Multiplier Events

One of the most important points and requirements within the dissemination efforts in all projects co-financed by the EU Commission are the so-called Multiplier Events. The purpose of these local, mandatory and highly rated activities is precisely the dissemination of more substantial knowledge about the individual project, including its aims and objectives, target groups, methodologies, results and – not least – open resources etc.

As a general rule, the local Multiplier Events are held concurrently in all partner countries. As a general rule, the Multiplier Events are scheduled within the overall project period when the partnership has carried out a significant part of the project tasks or has even completed the project. In some cases, two Multiplier Events may be planned within the framework of a project, and they will usually be timed so that partial results and final results can be presented respectively. In other cases, it is only a final Multiplier Event, and in some projects a major closing conference will form part of the Multiplier function, although usually only in one of the partner countries.

In the AiDKiT project, the model is used, where two Multiplier Events must be held in each partner country with a focus on partial results and final results and presentation of open resources respectively. Consequently, the first Multiplier Events have taken place during this spring, where the partnership had the opportunity to present the results partly from the initial research and reporting on the state-of-the-art for digitalization and online-based education in the individual partner country – partly initial results from the development of digital teaching methods and digital pedagogy, etc. The last Multiplier Event is scheduled for the project’s final period at the end of 2023.

As an example of the AiDKiT Multiplier Events, we introduce in the following map some of the activities in the first Danish Multiplier Event to show how such Multiplier Events can be organised.

TEACHERS WITH DIGITAL EXPERIENCE – BUT ALSO MANY PEDAGOGICAL QUESTIONS

The Danish Multiplier Event 1) was held in March 2023 at a local school in Elsinore (Helsingør). The participants included teachers and educators who partly teach young people and partly have experience from teaching adults. This generally applies to adults with an ethnic minority background. The participants are generally very concerned with the challenges and opportunities associated with digital teaching and their professional work at school as well as in other adult teaching contexts.

To meet the needs and interests the Danish partner began with a general introduction to the findings and results about digitization and digital pedagogy that have been made around Europe, as described in the projects first report, the Motivational Guidebook of Best Practices. This introduction also implied a review of the aims, objectives and methodologies in the project, including the compendium of digital methods being currently developed in all partner countries. As part of the introduction, the participants were also given an extract from the Motivational Guidebook with particular emphasis on the sections that deal with Danish experiences in digitization and digital pedagogy.

This was followed by the main point of the event, where the Danish partner reviewed a number of aspects and experiences in relation to the use of digital methods and learning tools in teaching for both adults and young students. Among other things, this concerned the practical possibilities of combining digital tools with face-to-face teaching, when relevant teaching contexts. Ad part of the dialogue derived from this presentation, the participants took actively part in a discussion and common reflection on issues connected to the practical use of digital methodologies and – not least – the challenges in keeping the learners motivated for the digital learning practices.

In this connection, some participants pointed out that the digital approach differs from traditional classroom teaching, and that motivation will grow as teachers become better at exploiting the special potential of digital learning tools more thoroughly than is perhaps the case today . This applies in particular to a further examination of how the digital possibilities can contribute to creating a new learning space. Thus, one crucial point will also be the further development and outspread of research and knowledge dealing with the question of a special digital pedagogy and associated didactic considerations.

See below an example of a Multiplier Event agenda: