The ENFORA Project

ENFORA Project: "Innovation Transfer of DEDALOS project, for Teaching English as a second language to Deaf people, whose first Language is the Sign Language, via e-Learning tools".

Summary of the ENFORA Project.

It is common knowledge among the professionals in the field of special education, that despite the tremendous evolution that has taken place in  computer communication networks, the Internet and its services and facilities in the past years, little has been done towards the direction of usage and penetration of these services within the domain of Linguistic Training for the Deaf people. The absence of material in the Sign Language and the difficulties of Sign Language adaptation into the existing e-learning systems are the main reasons. Furthermore there is a lack of learning systems that provide English Language training as a second language for the Deaf people. For this, we will use and transfer the innovative instructive material of the DEDALOS LdV Project which is suitably adapted to the needs of this special group of people, to the project consortium. The DEDALOS Project was chosen as an LdV Best Practice Project by the European Union in 2006.

It is obvious that there is great lack in the lifelong and distance ICT supported training, which supports and encourages the participation of Deaf people in the field of linguistic training, which is developed and designed according to the special needs of the Deaf people.

The main purpose of the project is the provision of distant ICT based learning to Deaf People and how to use e-learning as a basic means for the linguistic training of the English Language as a second language.

The learning system, which consists of the educational scenario, the learning material and the used technological solutions of the DEDALOS project is pedagogically, socially, culturally, and linguistically adapted and focused on the special needs of the Deaf people of every country-partner.  

The specific targets of the project are:

- Requirements analysis and determination of the Deaf learners

- Adaptation of the innovative learning material

- Development of the learning system via ICT based learning strategies

- Establishment and reassurance of the continuous cooperative innovation transfer

- Development of mechanisms for the continuous cooperative innovation transfer

- Improving the quality and increasing the volume of cooperation between institutions or organisations providing learning opportunities, enterprises, social partners and other relevant bodies throughout Europe.

 The proposed project is intended to produce the following deliverables:

-The development and provision of the learning system, which includes the adaptation of the learning material and the used technological solutions.

-The pilot implementation of the learning system in the countries/partners.

-The creation of human networks of specialists and organizations, for the continuous cooperative innovation transfer.

Work Packages Description

WP1: Project Management

The 1st workpackage concerns the Project Management of the project.

WP1 is responsible for the Project Management of the project, the recording of the Quality Assurance team and the delivery of an Internal Evaluation Report for each work package. In addition, this WP includes all the workshops-partner meetings that took place during the project.

WP2: Quality Assurance Plan

The 2nd workpackage concerns the Quality Assurance of the project.

WP2 is responsible For the Quality Assurance Plan, the monitoring of the Project Management team and the delivery of External Evaluation Reports for each work package.

WP3: Deaf Learners’ Requirements & Needs Analysis

WP3 concerns the Requirements and Needs analysis of the Hearing Impaired trainees. It consists of the development of survey tools, survey implementation and survey analysis.

WP4: Translation of the learning material, adaptation of the learning material, and development of the learning system

WP4 concerns the adaptation of the learning material and the development and publishing of the e-learning courses. It also includes the development of the e-learning environment where the courses will be published.

WP5: Development of the Community of Practice

WP5 concerns the design and development of a community of practice and the enhancement of the collaboration in learning between the participating countries and the learning process of the trainees.

WP6: Development of the Human Network

WP6 concerns the development of a human network to ensure the participation, cooperation and communication of the participants through the development of the projects portal services.

WP7: e-Learning Pilot Actions

WP7 concerns the utilization of the Training Courses in Sweden, Greece, Romania and Italy, and the evaluation of the training courses.

WP8: Dissemination

WP8 concerns the dissemination actions of each country-partner.

WP9: Exploitation

WP9 concerns the exploitation actions and the overall evaluation of the project