<< Background >>Nowadays, in the time of Covid-19 pandemic and rapidly digitalising world, students learn more independently, choosing their own methods, resources and individual learning paths. According to European Higher Education Area student-centred learning aims to focus on the learner and their needs, rather than being centred around the teacher's input. Contemporary teachers need to know how to support their students, bringing self-directed learning approach in the foreground, and afterwards how to assess students’ gained skills and knowledge equally.Self-directed learning approach demands a clear roadmap to achieve defined study outcomes. Students need a system which could help to track their performance and monitor skills acquisition alongside study process.To ensure quality of higher education in the field of healthcare education institutions should implement a system for transparent and structured educational content, thereby create a unified education infrastructure in the European Education Area.In addition, labour markets and education systems encounter specific challenges to ensure balance and reduce skills mismatch. There is an urgent need for a system to improve transparency and comparability of skills and classifications on national and European level. The system should improve skills intelligence and guide learners to achieve study outcome and be competitive on the job market. Riga Stradins University, within a project funded by European Social Funds, has developed a Skills Monitoring System on the institutional level. First project evaluation results and feedback from stakeholders indicate the importance of a system to ensure transparency and compatibility of skills. Extension and implementation of the such a system crucial on the national and European level.That is why the SkillTrack project aims to develop a concept of a pedagogical framework and methodology in the context of self-directed learning, using a skills tracking system as a tool, and promote evidence-based discussion between public administrations, educational institutions and employers and facilitate dialogue to align study outcomes with the needs of the labour market to reduce skills mismatch.<< Objectives >>By implementing the SkillTrack project we expect to have an impact not only on the involved parties, but also to spread the word and promote the concept of a skills tracking system as a helpful tool in a self-directed learning for a student-centred education.Education institutions will have an opportunity to provide goal-oriented study programs and implement individual learning paths. Teachers will increase the competence with the developed methodology and pedagogical framework. Students, with the developed unified skills catalogue will have an opportunity at the end of their studies to receive a skills portfolio that will be internationally recognized and will promote their competitiveness. In the result the quality of studies will increase and project outcomes will have positive impact on students by more efficient learning, as it leads to reduced educational drop-outs. Cooperation between European higher education institutions will be promoted by creating a common educational infrastructure and a common practical framework for the development of joint educational programs for the future and sharing good practice.In addition, employers and educational institutions will have a tool to address the adequacy of education and the labour market, and employers will have a documentary confirmation of the potential employee's readiness for the labour market.With our developed products we shall increase the quality and accessibility of higher education. The sustainable benefits are seen in more qualified teachers at work, with more satisfied students and other end users, more transparent and structured educational content, more holistic and efficient higher education and cost savings, locally and in EU.<< Implementation >>Multiple activities will be implemented to achieve the goal meet the objectives of the project.In order to create a methodology and pedagogical framework about skills acquisition and self-directed learning approach literature review will take a place at the beginning of the project. Focus groups, interviews and workshops with experts in healthcare education will be conducted as well.Project partners will continue working to create a unified healthcare skills catalogue, mapping existing skills lists of universities and ESCO skills classification, and supplementing it with skills descriptions, level of acquisition and assessment methods.When both a pedagogical framework and catalogue will be created – a Learning Teaching and Training Activity will take place to prepare teachers of four partner universities for the approbation process. SkillTrack - a pedagogical framework on a self-directed learning and a concept of a skills tracking system as a tool - will be approbated during that activity for one semester. Data collection and analysis will be held to develop recommendations for further development and improvement.To ensure the awareness about the project of not only SkillTrack participants, but also of other stakeholders, such as administration of different universities, representatives of professional associations and policy makers on local and European level – different multiplier events and a Final seminar-webinar will be organised to present the results of the project.As SkillTrack is international and involves a cooperation of four different universities from different countries, four transnational meetings will be implemented within 2 years to guarantee smooth management of the project, according to the planned budget and timeline.<< Results >>Implementing all the above-mentioned activities the SkillTrack will have four main tangible outcomes:1. A developed and approbated methodology on teaching, learning and assessment process of practical skills, including definitions, methods and documentation, as well as pedagogical framework in context of student-centred teaching and self-directed learning.2. A foundation for a unified healthcare skills catalogue, which will include full skills descriptions, acquisition levels and assessment methods, validated by healthcare professionals and experts in healthcare education.3. An evaluation report after one-semester-testing process of a developed methodology and pedagogical framework, and a concept of a skills tracking system as a tool for a student-centred learning.4. Recommendations, addressed to all project stakeholders about possible skills tracking system implementation and competence development for teachers in context of self-directed learning.These results will be available at the open-access platforms to all interested and involved people, thus the SkillTrack project will have an impact not only within each partner organisation, but also each region or country that the partners operate in and throughout the EU. This international collaboration will help finding solutions together to aligned and also country specific problems in increasing teachers’ pedagogical competencies and developing more transparent and structured skills acquisition pathways in higher education.

