The aim of the Academy project was to provide SELFIE assessed schools with an eco-system of digital education mentor supports and professional development resources around the themes addressed within the SELFIE self-reflection tool. These themes included Leadership, Collaboration and Networking, Infrastructure and Equipment, Continuous Professional Development, Teaching and Learning, Assessment and Student Digital Competences. The academy explored how digital learning and teaching was being used to enhance STEAM education and remote learning in schools.
The Academy was the latest extension to The Digital Schools Awards European programme which launched in January 2020 to explore how SELFIE-assessed schools in five countries – Slovenia, Serbia, Lithuania, Scotland and Ireland – could be supported through the Digital Schools Awards to accelerate and enhance sustainable digital education practices. Schools that were awarded were invited to join the academy as mentor schools.
Approximately 30 post-primary schools from four countries, Slovenia, Serbia, Lithuania, and Ireland joined the academy in 2022. The project provided support for social inclusion and equality by connecting these schools with mentor schools to enhance their digital practices. Teachers gained valuable knowledge, support and mentorship to help their school’s digital action planning and development. The project worked with these schools as they embarked on an innovation journey. Academy schools were connected with innovative digital mentors in order to explore approaches before implementing or adapting them in their own setting.
Schools that completed the programme received recognition for their efforts and joined a growing community of awarded digital schools in Europe. The SELFIE Digital Schools Academy consortium of partners had a wide range of expertise. It consisted of national ministries of education, school support agencies, university, project management experts and industry partners. The project was funded by Erasmus+ managed through the National Agency in Ireland, Leargas. Partners involved were
Digital Schools Awards – Ireland
H2 Learning – Ireland
The National Agency for Education – Lithuania
Education Technology Center, Institute for Education Quality and Evaluation (IEQE) – Serbia
University of Maribor – Slovenia
Sord Data Systems – Ireland
Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development – Serbia
HP Inc. – worldwide
ASELFIE Digital Schools Academy
