On 12^th and 13^th September 2023, the 3^rd Transnational Partners’ Meeting (TPM) of the “LEARN.INC-Learning Incubator for Project-based Teaching and Training through Research” EU project, took place at Çanakkale Onsekiz Mart Üniversitesi (COMU), in Cannakale (Turkey). The event marked an important milestone in the project’s ongoing commitment to advancing project-based education and empowering educators in the four (4) partner countries (Bulgaria, Greece, Romania, Turkey).

The 3^rd TPM of the “LEARN.INC” project, hosted by Çanakkale Onsekiz Mart Üniversitesi, the Turkish partner, brought together a diverse group of participants from the partner institutions, representing a broad spectrum of expertise and experience within the education sector. The DAISSy Research Group of the Hellenic Open University (HOU), the Greek partner, sharing valuable long-term related experience was actively involved within all sessions of the two-day TPM. Fruitful discussions and knowledge exchange during the meeting, marked the progress of the deliverables based on the project’s core objectives.

More precisely, the two-day TPM involved twelve (12) partner representatives on-site and additionally four (4) representatives on-line, so that all five (5) project partners, from four (4) countries, take part, namely: Lucian Blanga University of Sibiu- LBUS (Romania), Hellenic Open University-HOU (Greece), COMU (Turkey), Research & Training Point- RTP (Bulgaria), and University of Sofia – UniSofia (Bulgaria).

During the first TMP day, the team members carried out a comprehensive overview of the activities completed so far, highlighting the project achievements and strategies for success. Each University partner presented the main accomplishments for the first eighteen (18) months of the project implementation, as well as the forthcoming activities planned to be completed. Key topics of discussion also included the communication and dissemination strategies, as well as the quality assurance measures to ensure excellence in outcomes and impact. The project management and financial oversight procedures were assessed, as part of the project’s ongoing monitoring and evaluation plan.

Within the same framework, the consortium focused on a few of the main project topics, such as the proposed content of the training modules and their application in the virtual platform. It also led to reviewing specific administrative and financial issues, the monitoring of quality aspects as well as the sharing and promotion of activities, including the communication strategy concerning the recent period of the project implementation.

This was followed by partners’ presentations regarding the evolvement of project activities based on their responsibilities. The DAISSy Research Group of the HOU was represented by Mrs Vasiliki Takouli, Project Manager and Administrator of DAISSy, who delivered a speech regarding the structure of the methodology for the creation of an Open Access Archive of Digital Courses (OPENARC), a series of 12 common online courses in MOOC format. All the content will be derived from the two previous work packages, will be made digital, in various media (videos, presentations, etc.) and will become a resource for learning and teaching in the collaborating HEIs. She explained the concept and put questions to be considered by the partners for the next implementation steps. Then she participated actively in the elaboration and the agreement on certain aspects about the related LEARN.INC upcoming activities.

The second TPM day was dedicated to a visit at Çanakkale Onsekiz Mart Üniversitesi, a meeting with Prof. Dr. R. Cüneyt ERENOĞLU, Rector of COMU, where discussion evolved about the project activities and achievements as well as opportunities for further cooperation between the partner institutions, including through new projects in the field of education and research. Following the official part, delegates visited the facilities of COMU and learnt more about the study programs offered by the University.

The 3^rd TPM of LEARN.INC was successful! The partners joined the two-day sessions with interest and team spirit, bringing added value perceived by all participants.

The LEARN.INC is a three-year project, co-funded by the European Union, under the Erasmus+ Programme, aiming at enhancing education quality and empowering educators to employ challenge-based methods for innovative teaching and learning in academia.

For more information on the LEARN.INC project and other activities of DAISSy:

• Website : https://daissy.eu/, https://learn-inc.eu/
• Facebook : @DAISSyResearchGroup
• Linkedin : https://www.linkedin.com/in/daissyresearchgroup/
• Twitter : https://twitter.com/daissy_research
• Instagram: @daissy_researchgroup
• Email : info@daissy.eap.gr