In line with the EC Europe 2020 strategy objectives of energy sustainability, and with those of social inclusion, growth and innovation of the Education and Training programme, the NECST project aims at developing an alternative educational offer. The approach will be innovative, inclusive, focused on the energy issues and based on the potential offered by the information and communication technologies. The project will be based on a cross-sectoral strategic partnership that will involve research organisations, universities, enterprises and public bodies, all with a specific expertise in energy and environmental issues, i.e. FEEM, eni, Civicamente, the University of Zagreb, the National Park of the Appennino Lucano and the Norwegian Oil and Gas Archives. The partners will be joined by a number of secondary schools of 4 European countries sharing a relevant interest in energy production (Croatia, Italy, Norway, The Netherlands).From a methodological point of view, the project builds upon the implementation of a cross-media e-learning platform, based on the frontier educational strategy of “peer education”. The “Connecting Energy” platform is structured into an educational area (Area Learn) and a community area (Area Meet). The platform represents a virtual dimension where diversified multimedia contents (videos, interviews, reportages, surveys, etc.) related to energy issues (energy efficiency, savings, renewables, sustainability, innovation technologies, etc.) are uploaded and explored by users. Some of these contents will be developed by experts of the academic, research and business sectors and will provide accurate and accessible scientific information aimed at increasing the knowledge of the students involved in the project. These documents will also help stimulate a debate among the students and foster their critical awareness of energy production activities and their impact on social welfare (health, the environment, employment, growth). Based on this debate the students, assisted by their teachers, projects tutors and facilitators, will develop their own contents in e-journalism formats that will be published on the platform. The most advanced 2.0 web communication tools will be used to further disseminate these contents. As producers of the contents and recipients of the teaching activities and mobility opportunities, the students will be both actors and beneficiaries of the project. The project will include preliminary training (web seminars and short-term mobility) for both teachers and students, in order to provide specific knowledge on energy issues and on the tools and methodology to be used when developing the contents. These training activities will be carried out by the partners with the support of facilitators and experts from the academic, research and business sectors.The project expects tangible results from the teaching activities and mobility, such as web seminars and their digital outputs and the contents and methodology guidelines. The main result, however, will be the implementation of the cross-media platform “Connecting Energy” and the digital journalism output produced by the students that will be published on the platform.The long-term impacts envisaged by the project are: 1) to disseminate accurate scientific information on energy issues; 2) to spread energy literacy among the new generations of European citizens ; 3) to foster critical awareness on the connections between energy problems and environmental and social needs in the young generations; 4) to reinforce collaboration and interaction among the business sector of energy production, the education and training entities, the public institutions, the private stakeholders and the local communities.In conclusion, NECST proposes an educational experience based on the collaboration between students coming from different geographic and social environments. The project will be based on the digital and shared production of scientific contents and on an extracurricular, in-depth analysis of themes of common interest. This initiative represents an innovative and inclusive educational model, potentially applicable to other contexts and sectors, aimed at fostering intercultural dialogue through the extensive use of information and communication technologies.

<< Background >>The vision for the Artificial Intelligence: Methodology 4 Quality Education project (AIM4) is to create SUSTAINABLE AND SCALABLE METHODOLOGIES to extend the learning, capabilities and achievements of students, and develop INNOVATIVE TEACHING PRACTICES that will embed 21st century approaches in the classroom. This will involve equipping teachers with the knowledge, skills and motivation to introduce innovative AI-based digital methodologies into classroom teaching practice, as well as encourage core life skills in students, including critical thinking skills, decision making and communication.This is especially important given that the 2020 EC Digital Education Action Plan consultation found that:- almost 60% of the respondents had not used distance and online learning before the crisis;- 95% consider that the COVID-19 crisis marks a point of no return for how technology is used in education and training;- respondents say that online learning resources and content need to be more relevant, interactive and easy to use.Our target groups are teachers and students in early secondary education, from grades 7 - 9 (11 to 14 years old). This is a crucial point of education, when students move from general and comprehensive curricula of primary education, to the specific requirements of secondary curricula. At the same time, students of this age are expected to broaden their key skills in the areas of decision-making, communication and critical analysis. This necessarily creates challenges to broad and balanced educational impacts. The project will focus on ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE, which offers significant potential within schools education: if used wisely and if it serves the needs of educators. To achieve this it is important that educators are in the driver’s seat when it comes to designing and developing AI-based systems: the purpose of the AIM4 project is to provide teachers and school leaders with a critical role in defining a clear purpose