual and hearing deficiencies.

Objectives of the project ► to improve the employment chances of the target group; ► to develop national studies on unemployment situation and a comparative analysis on the base of the national studies; ► to elaborate short national studies about the specific needs of the target group and possibilities of educational assistance by electronic means; ► to develop and organize training courses on basic computer skills, assertiveness, and employment techniques;

Objectives of the project ► Design and development of the training modules in different forms accessible to the target group; ► Full practical testing of the training modules on learners; ► Creation and maintenance of the project’s web sites; ► Dissemination of the project results; ► Evaluation of the project results.

Activities of the project 1. Activities of the project’s organization: ♦ launch of the project; ♦ determining the project’s tasks and responsibilities in detail; ♦ formulation of the project’s methodology and plan of action; 2. Linguistic preparation. 3. Project’s activities provided by the Activity Planning Table: ♦ discussions and contacts established with: - the National Agency for Work Force Occupation; - the local Agency for Work Force Occupation; - the Town Hall; - potential employers; - representatives of the target group.

Activities of the project ► Collecting data and information for national studies on the situation of the unemployed and people with visual/auditive impairments; ► Training session on basic computer skills organized at “Octav Onicescu” National College from Romania; ► Design and development of the training modules in different forms accessible for the target group; ► Dissemination activities: broadcasted interviews.

Results of the project ♦ the current unemployment rates; ► National studies on unemployment situation: ♦ the current unemployment rates; ♦ the national strategies of learning and employment opportunities afforded to the target group; ♦ the national legislations in places protecting the rights of the target group; ♦ the governmental benefits, support and inclusive policies promoting equal opportunity.

Results of the project ♦ Short national studies about the specific needs of the target group and the educational assistance by electronic means; ♦ Comparative report on the base of the short national studies; ♦ The main web site and national mirror web sites of the project; ♦ Questionnaires to identify the level of knowledge of the target group and their possibilities of employment; ♦ Quality charter;

Results of the project ♦ National statistics on typology and disability of unemployed and persons with visual and hearing impairments; ♦ Training modules using virtual Application Models on Basic computer skills and Internet use, Soft Skills and Assertiveness Training and Communication Techniques for Getting Employed ♦ Questionnaires for evaluation of the learning progress; ♦ Questionnaires for an internal evaluation of the training modules; ♦ Database on national statistics, typology, disability of the target group, learning providers and available job;

Results of the project ♦ Web sites (a main web site of the project and national mirror web sites); ♦ Panels and folders; ♦ Publications; ♦ Press reports; ♦ Brochure; ♦ The first version of the FORThSIGHT Programme 1.0 (The Intelligent Text Magnifyer) DEMO for people with visual impairments;

Experience gained through the project ► The project drew attention to the issue of the senior unemployed and impaired persons; ► The project stimulated the change of employers’ attitude towards the value of employing unemployed senior and disabled persons; ► Adult learners actively participated to the project meetings and workshops; ► The institutions participating in the Learning Partnership, as a whole, found new possibilities and experiences in cooperation on European scale;

Experience gained through the project ► The staff directly participating to the project improved intercultural and teaching abilities; ► The project contributed to the improvement of the teaching methods in those countries where the use of IT in teaching and learning with respect to this target group is already applied; ► The project IECUVADVLA introduced in several countries of the partnership the use of Information Technology in the process of teaching and learning to (senior) unemployed and (unemployed) persons with hearing and visual impairments.

♦ Romania - Romanian Foundation for Quality Promotion http://www.iecuvadvla.eu.tt ♦ Romania - Octav Onicescu High School http://www.iecuvadvla.ro ♦ Germany - Institut Arbeit und Technik http://www.improve-your-chances.de ♦ Hungary - Széchenyi István University http://zeus.sze.hu/iecuvadvla ♦ The Netherlands I.E.R.- Stichting International Excellence Reserve http://www.ier-nl.net/IER-IECUVADVLA.html ♦ United Kingdom -Fry-Samuels & Associates (Lymington) Limited http://www.iecuvadvla.uk.tt

Objectives for a future European cooperation ► to help seniors to learn how to improve their cultural and social life by using modern information tools particularly the Internet based on their interests and needs; ► to stimulate the interest of the seniors and disabled people to use the Internet, share usual information and communicate in order to improve the quality of their lives and to acquire modern citizenship; ► to investigate the information needed by the target group and the influence that the social and cultural context have on decisions that seniors and disabled people make in using communication technologies.

Objectives for a future European cooperation ► To facilitate the access to information of the elderly people with or without visual and hearing impairments; ► To improve and test the FORThSIGHT software for improving Internet-based information and communication possibilities; ► To initiate the development of a Text-To-Speech machine in Romanian language; ► To encourage the cultural and life experience exchange by facilitating the virtual dialog between old and young generations;

Objectives for a future European cooperation ► To improve the communication skills of the seniors, especially of the ones with visual and hearing impairments by training and new technologies; ► To create and test different types of general training modules and demonstrative courses on culture, communication and active citizenship; ► To develop seniors' motivation, their practical abilities and self-efficiency in using information technologies; ► To reduce the marginalization of the elderly by facilitating their active involvement in the social, political and cultural life and by changing the general mentality about aging.

The use of the ICT in classroom http://adinasite.angelfire.com (web page developed in didactic purpose) Thank you for your attention!