OnlineHE_Toolkit

5 The European Commission's support for the production of this publication does not constitute an endorsement of the contents, which reflect the views only of the authors, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein. Project Number: 2020-1-RO01-KA226-HE-095434 Introduction to the project and Toolkit Over the last years, the need to improve the quality of Higher Education (HE) programmes and reach out to a diverse population of learners, regardless of any physical or time barriers, strengthened the adoption of digital technologies (OECD, 2019; EUA, 2019). In this context, the COVID-19 pandemic accelerated the adaptation of distance learning across the globe. Educational institutions were forced to transition into an emergency remote teaching period overnight. In most cases, there were no specific measures in place to ensure the quality of the online teaching to be delivered. Based on recent research, it is evident that university faculty are not properly prepared to develop and teach effective online courses (EUA, 2020; Vrasidas et al. 2020). To respond to this need, a consortium of seven partners from six EU countries have come together to implement the project “A practical toolkit for integrating eLearning in Higher Education Curricula (ONLINEHE)”. The project aims to build the capacity of HE teaching staff, academics, and learning designers in integrating eLearning into their educational programmes. Through specific deliverables and actions, it will raise awareness on the need and value of adopting quality eLearning, promoting a cooperation among all stakeholders involved in HE, including policy makers. The duration for the completion of the project is 24 months (01/05/2021- 30/04/2023) and throughout its lifecycle the following will be produced: ⮚ IO1: Toolkit for integrating eLearning in Higher Education . The aim of this output is to develop a toolkit which will support HEIs and instructors to adopt a strategy when designing, developing, and implementing effective eLearning courses. The IO1 will consist of resources, research, pedagogical material, case studies, practical tips, and a collection of OERs activities that can be adapted and adopted to learn how to teach online in Higher Education. ⮚ IO2: Training Course . The aim of the output is to offer training to a group of HE staff, researchers, practitioners, adult educators, learning designers, and university support staff. It aims to support a HE professionals to understand all basic elements needed to be able to effectively design, develop and implement innovative and interactive eLearning courses to university students and adults. ⮚ IO3: eLearning platform and MOOC. This is one of the first MOOCs that will have a clear focus on supporting HEIs’ target groups to improve and modernize their curricula and integrate innovative technology tools for the design and delivery of courses. Therefore, the MOOC will address the significant issues and topics of integrating eLearning in HE, being fully aligned with EU policies and HE needs. It will