Global programme: Erasmus +
Specific programme: Partenariati Strategici - Adult Education
Call: 2015
Duration: 24 Months (9/30/2015 - 9/29/2017)
Project Manager: Cristina Demartis - Università Popolare di Firenze
Website: http://www.ecorl.it
Summary
Adults people are uninformed on the issues of the economy. Especially in times of economic crisis it is important that adults are equipped to deal with it and overcome it: customized and innovative strategies are needed to make adults active citizens and not passive consumers, in order to become responsible and aware of new forms of social economy.
In line with "Rethinking Education" political objectives, the project aims to invest in basic skills for better socio-economic outcomes, such as the economy literacy, developping contents and training courses for adult people on economy issue.
In this context the “ECORL – Economy Co-Responsability Learning” project intends to provide an innovative and concrete response to adults’ needs concerning the knowledge, understanding and use of economics and finance.
Description
The process of globalization and the recent economic crisis have plunged the traditional system of managing and investing citizens’ savings and planning into deep crisis. Individuals are faced with an economic downturn without being equipped for it and without the basic knowledge to be able to deal with it. We believe that social inclusion also depends on the economic education of citizens: not knowing the rules of the economic systems and not having access to information is one of the main causes of the impoverishment of people in Western societies.
A recent survey conducted by the Università Popolare di Firenze revealed that almost 90% of the adult participants know little or nothing about economic systems, they are fairly familiar with the forms and traditional tools of economics and finance, but they know little about the new forms and tools of the solidarity economy. 70% use the Internet to keep abreast of economic issues.
Adult economic literacy and knowledge of the non-traditional forms of the new economy, social enterprise and sustainable economy are essential for constructing the basic skills of individuals in order to achieve greater economic responsibility.
More and more adults are in fact asking to be kept up-to-date about the economic and financial systems and forms of sustainability of a responsible economy. This necessity becomes a primary need in a time of economic crisis where demand arises, from a wide range of users, for new economic and financial skills that equip citizens to deal with the basic issues of saving, investment, business creation etc., so they can better defend themselves against the crisis and consciously pull through it.
The ECORL project is targeted at adults, students, employees, unemployed and retirees who wish to stay informed about new economic issues.
In a perspective of global interrelations, the project arises and unfolds with a comparison of the economic systems of other countries: Croatia, Albania, Lithuania, Spain and Italy are countries that differ in terms of the Gross Domestic Product and Human Development Index and represent different economic growth patterns. Moreover, in these countries there is an insufficient level of adult economic literacy with respect to market changes and non-traditional forms of economy and business such as social business, cooperation, the sharing economy, micro-credit, and the solidarity economy. The new forms of social and responsible economy are not very well-known or used.
Objectives
In the two years of project duration, the aim is to provide adults with new basic skills in the field of economics and finance as key areas to tackle and overcome the current crisis in a responsible manner through:
- a comparison between the different national social economy systems;
- the testing of learning courses for adults, 2 in each country, put together by experts and “prosumers” (producers and consumers of knowledge, goods and services) in collaboration with learners;
- the use of a collaborative learner-centered methodology in blended mode – in-person and distance learning – on traditional and social economy issues;
- the mobility of 40 participants at the facilities of the Albanian partner to learn about the good practices of the Yunus Business Centre in Tirana, founded by Muhammed Yunus, international historical forerunner of the “social” approach to the economy.
- the creation of 50 Open Educational Resources, 10 for each nation, as a result of the educational courses;
- dissemination of the results, guidelines, and digital resources at schools, businesses and associations;
- the creation of a European network of adult economic literacy sharing the new forms of economy and the best practices of each nation.
UNINETTUNO Role
The International Telematic University UNINETTUNO will be responsible for the “Intellectual Output O5 – Open Educational Resources”.
In particular, UNINETTUNO will follow the creation of open educational resources in the field of Social Economy. Digital resources will be the result of teaching and learning of students and experts during the training courses. Each teacher will take care of the content to be developed in digital (video tutorials, e-books, tests, etc.) together with the students. The training outcomes produced will be monitored by UNINETTUNO. Open Education Results will be tested by users of the distance learning course and published on the open platform in free modality