Institute of Research and Information on Volunteering
Institute of Research and Information on Volunteering
Valuing Experience Beyond the UniversityInitiated by iriv together with the University of Evry Val d'Essonne under the "Lifelong learning" programme (call for proposal 2009), under the Leonardo da Vinci programme, the project is meant to identify, value and validate experience acquired by students beyond the University. Five countries have been associated : France, Austria, Greece, Eire and Poland. This is a transfer of innovation of former LdV project initiated and directed by Iriv (www.eEuropeassociations.net.) This project is supported by the European programme Leonardo da Vinci.
Many European countries are faced to high levels of unemployment among youngsters. Universities around the European Union have tried to bridge the gap between the knowledge they deliver and the demands of the labor market. In this perspective, they have tried to express their diplomas in terms of skills and competences. This is one of the key points of the recent reform LMD (Licence, Master, Doctorate) to propose a common framework to European universities to enhance transparency and mutual recognition of the diplomas and as a result the validation of their students' skills and competences. The main reproach made to youngsters is to lack of a professional experience. The VAB project aims at proposing a pedagogical tool for teachers/trainers teaching at the University together with an e-training to allow them to integrate non-formal/formal learning of their students/trainees acquired outside university in their global evaluation. Thanks to the VAB, they will be able to value the personal, social and professional experience acquired by their students/trainees beyond the University in order to enhance their professional integration. The expected impact of the VAB project is a better preparation of teachers/trainers working at the University to answer the labor market's needs.
Thanks to the reform of the universities all around Europe, the same common framework has been organized: Licence, Master, Doctorate (LMD). So that the diplomas are more comparable from one country to another especially for the employers. This is a key issue to enhance mobility in Europe. Moreover, each of the countries has made an effort to express the content of the diplomas/certificates with regards to the skills and competences acquired and their link with the labour market (types of employment to be proposed). Nevertheless, the unemployment among youngsters is still high; the time to find a first job has been increased for the graduates. One of the main reproaches made by employers is their lack of experience even though many youngsters could justify of valuable personal, social or professional experiences that might be useful on the labour market. The teachers/trainers would require a complementary evaluation of their students taking into account the skills and competences they acquire and develop outside the educational system through their personal, social or professional experiences. They know how to assess traditional knowledge of their students/trainees using a grid of evaluation based on the content of their course. They do not have any methodology nor pedagogical tool to assess non-formal and informal learning of their students/trainees. This is the aim of the VAB project to provide such a pedagogical tool.
The main aims and objectives of the project should be:
The e-portfolio and e-training will be experimented among selected teachers/trainers in the 5 countries to make it clear, usable and understandable. Networks of teachers/trainers, university/training bodies, experts in lifelong learning, professionals in 5 different labour markets with different professional backgrounds will be built in the 5 countries in order to enhance the use of the tool and method. The expected impact is to enhance training of teachers/trainers at the University meant to support the professional integration of their students and enhance a global evaluation of the students.
The main results to be achieved through the VAB project ae :
1st of October 2009 - 30th of September 2011
France
Université d'Evry Val d'Essonne, chef de file
Pr dr Jeanine Tortajada, vice-présidente chargée de la recherche
Avenue François Mitterrand
91 000 Evry
Tél : 00 33 1 69 47 76 58
Fax : 00 33 1 69 77 76 59
http://www.univ-evry.fr
iriv Conseil, coordinateur
Dr Bénédicte Halba
11 rue de Saussure
F-75017 Paris
Tel.: +33-1-42 84 08 25
fax : +33-1-42 84 08 25
contact@iriv.net
http:// www.iriv.net
Autriche
Die Berater
Mr Holger Bienzle & Judit Galla, project coordinators
Wipplingerstrasse 32/Top23-26
AT-1010 Vienne tél : + 43 1 53245450;
fax : + 43153245451145 http://www.dieberater.com
Grèce
Hellenic Open University
Ass Pr dr Achilles Kameas
18 Parodos Aristotelos Street
GR-26335 Patras Greece
tél : + 302610367402
fax : + 302610367416 http://www.eap.gr
Irlande
University of Limerick
Dr Dermot Coughlan Ollscoil Luimnigh,
Luimnench,
Limerick, Eire tél : + 35361213544;
fax: + 35361202757 http://www.ul.ie
Slovénie
Université of Ljubljana
Pr dr Rajko Mursic
Kongresnl trg 12
SI-1000 Ljubljana tél : + 38612411530;
fax : + 38614234497 http://www.uni-lj.si/