for AI in the classroom, and to be trained to understand and utilize it effectively. Students will also be involved in decisions about the use of these technologies and encouraged to reflect and debate about the ethical and moral issues that accompany their use.The AIM4 project will provide training and professional development to teachers in order to support the embedding of digital approaches (adaptive learning) in the classroom. The teachers will then be provided with a new, bespoke and state of-art AI-based adaptive learning module, to roll out across 2 classes (per school) in grades 7-9. Practice will be observed, evidence gathered and evaluated, so that at the end of the project in Year 3, the project will produce the final AIM4Quality education report and framework, highlighting the areas of readiness, resilience and capacity, from the school perspective.The project results are expected to break new ground in the evidencing of the ways in which classroom teaching methodologies can be innovated with well-considered introduction of adaptive learning technologies. These project results could potentially create impacts across the EU and beyond, and it is intended to disseminate the AIM4 Quality Education report and framework through trans-national channels.The AIM4 Quality Education project has a TESTBED of four schools across four countries who will be collaborating on the implementation and adoption of the innovative AI-based module and sharing knowledge and experience. One key objective of the project is to develop awareness in students of the ethical and moral dimensions of using AI technologies, which will involve them investigating ethical issues such as racial bias in automated systems such as facial recognition. The students will be encouraged to record their observances and thoughts in 'digital scrap books', which will be collected, edited and presented at the close of the project as an output, with dissemination through key EU channels<< Objectives >>The overarching objective of the AIM 4 project is to: DEVELOP INNOVATIVE PRACTICE FOR TEACHERS IN USING AI-BASED ADAPTIVE LEARNING APPROACHES IN THE CLASSROOM.The specific project objectives are to: 1.Develop a methodology and teaching framework for implementing Adaptive Learning approaches in teaching and learning; 2.Identify core competencies necessary to adopt innovative digital approaches in teaching; 3.Foster core 21st century digital and life skills in students; 4.Develop awareness in students of the ethical and moral dimensions of using AI technologies; 5. Foster collaborative practice, peer-review and exchange of good practice using the collaborative platform. Using Artificial Intelligence within a Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics (STEAM) approach, AIM4 will provide students and their teachers with an AI-BASED LEARNING MODULE, which will serve two objectives:- to adjust the learning routes for each student so they can progress at their own pace.- to provide teachers with learning dashboards and other tools which can help them differentiate all of their students. These individualized paths are made possible through the interconnection of two research fields: cognitive science, which studies how children's brains learn basic knowledge, and artificial intelligence.<< Implementation >>The TEACHER-TRAINING PROGRAMME will involve engaging the teacher cohort and establish focus groups, and channels of engagement (through the collaborative 'Meet and Learn' platform. We will assess current levels of knowledge, skills and competencies, together with gap analysis of knowledge requirements. Identify target skills and competency requirements / upskilling trajectory in the context of AI and adaptive learning, target key roles, define learning objectives and desired outcomes. The training programme will be designed and constructed according to instructional design methodologies based on learner-driven, constructivist approaches, focussing on learning as an active, iterative and problem-based process, with components focussed specifically on developing mastery of the AI adaptive learning module at the core of the project. The programme will be delivered through e-learning and other support materials on the Meet and Learn platform, together with regular mentoring and online support sessions. AI-BASED ADAPTIVE LEARNING ACTIVITIES will be developed specifically for this project and will make it possible to allocate to each student, activity after activity, the most pertinent set of exercises the child needs to unlock or deepen his learning. The ‘cognitive’ approach to learning means that activities will be provided to students with the aim of gathering information on the precise understanding that a student has of the subject (Artificial Intelligence). This data is then used to target a student's shortcomings and strengths and provide them with content that is truly suitable for their current level of understanding.COLLABORATIVE LEARNING: Throughout the project, knowledge and good practice will be shared and peer-reviewed through online collaboration channels, virtual and real meet-ups and events. The central collaborative tool will be the 'MEET & LEARN' platform, a central platform dedicated to communication, collaboration, knowledge sharing and peer-review among the project participants.EVALUATION: Results and outcomes will be MEASURED AND EVALUATED, with data and evidence gathered from project participants: the teachers and students. Our Academic experts from The Techné Research Unit of University of Poitiers will coordinate the evidential analysis and creation of a teaching framework and tools that will be tested and released to all the European schools after the pilot phase, co-financed by the European Commission, making this project an example of transferrable and scalable strategic partnership.RECORDING EVIDENCE: Tangible outcomes will be prepared by the project participant schools, overseen by the expert academic team at the University of Poitiers, and will include reflective practice by teachers, in the TEACHER REFLECTIVE JOURNALS, recording of experiences and activities by the students in the STUDENTS DIGITAL SCRAPBOOKS. TRANSNATIONAL PROJECT MEETINGS will typically cover one-and-a-half to two days, to allow sufficient time