Project


TIPEIL - Transfer of an Innovative Portfolio to Evaluate Informal Learning (2007-2009), is a Transfer of Innovation project (ToI), co-financed within the LLP Programme - Leonardo da Vinci sub-programme, focused on  the valorisation of competences that young and adult workers developed within informal and non formal contexts.

The availability of methods and tools applied to reach this goal has been identified in the European Inventory on validation of non formal and informal learning. If, then, on their side many countries have implemented specific initiatives and worked out tools to foster the recognition of competences acquired outside education and training formal contexts, due to their insufficient divulgation, it is still necessary to strengthen processes for their wide transfer and application.

In this frame, TIPEIL PROJECT, based on the successful outcomes achieved within previous transnational experiences (E.G.E.I.S - LdV I/03/B/F/PP-154080 - and INTRA - Youth programme 92372-5.1.XL-IT-16-2001-R), aimed at transferring the Methodology of the Digital and Electronic Portfolio.

TIPEIL CONTEXT OF REFERENCE

The need to develop methodologies to evaluate competencies acquired outside traditional educational structures and pathways, within the so-called non formal and informal learning contexts (Bjornavold, 2000; White book, 1994), is recognised throughout Europe. In fact, the making visible of informal competencies could facilitate the reintegration of people in the labour market and their life-long employability, and so contributing to the European Area of Life-long learning and to the development of Europe as a competitive and dynamic knowledge-based society.

Many Countries have recognised the crucial role of non formal and informal learning, fostering various initiatives at different political and/or social levels. Different tools have been created to respond to the need of recognising competencies acquired outside formal educational contexts. In general, they are the result of legislative impulses or agreements between social parties, or stem from specific initiatives in the field of labour policies. Examples are the Bilan de Compétence in France, APEL (Accreditation of Prior Experiential Learning) and CATS (Career Accumulation and Transfer Schemes) in the UK, the Transfer of Credits between institutions in Scotland, and the Attendance Certificates in The Netherlands.

The problem that emerges now, is the necessity to respond to this common need of recognition and certification, with more specific tools and methodologies coherent with the typology of learning to be recognised, in order to contribute to the development of the active labour policies of the European Community.

THE DIGITAL/ELECTRONIC PORTFOLIO: A TOOL AND A METHOD

TIPEIL is based on the outcomes achieved by the implementation of the “INTRA” project that has contributed to the development of a specific tool – the digital portfolio – developing and promoting a methodology aimed of supporting the identification and valorisation of informal and non formal learning. Though the portfolio in itself has ancient roots, its most recent use (as a methodology for the recognition of acquired competencies and for the empowerment of the cognitive capacities of students) implies an innovation that stems from the recent changes occurred in the theoretical conception of learning: according to the studies realised, it is necessary to focus on the complexity and pervasiveness of learning  considering it as a part of the human behaviour linked to the different situations to which all individuals take part.

In this view, different types of learning are distinguishable with respect to the contexts in which the learning takes place and the characteristics that learning encloses. In particular, there have been identified three typologies: formal, non formal, informal.

  • Formal learning takes place in specific institutional contexts and, regarding its contents, it refers primarily to disciplines (e.g. School).

  • Non formal  learning is intentional, based on a deliberate choice made by an individual (in cooperation with the person responsible for his/her training). It refers to specific activities (e.g. learning how to dance or to play an instrument); the knowledge acquired is mainly connected to an action - implying an aim - and its results are easily visible and recognisable (the person becomes able to do something that initially was not able to do, by committing him/her self).

  • Informal learning results from daily life activities and from activities related to work, since it is intrinsically connected to the participation in situations in which an individual feels completely involved and of which understands the sense: this is what normally happens when human beings act. The  contents of informal learning are not systemised nor organised: essential characteristics are that knowledge is connected to tailored actions, and to the solution of problems.

DIRECT BENEFICIARIES

1. operators (tutor, trainers, etc.) working within training, counselling, guidance and employment organisations, providing these services to subjects that for different reasons are in social and occupational disadvantage;
2. organisations providing the services above mentioned, with respect to TWO main typologies of beneficiaries:  young and adults.

POTENTIAL USERS

The whole of outcomes and outputs planned are indirectly addressed to a range of potential users as:

  • Young with low education levels who have left compulsory education and are attending or have attended alternative training coursewares through which have acquired competences and capabilities difficult to be valorised or formally recognised and that are at risk of “employment exclusion”;

  • Young and adults who have realised fragmentary and heterogeneous working experiences, within which have acquired capabilities and skills potentially usable and improvable if properly identified, measured and valorised;

  • Adults at risk of unemployment, whose competences acquired during their work-life-cycle do not meet within the systems effective tools and devices to valorise them.

TIPEIL MAIN ACTIVITES

The general articulation of the intervention implied the following step of implementation.

  • Research actions aimed at:
  • verifying the original prototype (e.g. transferability towards new targets and new countries) in order to avoid its redundancy with respect to existing tools;

  • identifying possible adaptations to be applied to the model with reference to its use (e.g. analysis of the organizational and technological asset of beneficiaries);
  • developing and customizing the Model involving the project direct and indirect beneficiaries, through the experimentation, testing and transfer actions.

  • Development and production of a first reviewed version of the Model (beta version). The new version of the Model implied  the integration and translation (English version) of a Handbook on the methodology describing the electronic portfolio making process, to be applied in particular within counselling and guidance settings; the planning and engineering of a web – based platform  to support the creation, management, monitoring and filing of electronic portfolios; the production of technical guidelines aimed at supporting users in the step by step production of electronic portfolios.

  • Experimentation of the Model (first testing) within all four countries involved (ES, FR, GR, IT), by a representative sample of different typologies of entities. On the whole, this action implied information, training, coaching and evaluation activities. The experimentation led to the production of electronic portfolios in all partnership national countries.

  • Development and production of the final version of the Model. It implied: production and publishing of the Methodological Handbook in all partnership languages + English;  engineering and publishing of 5 Web – based platforms  to support the creation, management, monitoring and filing of electronic portfolios (IT, FR, GR, ES, EN versions); production of the technical guidelines in all partnership languages + English.
  • Transfer of the Final Model on a wider number of operators and organisations, within italian and Greek national contexts.




This project has been funded with support from the European Commission.
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