Evolution in healthcare service and significant demographic changes put pressure on the delivery of health service and therefore on ambulance workers, (which can be Nurses, Paramedics or EMT´s), hereafter called paramedics. This has changed the prehospital service from being focusing on first aid, stabilization and rapid transportation to hospitals, over to make an advanced diagnostic often in emergency situation, offer community health service, acute mental disorder prehospital diagnosis and even to provide treatment that previously were given in hospitals. This demands more knowledge and skills among Paramedics. Cross-border co-operation, for example, in major accidents, requires Paramedics to have comparable knowledge and to provide comparable services between countries. Consequently, more education has been called for in Paramedicine and many countries are aiming to educate and graduate Paramedics at an undergraduate level, but education of Paramedics varies drastically within European countries. Even within neighboring countries like the Nordic countries. Some require an undergraduate degree while other settle for shorter coursework on a lower academic level. Two Nordic countries Finland and Sweden have many years of experience in educating Paramedics at a university level. Norway started few years ago while Denmark and Iceland are in preparation stage for teaching Paramedicine at a university level. However, it is peculiar that not a harmonized curriculum is used and, as mentioned earlier, it is desirable that Paramedics have a similar academic background and qualifications. We need to respond to this reality, and as a start, four Nordic countries have decided to work together with the objective to create exemplary curricula for the education of Paramedics at the university level (BS, 180 ECTS or more, according to Bologna principles). It would be of great benefit to these countries to have the same curriculum that could even become exemplary to other European countries.The coordinated curriculum also strengthens the international collaboration between the universities, which is currently quite uncommon regarding Paramedic education. There are possibilities to teach joint courses online and students can go abroad for vocational and simulation training as well in the context of this proposed collaboration. By offering BS degree for Paramedic at a university level, it is also a chance that the extra product of the projects, at least in some countries where the profession of paramedics has been majority male, that the number of male students in universities will increase. Witch can be a good news where women are now outnumber men at universities in many countries. Number and profile of participants.Participants in this project are in addition the applicant (University of Akureyri, Iceland) who will coordinate the project. Three Nordic Universities . Yrkeshogskolan Arcada Finland, Oslomet - Storbyuniveritetet, Norway and Emergency Medical Services Copenhagen, University of Copenhagen, Denmark. It is a strength of the application that these countries have their Paramedic education in different ways so that one can exploit the best practices from each of these different partners to create the ideal model for Paramedic education. Methodology, description of activity and result.The results will be obtained by a number of steps or timed work packages. Among other things, these are:1) To gather information on the differences between Paramedic education within the participating countries, historically.2) Compare current situation and curriculum.3) Review the legal side of the profession, are there differences in rights and duties, is there a need for new amendments?4) Which form of education is most appropriate like distance (digital) learning, online courses, practical simulation e.c.. How can we make the study accessible to everyone regardless of residence?5) Design a new exemplary curriculum, the Intellectual output, that addresses all the modern problems that the profession faces and looks to the future. There will be online meetings and transnational meetings where it must be ensured that the timetable will be met and that the result will be as planned Long term benefit.Long-term benefits will be improved paramedics education at the tertiary level. Coordination between the Nordic countries in Paramedic education. Greater opportunities for cross-border work, students and teachers exchange.As the Intellectual Output will be available for other universities this might be used as a model for other European countries.

