"ReOPEN project addressed the problem of recognition of non-formal learning results in formal education and by employer organizations in the new context - online open learning (OOL). Education institutions and employers are often reluctant to recognise OOL and question its validation, credentialization and proctoring. ReOPEN project directly addressed the recommendations published in the study of the European Commission ""Validation of Non-formal MOOC-based Learning"" (2016) (http://publications.jrc.ec.europa.eu/repository/bitstream/JRC96968/lfna27660enn.pdf), by the project aim - to create instruments to develop validated OOL for recognition of prior and non-formal learning. ReOPEN project achieved the following objectives: 1. Designed the platform for non-formal OOL curriculum development with learning validation and recognition instruments in place. 2. Trained teachers and trainers (T&T) at C-VET organizations, companies, higher education (HE) institutions and adult learning organizations to design validated non-formal OOL curriculum, to apply digital badges as a new form of digital credentialisation and tracking one’s learning path in non-formal OOL and to recognize non-formal OOL results in formal curricular. 3. Designed 5 non-formal OOL courses for continuous professional staff developing (CPD) applying learning recognition instruments for validated non-formal OOL. 4. Established partnership for future collaboration for non-formal OOL recognition. The project target groups involved C-VET, LLL, HE institutions and companies, establishing their collaboration to enhance access to OOL and qualifications for all through C-VET. The project results reached 123574 people (instead of 3820 planned) through multiplier events (ME), dissemination and thematic events, including 213 participants (instead of 59 planned) (see Annex 4) with fewer opportunities facing economic, social and disability obstacles. They benefited from awareness of what non-formal OOL is, on new learning and teaching possibilities and innovative solutions for teaching and learning. 6 Intellectual outputs (IO) were developed for them: IO1. ICT platform. IO2. Training material (TM) on non-formal OOL curriculum designing.IO3. TM on application of digital badges. IO4. TM on recognition of non-formal OOL results in formal curricular. IO5. 5 non-formal OOL CPD courses.IO6. Case - scenario collection on recognition of validated non-formal OOL course. Continuous feedback was requested from HE, VET, adult learning and school representatives, which proved high interest from project target groups for ReOPEN platform solutions at user institutions, and rated IO with strong positive statements. More than 120 organizations were involved in ME and dissemination events. 6 agreements have been signed with the third - party organizations for product exploitation (see Annex 6). ReOPEN results will have long-term impact to these organizations, as responses from events’ participants proved that organizations need to prepare and create non-formal OOL possibilities and that TM, ICT platform and methodological and technological help is most useful to them. Project partnership consisted of 3 HE institutions (VMU, ESCP Europe and SRCE), 2 companies (ONECO and Q21) providing training services for adults, VET and company employees, as well as 1 European association (EDEN). Consortium directly benefited from the results in adapting ICT portal for their use, using TM for their training programs for all project target groups in their countries, creating open non-formal OOL courses, application of digital badges in their institutional online platforms, tracking learning paths of their learners. ReOPEN project results already increased the sense of initiative, entrepreneurship, and professional collaboration among partner organizations and their collaboration channels with networks of education providers and employers by involvement of all stakeholders (teachers, administration, employer organizations and HE institutions) to work on CPD courses (IO5). The project increased the level of digital and other competences of T&T and better understanding of practices, policies and systems in education and training. ReOPEN contributed to better understanding and recognition of skills and qualifications in European and beyond, as well as interconnections between formal, formal education, vocational training and other forms of learning and labor market respectively by establishing three – party engagement case scenarios (IO6) on recognition of learning results and credits in formal curriculum (IO5), linking non-formal and formal curricular and employer needs. ReOPEN improves the use of EU reference tools for recognition, validation and transparency of competences and qualifications through description of parts of competences, qualifications and curricular, supporting teaching and learning progress and assessment in the new form of digital OOL."

