Page 10 - R1Guidebook_Final revised version for translation after visual changes_EN

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1. INTRODUCTION

“Digital education does not come naturally. You have to organize teaching
1
in a completely different way than you're used to..."

The AiDKiT project has its background in the general teaching/learning experiences
that emerged during the global COVID-19 pandemic and the lockdowns of face-to-face
educational environments in its wake. This is especially true of the general experience
that many adult teachers and trainers were unprepared to conduct a teaching totally
based on digital approaches and tools. Similarly, a large drop-out rate from non-formal
education reflected that many adult migrant and unemployed learners in language-
job-promoting education did not possess the necessary skills and technical prerequi-
sites to continue in the digital teaching/learning universe.

The development in digitalization and the transnational experiences from the COVID-
19 crisis lockdowns of physical attendance within the educational sector and all other
sectors also led the EU Commission, via the Erasmus+ programme, to increase the fo-
cus on digitalization in the prioritization of efforts and projects, a.o. aimed at:

 Increasing the proportion of projects aimed at strengthening learners' digital
knowledge and skills - and aimed at raising the quality level within teaching and
learning materials based on digital tools.

 Using virtual mobility to strengthen opportunities to participate in transnational
exchanges and collaborative projects among learners who are not able to physical-
2
ly participate in such activities .

However, the EU-Commission has also stated that the COVID-19 pandemic actually
boosted the digitalization process in terms a.o. of government services, which is one of
the EU priorities. At the same time, this development points back to the need to en-
sure that the populations are able to access governmental and civil services in digital
form. This again highlights the general need to upgrade citizens to digital skills - not
only in relation to education and learning in general - but precisely when it comes to
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access to citizen services, being increasingly digitalized .
In line with the EU's objectives, the United Nations has presented goals for lifelong
learning and communicative skills for the world's populations. These goals are to be
measured, not least, based on the growth in the number of citizens - both young peo-

1 Quoted from Kristensen, Claus B. (2021): “Digitization is more than technology”. In The Danish Agency
for Higher Education and Science (2021): “Digital opportunities in Erasmus+”.
2 Cf “Digital opportunities in Erasmus+”, op.cit.
3 Cf the European Commission (2021): ”eGovernment Benchmark 2021. Entering a New Digital Govern-
ment Era”.