<< Background >>Programming is the closest we can get to super powers, according to Drew, the creator of Dropbox. It is obvious that programming is an amazing tool that affects our daily life in so many ways. Programs can control robots that explore the surface of the planet Mars or help care for elderly people. Computers have evolved and have become part of not only almost everyone’s work life but also of almost every other aspect of life such as entertainment, health, finances, shopping, traveling, etc. They are in our phones, our watches, our cars, our home appliances, our entertainment systems, and even in our work tools.In all EU countries, we have a rising demand for skilled workers who can program computers; however, the gap between the skills needed and those with the skills is growing every year. As our societies are flooded with new technology every year the importance of knowing how to code becomes more and more apparent. We already have a serious lack of skilled workers in many areas of technology which means that we see growing opportunities for those who have at least a basic understanding of coding skills. Computational thinking and programming skills are not only very important key competences everyone should learn nowadays, they are also essential for an increasing amount of jobs in today's economy due to the immensely increasing function of technology in our society. This is why everybody should get to know the world of programming.What's even more, we will guide learners towards employment opportunities that are available for those with a beginner level knowledge of programming skills. Understanding which jobs are available and how to apply for them will be integrated into the course.Even though the partners will likely focus on Python in the videos, the core learning content can be adapted to other higher programming language like Java, C#, too.<< Objectives >>In this project the partners intend to give adult learners the opportunity to acquire coding skills that can help them in their personal development. For many adults acquiring coding skills is difficult and confusing. The question where to start is not easy to answer. This project aims to make coding easy and fun and provide a MOOC (Massive Open Online Course) in which learners can create a free profile and a learning portfolio. MOOCs have become widely accepted in education and in 2018 the number of learners using MOOCs has crossed 100 million.. The MOOC will take learners from the beginning to a solid understanding of coding and gives them plenty of opportunities to practice, offering highly relevant exercises that are practical in everyday life and help the learners to learn computational thinking and how to program. The partners plan the MOOC to introduce learners into programming Python. The MOOC can be done without any previous knowledge about coding, as it starts with the basics. Over 12 weeks users will improve themselves until they even reach a level in which they can understand and perform object-oriented programming.<< Implementation >>In the project there will be the following activities, mainly to develop, create, host and disseminate our project result, the MOOC:Learning conceptThe partners will work on a learning concept for the MOOC. The partners will define what knowledge about coding is most useful for adults and therefore belongs into the MOOC.Creation of lesson conceptsAll partners work together on creating a lesson concept for the MOOC. This will be done based on A1 by creating a structure for the 3 main modules and defining what aspects will be learned at what time.Creation of learning materials and exercisesAll partners work together on creating learning materials and exercises, each partner bringing in their expertise. Illustrations and DesignIn this activity illustrations and design for the learning materials and exercises and other MOOC-related resources will be done.Filming and editingLearning videos for the MOOC will be filmed and edited.Overall Compiling of the MOOCThe MOOC needs to be created on a platform and the lessons need to be created, along with their materials, exercises and videos.Testing and EvaluationThe MOOC will be tested and the test results will be evaluated. This happens several times during the development of the MOOC and its respective materials to make sure that the output suits the needs of adults when it comes to learn coding and computational thinking.<< Results >>The MOOC will contain a wealth of materials and videos and it will be translated into all project languages. We intend to create a showcase of how much potential a well-designed modern MOOC has. The MOOC will consist of 3 parts, each of which lasting 4 weeks with approximately 4 hours of content per week - an amount that fits into adult's schedules even if they have a job and lots of things to do. This means that we intend to create 48 hours of course materials It will be shared widely and will be completely free. The project consortium consists of one IT expert and two organisations of learning who have high experience in doing courses for adults. All three partners are experts in creating learning concepts and materials. By doing several test iterations of the respective modules with adult learners of all skill groups the partners will assure that the concept and the quality of the MOOC suits adults perfectly by also focusing on aspects that are relevant for them, like job-related information. The MOOC will be available in English, German and Greek.Knowing how to give detailed instructions to computers by writing code is a very powerful skill that is already extremely useful in many work situations and will only gain in importance as our world becomes more and more digital. We are just now starting to react to this development, and the first countries in Europe have made teaching coding mandatory in schools.

