Digital Platforms in School Clusters Educational Management

Cofinanciado por:
Acronym | DigP-SEM
Project title | Digital Platforms in School Clusters Educational Management
Project Code | PTDC/CED-EDG/29069/2017
Main objective |

Region of intervention |

Beneficiary entity |
  • Universidade do Porto(líder)
  • Universidade de Évora(parceiro)

Approval date | 06-07-2018
Start date | 01-10-2018
Date of the conclusion | 30-09-2021
Date of extension | 31-07-2022

Total eligible cost | 231333 €
European Union financial support |
National/regional public financial support | República Portuguesa - 231333 €
Apoio financeiro atribuído à Universidade de Évora | 13846 €

Summary

School organisation into clusters is justified by the reinforcement of autonomy, the fight against isolation between schools and the development of educational projects articulated between all levels of education and participated by the community. However, studies (AL_CL_PF2010; SM_TL2015) reveal feelings of dislike for this school organisation mode, based on a loss of autonomy, dependence to the main school and difficulties in collaborative work due to the distance between schools.

In addition, influenced by the Lisbon Special European Council (2000) and the Technological Educational Plan (2007), ICT became a focus in educational recommendations (European Commission, 2011; OECD, 2015), as well as an important part of school clusters? (SC) daily routines (AS_BS2008; AM_et al2012). Digital platforms (DP) (email, moodle, internet, etc.) became a resource in the communication in SC, about which there is little knowledge, justifying the relevance of the project DigP-SEM. The project main objetive is to produce recommendations for the use of DP towards a school educational management with effects in curricular sequentiality and in the development of a collectively participated, Educational Project (EP), embodying principles of an inclusive ?educating city? (Bologna Declaration, 1990)

The project will be closely monitored and evaluated, ensuring the relevance of the knowledge produced. This knowledge will be shared with the SC that are willing to participate in the project, and disseminated in national and international scientific events in order to reach other contexts.

Aiming to take a photograph of the national panorama?, the project integrates researchers from 6 universities (U. Porto; UTAD; U. Coimbra; IE-ULisboa; U. Évora; U. Algarve), with a vast experience in research in education, evaluation research methodologies and DP utilisation. The team?s expertise provides a potential for innovation to DigP-SEM, particularly in the development of a guide for the use of DP in SC. As so, the project will contribute to improve SC educational management.


Goals, activities and expected/achieved results

Goals

1) Identificar e caracterizar modos e finalidades com que são utilizadas as PD nos AE; 2) Mapear efeitos das PD que têm sido gerados na dinâmica de funcionamento do AE; 3) Produzir e validar um guião de procedimentos para o uso das PD nos AE.

Activities

  • Project Management
  • State of the art concerning theories and policies on school organisation and technological resources
  • Mapping study: modes, aims and effects of digital platforms use in Portuguese school clusters
  • Guide to improve the use of digital platforms
  • Project monitoring and evaluation
  • Dissemination of project results at national and international level

    • Results

  • Exchange of information from the participating countries on effective pre-service teacher training as well as in-service professional development activities; strengthening professional capacity in the partner countries and their respective schools; production of knowledge about inclusion practices; production of a manual of good practices on inclusion and diversity in school settings.
  • Development and delivery of a facilitator training manual to be included in Open Educational Resource (OER) deliverables from the project, and to incorporate methodological guidance on promoting reflective experiential learning; development and delivery of an auditor training programme (in blended mode) for student auditors; creation a framework for the assessment of the learning outcomes from the training and ?reflective experiential learning? associated with the learner?s participation in audit activities.
  • Creation of a set of guidelines and a toolbox that can potentiate a learning environment that promotes understanding in the classroom and support teachers? work; development of resources for classroom use; construction of an online platform where the resources produced are available; knowledge production about training practices with teachers.
  • Production of knowledge about the importance of the involvement of all educational agents in the monitoring and accompaniment of the training processes and the quality improvement. For this reason, the project also allowed to test inductive procedures for self-assessment, based on collective processes of joint responsibility and reflection.
  • Production of knowledge about the importance of, within training and education, taking into account the specificities of the context in which it occurs, of the students/trainees who attend it, of the methodologies to be used and of the training processes that are mobilised.
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