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H2020Staff exchange2021–2025

xFORMAL · Informal and Non-Formal E-Learning for Cultural Heritage

Horizon 2020 — Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions

Duration
2021-09-01 → 2025-08-31
EU contribution
€1,122,400
Participants
12
Scheme
MSCA-RISE

Lines connect the coordinator with its partners.

Results in brief

Informal and Non-Formal E-Learning for Cultural Heritage

The xFORMAL project aims to create a context where science and technology meet citizens of all ages in an informal, intergenerational educational environment based on a platform and game dedicated to the common European cultural heritage. The project strategy is based on several cornerstones aiming at discovering and enhancing the cultural heritage of Europe at the beginning of history, before the arrival of Rome. The main components of the project are - the past of pre-Roman European history (partly taught in formal education), i.e. the inclusion of the minorities of the past, i.e. the discovery of a part of European history that is usually neglected by citizens and in many school curricula. Yet the peoples who inhabited Europe in the first millennium BC shared many common cultural, technological, religious and linguistic characteristics. They stand for unity in fragmentation and diversity, a strong reminder for our society in the present and in the future. The selection of this historical period for the project has a double advantage: on the one hand, the cultural heritage scenarios can be easily identified, and on the other hand, citizens are led to discover an unusual part of their cultural landscape that reminds them of the common European history. - a landscape as an environment that plays an important role in the construction of social and personal identities. From this perspective, the landscape with its cultural heritage is understood as a medium that conveys information rather than an objective container. In the cultural landscape, the visitor becomes a social actor. - the heutagogy approach to promote and support lifelong learning, as learners acquire competences and the ability to learn in new and unfamiliar environments. - an e-game (widely recognised as an informal educational tool) to provide informal and non-formal knowledge to citizens has good reasons, as it falls under the Game-Based Learning methodology, which invites learning through play and takes advantage of the intrinsic motivation of games. Games can help citizens and students connect more closely to science and develop scientific methods and tools for critical thinking. Games are unique and special environments for learning and enjoyment. - an interdisciplinary and cross-sectoral approach as a general working framework allows citizens and students to benefit from different and complementary methods of learning and analysis.

Data: CORDIS, © European Union

Project objective

The COVID-19 pandemic has affected educational systems worldwide, leading to the near-total closures of all formal learning settings. This is a good time to expand opportunities in non-formal and informal settings. xFORMAL project aims at creating a framework in which science and technology meet citizens of all ages in an informal intergenerational educational setting, based on a platform and a game devoted to the common European cultural heritage. The key ingredients of the project are: the history of ancient Europe (partly taught in formal education), the landscape (typically, a non-formal learning base), the heutagogic approach, the virtual/augmented reality (generally recognised as an informal-learning tool), and the sharing of knowledge and experiences between SSH and ICT researchers in an intersectoral setting. The proposed actions target the creation of new partnerships in local communities to foster improved education for all citizens following the heutagogy approach. This project aims at supporting a range of research, dissemination and exploitation activities based on collaboration between educational providers, associations, enterprises, and civil society in order to become an agent of community well-being; encourage families to become real partners in educational life and activities; actively involve professionals from enterprises and civil and wider society in bringing real-life projects to the civil society; and encourage policymakers to the mainstream of good practices and insights into policies, and hence sustainability and impact beyond the lifetime of funding. It is expected that in the short term the development of xFORMAL partnerships between academic and non-academic institutions will contribute to a more scientifically interested and literate society and citizens of all ages with a better awareness of and interest in a cultural common heritage. In the long-term, it will contribute towards ERA objectives of increasing the number of scientists.

Original text from CORDIS.

Participants

  • UNIVERSITA DEGLI STUDI DI GENOVA · GENOVACoordinatorItaly
  • ALTERITAS - INTERAZIONE TRA I POPOLI · VERONAItaly
  • ASSOCIACAO CENTRO CIENCIA VIVA DE BRAGANCA · BRAGANCAPortugal
  • COMUNIDAD AUTONOMA DE ARAGON · ZARAGOZASpain
  • FORSKINGSCENTRUM FOR EUROPEISK FLERSPRAKIGHET OPPET BOLAG · VASAFinland
  • INSTITUTO POLITECNICO DE BRAGANCA · BRAGANCAPortugal
  • MINISTERO DELLA CULTURA · RomaItaly
  • NCLOUD SRL · Mariano ComenseItaly
  • SOCIETA DANTE ALIGHIERI · WROCLAWPoland
  • UNIVERSIDAD DE ZARAGOZA · ZaragozaSpain
  • UNIVERSITE BORDEAUX MONTAIGNE · PESSAC CEDEXFrance
  • UNIWERSYTET IM. ADAMA MICKIEWICZA WPOZNANIU · PoznanPoland

Links

Data: CORDIS, © European Union