Welcome

CARDET is the leading research and development centre in the Mediterranean region with global expertise in school education, digital skills, teacher professional development, and capacity building. As the largest independent non-profit centre based in Cyprus, CARDET is independently affiliated with universities and institutions from around the world, such as the Yale University and the International Council of Educational Media. The team, in partnership with EAEA, has recently developed the lifelong learning strategy 2021-2027 for Cyprus, engaging several ministries, government agencies, social partners, and public and private stakeholders. CARDET has completed more than 300 projects and initiatives relating to systemic school reform, digital learning transformation and evidence-based policymaking, delivering innovative toolkits, curricula and training, gamified eLearning spaces and MOOCS. CARDET brings together an international team of experts with decades of global expertise in education research and development Members of the team, board of directors, and advisory board have served in high profile positions for organisations like UNESCO, Commonwealth of Learning, OECD, Google, and the American Educational Research Association. CARDET is ISO 9001 certified for quality in management, research, and education services and a full member of ALL Digital, Digital Skills and Jobs Coalition.

University of Nicosia (UNIC), the largest University in Cyprus with over 14 thousand students, 300 full time faculty and 700 part time in a variety of undergraduate and post-graduate programmes in education, social sciences, computer science, engineering, business, communications, and multimedia. 28% of its student population are non-Cypriots, making it a multicultural place where diversity and pluralism are valued. UNIC’s team has wide experience in digital learning, teacher training, STEAM and informatics, carrying out cutting edge research in Educational Technology. It offers a multitude of innovative distance learning programmes at Bachelor and Master level and uses the most up-to-date technologies learning design theory to deliver courses. UNIC received the highest rating (5 QS Stars) by the QS Intelligence Unit in the fields of: Teaching; Facilities; Inclusiveness; Social Responsibility; Internationalisation; while also becoming the first university in the EU to be awarded with a 5-Star rating for Online/Distance Learning. In 2018, UNIC became the first university in Cyprus to be ranked by QS World University Rankings, achieving a place on the list of the top 100 universities in the Emerging Europe and Central Asia (EECA) Region., friendship and understanding.

European Schoolnet (EUN), is the network of 34 European Ministries of Education, based in Brussels. As a not-for-profit, it aims to bring innovation in teaching and learning to its key stakeholders: Ministries of Education, schools, teachers, researchers, and industry partners. Its mission is to support education stakeholders in Europe in the transformation of education for 21st century digitalized societies. It does this by identifying and testing innovative practices, sharing evidence about their impact, and supporting the mainstreaming of teaching and learning practices aligned with 21st century standards for inclusive education. EUN use its links with education ministries to help schools become effective in the pedagogical use of technology, equipping teachers and pupils with key skills. EUN has experience both in new technologies (e.g. see Future Classroom Lab under “Description of infrastructure and relevant technical equipment for the proposed work” or its involvement in next-lab), and has managed over 30 pilot experimentations with schools across Europe (from setting up the pilots, to training, evaluating and coordinating). EUN coordinates and participates in many European and privately funded projects and is constantly researching trends in education and collaborating with public authorities, schools, teachers and industry to improve school education through mainstreaming innovative practices.

Regional Directorate for Primary and Secondary Education of Attica (RDPSΕA) is responsible for the coordination, supervision, and implementation of education policy in Attica, involving around 55.000 active teachers and 500.000 students. RDPSEA coordinates and supervises the work of 14 Primary and Secondary Education Directorates, 13 Centres of Educational and Counselling Support, 6 Regional Centres for Educational Planning and 20 Educational Coordinators of Refugee and Migrants students. Its pedagogical strategy embraces participatory initiatives in teacher training and students’ skills reinforcement, with highly qualified informatics teachers involved in the Pedagogical Team.