to cover all elements of the project plan, and allow partners to feedback into the process. The meetings will be structured according to an agenda including the following items: - discuss project progress, - review success metrics- review operational activites- assess quality benchmarks- review risks and issues logs, with nitigation if necessary- assess technical elements of the project (web platform, AI module etc)The meetings will be hosted by the project partners on a rotational basis in order to optimize the culture of cooperation and to allow the partners to discover the work environment of their colleagues.A clear project plan will be created at the project inception stage, incorporating clear roles and responsibilities, a project schedule, critical path planning and significant milestones, together with a breakdown of project results and dependent tasks. It will include quality management, risk assessment, progress tracking and performance monitoring.<< Results >>YEAR 1Year 1 will involve the kick-off meeting and the first organizational and management meetings.PROJECT RESULT 1 – AI-FOCUSSED E-LEARNING MATERIALSThis will involve the pilot team of 16 teachers, providing them with in-depth training on the topics of Artificial Intelligence and providing professional development on the incorporation of adaptive learning approaches into classroom pedagogy. Through the “learn” section of the Meet and Learn web platform the teachers will have access to eLearning materials, advice and support and (PR1), which will be clearly structured and fully tracked by the platform monitoring utility. PROJECT RESULT 2 – MEET & LEARN PLATFORMThis will enable the different participants to meet, communicate, peer-review and exchange knowledge and good practice, (thanks to the “Meet” features) as well as undertake learning activities (thanks to the “Learn” functionalities). The platform will be available to external stakeholders to access RESULTS beyond the end of the project. PROJECT RESULT 3 – ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE-BASED ADAPTIVE LEARNING MODULEA bespoke and unique AI application that will be used by the AIM4 teachers in their classrooms. The module will develop activities on the identification of skills underlying computing, algorithmic thinking and artificial intelligence. Students will be encouraged to use critical thinking skills to identify ethical issues such as bias in AI. Through dashboards (data collection, clustering and analytics), teachers will have complete insight into students understanding and progress, and a comprehensive tool to support differentiation and intervention.YEAR 2During the second year of the project the student cohorts will be inducted and the teachers will deliver the learning pathways according to the Training Programme from Year 1.Impact evaluation: learning outcomes and evidence of impact on classroom pedagogy will be now tested on the classes, using input and guidance from the Academic and Research partners. Reporting will be delivered in the following formats:PROJECT RESULT 4 – TEACHERS’ REFLECTIVE JOURNALSThese will be digital logs/portfolios, which will enable the teachers to record their observations, evidence and experiences while using the AI module in the classroom. The Digital Journals will be a core element of the teachers reflective practice, that will enable critical evaluation of the adaptive learning module, and provide the evidence necessary to compile the summary report and guidelines.PROJECT RESULT 5 - STUDENTS’ DIGITAL SCRAP BOOKSThe Digital Scrapbooks are portfolios of evidence that the students from the four participating countries will collect over the lifetime of the project to record and reflect on the experience of using the AI-based digital module in the classroom. Students will be able to express themselves through video, poken word, design, coding, or creative writing, media that are easy to embed into a digital log.YEAR 3PROJECT RESULT 6 - AIM GUIDELINES 4 QUALITY EDUCATIONThe final year will see the production of the summary report: the teachers will be involved in a mobility experience that will be aimed at editing and producing the official “AIM Guidelines 4 Quality Education”. This will be the project summary report and recommendations, a publication that will collect together relevant parts of the Essays and White Books, together with analysis and insight from the academic and research partners. It will contain formal recommendations for a potential competency framework focussing on teaching with Intelligent technologies.DISSEMINATION AND AWARENESS RAISING: The report will be forwarded through EC channels (eg ERASMUS , EUN, Europa) to form the basis of future development phases and possible ratification as a European standard. EVENTS: A representative body of the students will participate in a webinar based keynote, where they will present the outcomes of their participation to other EU schools

"The ALL Erasmus+ Strategic Partnership aimed at deepening the knowledge on marine environment and ecosystem, with a focus on the Adriatic basin and generally on the Mediterranean Sea, by studying its habitats and environmental characteristics, as well as the impacts and threats of anthropic activities. The project also raised participants' awareness of the tight connections linking the various ecosystem’s components and showed how human activity is increasingly affecting the marine dynamics. The project originated from the Erasmus+ Strategic Partnership NECST (2014-2017), led by the same coordination unit (including FEEM, CivicaMente, and Eni as an associated partner). In addition to the partners involved in the coordination unit, the project involved two highly-qualified scientific partners with educational experience (Fondazione Cetacea and Blue World Institute) and four upper secondary schools from three countries representing different shores of the Mediterranean basin: Gela and Ravenna (Italy), Zagreb (Croatia), and Limassol (Cyprus). In particular, the project involved 190 students from the four partner schools and their teachers (14 in total), who worked together in national and transnational groups to maximize the impacts of the cultural exchange envisaged by the project.Project activities have been carried out according to