RESULTS
The main result is a MOOC (Massive Open Online Course) structured in 3 general modules and 3 specific modules. One more general module has been added than originally stipulated in the project, given the motivation and desire of the partners in the first transnational meeting held in January 2020. The three general modules have been elaborated jointly by the participating countries and focus on the related professional profile in international marketing, which is the specific topic of the higher VET cycle in marketing and advertising that has been set in the E-ICOM project. The topics of the general modules are: (1) Market Research, (2) Digital Marketing and (3) International Marketing. The other three specific modules have been chosen one for each country and will focus on a particular sector relevant to the country's foreign trade economy. The course topics chosen are: Agri-Food [Greece], Gastronomic and Wine Tourism [Italy] and Fashion [Spain]. The partners from the three countries have shared the tasks of conception and production; and will carry out common "testing" tests.
The partners have used the following resources for the development of the materials: a) the existing curriculum in this vocational training cycle; b) the resources developed in the M.IN.D. project; c) the new video resources developed for the MOOC. Below we define the key components and features of the MOOC.
TOPICS General modules: (1) Market Research, (2) Digital Marketing and (3) International Marketing.
Specific modules: (1) Agri-Food [Greece], (2) Gastronomic and Wine Tourism [Italy] and (3) Fashion [Spain].
DURATION: Each of the three general modules of the MOOC have a duration of 10 and 15 hours each of learning content necessary for a base of about 25-30 minutes of video recording. The duration of the 3 specific MOOC modules have a duration of 5-10 hours each of learning content needed for a base of 10-15 minutes of video recording.
RESOURCES All countries were provided with the human and technical resources for the production of the MOOC. The role of the chambers of commerce focused on the conception of the messages to be conveyed in the course instruction, as well as in the choice of the competencies to be specifically addressed (not only the identification, but also the specific instructional time and sequence of the competencies). The role of the remaining partners was predominantly technical in video production, although they have also contributed to and participated in the discussions leading to the design of the formalization of the content. These three partners were directly involved in the vocational training courses, including the promoter leading the vocational training cycle foreseen in the E-ICOM project. Consequently, the course design had input from both the labor and education sectors. In addition to the development of the materials for the MOOC, some previous resources owned by the partners were used for the final outcome. In particular, open resources from the M.IN.D project have contributed to the MOOC learning environment. This has optimized the quality of the current proposal and the sustainability of previously produced resources.
METHOD.
-Definition of the didactic units.
- General design of the MOOC.
- MOOC production.
- MOOC testing.
- MOOC validation.
We believe that the main innovative element of this product is the transnational scope, which provides a broader complementary view on a topic that transcends national perspectives. Even when we have tracked open resources on international marketing (e.g., some can be found on www.coursera.com, an EdX-compatible platform), these are academically dominant and targeted at university graduates. The innovative value we claim for this product is in the context of professional training, where schools and teachers lack complementary quality training resources that can assist them in classroom teaching. The impact is greater than expected, as it was planned to reach about 300 students and about 10 teachers who would directly benefit from this outcome by the end of the E-ICOM project, but we are collecting data that reaches twice as much as expected. Beyond the project extension and through the EdX platform, the multiplier effect could reach 5 times that figure in the first 2 years after the project ends. In addition to the direct impact, we also expect the method to be transferred to other topics in other VET cycles, where the experience of the E-ICOM project can be transferred through new projects.