COVID19 imposed emergent remote teaching and learning at a global scale. Green transitions is of strategic importance for the EU. This mass and unprecedented use of technology for learning led teachers, trainers, learners and families facing a steep learning curve, thus exposing the weaknesses in need of improvement in order to successfully integrate digital technologies into education and training systems. The EC stated that in some Member States, “the vast majority of educators and learners had little if any experience of teaching and learning online and the different pedagogical approaches needed for this mode of instruction”, concluding that “the crisis requires us to rethink how education and training, in all disciplines, are designed and provided to meet the demands of a rapidly changing and increasingly digital world (Digital Education Action Plan 2021-2027, 2020, p.3). Now that we are moving beyond unplanned and emergency phases in education and training, is urgent to implement strategic and long-term approaches to digital education and training. President von der Leyen highlighted that “raising the quality and inclusiveness of education and training systems and the provision of digital skills for all during the digital and coordinated approach to providing upskilling pathways is grounded in a lifelong learning perspective and built around the idea of easily accessible pathways comprising: skills assessment; provision of a tailored, flexible and quality learning offer; and validation and recognition of skills acquired”.
Adding guidance, digital technologies and learner centre methodologies, and we have a recipe for upskilling.
QUEST partners identified a European need on the lack of harmonization for the upskilling and reskilling of workers, in the field of online training and digital learning experiences’ development. The QUEST project will contribute to close this gap through high-quality Instructional Design. Instructional design can be defined as “the process by which learning products and experiences are designed, developed, and delivered. These learning products include online courses, instructional manuals, video tutorials, learning simulations, etc. Instructional designers are the 'architects' of the learning experience and the 'directors’ of the Instructional Systems Design ISD process” (Instructional Design Central, n/a).
The aim of the QUEST project is to contribute to the skilling of all educators in using digital technologies effectively in their teaching and training process by qualifying them into high-quality Instructional Design (ID), contributing to the Digital Education Action Plan 2021-2027. The QUEST’s specific objectives are to: