WESPOT

Working Environment with Social, Personal and Open Technologies for Inquiry Based Learning

The weSPOT project, supported by the European Commission, aims to propagate scientific inquiry as the approach for science learning and teaching in combination with today's curricula and teaching practices.

weSPOT will create a Working Environment with Social, Personal and Open Technologies that supports users (from 12 to 25) to develop their inquiry based learning skills by means of:

(i) a European reference model for inquiry skills and inquiry workflows,

(ii) a diagnostic instrument for measuring inquiry skills,

(iii) smart support tools for orchestrating inquiry workflows including mobile apps, learning analytics support, and social collaboration on scientific inquiry,

(iv) social media integration and viral marketing of scientific inquiry linked to school legacy systems and an open badge system.

In inquiry-based learning co-learners take the role of explorers and scientists and are motivated by their personal curiosity, guided by self-reflection, and develop knowledge personal and collaborative sense-making and reasoning.

weSPOT will work on a meta-inquiry level in that it will:

1. define a reference model for inquiry-based learning skills,

2. create a diagnostic instrument for measuring inquiry skills, and

3. implement a working environment that allows the easy linking of inquiry activities with school curricula and legacy systems.

Partners

• OUNL
• TUGRAZ
• KUL
• IACM-FORTH
• ILI-FAU
• NIS-SU
• IPAK
• ILI

Alexander Mikroyannidis

Alexander Mikroyannidis

Chris Valentine

Alexandra Okada

Kate Dungate

Mikroyannidis, A., Okada, A., Correa, A.L. and Scott, P. (2016) Inquiry-Based Learning on the Cloud, in eds. Lee Chao, Handbook of Research on Cloud-Based STEM Education for Improved Learning Outcomes, pp. 291-310, IGI Global

Okada, A., Wolff, A. and Mikroyannidis, A. (2015) Fostering young smart citizens through personal learning environments for urban inquiries, Workshop: Smart Learning Ecosystems in Smart Regions and Cities at 10th European Conference on Technology Enhanced Learning (EC-TEL), Toledo, Spain

Okada, A., Wolff, A., Mikroyannidis, A. and Ashton, S. (2015) Promoting partnerships among Universities, Schools and Research Centres to foster Responsible Research and Innovation for smart citizenship, 15th International Conference on Technology Policy and Innovation (ICTPI), Milton Keynes, UK

Mikroyannidis, A., Kroop, S. and Wolpers, M. (2015) Personal Learning Environments (PLEs): Visions and Concepts Responsive Open Learning Environments, eds. Sylvana Kroop, Alexander Mikroyannidis, Martin Wolpers, pp. 1-16, Springer

Okada, A., Serra, A.R.C., Ribeiro, S. and Pinto, S. (2015) Key skills for co-learning and co-inquiry in two open platforms: a massive portal (EDUCARED) and a personal environment (weSPOT), Open Praxis International Journal, 7, 1, International Council for Open and Distance Education