<< Background >>Health equity is important for a sustainable society, future, and good life for all. The project group members have been working on topics related to health equity for years. Some are working within the healthcare field, some within education and some provide a social service from their respective NGOs. Equity is a value-based, political concept that points to the commitment of providing safe, meaningful, and appropriate healthcare for all. Although European health care systems are developing in a positive direction for many people, there are health and service gaps which, unfortunately, are contributing to growing health inequity within our societies. Preservation of sustainable societies depends on accessibility to health services, and availably of equitable healthcare, for all. Therefore, knowledge and competence about existing health gaps and inequities as a societal problem is an issue that must be given high priority. Through our work and discussions, we have identified the need to design a framework that clearly articulates the concept and context of health equity through education and allows us to build competence in this topic. HEIs share a responsibility for the training of the future healthcare professional workforce and, thus, must design new and effective strategies to integrate health equity into the student healthcare professionals’ education in collaboration with other relevant stakeholders. Based upon this background, we have built a consortium that has the knowledge, expertise and, in short, the capability of undertaking such as a task. Close collaboration between educational institutions and individuals and groups from their extended network, namely healthcare services and providers, policy and decision makers and healthcare user groups represented by specific organisations including NGOs is necessary for understanding and bridging the health gaps. In this project, four HEIs and two NGOs will work closely as partners towards achieving this goal. In addition, we will reach to the extended network to work together throughout all stages of competence building, from designing the framework and producing open access educational materials, to implementing them in our courses. In our previous work, we have missed a suitable collaborative space for international collaborations between different sectors. Therefore, the Virtual HEQED House will be created to fill such a space here. This will be a space for networking, information, sharing of material, development, teaching, and learning. It will be a tool, a learning hub and a space for close collaboration between central stakeholders for building equity in health through education. In summary, we are addressing the need for: •understanding the concept of health equity through education •operationalisation of health equity through education •a collaborative space for educational institutions, NGOs and other stakeholders •relevant and updated learning material on health equity •building competence in health equity•knowledge construction on health equity<< Objectives >>We want to achieve equity in health through education. This means that all persons within our society get relevant and good healthcare. This is a huge aim, and we are aware that one project will not take us all the way there, but we can take important steps. We are focusing on the role of higher education, which is one of several sectors responsible for building equity in health, in becoming a facilitator of change. By defining, or describing, a framework for health equity through education (PR1), we are providing educational institutions and related organisations and sectors, with guidelines and tools to understand what health equity means and how it can be operationalised. We want to connect educational institutions, NGOs, and other members of the extended network to be able to understand the health gaps at local, national and international levels (PR2). We want this collaboration to occur at a management and administration level, but also at classroom level. In addition, we want to increase the sustainability of similar projects by providing a space where future collaborations may emerge. Finally, we want to build competence by providing educational material (PR3), we want to implement and see real changes within the project organisations (PR4) and in organisations outside the consortium (PR5 and PR6). We want to see changes in the educational programs, in the classroom and, finally, in the health care professionals that are educated and trained for meeting the health needs of our society.<< Implementation >>To achieve our goals, we have planned several activities targeting various needs and groups of participants within and outside our organisations. For describing the framework (PR1), we will map the network for health equity through education. This will require a thorough analysis and understanding of relevant stakeholders. We will then come to a consensus of key aspects within health equity through education and analyse the key concepts from this process. This will make it possible to define and describe a framework for health equity through education. We will invite leaders within the project organizations to learn how to implement and understand this framework (LTTA1), and the result will be disseminated outside the project group in the first multiplier event (ME1). For a close collaboration between educational institutions and NGOs, we will design and build a collaborative space, the Virtual HEQED House (PR2). In this Virtual HEQED House, knowledge mobilisation and construction will take place, fertilising innovative learning options inside education and possibly making them available to health services as part of continuing education. For building competence and providing students, lecturers, clinicians, and leaders with learning material, we will make a collection of learning material, that will be placed within the Virtual HEQED House as an open educational resource (PR3). Lecturers within the project consortium can learn how to use the Virtual HEQED House and its content within their educational programs in LTTA2. During the second multiplier event (ME2), we will disseminate the Virtual HEQED House and its content outside the consortium. Lecturers interested in using the Virtual HEQED House, can join the HEQED Pilot (PR4). In this pilot, we will support both lectures and students to use the Virtual HEQED House for building competence in health equity. In practice, this means that students can use the learning material, arranging classes with external lecturers or clinicians working with the NGOs becomes easy, students can develop material or text together and they can contact experienced staff from various fields. This will be an important support for educational institutions in building competence through strategies that are up-to-date and relevant. The piloting will be disseminated in ME3. To support lecturers, leaders, and students outside the project organisations, we will arrange a virtual training seminar in PR5. Lecturers interested in using the Virtual HEQED House can join the free training and either use it for their own competence building, or in their classes. In addition, we will collect all reports, evaluations, and material in an E-book (PR6). The entire project will be disseminated in ME4.