The EU Academy centralises e-learning activities and provides access to online resources within one platform. It is run by the European Commission's Joint Research Centre (JRC). Donatella Salvi, Team Leader for UCPM Training and Exercises at DG ECHO, tells us more about how it is being used in civil protection.
1. Why was the EU Academy created? What was the primary vision behind it?
The EU Academy was started in 2019 at the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre, (JRC). The vision of the project is to educate professionals and aspiring professionals about EU policy and its implementation, as a means to combat disinformation and promote the fast and efficient adoption of EU policies and programmes so their benefits can be felt by citizens. In a nutshell, the overall idea behind it was to create a centralised platform for courses produced by the EU institutions.
2. How do you and your team use the EU Academy?
Our team strives to develop world-class training modules for European civil protection experts. This is where the EU Academy comes into play. The learning management system (LMS) provides a platform for asynchronous learning, complementary to online classes, face-to-face training courses, and field exercises. The advantages of asynchronous learning are proven: learners can engage with courses flexibly, at their own pace, and at times that work best for them.
3. Since its launch, what have been the significant experiences with the EU Academy, both anticipated and unforeseen?
First, I have to say that we already had a platform for the former UCPM Training Programme with face-to-face courses and preparatory online modules. With the changes and creation of the new UCPM Training Programme in 2022, it was evident that a more sustainable, comprehensive, and flexible platform would be needed.
COVID-19 then forced us to cancel many face-to-face courses and exercises, pushing us towards new and alternative
ways of training with interactive online courses. This is how a blended approach became an integral part of the new
UCPM Training Programme.
4. In what ways does the EU Academy stand out from other learning and knowledge platforms? Can you detail some unique features?
Colleagues at the JRC built the EU Academy on an open source e-learning platform called Moodle, so it uses pretty standard technology. Over the past years, they have however added a number of complementary functionalities, to make it uniquely useful to customers and learners.
The JRC highlights examples such as a new micro-learning module, a learning communities feature, podcast and video talks channels, and an adaptive learning approach based on a novel new assessment content type. But there are many smaller tweaks and design features that make the EU Academy one of the most exciting e-learning platforms around today, and also one of the largest and most ambitious in the world.
At the time of writing, 1.25 million learners have signed up, with more than 2 million enrolments to over 2,250 content items on the platform. The EU Academy website has consistently been among the 15 most visited Europa web properties over the past year, and the JRC expects that ranking to slowly rise as more professionals, and more content, make their way to the platform. The platform interface is also now available in more than 30 languages.
5. How can participants of the UCPM Training Programme benefit from the EU Academy?
The face-to-face training courses both for deployable and non-deployable experts will continue to be at the core of the UCPM Training Programme. However, now disaster management experts from across Europe and beyond have direct access to a wider array of resources and learning opportunities.
Compared to earlier courses, when one was sometimes left without any way of refreshing knowledge until the next face-to-face course, the learning process has become more dynamic and self-paced. Thankfully, this allows participants to access updated modules online, ensuring learning of current information and acquisition of digital certificates. In addition, a platform for knowledge exchange has sprung up. It really has become a key resource for us!
To access the EU Academy - UCPM Training and Exercises Programme Page: academy.europa.eu/local/euacademy/pages/course/community-overview.php?title=ucpm-training-and-exercises-programme-page
To know more about the training opportunities offered by the Mechanism, in person and on line, visit the Union Civil Protection Mechanism training section.
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