the most modern and participatory ICT-educational methodologies, such as Open Mind and Citizen Science. In fact, the aim has been to develop and experiment with an innovative learning approach using digital technologies. In fact, the project created an effective immersive learning environment, facilitated classroom discussion, stimulated shared reflection, and promoted the acquisition of new skills through activities mediated by digital technology. Also, Citizen Science approach was used to conduct dynamic field research with digital tools connected through the Platform and the smartphone App; it allowed schools to be actively involved in the project. Finally, the multimedia Platform created a learning environment where participants progressively discovered the project digital contents with the support of virtual areas to which students directly contributed to their work.The project produced several Intellectual Outputs, including 1) multimedia scientific contents and webinars on marine biodiversity; 2) the Platform and the smartphone App, connected through QR codes during a treasure hunt in the cities where the schools are located (Blue Hunt); 3) 40 e-books made by students, divided into transnational groups, on assigned research topics; 4) a digital journalism newsletter on the project activities.The main impact of the ALL project consists in the replicability of its methodology in other schools at the national and European level, as well as in other scientific fields. This entails that the ALL methodology is an effective modern learning experience and a ""best practice"" that may be complementary to traditional learning approaches. In the long term, this impact will result in a greater awareness of all direct and indirect participants, as well as in a widespread awareness of environmental issues concerning the marine ecosystem, its environmental peculiarities, and changes caused by anthropic activities."

Following the adoption of the Circular Economy Action Plan in 2015, the EU has promoted measures to stimulate the transition towards a circular economy. The adoption of the circular model may be an effective strategy to break the spiral of inefficiencies that seriously damages the natural, economic and social equilibriums of today’s world. In order to overcome the linear economy model in Europe (and beyond), it is necessary to adopt a re-education strategy in the context of a new economic model, where the axis buy-use-dispose-buy-again is disrupted. The new model needs to be transmitted to children and young people and, most importantly, should be included in European school plans. The LOOP project intends to transfer knowledge and competences concerning sustainable development and in particular to current scientific debates around the issues of Circular Economy and the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The project aims to, on the one hand, provide students with scientific knowledge and the skills to understand current global issues related to sustainable development. On the other hand, it intends to also stimulate students in learning, developing and sharing conscious behaviours. The project will involve the participation of teachers, students and tutors in the project activities. In particular, the project will involve around 160 students from 5 schools in 3 EU countries and their teachers. Moreover, specialised personnel of FEEM and the University of Zagreb will be dedicated to the tutoring operations and will be selected by the same organisations according to the functions they will have to perform.To reach its goals, the project will support and guide students in the development of a number of activities and outputs under the guidance of appropriately trained teachers and tutors and through the special “Meet&Learn” Platform. The activities will be based on innovative digital technologies specifically designed to stimulate the inclusion of participants and encourage the learning of the relevant project topics and their basic values.The LOOP project intends to adopt a highly innovative didactic approach based on digital and ICT pedagogy. In particular, the project will be based on an original methodology, developed by the partner CivicaMente and called “Open Mind” which uses multimedia tools to guarantee a high degree of learners’ involvement and which promotes the strengthening of soft skills through activities mediated by digital technology.The project will produce the following results: an Online Platform, a virtual learning environment, structured in different levels that will be used as mean of communication, online repository, interactive training provider and a dissemination channel; Teachers and Training Materials, virtual classrooms including learning units for the teachers; Pitch Elevator videos, short video messages presenting the students involved in the project; Report on Flipped Classroom, a methodological and content report in concerning the main results of the performances conducted by the students in the classroom, on the assigned research topic; Research essays (e-books), resulting from the national field research of the students investigating the four “R’s” of the circular economy; Transnational thematic projects on the basis of the e-books already produced during the national research activities; a Report explaining the overall methodology adopted for each phase of the project: from the online platform structure, through the training methodology for students and teachers, to the flipped classroom and national and international working groups. It is expected that the LOOP project will have an impact on all the individuals involved; in particular, the students will improve their linguistic, technological and scientific knowledge on circular economy, and the teachers will dispose of innovative teaching methodologies and key competences on the themes addressed. Starting from the local level, the desirable impact would be the creation of a virtuous cycle that could expand to the regional, national and European levels. A further impact concerns the awareness raising at different levels regarding the importance of turning to a circular economy model based on the principles “Redesign, Reduction, Recycling and Reuse” to promote the achievement of the SDGs of the Agenda 2030.

