LeaD in Practice: A blended-learning project on Learning Design in Practice

“LeaD in Practice” (LeaDiP), aims at achieving three goals with one action: (1) Improve the competences of youth trainers/learning facilitators in areas which are typically left untouched in training processes, so that they can develop and offer high quality learning projects to their organizations’ learners, while (2) employing the principles of Intercultural Dialogue to do so. And at the same time, (3) using an innovative, blended learning format in order to engage the participants and achieve as much a greater learning impact as possible. The objectives of the project are as follows: a) Improve trainer competences on successful Learning Design when developing, leading/facilitating and evaluating training projects, with a special focus on the particular qualities, values, ethics and style which are typically missed in other training-of-trainer courses b) Share good practices (and deconstruct bad practices) of Learning Design in order to improve the quality of mobility activities offered through Erasmus+ and other local initiatives in the partner organizations’ countries c) Explore observations, experiences and emotions which remain unprocessed and become "hot potatoes" during training mobilities, so that the participants can learn to identify and deal with them in their future work d) Advance the participants’ knowledge and skills on how the principles of Intercultural Dialogue can support the learning process e) Allow the participants time and space to receive feedback from their peers on their learning design competences f) Formulate, with the contribution of the participants, a Model Evaluation Questionnaire that will serve as a necessary step of any future projects the partner organizations will undertake and serve as a tool for any other European organization that wishes to use it g) Advance the participants’ knowledge and skills in using online educational platforms and distant learning tools in their work Eight (8) countries will be represented in this project, with 3 participants each. The 24 participants of LeaDiP will be aged 22 years and above, they will already have a role as a youth trainer, youth worker, project manager or trainer of trainers and they will be interested in advancing their skills in line with the course objectives. They will also be willing to engage fully in the blended learning format of the project. The project will officially begin on September 22th 2017 and will be completed by the end of May 2018. There will be two distant-learning phases - one before the training course (Athens, 25/11 - 3/12/2017) and one following it. One of the project’s key products will be a Model Evaluation Questionnaire that will address and measure the quality of the participants’ work (and the work of other trainers) in future trainings. This Questionnaire may become a key tool in evaluating future projects funded through Erasmus+. Further information can be found in the attached infopack.