Researchers from three European universities work on early care for 0-6 year olds
The eEarlyCare-T project agreed to launch promotion actions and a communication plan to be developed in Croatia in April after the fourth transnational meeting in which the validation of the training modules of this project co-financed by the European Union was planned.
The project "Specialized and updated training supporting advance technologies for early childhood" is integrated by researchers from three European universities (University of Burgos, University of Roma Tre (Italy) and Croatian University of Sveuciliste u Rijeci) and the companies GESTIONET S.L (Spain) and SENIOR EUROPA S.L (Spain) with the aim of developing a training programme aimed at the specialisation of professionals related to early care for children aged 0-6 years.
This project applies innovative training methodologies based on the use of avatars, gamification, virtual laboratories and virtual reality. The entire training process is carried out within a personalised virtual learning environment.
The researchers use Artificial Intelligence techniques and the project contemplates two learning outcomes based on the development of training modules and their integration in the VLE and the development of virtual laboratories.
During the fourth transnational meeting, the validation of the training modules has been planned and a dossier of the materials elaborated for the development of each training module, in total 8, was presented, which refer to early care and intervention, implications in early infant and child development, early neurodevelopment, pathologies and brain damage, epilepsy, maturational delay, prematurity, autism spectrum, sensory disorders, spina bifida, cerebral palsy, data mining and observation and assessment techniques with the application of intelligent resources, as well as cognitive, social, language, psychomotor and personal autonomy development. In addition, these modules delve into early intervention and the application of intelligent resources through the internet of things, artificial intelligence and intelligent personal assistants with the use of eye tracking technology and the eEarlyCare web application.
Each module comprises an explanatory chapter, a presentation that will later be implemented in the VLE and test questions to check the knowledge acquired by the participants in the training programme.
All these materials will be evaluated over a period of three months by experts from the three partner countries and implemented within the virtual platform. Finally, they will be tested by experts and students from the three countries at the Rijeka Medical Faculty in Croatia next year.
It was also agreed to update the project website, presenting the information in the four languages of the project (Spanish, English, Croatian and Italian) and the actions for the development of the Promotion & Communication Plan drawn up by Rome and the figure of the Social Ambassador to be developed by Croatia were specified.
The coordinator of this project, PhD. Consuelo Sáiz-Manzanares, pointed out that "in summary, the next steps of the project are the validation of the training modules, the inclusion of the training modules in the VLE and the Validation of the VLE". He also recalled the upcoming events and learning activities that will take place in Croatia in April and the first multiplier event that will take place at the University of Roma Tre in June.
Six UBU researchers participated in this transnational meeting: PhD. Sáiz-Manzanares, coordinator of the project, and PhD. Marticorena Sánchez, PhD. Escolar-Llamazares, PhD. Rodríguez-Arribas, Irene González Diez and Yolanda Gil. On behalf of Kveloce Belén Costa and Lorena Aguilar; for the University of Roma Tre (Italy) doctors Vincenzo Piccione and Amelia Broccoli, the professors of the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Rijeka (Croatia) doctors Darko Rovis, Vanja Vasiljev, and Denis, Juraga, Lovorka Bilajac, and Tomislav Rukavina, and for the companies GESTIONET S. L (Spain), Lorena Aguilar and Belén Costa, and for SENIOR EUROPA S.L., Juan David Sánchez.