<< Background >>Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a developmental disability that can cause significant social, communication and behavioral challenges. There is often nothing about how people with ASD look that sets them apart from other people, but people with ASD may communicate, interact, behave, and learn in ways that are different from most other people. The learning, thinking, and problem-solving abilities of people with ASD can range from gifted to severely challenged. Recent research indicates that autism spectrum disorder affects around 1 in 100 people.Augmented Reality (AR) is an interactive experience of a real-world environment where the objects that reside in the real-world are enhanced by computer-generated perceptual information. The Virtual Reality (VR) is a realistic three-dimensional o artificial environment that is created with a mixture of interactive hardware and software. The user accepts the artificial (or virtual) environment as real and interacts with it on the same way that he/she interacts with real (or physical) world. These technologies can be useful for supporting visual and audio teaching methods.Different studies using AR and VR with children with ASD indicate that AR/VR facilitates practicing and learning social skills improves students’ selective attention for more time, helps children to learn new things and helps children to better understand the facial expressions and emotions.The European Agency for Special Needs and Inclusive Education has released a methodology report including 12 European-level policy measures, adapted for inclusive education.Among these measures we highlight the following:•to improve the cost-effectiveness of the education system, combining efficiency, effectiveness, equity and inclusion;•to improve student-focused measures, such as mentoring, personalized learning approaches and improved guidance;•to improve the school ethos (such as the creation of supportive learning environments, adapting learning environments to specific learning needs);•to support improvement in schools with lower educational outcomes;•to improve the quality of school staff, focusing on the quality of teachers, quality in continuing professional development, developing teacher competences and reinforcing school leadership;The project directly addresses two main EU education recommendations:1)Digital Education Action Plan 2021-2027 – where raising the quality and inclusiveness of education and training systems and the provision of digital skills for all during the digital transition is of strategic importance for the EU and2) the “European skills agenda for sustainable competitiveness, social fairness and resilience” where the 1 out of the 3 conclusions is to EMPOWER PEOPLE to build up their skills by developing innovative tools, making learning pathways more flexible and accessible.<< Objectives >>BITTHESPECTRUM project is aimed to match the experience and the skills of new technology and ASD experts for increasing the quality of the teaching process of students belonging to this target group. This aim follows the European proposal adopted for a “Council Recommendation” on high quality early childhood education and care systems, which one of the 5 key components is: “training and working conditions of staff in charge of early childhood education and care”.To achieve this main goal we have defined some specific objectives: 1.To increase the quality of the educational and “caregiving” process of staff working with people with ASD2.To provide innovative and proper tools (AR/VR) to teachers, trainers and other staff members, for reaching the aim 1.3.Increase the quality of the learning process of people with ASD in terms of Literacy and Social Emotion skills4.To increase the quality of the VET inclusive education in the countries involved5.To increase the cooperation among European different entities working in field of inclusive education, and technology developmentThe project will impact on the target groups in the following way:Schools and VET Institute (teachers, supportive teachers), NGOs or associations working with people with ASD (educators, trainers, psychologists): They will be more familiar with new technologies and will consider AR/VR potential investments to carry out their daily work and as training tools for their end-users. Social Enterprises providing tools for special needs (software developers, technology experts): It is expected that they will be aware and more sensitive about ASD topic. It is important that they could consider the importance of investing in research about special educational needs, fostering the development of these businesses, asking for public support in order to perform tools with social character.End users: It is expected that the learners with ASD that will be involved during the project development, and who will receive the indirect benefit to be learners of the trained educators, will gain faster and better learning outcomes. As consequence of those improvement, they will also increase self-esteem, self-awareness, awareness about AR/VR, and the most important aspect that to have a special need does not mean always to receive lower quality education, quite the opposite that they deserve learning tools and pathways, innovative, qualitative and, why not, funny. Other impacts on those end-users that