DEAL – Digitalisation Experts in Adult Education
The DEAL project (2020–2022) responded directly to the urgent challenges faced by adult education providers during the COVID-19 pandemic, which exposed a critical lack of digital infrastructure and preparedness in the sector. Coordinated by blinc e.G. (Germany), DEAL supported adult education professionals in becoming digitalisation experts, equipped with the competences, tools, and pedagogical strategies needed to design and deliver blended and digitally enhanced learning.
DEAL brought together organisations with strong backgrounds in digital learning, competence-based validation, and professional development to create a modular qualification programme for adult educators. At the heart of the project lies the LEVEL5 validation system, which helped assess and document competences in digital literacy and education across diverse learning scenarios.
Start: 01.11.2020 –
End: 31.10.2022
Total Duration: 24 months
- Funded by: Erasmus+ Programme (KA204 – Strategic Partnerships for Adult Education)
The central objective of ARIES is to help teachers develop the core competence of implementing and facilitating AR and IR in classroom settings. This involves not only understanding the technologies themselves but also being able to plan, deliver, and assess engaging, competence-oriented learning environments. The ARIES approach is grounded in the LEVEL5 methodology, a learning and validation framework which emphasises the integration of knowledge, skills, and attitude and links learning outcomes to the European Qualifications Framework (EQF).
Project Activities
Project Objectives:
The project aimed to strengthen the capacity of adult education institutions and trainers by offering practical and transferable tools for digital transformation. Core goals included:
Developing a competence framework for digital education in adult learning
Designing blended learning modules and open resources (OER) for educators
Piloting a modular qualification scheme in six countries
Validating competences using the LEVEL5 system
Disseminating tools, resources, and policy recommendations widely across Europe
Key Activities:
Creation of 7 intellectual outputs, including training materials, a digital learning platform, and a validation framework
Joint staff training event and local piloting activities involving over 100 adult educators and learners
A final international conference held in Sweden
Partners (7):
blinc e.G. – Göttingen, Germany (Coordinator)
Apricot Training Management Ltd – United Kingdom
Folkuniversitetet Uppsala – Sweden
Centro Libenter – Italy
CVNO – Centrum vzdelávania neziskových organizácií – Slovakia
PLATO BV – Netherlands
Volkshochschule Region Kassel – Germany
