Training

Univirtual: the establishment of an integrated learning environment to cross borders.

The learning experiences “Lifelong” and “Lifewide” need new environments, tools and social networks in order to cross cultural, institutional, geographic, research borders in search for a never-ending improvement both professional and personal.

Training for adults, teachers, students and learners in general, should go beyond tools and models. In fact, it must include and integrate technologies and human activities – like sharing contents, or cooperation in joined projects’ activities – in order to create dialogic educational spaces, socially productive and inclusive at the same time (Margiotta, 2006; Raffaghelli, 2009).

Univirtual indicates AWAP (Web Environment for Personalized Learning) – Favaretto, 2009-, where digital contents of Web 2.0 become part of every training experience; and the building of relationship among learners becomes a brand new space, open and usable through Web social networks. Learning occurs in the process, not in the output: the output becomes the starting point for a new process for sharing knowledge. The AWAP environment has been created as an area where informal learning can interact with more structured learning experiences. In this way the personalized area becomes key-junction of a social network and ground for further knowledge.

The system uses easy and flexible learner-centered interfaces where: 1) information can be uploaded, consulted and searched through advanced patterns of integration; and 2) spatial and temporal surfing, and structuring of cooperative learning and personalized learning can take place (Favaretto, op.cit.).

Doing so, Univirtual approach to both single courses of advanced and lifelong training, and more articulated projects includes technology as supporting element for the goals of learners involved in a group activity – organized in different levels of structure according to the formative projects – producing, through its own characteristics, specific rules able to guide the style and direction of the communication on the training.

Considering such a great variety of learners and training sites, the professionals employed to support training activities, due to the great variety of technical organizational, networking, socio-cultural mediation, language jargon competences. The leading idea is to reorganize and manage the several elements of learning design according to the specific learning contexts thatUnivirtual and partners plan to set up.

Therefore, Univirtual integrated strategy aims to support and develop a transformative approach in socio-cultural contexts where training is implemented.