The construction of MOOCs in the Embrace project

Authors:

• Vanessa Battestin
• Juliana Cristina dos Santos

The EMBRACE project is developing a trilogy of MOOCs (Massive Open Online Courses) with the aim of training higher education teachers and managers in digital and pedagogical competences, and based on the European Digital Competence Framework for Educators (DigCompEdu) (PUNIE & REDECKER, 2017). The MOOCs will initially be used as part of teacher/tutor training courses for the institutions in Brazil and Colombia participating in the EMBRACE project, which will also involve online or face-to-face activities planned by each institution. From next year, these courses will be available to the general community on the Open Courses Platform of the Federal Institute of Espírito Santo (Ifes).

The MOOCs available on the platform have the following characteristics:

MOOC Methodology and Justification

The EMBRACE project’s MOOCs adopt an autonomous and flexible learning approach, offering a variety of teaching materials such as videos, texts and images. The methodology encourages practice through interactive activities, discussion forums and automatic assessments. This format allows MOOC students to learn at their own pace, according to their availability.

The construction of the MOOCs involved the collaboration of various institutions from different countries and cultures, representing a significant challenge to ensure uniformity and efficient communication. However, this diversity has enriched the content and provided a global vision of best educational practices. The courses are currently available in three languages: English, Portuguese and Spanish, broadening the reach and accessibility of the MOOCs.

The ADDIEM model (BATTESTIN & SANTOS, 2019; 2022) was used to build the MOOC, following its activities and producing the respective artefacts.

Embrace MOOCs

In the EMBRACE project, teacher training was built through three MOOCs, forming a learning path, which despite having a standard path, can be taken in any order.

The MOOCs have been designed to address important aspects for ongoing teacher training, as well as focusing on specific areas of digital competences for educators, as outlined by DigCompEdu.

1st MOOC: Digipeda – Digital and Pedagogical Competences

The first MOOC aims to train teachers and managers in digital and pedagogical skills, more specifically skills in creating and using digital resources and assessment, promoting student-centred educational practices. In the case of DigCompEdu, the focus is on axes 2 and 4 of competences.

2nd MOOC: Active Pedagogies Using Digital Tools

The second MOOC aims to develop pedagogical and digital competences that encourage active and meaningful learning in digital environments. In the case of DigCompEdu, the focus is on axes 3 and 5 of competences.

3rd MOOC: Professional Involvement and Promoting Learners’ Digital Competence

The third MOOC prepares educators to become professionally involved and promote students’ digital competence, integrating education with the world of work. In the case of DigCompEdu, the focus is on axes 1 and 6 of competences.

Conclusion

With these three MOOCs, the EMBRACE project aims to transform higher education by training educators and promoting innovation and sustainability in teaching. Stay tuned for more information on the launch of the courses and their availability to the general community.

References

• BATTESTIN, V; SANTOS, P. Modelo ADDIEM – Processo para criação de cursos MOOC. Espí­rito Santo: Cefor/Ifes, nov. 2019. Disponí­vel em: bit.ly/ADDIEM. Acesso em: 18 fev. 2022.
• BATTESTIN, V.; SANTOS, P. ADDIEM – Um Processo para Criação de Cursos MOOC. EaD Em Foco, v. 12, n.1, 2022. Disponível em https://doi.org/10.18264/eadf.v12i1.1648. Acesso em 02 fev 2022.
• Punie, Y., editor(s), Redecker, C., European Framework for the Digital Competence of Educators: DigCompEdu , EUR 28775 EN, Publications Office of the European Union, Luxembourg, 2017, ISBN 978-92-79-73718-3 (print),978-92-79-73494-6 (pdf), doi:10.2760/178382 (print),10.2760/159770 (online), JRC107466.