<< Results >>1) Report on health equity through education, underlying values, and what this includes in our societies today (PR1.1 and PR1.2). 2) Report on the concept of health equity through education (PR1.3). 3) The HEQED framework. This framework will describe the context of health equity through education and will offer recommendations for integrating equity into health science programs (PR1.4). 4) A virtual HEQED House. A virtual space for collaboration and knowledge mobilisation and construction (PR2.1) 5) Digital handbook for designing and using the Virtual HEQED House (PR2.2). 6) Report on HEQED Open Educational Resources (PR3.1). 7) Open accessible HEQED learning materials. This learning materials will be accompanied by descriptions, guidelines, and tips for possible use (PR3.2). 8) Case series on HEQED experience. A series of case reports describing the different experiences with the health equity learning materials and the Virtual HEQED (PR4). 9) Training strategy tool. A hybrid tool which will facilitate training of health equity by using HEQED learning materials (PR5). 10) Virtual training seminar. A two-half day training seminar with synchronous and asynchronous sessions (PR5). 11) E-book on health equity within health care profession education (PR6) In addition, there are several important, though less tangible, outcomes, namely: •strengthened collaboration between HEIs and NGOs •increased competence in health equity within and outside the project consortium •global network for health equity through education •increased awareness for health equity •strengthened research consortiums within health equity •increased sustainability for other projects funded by Erasmus+ and other programs •a nuanced and adequate resource on equity in health •experience in universal design of digital collaboration platforms •develop knowledge

<< Background >>The INTERLOCALITY consortium is composed of partners from 5 different countries (Denmark, Germany, Finland, Netherlands, and Italy), including four HEI’s and a job- and international mobility agency whose common focus revolves around international students and their employability. The COVID-19 pandemic has made the importance of inclusion and equality of opportunities in education even more evident. In accordance with Eurostat data EU-27 unemployment rose to 7,5% in February 2021 (est.16 million). More than 3 million are youngsters under 25 years. International students are in the one of the vulnerable migrant groups of being significantly affected by challenge of unemployment. Common for the local regions of the participating HEIs is a basic and increasing need for highly skilled and qualified workers within the fields of business administration and engineering. While companies experience a need for qualified workers, international degree students and graduates struggle to find their way into local companies despite the outspoken need. This calls for action to support both sides of this gap between the two groups ensuring continued growth and innovation within the companies and thereby local regions. While all partners have tried to solve these challenges by testing out different methods and initiatives within their own institutions and local environments, the need for joining forces around a common European, sustainable approach seems evident and has been reinforced by the realization of how similar both our challenges and environments are. Speaking to a European agenda of battling risen unemployment rates among the youth the importance and relevance of joining forces and creating transnational partnerships as the key to overcome challenges of the European labour market is definite.<< Objectives >>The objective of INTERLOCALITY is to increase local employability among international HE degree students within the fields of engineering and of business administration. International degree students often struggle to find internships and employment locally. Although these are crucial issues for HEIs’ student attraction and retention, it is not within the power of the HEIs to secure employment for their students. In this they rely completely on companies and organisations to hire students. There is a widely acknowledged gap between HE studies, and employment and INTERLOCALITY aims to bridge that gap by supporting 1) the international degree students, 2) staff at HEIs and 3) companies and 3rd sector staff taking upon a quadruple helix approach involving all four main actors that influence the local employability of international degree students, namely international degree students themselves, HEI staff, local companies and the surrounding society.<< Implementation >>In WP 2 we firstly map and analyse the needs among students and employers in local companies (T2.1) before developing a prototype for an International Alumni Monitoring Tool (IAMT) (T2.2). The IAMT will track and collect objective general data on the mobility and career steps of the international student, and subjective data on their perception of their participation on the labour market. Furthermore, the IAMT will provide guidelines on how to transfer and build a monitoring tool in another regional/national context than the participating countries (T.2.2.5).In WP3 we will develop what we call the International Talent Journey (ITJ). This journey will through Pre-Internships (T3.3) give the students at the HEIs a structured qualification process for international students, based on the identified needs, gaps, skills mismatch and lack of opportunities and connect them better with the local labour market. In this WP we will also provide a user guide for how this can be done (T3.6). WP4 consist of a Online Staff Training Modules and Assessment Tool, where we develop and test 3 online training modules addressed to staff at HEIs, companies and third sector organizations and associations, development and testing of a digital assessment tool (T4.2) and a user guide to adapt the open-source modules and digital assessment tools to the local needs of HEIs, companies and third sector actors (T4.5). All project partners are responsible for local dissemination events to ensure all actors in the target audience of dissemination taking on their part of the responsibility by working together to create sustainable ecosystems. Structures for national as well as international dissemination has been developed to ensure a large degree of transferability and impact to similar national and international HEI’s. All ending with a final international conference in Eindhoven (NL) to finish off the project.