EU recognition instruments such as the diploma supplement and the EQF support the award of qualifications in the areas of formal learning, and are supported by recognition procedures for non-formal and informal learning. The recognition and transfer of individual credits through ECTS was created for an era of physical mobility, and is optimised accordingly. While these tools can be used to support open education and virtual mobility, a number of caveats exist to their use, including that: - little to no guidance exists on how to document virtual mobility / open education experiences for the purposes of credit transfer. - procedures for recognition of prior learning or of non-formal/informal learning do not scale to the massive numbers of students enrolling in open education programmes such as MOOCs - there is no European approach to recognising, transferring or scaling open education modules. These problems are so pronounced, that many open educational providers are creating parallel systems of credentials that are not even described in terms of ECTS - leading to a situation where millions of students per year are enrolling in open courses offered by universities which do not necessarily award valid or recognised forms of credit. This project intends to address these issues by creating a standard format for describing open education and virtual mobility experiences in terms of ECTS which: • Addresses common criticisms (lack of trust) of open education, in particular with respect to student assessment and identity • Is scalable to hundreds or thousands of students through automatic issuing and verification of certificates • Can capture a wide range of non-formal and formal open education experiences Specifically, the project is divided into five stages involving: Stage 1: Definition of Quality Credentials We will propose a quality system that evaluates the quality credential based on their transparency, ease-of-recognition and ease-of-portability – this quality system will then be used to evaluate current credential-types on offer, and to inform credential-improvement activities in the next stages. Stage 2: Enhance Transparency of Quality Credentials by creating a Learning Passport The consortium will propose a transparency instrument, building on proposals in the field, which documents the (a) course design, (b) learning activities undertaken by the learner, and (c) assessment activities, which make up a credential. This ‘learning passport’ is intended to serve as a supplement to the credential, to facilitate its recognition by under institutions. To this end, we will pilot its usage by using it to transfer information on credentials in 6 Higher Education Institutions, thus ensuring that it fulfils its purpose. Stage 3: Propose Technological Methods to Strengthen Automatic Exchange of Recognition Information Should the process of recognition of credentials be conducted entirely manually, it would be extremely time consuming and inefficient, especially were such processes to be conducted at scale. To this end, we will use roadmapping to propose a meta-data standard, ontology and a set of interlocking technologies which would allow for automatic exchange of credentials between Higher Education Institutions Stage 4: Clarify Concepts around Open Educational Recognition The proper use of recognition tools described in Stage 2 and Stage 3 depend on the successful application and understanding of concepts such as estimation of workload, verification of student identity, fair and accurate assessment, and quality assurance of learning. Since there are differences of varying degree in applying these concepts in open education and in traditional formal education, we will propose guidelines for the correct interpretation of each of these concepts. The methodology applied here will involve collaborative authoring by the partners, backed up by the same process of peer-review used under Stage 1. Stage 5: Study and Predict the Impacts of Open Education Recognition We will build exploratory scenarios, which describe events and trends as they could evolve based on alternative assumptions on how open education recognition might influence the future. Thus, the technique will be used to develop a future history—that is, the evolution from present conditions to one of several futures. The scenarios will outline a causal chain of decisions and circumstances that lead from the present, displaying the conditions of important variables over time. We believe that by increasing the quantity and quality of recognition processes in OE we will: • Create new flexible learning pathways for students inside Higher Education • Allow institutions to increase the scope of their offer, by integrating teaching/learning done at other institutions into their curricula • Improve resource-efficiency within HEIs • Lead to an increase in the use and impact of Open Educational Practices

The project addressed the issues raised in Bruges Communique, namely, increased competition of institutions and professionals, as well as rapid technological change. These issues were addressed via prepared training materials and facilitation of (C)VET, VET teachers and trainers, as well as adult educators who, being professionals, should learn how latest innovations in education (such as Open Educational Resources (OER), innovative ICT tools, new curriculum design models) affect sustainability of their organization and learning services.As institutions are challenged with the shift in the target learner profile, when nowadays learners are migrating throughout the world and Europe and require learning services to be open, to be provided in international settings and available any time, anywhere and in their working places, teachers, trainers, and adult educators need training and consultancy on how to create learning for new target groups.The vision for 2020, (C)VET and adult education includes high quality, new modes of curriculum and learning services, courses which develop expertise for higher level qualification characterized by innovation and excellence. Online learning and open educational resources meet these needs and suggest solutions for innovative, quality work-based learning curriculum designing.The main project aim was to foster open and international professional collaboration for innovation by creating possibilities for teachers and trainers to openly collaborate in the development and adaptation of open educational resources, online curriculum designing using created and adapted OER, curriculum licensing and adaptation for online work-based learning.In order to reach the aim, the following project results were created and activities undertaken:1. Training materials on- OER and sustainability models,- ICT tools to develop and adapt OER, and- innovative curriculum designing for work - based learning for CVET, VET and adult educationwere developed and used by teachers, trainers and adult educators for OER and curriculum development.2. 48 OER were created or adapted in English and national languages by CVET, VET teachers and trainers and adult educators.3. Curriculum for diverse target groups, including work-based learning for CVET, VET and adult education using OER, innovative tools and sustainability models was developed in English and translating adapted to national languages. One version of the developed curriculum (either national or English) was piloted with the learners from CVET, VET or adult education sectors.The 6 consortium institutions represent 2 professional associations (one national, one European), 2 training organizations for companies and adult learners, a VET organization and a university. The experts from the mentioned institutions collaborated and created the training materials, and based on the training guidelines trained the teachers, trainers or adult educators from their institutions for the development of OER and innovative curriculum. CVET, VET teachers, trainers and adult educators collaboratively developed or adapted OER and online curriculum for online work-based learning.The most important result of the project was the started open collaboration for innovation among CVET, VET and adult educators. A strategic partnership of professionals working at different institutions started professional collaboration in an open way and will continue so involving more and more institutions from the professional networks.To ensure the started collaboration and sustainability of the created results, the developed and tested curriculum was not only shared between partnership but also made open for other learners or institutions either to openly browse the learning content, to learn independently in a selected module or download the full version of the selected module to be delivered at their institution. In order for teachers, trainers and adult educators (from and outside the partnership) to share, adapt and use the OER, created or adapted in the project, the editable versions of each OER were shared in the project website. This public access of editable versions of each OER ensures the open use of project results in the long term. This was appreciated and met with enthusiasm by most of the participants, whom this innovation was introduced. Also the created training materials are already planned and used in the events that focus on OER, even after the project was ended.