<< Background >>Healthy and resilient societies depend on giving nature the space it needs. The recent COVID-19 pandemic makes the need to protect and restore nature all the more urgent. The pandemic is raising awareness of the links between our own health and the health of ecosystems. (…) The five main direct drivers of biodiversity loss – changes in land and sea use, overexploitation, climate change, pollution, and invasive alien species – are making nature disappear quickly (EU Biodiversity Strategy for 2030-May 2020).“Biodiversity preservation in rural and maritime areas of EU islands” (BioIslands) project is focused on three of the main sectors related to biodiversity preservation. Increased land-use intensity in agriculture has caused an alarming decline in farmland biodiversity during the last century. Likewise, there is great concern over the degradation of pastoral landscapes by invasive species and soil erosion, the undermining of common property systems, and unsustainable land-use changes, such as mining, inappropriate afforestation and unsustainable agricultural practices.Currently, nearly half of the Earth’s terrestrial surface is transformed by agriculture and pastoralism, and thus, the contribution of agricultural and pastoralism areas to biodiversity is critical for successful long-term conservation.In addition, biodiversity has many key roles in ecosystems, and many elements of biodiversity support fish species and therefore also fisheries. At the same time, cooperation fisheries also often affect seabed biodiversity. Furthermore, fisheries may also change the composition of fish communities, and changes in fish communities can matter to seabed biodiversity. Many ecosystems are affected by cumulative impacts. Although they may not be individually catastrophic, the combined effect of pressures can result in loss or fragmentation of habitats. Furthermore, it can result in ecosystem changes and shifts in biodiversity, associated with the removal of habitat-specific or functional important species.This preamble emphasises an essential intervention in these three sectors and more specifically on the leading players (i.e. farmers, shepherds and fishermen) who should be enabled to actuate biodiversity preservation strategies and actions in their daily work.The BioIslands project meets the needs of our partnership in different ways. First thing, all partners individualised a common need in their country of operation. Secondly, all partners of the Consortium have experience in the matter of at least of the main key pillars of the project (i.e. adult learners, non formal education, agriculture, pastoralism and fishery, technologies) and participating in the project, through the exchange of knowledge and skills inside the Consortium they will be able to acquire comprehensive experience in the other pillars, improving their professional profile. Lastly, the Results produced in the project will enable them to enrich the pool of tools/methodologies they own that can be employed with the selected target group but also other targets, due to their versatile feature.Farmers, shepherds and fishermen care about their job and know the importance of biodiversity preservation in the rural and maritime areas. The challenge lays in adapting their way of work, handed down from generation to generation with the increasing product demand while at the same time not over-exploit the land and the sea. As their job has a specific working hours period it is difficult for them to enroll in physical training courses. Thus, BioIslands project will develop a high-quality up-skilling e-Learning course that will provide them with the required competences and skills as well as providing them with a useful technological tool that will support them in elaborating biodiversity preservation strategies based on various indicators.<< Objectives >>BioIslands project objectives are:O1 foster biodiversity preservation in rural and maritime areas of European islands;O2 provide an adequate and qualitative learning opportunity for farmers, shepherds and fishermen in biodiversity preservation;O3 develop user-friendly digital instruments that can support farmers, shepherds and fishermen in preserve biodiversity in their daily work.<< Implementation >>Activities- Implementation of a transnational focus group with researchers and professors to define which competences related to biodiversity preservation can be transmitted with digital learning (total of 20 participants).- Implementation of the piloting of the R1 with the involvement of 5 farmers, 5 shepherds and 5 fishermen per partner.- Implementation of the piloting of the R2 with the involvement of 5 farmers, 5 shepherds and 5 fishermen per partner.- Implementation of one International Biodiversity Day in 2023 in which partner will involve stakeholders, public authorities at the international level to promote project Results and outcomes achieved so far. Based on their availability, adult learners that will be involved in the testing of R1 and R2 will participate to share their direct experience.- Implementation of one Multiplier Event per each partner with an audience of 20 between stakeholders, public authorities and the general public.<< Results >>Project Results are: - Research report at Consortium level containing current biodiversity status in rural and maritime areas of the countries involved, data analysis of the current level of knowledge and up-skill needs of farmers, shepherds and fishermen in the matter of biodiversity preservation, a grid of required competences for farmers, shepherds and fishermen to implement efficient biodiversity preservation strategies in their work.- Web Platform containing: R1 three E-learning courses, which will be developed based on the findings of the Research Report, one on Agriculture Biodiversity, one on Pastoralism Biodiversity and one on Fishery Biodiversity. The course will be designed in an interactive fashion in order to make the learning process easier and enjoyable for the user. At the end of each course, the user will be provided with a video tutorial about the Biodiversity Analysis & Strategy section of the platform (R2) containing an analysis system of elements and indicators to assess the environmental impact of the area, individualize the presence of alien species as well as providing a specific plan containing suggestion for intervention.Intangible results of the project will be:- Promotion and raising awareness regarding the importance of preserving biodiversity in rural and maritime areas in EU islands and beyond.- Adoption of project Results by different entities that will integrate them in their training offer.- Consolidation of cooperation framework allowing partner organisations to be active on the topic exchanging information and proposing follow-up initiatives, also with the involvement of interested stakeholders.