BEAUCOUP is another project to receive funding under the Erasmus+ programme. The project aims to stimulate the digital transformation of universities, improve e-governance, and develop technology and its use in the academic reality in the Eastern Partnership countries.
'Boosting Digital Excellence and Governance Autonomy of Universities in the Countries of East Partnership – BEAUCOUP' aims to support education in the Eastern Partnership countries by stimulating the digital transformation of universities, schools and kindergartens. Within the project, partners from the European Union countries will share their experiences that have improved e-government in their countries, as well as the competencies in learning through technology and teacher training strategies for a future technology-based world.
'This is an excellent way to share experiences and good practices in the digital transformation of higher education. The ability of universities to meet the challenges of digital transformation depends on the extent to which we integrate modern information and communication technologies into our relations with various stakeholders but also on improving the internal functioning of universities. We are committed to enhancing digital competencies and implementing digital transformation policies both in internal management processes and in study programmes, teaching, supporting scientific activities and creating new research areas,' says Project Manager dr hab. Anna Jurkowska-Zeidler, prof. UG, Vice-Chancellor for International Cooperation.
The project is addressed to Ukraine and Azerbaijan – countries which, although territorially distant, share many common features. Both countries belong to the same region, share a history and are trying to change the post-Soviet foundations still present in education. In both countries, the process of digitalisation and the launch of the first e-government services has begun. Both Ukraine and Azerbaijan are actively adapting the educational experience of European Union countries, which were forced to take a digital leap by the Covid-19 pandemic. The simplicity and sustainability of digital tools have led universities to develop a digitalisation plan that will benefit students, teachers and administrative staff.
The main objectives of the BEACOUP project are to strengthen e-government, improve teachers' skills in teaching through technology, launch new courses for future pre-service and school teachers on age-appropriate use of digital technologies, identify gaps in teachers' digital competencies and develop MOOCs to fill the gap.
Assumed outcomes of the project include improving the technical base of the partner universities by increasing server capacity and launching new digital labs, identifying the level of teachers’ digital competencies, organising a student-centred learning environment or increasing the digital content creation skills and MOOCs of academic teachers. There will also be significant benefits in terms of better access to high-quality information and methodologically improved materials and laboratories, or improving the digital skills and future professional competencies of students taking the new courses and preparing them for the future technology-based learning environment.
'The University of Gdańsk intends to build on the experience of the SEA-EU alliance in this great international project. In our area of action – European Campus Life – we have a task 'SEA-EU Goes more Digital,' where we are working on creating new digital ways of collaboration that can help to adapt and shape higher education in an increasingly digital world. We are paying particular attention to the main challenges of ethical concerns and opportunities arising from AI and digitalisation, as well as defining a framework for the digital competencies of our students, researchers and administrative staff,' adds dr Anna Jurkowska-Zeidler, prof. UG.
The importance of digital transformation for the university is evidenced by the appointment of the Rector's Plenipotentiary for Digital Transformation, dr. hab. Aleksander Kubicki, prof. UG, by the Rector UG prof. dr. hab. Piotr Stepnowski.
The project leader is the University of Tartu - the oldest and largest university in Estonia and an international research university. BEACOUP partners besides the University of Gdańsk are: the University of Primorska (Slovenia), Universitat Politècnica de València (Spain), Khazar University (Azerbaijan), Nakhchivan Teachers Institute (Azerbaijan), Mingachevir State University (Azerbaijan), Zaporizhzhia National University (Ukraine), Poltava V. G. Korolenko National Pedagogical University (Ukraine), Vinnytsia Mykhailo Kotsiubynskyi State Pedagogical University (Ukraine), Ternopil Volodymyr Hnatiuk National Pedagogical University -TNPU (Ukraine), Rakvere Rohuaia Kindergarten (Estonia), Vrtec Koper Kindergarten (Slovenia), Tartu A. Pushkin School (Estonia), EdTech Estonia, as well as the Ministry of Education of Azerbaijan and the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine.
The estimated total budget of the Project on the part of the University of Gdańsk will be EUR 77,511, and the value of the funding obtained by UG is EUR 69,760.