Many reports issued by the European Union, by University researchers and human resources experts point out that the so called “soft” skills are closely connected with employability of young people entering the labour market. Further studies argue that companies are in vital need of the digital skills the generation that grew up with the internet have. OERs (Open Educational Resources) and MOOCs (Massive Open Online Courses) can play a crucial role in facilitating lifelong learning for all learners and in improving the quality of content and the distribution of both formal and informal education providers, and a digitally inadequate education system can hamper the development of learners’ knowledge and skills.eLene4work helps students develop the soft skills mostly required by companies and helps companies exploit the digital talents of new employers and young workers.eLene4work then proposed a strategic partnership whose goal is to test and monitor the possibility offered by MOOCs and OER to fill the gaps between the university and the labour market.The aim of the eLene4work project is to allow students to:• autonomously identify their own:o gaps in soft skills and competences, in order to develop or improve them;o their potential in digital soft skill, to bring them into the companies/labour market;• autonomously learn how:o to fill their skill gap using MOOCs (and other OERs)o to include in their cv their soft skills and their digital soft skills in order to enhance the opportunity to enter the labour market.The project involves:• for the Focus Groups (Output 2)o students and young workers in Focus Group 1o teachers, HRs, managers in Focus Group 2for each country• in the validation of the Self Assessment Tool (Output 3):o students involved• training activities by MOOCs involved students from different countries.• the preparation of the Guide (Output 4) involved a group of students, the careers guidance unit, the university's community manger and the learning technology unit. Furthermore the project will involved associated/networking partners (including both Large companies and SMEs entrepreneurs).The main activities of this project could be described as follows.Sharing knowledge activity about the themes of the project among the different partners to put together studies, previous projects and researches on soft skills/ soft skills 2.0.Qualitative data gathering (on soft skills and digital soft skills) through focus groups. The focus groups have been organised in each country with the participation of HR/Manager/Teachers, on a side, and with the participation of students (closed to graduation) and young workers, on the other side.Development of tools to support student soft skills and digital soft skills development:• Creation of a tool for the assessment of soft skills and digital soft skills in students, validated by Companies/HR/Manager;• Creation of a MOOCs Orientation Guide for students and young workers;• A personal Journal to support student learning and the evaluation of their experiences.Students Training Activities. We developed a set of training activities with different student samples1 - a country-based sample of student (students for each institution involved);2 - an international sample, transversal to all the institutions, belonging to EUCA network (students coming from different countries). This sample will follow any kind of MOOC available (on soft skills and soft skills 2.0).The evaluation and the training will be the same, using the same standard of evaluation (O5 Personal Journal), and the same methodology of (O6 Field evaluation of the students learning and experience). The projects builds on an innovative methodology, i.e. the use of MOOCs and OER to help students develop soft skills and digital soft skill. The project recognises the importance of traditional ways of teaching and learning, and contributes further research into the question of whether and how OERs and MOOCs can enhance individuals’ learning outcomes in addition to, or as an integral part of, traditional teaching methods. The lessons learnt have then be reversed into a Toolkit (LLK, Lesson Learned Toolkit), with a set of publications targeted to different groups. The project furthermore contributes to the change/improvement of teaching/learning approaches connected to soft skills and digital soft skills in the involeved countries and in other countries in the long term.