EQUIPE - European Quality in Individualised Pathways in Education - Meeting in Aveiro (6, 7, 8, November 2003)

[project supported by the European Commission, Ref N° 100291-CP-1-2002-1-PT-GRUNDTVIG-G4]

Contractor - University of Porto, represented by Alfredo Soeiro
Coordinator – Elizabeth Royston, EUCEN representative

WHAT IS THE EQUIPE PROJECT?

The EQUIPE project network was launched in October 2002 to give expert practitioners and managers of EUCEN's member universities the opportunity to collaborate to enhance the quality of individualised learning pathways for adults in higher education. The project focuses on three important stages in an individual's experience of higher education:
– at the point of entry;
– during the learning experience;
– impact and progression afterwards.

WHAT IS EQUIPE'S AIM?

EQUIPE grew out of EUCEN's earlier work with quality in the EQUAL (European Quality in University and Adult Learning) project. In EQUAL, a paper-based set of quality guidelines was developed and published.

The aim of EQUIPE is to add value to this work by developing quality tools in different media, especially new media, and to exploit the expertise and knowledge gained in the earlier project. At the same time, EQUIPE has added new partners to widen out the field of expertise on which the network can draw.

THE RATIONALE FOR EQUIPE

As universities become lifelong learning institutions, they need to take account of a much more diverse range of learners' needs. This means that alongside more traditional styles of provision, arrangements for quality assurance and enhancement need to be put in place to take in new practices such as guidance services, accreditation of prior learning (APL), open and distance learning (ODL) and individual or customised programmes of learning.

HOW DOES EQUIPE ADDRESS THIS NEED?

EQUIPE brings together 28 European institutions and 4 major European networks to develop and publish a web-based toolkit that is intended to support quality projects in university adult learning, highlighting and focusing on new forms of practice. The EQUIPE toolkit will be accessible by all providers of university education via the project's web site: http://equipe@up.pt

EQUIPE hopes to increase confidence in and encourage innovative educational practices in lifelong learning in universities everywhere.

EQUIPE's operational objectives are:

– To review existing models and approaches to quality assurance in terms of their relevance and appropriateness to adult learners and innovative practices developed to meet their needs; and to publish this review on the web.
– To develop the draft printed quality handbook from the EQUAL project into a toolkit of different kinds of resources in a range of media, especially web-based, for staff development activities for those working with adult learners in universities.
– To deliver a range of staff development activities in face-to-face and web-based seminars, conferences, and workshops, using the tools and expertise that the project brings together.
– To exploit the expertise of the original EQUAL team, the new partners and the two European networks (EUCEN and EDEN) as consultants, experts and trainers in order to build capacity in European universities in relation to quality, university adult learning and the new publics for higher level study.

The immediate beneficiaries of EQUIPE outputs will be staff concerned with improving the quality of adult learning and especially of individual pathways to learning in higher education. The ultimate beneficiaries of course will be adults seeking to enter or re-enter higher education. The purpose of the project is to improve the quality of their experience at entry point and throughout their learning experience.

WHAT OUTPUTS ARE ENVISAGED FROM EQUIPE?

EQUIPE outputs will be the delivery of a web-based toolkit, the creation of a team of experts and the development of a series of staff and institutional development activities each tested and adapted through live interaction.

TOOLKIT

The toolkit for quality in university lifelong learning will consist of a range of resources for creating, managing, implementing and sustaining quality projects and quality arrangements to enhance the individualised learning pathways of adults. All the tools will exploit the flexibility and ease of up dating provided by ICT and will be web-based. The toolkit will constitute an action research tool for the partners in the project network and a product for dissemination to a wider audience.

A TEAM OF EXPERTS

A large team of experts - at least one from each partner university or association experienced in using the toolkit, able to conduct activities in a number of different languages, and able to act as: workshop, seminar, and conference presenters, evaluators and ‘critical friends’, trainers, consultants, experts and advisors.

SERVICES

The project network will serve as a focus for pilot exercises to develop a range of services, which will constitute the results of the project network. The services will have been tried and tested during the life of the project among the partner institutions, and at the end of the project they will be available for use in other universities and sites of adult learning in face-to-face and web-based format.

PARTNERS

Universidade do Porto, EUCEN, University of Limerick, University of Genova, Queen’s Univ. Belfast, University of Tartu, University of Lapland, Univ. G. D’Annunzio, University of Turku, Tech. Univ. of Valencia, Univ. Maastricht, Univ. of Debrecen, Univ. Henri Poincaré, Denube Univ. Krems, Univ. of Ioannina, Kaunas Univ. of Tech., Danish University of Education, AUE, University of Malta, EDEN, AUPEC, Univ. of Liverpool, Univ. of Ljubljana, Warsaw School of Economics, Univ. of Bergen, Goldsmiths College, Brno Univ. of Tech., Univ. Pierre & Marie Curie, Univ. of Graz, KULAK, Universitatea de Vest din Timisoara.

Collaborating Institution: University of Geneva.Evaluator: Kauko Hämäläinen, ENQA

For further information, contact: equipe@eucen.org