Focus Group with VET staff, November 2023, Romania

The Focus Group organized on the 16th of November 2023, in Constanta with VET staff was an excellent occasion to learn about the platforms developed in the STIT project and use them to enhance their professional skills.

Nicoleta Acomi moderated this activity and she welcomed participants, providing a brief overview of the project and the purpose of the Focus Group. She explained the structure and the capabilities of the consortium that developed the results and the importance of their participation as VET experts to refine and give feedback on these. In the first part of the activity, the moderator presented the online learning platform and guided the participants through the platform, explaining the concept of the video courses. Participants enrolled in the online video course that is the first result of the STIT project and got the certificate. They were invited to share feedback and received detailed information. Supplementary, a bibliography related to the accessibility of education was suggested.

To facilitate the transition to the second part of the Focus Group, the moderator invited the participants to see some of the video lessons focusing on a relevant topic useful for planning an inclusive lesson. Participants positively appreciated the diversity of the characters and the quality of the educational materials. In the second part of the Focus Group, the attendees were introduced to the educational toolkit. A presentation about the platform and the Flipped Classroom approach was delivered and discussed with the participants.

Being guided by the moderator, the attendees started to brainstorm on the ways to apply the flipped classroom to various subjects. They proposed activities and developed Project Work on the VET topic of tourism. In addition, the attendees discussed about advantages and challenges of implementing the lesson using flipped classroom methodology. They agree on putting the lessons in place with students and on providing feedback.

Following the discussions during the focus group and based on the feedback received, we concluded that they were very satisfied with the results of the STIT project. They considered that the results are well presented and integrated, and offer a good perspective for future implementation in the classroom.

Location: Constanta, Romania

Date: 16 November 2023