University College Dublin (UCD), is one of Europe’s leading research-intensive universities, ranked within the top 1% of higher education institutions worldwide, where a comprehensive suite of strong disciplines forms the foundation of high-quality interdisciplinary research, scholarship, and innovation. UCD is Ireland’s largest University with over 30,000 students and is ranked 185th in the QS Rankings; ranking in the top 200 universities worldwide in prestigious Times Higher Education World University. As Ireland’s Global University, UCD pursues four strategic themes: Creating a Sustainable Global Society; Transforming through Digital Technology; Building a Healthy World; and Empowering Humanity. Prof. Mangina’s research and scholarly activities are placed within the project’s target sector; advancement of digital skills in the educational sector through a number of professional best practices nationally and internationally.

RIJKSUNIVERSITEIT GRONINGEN (RUG) has rich academic tradition dating back to 1614. The University has some 30.000 students, 5.500 staff, among which 480 professors, 10 faculties, and 9 graduate schools. Worldwide the University belongs to the top 100 and the top 25 European universities. Three units join forces for this proposal: the Centre for Learning and Teaching, Zernike Institute for Advanced Materials, and Science LinX. The Center for STEM Learning and Teaching aims to enhance the quality of education utlising contemporary learning theories, gender inclusive practices, evidence-based education, teaching innovations, design-based methods, and interdisciplinarity. RUG will co-lead the WP3 – teacher training and lead the implementation in schools in the Netherlands.

University of Zagreb (UNIZG) is the oldest and largest university in Southeast Europe. The University consists of 31 faculties and three art academies. With its comprehensive programmes and more than 70,000 full-time students, it is the most important educational institution in Croatia. The Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Computing (FER) is the largest technical faculty and a leading educational and research institution in the fields of electrical engineering, computing, and information and communication technology in the country. The faculty provides students and staff with state-of-the- art educational and R&I facilities. FER is involved in 218 projects funded by the EU or at a national level.

CESIE a non-governmental organisation committed to promote the cultural, social, educational, and economic development at local, national, European, and international levels. CESIE benefits from a broad network of partners with 3000+ civil society organisations, youth centres, social actors, schools, universities, research centres, public authorities, enterprises, and entrepreneurs in the world and 150+ external collaborating experts. Among its key activities are to enhance teachers’ professional development, supporting them to foster diversity in the classroom and adopt collaborative, innovative and digital practices.

KMOP a non-governmental organisation which offers various educational opportunities and informs social policy with evidence-based research. KMOP has delivered more than 300 impactful initiatives, with an international presence in 7 countries. The organisation has experience in developing educational methodologies that promote gender equality. In 2006, KMOP established KMOP Education & Innovation Hub (KMOP EIH), which directly builds upon KMOP’s cumulative, 45-years long, expertise. KMOP EIH offers educational opportunities helping people develop and enhance their personal and professional competencies, through fostering individual and collective reflection and learning that leads to improved ways of working. KMOP EIH provides vocational training, continuous education and lifelong learning that promote human talent, enhance active participation in democratic societies, and increase skills. It also offers educational consultancy and support in social policy and social economy related subjects, including migration (education & inclusion), social responsibility, employability, human rights protection, ethics, sustainability, and bullying prevention and treatment. In addition, KMOP EIH collaborates with international academic institutions offering formal education opportunities.

Cyprus Pedagogical Institute (CPI) the specialised department of the Ministry of Education Culture, Sports, and Youth responsible for teacher training and pedagogical methodologies. The mission of the Pedagogical Institute is developmental and covers all levels of education: it offers in-service training to teachers of all levels through several compulsory programmes and optional seminars; plans and executes education research and evaluation studies; follows and adapts current trends in pedagogy; promotes the use of new technologies in education; undertakes the writing and publication of teaching books, the designing of the curriculum and the production of teaching materials. CPI will provide support in contextualising the project outcomes in the national framework, reaching out to schools, school leaders, teachers, teacher educators, policymakers to participate in the project and use the results. It will actively disseminate the project via its official channels of communication and ensure that policy and recommendations are adopted at a wider scale.