EAR2 project at the ENIC-NARIC conference
Just before summer, the ENIC-NARIC network held its annual conference. Among the many technical, procedural and informative items on the agenda, there was also room for interaction. The EAR2 project team was glad to participate in that, and gratefully accepted the invitation to organise a workshop.
A quick brush-up
What is EAR2? EAR is short for European Area of Recognition. In a previous blog I informed you about EAR2, one of the successors of the successful EAR project that ended last January. EAR2 has three foreseen outcomes:
- to update the existing EAR manual on recognition procedures for foreign qualifications;
- to publish a more user-friendly version of the manual online;
- to provide online training for ENIC-NARICs in the use of the manual, using social media, discussion groups, and so on.
E-chapters and training modules
The aim of the workshop at the ENIC-NARIC Conference was to test the online chapters and training modules that have been produced by the project team, and to collect responses from the experts participating in the conference. The UK project partner provided an overall insight into the online environment they are developing. They presented an overview, which included interactive chapters and training courses, supplemented with links to day-to-day examples that will liven up the content, and also to websites and documents containing interesting material for further reading.
The site will focus on simple, easy navigation through the chapters, using a simple yet functional design, with a search function and a glossary – easy to update periodically.
As for the content of the website, the Dutch and Polish partner each presented an online chapter and training module they had developed, each about a different topic from the original manual. They provided an impression of the interaction between the two, and showed a more graphical view of what the content of the site could look like and how it could be made interactive.
The presentations were followed by a discussion about the workability of the elements in the training module, as well as possible technical issues, and participation of staff.
“Good fun”
The proposed elements of the training module were generally welcomed. They can be used to collect additional examples of good practice, which can in turn be used to further update the manual. The idea of including ‘test-your-knowledge questions’ was generally liked, some even called it “good fun”.
Some people could foresee a few technical issues, like the speed of the internet connection, and the fact that programming should not be too fancy, to allow users with older computers to participate as well. Apart from that, no big issues were raised.
As for the question about the target group of the modules – meaning which employees should take the online course – no real consensus was reached. That is to say, it will most likely depend upon the size of the office and time available, but other criteria did not come up immediately. Therefore, the target group will range between the entire office and limited participation by one or two senior staff members.
All these outcomes are of course interesting, but above all good news for the EAR2 project. The target audience for which we carry out the project is interested and by now actively involved, and is willing to participate in the training, once it is online. What do you think, will an online environment stimulate ENIC-NARICs to actively implement the EAR manual? Will they be willing to share information from their own daily practice with other recognition authorities? Or will they in the end prove to be a hard audience to target, and will it still remain difficult to change the daily recognition reality, which many consider to be quite stubborn?