we expect will be: ✔communicating with other people more effectively✔learning to ask for things that they want clearly and specifically✔having more focus at school✔showing more interest in people around them<< Implementation >>BITTHESPECTRUM includes a very well balanced entity profiles (technical, social science and humanities and disabilities) including: The University OvGU Faculty of Humanities with experience in VR applied to TVET; 3DBear, a VR/AR tools provider focused on the education sector; SkillsDivers, a consultancy company expert in ICT training for non technical skilled people; IRSEI, a non for profit academy devoted to research & innovation in education and LOUVI, a national network of VET school for disable people including students with ASD.BITTHESPECTRUM will implement activities related to development of innovation in the field of training of students with ASD by using AR and VR tools:The project will train teachers who deal with those students, special education teachers and ICT developers. Some activities devoted to develop innovative and interactive blended training about these topics will be developed.A Human Centred Design methodology will be designed in order to allow those teachers to develop their own therapies and exercises by using AR/VR. In addition, a set of 30 exercises of AR and 5 for VR will be developed following our methodology. Those exercises will be tested in special education VET schools monitoring the impact on the students in relation with literacy and social emotion skills.The project plans to arrange different promotional activities such as one face to face multiplier event per country and one virtual event in order to reach a broader audience. We expect to reach audience from countries where AR/VR in education is risen awareness such as India or USA. Our strong links with those markets and international entities such as UNESCO-UNEVOC will ensure a strong impact of those activities. Other dissemination activities such as newsletters, social media, press releases, etc will be implemented and are described in further sections.<< Results >>The project is aimed to create innovative learning pathways that will increase the quality of the work of educators and staff members that deal with learners with Autism Spectrum Disorder. This process is composed by 5 results:R1 - The development of an Open online training related to AR and VR features for teachers of ASD students. This guideline will be an important tool for staff engaged in educational work (trainers, teachers, etc..) with people with ASD, to understand the theoretical aspects of the technology they are going to learn through Bit The Spectrum Project. The training will be very user-friendly for people who are not habit with the study of this kind of subjects, and it will give a basic knowledge about 3D virtual environments, 360º immersive experiences and Augmented Reality: theory, story, types, main use, etc... The guide will incorporate introductory aspects from the autism spectrum in order to introduce this disorder to the ones that are more related to technology or basic training rather than the disability. Part of the training will come in the form of video pills and interactive content produced by authorizing tools for e-learning (e.g. H5P). R2 -Human Centred Design methodology to create exercises using AR and VR for students with ASD. Two twin methodologies to create exercises using both technologies will be developed. Those methodologies will take into account the ASD students and their teacher’s needs during all stages of the design. The methodology will have two versions (one for AR and one for VR). For that aim, different data will be gathered, according to the properties of each technology. As a result (together with the training of R1), the teachers will be able to create brand new exercises based on immerse VR or AR.R3 - Set of 30 exercises using AR for students with ASD to cover all possible impacts of the project. Following the R2 methodology, 30 exercises of AR will be developed. The exercise will be based on 3DBear app that will leave them available for all users of the platform with no restrictions and without fee. The exercises will cover all possible impacts of the project from literacy to social emotion. R4- Set of 5 VR environments for students with ASD to cover impacts of the project related to social emotion. 5 immersive VR Environments will be created within this project and addressing real life situations that will train the social emotions of the students. Technology such 360º cameras will be used for that aim. The exercises will be displayed in VR glasses for a fully immersion and available in 3D in a website. R5- Study of the impact of the exercises in ASD students (pilot test). The 30 AR exercises and the 5 VR environments will be tested with students with different ASD levels. The VET school LOUVI will have a leading role in this result and will receive all the technical and pedagogic support from all the partners. The participation of associated local associations is foreseen. During the process, and following the indications of the R2, R3 and R4, different data will be gathered to feedback the R3 and R4 such as face and eyes recognition though the VR/AR devices. The likely progresses in literacy skills and social emotion skills will be monitored and studied.