Periodic Reporting for period 2 - EPICA (EPICA - Strategic partnership for the co-design of an innovative and scalable eportfolio ecosystem to improve the quality and visibility of skills)
Reporting period: 2019-07-01 to 2020-12-31
The fast-growing population of Africa and notably Eastern Africa raises – among many others - the challenge of employment and especially the employability and visibility of skills in young graduates. A recent trend has been observed within higher education and employability that actual skills and competencies are more valued by employers than the traditional approaches that used to put a single emphasis on the obtained degree and the pertaining institution. In line with said trend, the EPICA project aimed at addressing the above-mentioned challenge of the employability and visibility of skills of young Africans by developing an eportfolio allowing graduates to increase their skills visibility and consequently their employability.
It has been theorized that African economies will be able to skip some industrial developments by directly adopting the latest technologies; for example, the lack of needing to build landlines when cell phones and data roaming can be set up directly. In line with this example, education and specifically online education is developing fast in Africa as more and more Africans are gaining access to the internet and consequently, to education. It must also be observed that in Africa - as is worldwide – lifelong learning is developing rapidly; people of all ages are now either going back to studies or combining work together with education.
Based on all these above detailed evolutions and trends, the EPICA eportfolio has been a response in order to bridge graduates and employers, universities and companies, by allowing graduates/students of all ages to not only better highlight their resume but also to highlight their skills and competencies to potential employers. EPICA was both a commercial and Research & Development project that explored the responsivity of the African market by piloting the eportfolio in three different universities within three countries (Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania). In parallel, the legal requirements, the business model, the sustainability, and the relevant technology were cumulatively researched and studied by the EPICA consortium. The overall objective of the EPICA project was therefore to explore the marketability and set the conditions for the EPICA eportfolio to be adopted by the African market. Despite the Coronavirus pandemic and its belated restrictions that severely reduced the scope of the pilot and delayed the potential exploitation of the project results, the EPICA project has positively addressed its objectives and reaffirmed the assumptions upon which the project was developed.
It has been theorized that African economies will be able to skip some industrial developments by directly adopting the latest technologies; for example, the lack of needing to build landlines when cell phones and data roaming can be set up directly. In line with this example, education and specifically online education is developing fast in Africa as more and more Africans are gaining access to the internet and consequently, to education. It must also be observed that in Africa - as is worldwide – lifelong learning is developing rapidly; people of all ages are now either going back to studies or combining work together with education.
Based on all these above detailed evolutions and trends, the EPICA eportfolio has been a response in order to bridge graduates and employers, universities and companies, by allowing graduates/students of all ages to not only better highlight their resume but also to highlight their skills and competencies to potential employers. EPICA was both a commercial and Research & Development project that explored the responsivity of the African market by piloting the eportfolio in three different universities within three countries (Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania). In parallel, the legal requirements, the business model, the sustainability, and the relevant technology were cumulatively researched and studied by the EPICA consortium. The overall objective of the EPICA project was therefore to explore the marketability and set the conditions for the EPICA eportfolio to be adopted by the African market. Despite the Coronavirus pandemic and its belated restrictions that severely reduced the scope of the pilot and delayed the potential exploitation of the project results, the EPICA project has positively addressed its objectives and reaffirmed the assumptions upon which the project was developed.
Over the 36 month lifespan of the project, the EPICA consortium articulated the work of its seven Work-Packages around three principal phases. The first preliminary phase was a thorough research aimed at understanding the reality and the requirements of the African market. This first phase covered the research of pedagogical, legal and IPR requirements, the exploration of potential business models, and an initial understanding of the technological requirements at stake. The requirements emerged in this phase supported the design and the implementation of the EPICA solution which involved the competency-based ePortfolio and the model for its take up.