"CONTEXTA recent research conducted by the ministry of education and EIF (""FoodEdu@School” 2018) has highlighted how, in the Italian school context (but there is reason to believe that the findings of the research may be of interest for other European Countries), education for sustainability through food based on the initiative of the individual teacher, with teaching methods more traditional. In this way didactic uniformity is lacking: a solid approach, based on skills, as well as content, that could be much more effective for the development of educational actions, replicable and widespread, for teaching sustainability to children, through the theme of food and food systems.OBJECTIVESIn order to increase the efficiency and effectiveness of the didactic action within the school on the theme of sustainability through food, the project aims to qualify the profession of a teacher and provide the tools, procedures and output are able to form in a systematic way, an ever-increasing number of school staff with the goal of ensuring that, over time, a standard of consistent quality and capable of having a significant impact on the full awareness of the students about the benefits of healthy and sustainable, for their own health and that of our planet.NUMBER AND PROFILE OF PARTICIPANTSThe participants in the project are:- 35 teachers of Secondary Education of second degree;- 250 students of Secondary Education of second degree (2 classes of 25 students on average for each partner school). The summer schools include the involvement of 10 teachers and 25 students, appropriately selected, in the amount of 2 teachers and 5 students for each partner school.DESCRIPTION OF ACTIVITIESThe project includes the following activities: - 5 Intellectual Outputs → IO1: Report on the state of the art, education, and sustainability through the food in the school environment; IO2: “Framework of competencies” for the teaching of sustainability through food; IO3: Guidelines for teachers in order to educate for sustainability through food; IO4: IT Platform “Meet&Learn”; IO5: Certification: Teaching Sustainability Through Food.- 3 Management Meetings → Italy, Bulgaria and Greece.- 6 Multiplier Events → Italy (2), Bulgaria, Spain, Latvia, and Greece.- 1 training mobility for teachers in Italy.- 2 Summer School mobility for students and teachers in Latvia and Greece. There are also two cycles of laboratory activity of sustainability education through food conducted by teachers and addressed to students in the Class Group (10 class hours per year).METHODOLOGY TO BE USED IN CARRYING OUT THE PROJECTThe methodology is based on the PRINCE2 model: the project is organized in several stages, in which the activities, are divided, planned and allocated according to the outputs. The project is divided into 3 Macro-phases: preparation; implementation; closure. The phases of the project are of 2 types: - transversal: Project Management, Dissemination and Follow − up Management; - chronologically vertical: intellectual outputs, training activity abroad.RESULTS AND IMPACT ENVISAGEDResults: - the teachers are able to design educational paths in a school environment, using innovative methods and tools (in particular, the use of the platform “Meet& Learn”), as well as through the confrontation with concrete experiences in local communities of origin; - students are able to develop their own critical thinking with respect to the challenges of food and environment in the course, and to act accordingly; Impact: − the improvement of teaching effectiveness in the field of sustainability through the food in schools partner; - an increase of interest of students and teachers towards the issues related to education for sustainability through food;- the development of language skills, interpersonal, intercultural, planning and problem solving, as well as related to the use of particular tools, and multimedia tools (online platform, video production-documentary, digital photography) on the part of students and teachers.POTENTIAL LONGER TERM BENEFITSIn the long term, the project aims to generate the following benefits: - increased teaching effectiveness in the field of sustainability through food, thanks to the diffusion of the proposed model on a large scale (at least on the national territory of the partner); - increased awareness on the part of students and teachers on the topic of sustainability on a large scale (at least in the geographical areas of reference: the Baltic Countries, the Mediterranean, and the Balkans);- greater resourcefulness on the part of students and teachers in implementing individual behaviors and collective actions aimed at promoting healthy and sustainable lifestyles, respectful of our health and the environment, through food."