European Forum for Enhanced Collaboration in Teaching (EFFECT)

Description:

The development of pedagogics and didactics for higher education teaching is an area of growing importance for universities, which responds to larger and more diverse student body with a strong emphasis on student-centred and learning outcomes.

However, often little attention is given to the role and situation of teachers. The project EFFECT aims at facilitating exchange of experience in staff development of university teachers. It draws upon good practice of European and international institutions and organisations and will probe their transferability in other disciplinary, institutional and national contexts.

It is also to assess the feasibility of a European level structure that would support the enhancement of university teachers. The project brings together experts, dedicated networks, organisations and institutions from different parts of Europe, and provide an innovative and transferable approach to higher education teaching staff development.

The project will focus on the following interlinked objectives:

1. Facilitate exchange and collaboration between European actors and stakeholders for the enhancement of higher education teaching
2. Identify good practices and develop new and innovative approaches to learning and teaching enhancement
3. Support institutions in the development of strategic approaches to the enhancement of learning and teaching
4. Develop a model for a sustainable European structure for the enhancement of learning and teaching

The project will be problem-based, in that it seeks through its activities responses to grand challenges for higher education teaching, such as for instance the growing and ever more diverse student body –and stagnating staff and financial resources; drop out and retention; maximizing opportunities and addressing challenges of ICT based learning; recognizing teaching excellence and its link to student success. It may also provide recommendations for the policy level, in particular with regards to a European perspective to the aim of enhancing higher education teaching at institutions.

Partners:

• Conference of Rectors of Academic Schools in Poland (CRASP)

• European Trade Union Committee for Education (ETUCE)

• European Association of Distance Teaching Universities (EADTU)

• European Students’ Union (ESU)

• Higher Education Academy (HEA)

• Hungarian Rectors’ Conference (HRC)

• German Rectors’ Conference (HRK)

•  Irish Universities Association

• University of Latvia (LU)

• University of Eastern Finland

• University of Porto

Duration:  3 years (November 2015 – October 2018). Prolonged: ending in March 2019.

The project is co-financed by the European Commission under the framework of ERASMUS+