The second phase consisted of the Pilot itself conducted across the three African countries of the Consortium, Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania. The Pilot phase actively involved university professors and students together with the EPICA technological team working on the ePortfolio and a group of selected local employers who also tested the solution. The third and final phase of the project consisted of the final definition of the ePortfolio through its final development work and validation. During the entire duration of the project, the consortium ensured the management of risks, quality, and data thanks to the work of the Project Coordination Team which met on a monthly basis to monitor work progress and ensure the smooth implementation of the work plan. It must also be noted that a specific work-package was designed at disseminating the results of the project to outside communities and the public at large across Europe, Africa and ultimately worldwide. The Project delivered on its core work despite the pilot and the exploitation strategy being affected by the Coronavirus restrictions. In addition to the ePortfolio platform and the pedagogical model, the EPICA project delivered high-quality reports on the pedagogic, legal, and business needs of the African Higher Education and employment market that constitute a solid basis for future work, projects or research in these respective fields.
The second phase consisted of the Pilot itself conducted across the three African countries of the Consortium, Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania. The Pilot phase actively involved university professors and students together with the EPICA technological team working on the ePortfolio and a group of selected local employers who also tested the solution. The third and final phase of the project consisted of the final definition of the ePortfolio through its final development work and validation. During the entire duration of the project, the consortium ensured the management of risks, quality, and data thanks to the work of the Project Coordination Team which met on a monthly basis to monitor work progress and ensure the smooth implementation of the work plan. It must also be noted that a specific work-package was designed at disseminating the results of the project to outside communities and the public at large across Europe, Africa and ultimately worldwide. The Project delivered on its core work despite the pilot and the exploitation strategy being affected by the Coronavirus restrictions. In addition to the ePortfolio platform and the pedagogical model, the EPICA project delivered high-quality reports on the pedagogic, legal, and business needs of the African Higher Education and employment market that constitute a solid basis for future work, projects or research in these respective fields.
The EPICA ePortfolio, as well as the methodology used for competence assessment and validation, was piloted and validated in the third phase of the project, having an impact on skills development and recognition of the participant universities. Flexibility and scalability as well as the high level of performance and the possibility of using a mobile version have been crucial for the ecosystem.
The Competency-based education model introduced new learning and teaching methodologies as a new trend of increasing the quality of the education programmes in the participant institutions. Interaction and collaboration between and among students, academic and administrative staff was fostered through the ePortfolio.
The EPICA ecosystem could also have an impact on the teachers’ practices that participate in the project as innovators and on the academic staff of the local universities.
The relationship between academia, workplace representatives, and the creation of ad hoc services has encouraged a real change and has proven its impact on educational outcomes. Further actions were aimed at strengthening the link among these sectors and to promote public-private partnerships. These actions led the participant universities to modernize their curricula and offer an education path closer to the labour market.
In addition, the EPICA outcomes adapted to the African local context provided ways to standardise training and teaching throughout urban and rural universities, which allowed all students to receive the same educational opportunities.
Finally, the free version of the eportfolio, developed as an additional and key output of the project, ensures the sustainability of and the access to the project’s results to a large part of the population, especially those of countries with weaker economies.
The Competency-based education model introduced new learning and teaching methodologies as a new trend of increasing the quality of the education programmes in the participant institutions. Interaction and collaboration between and among students, academic and administrative staff was fostered through the ePortfolio.
The EPICA ecosystem could also have an impact on the teachers’ practices that participate in the project as innovators and on the academic staff of the local universities.
The relationship between academia, workplace representatives, and the creation of ad hoc services has encouraged a real change and has proven its impact on educational outcomes. Further actions were aimed at strengthening the link among these sectors and to promote public-private partnerships. These actions led the participant universities to modernize their curricula and offer an education path closer to the labour market.
In addition, the EPICA outcomes adapted to the African local context provided ways to standardise training and teaching throughout urban and rural universities, which allowed all students to receive the same educational opportunities.
Finally, the free version of the eportfolio, developed as an additional and key output of the project, ensures the sustainability of and the access to the project’s results to a large part of the population, especially those of countries with weaker economies.