Arqus launches its first call for enhancing flexible and innovative academic offer across the Alliance

To enrich the innovative and flexible academic offer of the Alliance, Arqus opens the first call for the design and implementation of Virtual Exchange & Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL) courses; Online courses & Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) and Modules Development.

The Arqus Alliance aims to transform European higher education, research and innovation through deep cooperation and progressive integration, in pursuit of an equitable and sustainable future. In order to reach this aim, Alliance seeks to enhance local academic offer at partner universities and ensure that students develop global and forward-looking generic competences through the incorporation of flexible and innovative learning opportunities such as Virtual Exchange & Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL) courses; Online courses & Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) and other Modules:

• Virtual Exchange (in USA – Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL)) is an accessible international experience, which leverages on new technologies and does not entail physical mobility. Organised jointly between at least two universities in geographically distant locations, Virtual Exchange is a form of student-centred learning, consisting of little traditional/lecture-based teaching so as to encourage a learner-led collaborative experience aimed at developing greater understanding of the common project, and/or discussing interdisciplinary topics with a challenged-based approach.

• Online courses are learning units of any kind that are delivered completely on-line and do not require physical presence at all. As any other course, they have specific learning objectives and a well-defined curriculum offering training on a set of competences and learning outcomes that the students should be able to achieve within a reasonable period of time. They can make use of learning materials and tools of any kind that are suitable for online delivery (videoconferencing, digital documents, recordings, quizzes, social media, etc.).

• Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) are a specific type of online courses that offer training for large numbers of learners in an open and freely accessible way. In order to actively involve as many participants as possible, they promote community building and direct interaction among the learners, provide self-assessment tools, offer peer-to-peer evaluation, etc. Although MOOCs and their educational resources are freely accessible, specific personalised services such as follow-up, mentoring, correcting and grading of assignments, or final assessment and certification may be subject to fees.

This call serves as an umbrella for local calls and support usually held in partner universities and aims to assist academics in finding partners for collaboration. It is open from 2^nd of April to 17^th of May 2024, altough actual dates might change according to the local calls of each partner university.

More information about the Alliance support and selection criteria, application procedures as well as contact information and internal calls in partners universities may be found here.