<< Results >>The expected key project results are:INTERNATIONAL ALUMNI MONITORING TOOL (IAMT)The IAMT prototype to track and collect objective general data on the mobility and career steps of the international student, and subjective data on their perception of their participation on the labour market, their intentions to stay, and the factors that hinder or enable their international career and personal and professional development. The development manual will provide HEIs information on the content elements of the IAMT, as well as guidelines on how to transfer and build a monitoring tool in another regional/national context.INTERNATIONAL TALENT JOURNEY (ITJ)A structured qualification process for international students, based on the identified needs, gaps, skills mismatch and lack of opportunities. The ITJ consists of two interconnected areas addressing the gap between the students and the local labour market from theoretical qualification point of view and opportunity to participate in low threshold contact formats with regional employers.ONLINE STAFF TRAINING MODULES AND ASSESSMENT TOOLThis entails development and testing of 3 online training modules addressed to staff at HEIs, companies and third sector organizations and associations, development and testing of a digital assessment tool and a user guide to adapt the open-source modules and digital assessment tools to the local needs of HEIs, companies and third sector actors.All key project results are crucial in the support of the overall objective of increasing local employability among international HE degree students within the fields of engineering and of business administration.

There is a need to develop high quality innovative hybrid and digital teaching strategies to support learning of practical skills in higher education and to support teacher competence in practically oriented distance teaching and learning. Experiences in the area of education in social and health care during the corona crisis showed that distance learning concerning practically oriented teaching and learning among students in areas where practical skills and hands-on competencies are crucial, were especially challenging and new solutions are needed. The objectives for DITEPRACT are to:1. explore and map experiences, current activities and practices of digital online technology in subject-specific practical teaching, training and learning in HE in the field of social and health care2. develop in collaboration new concepts and models for digital pedagogical competencies, innovative online resources and tools for teachers by sharing of resources, expertise and best practices3. develop and implement guidelines and best practices of innovative hybrid and online teaching, training and learning of practical skills to support teachers´ digital pedagogical competencies and students´ learning. The primary target group for DITEPRACT is teachers and supervisors in higher education from six universities. Around 200 teachers from partner universities will take part in workshops and competence development activities. Several student groups from each university will be actively involved in the pilot studies. In developing teachers’ pedagogical hybrid and online teaching competencies in Europe, experiences and knowledge from each partner university and a transdisciplinary approach will be used to solve common challenges. The expected goals of the project developing online digital and hybrid arenas for learning practical skill cannot be reached acting only on a local level. For successful implementation of the project the partners bring together their diverse expertise in pedagogic and on-line teaching of practical skills. The consortium partners will complement each other with overall and country-specific knowledge and experiences. The project will be carried out in five steps. First a systematic literature review of existing studies regarding digital teaching and learning of practical skills will be conducted. The results of the systematic literature review can contribute with information and models for further innovations and thus for transferability. Parallel to the literature review, mapping based on focus group interviews and a survey will be conducted in each partner university. The focus group interviews will serve as needs analyses giving basis for the participating teachers’ competence development needs from a digital pedagogical point of view and which kind of digital pedagogical methods have potentially high or low effects on educational results. The included studies’ target groups are students and teachers. Mapping of teachers´ and students´ attitudes, the practical skills learning arenas, experiences during corona time, used digital tools and platforms as well as best practices in all partner universities will give us information that form the basis for the next phase: development of new scenarios and practical learning strategies into digital platforms. These new scenarios will be developed within each partner university and the knowledge of various concepts, models, tools and apps that can be used to support student learning increase. Finally, guidelines consisting of descriptions of both general pedagogical digital and hybrid online learning strategies supporting learning of practical skills as well as best practice descriptions, will be developed. Moreover, these guidelines can be used in European universities. To further facilitate the use of the guidelines on a general level, open access webinars will be arranged.