Sharing knowledge: CLIL experiences

Introduction and outcomes

Sharing knowledge. CLIL experiences
The support which we cannot do without is that of our own effort.
The main intention of this unit is to point out ways of sharing teaching experiences
and the practical knowhow of offering CLIL in different social contexts.
The present information is a channel for going beyond the classroom and for pooling
experiences and activities so as to be able to improve the quality of education.
It is also an opportunity to do research action in the classroom and publish the
findings through institutions, blogs or other useful sources which are to be found
here.
Outcomes:
To help promote the "knowledge triangle" which integrates: educations, research
and innovation.
To enrich the understanding of concepts and different methodologies regarding
CLIL.
To become familiar with Erasmus+ Projects and their dissemination strategies.

Communities of practice

Communities of practice. A brief introduction. Etienne Wenger. June 2006

The term "community of practice" is of relatively recent coinage,

even though the phenomenon it refers to is age-old. The concept has
turned out to provide a useful perspective on knowing and learning. A
growing number of people and organizations in various sectors are
now focusing on communities of practice as a key to improving their
performance.
This brief and general introduction examines what communities of
practice are and why researchers and practitioners in so many
different contexts find them useful as an approach to knowing and
learning.

What are communities of practice?

Communities of practice are formed by people who engage in a process of collective
learning in a shared domain of human endeavor: a tribe learning to survive, a band of
artists seeking new forms of expression, a group of engineers working on similar
problems, a clique of pupils defining their identity in the school, a network of surgeons
exploring novel techniques, a gathering of first-time managers helping each other
cope. In a nutshell:

Communities of practice are groups of people who share a concern or a passion for something
they do and learn how to interact regularly.

Note that this definition allows for, but does not assume, intentionality: learning can
be the reason the community comes together or an incidental outcome of member's
interactions. Not everything called a community is a community of practice. A
neighborhood for instance, is often called a community, but is usually not a
community of practice. Three characteristics are crucial:
1. The domain: A community of practice is not merely a club of friends or a

network of connections between people. It has an identity defined by a

shared domain of interest. Membership therefore implies a commitment to
the domain, and therefore a shared competence that distinguishes
members from other people. (You could belong to the same network as

someone and never know it.) The domain is not necessarily something
recognized as "expertise" outside the community. A youth gang may have
developed all sorts of ways of dealing with their domain: surviving on the
street and maintaining some kind of identity they can live with. They value
their collective competence and learn from each other, even though few
people outside the group may value or even recognize their expertise.
2. The community: In pursuing their interest in their domain, members
engage in joint activities and discussions, help each other, and share
information. They build relationships that enable them to learn from each
other. A website in itself is not a community of practice. Having the same
job or the same title does not make for a community of practice unless
members interact and learn together. The claims processors in a large
insurance company or students in American high schools may have much
in common, yet unless they interact and learn together, they do not form a
community of practice. But members of a community of practice do not
necessarily work together on a daily basis. The Impressionists, for
instance, used to meet in cafes and studios to discuss the style of painting
they were inventing together. These interactions were essential to making
them a community of practice even though they often painted alone.
3. The practice: A community of practice is not merely a community of
interest--people who like certain kinds of movies, for instance. Members
of a community of practice are practitioners. They develop a shared
repertoire of resources: experiences, stories, tools, ways of addressing
recurring problemsin short a shared practice. This takes time and
sustained interaction. A good conversation with a stranger on an airplane
may give you all sorts of interesting insights, but it does not in itself make
for a community of practice. The development of a shared practice may
be more or less self-conscious. The "windshield wipers" engineers at an
auto manufacturer make a concerted effort to collect and document the
tricks and lessons they have learned into a knowledge base. By contrast,
nurses who meet regularly for lunch in a hospital cafeteria may not realize
that their lunch discussions are one of their main sources of knowledge
about how to care for patients. Still, in the course of all these
conversations, they have developed a set of stories and cases that have
become a shared repertoire for their practice.

It is the combination of these three elements that constitutes a community of practice.

And it is by developing these three elements in parallel that one cultivates such a
community.

What do communities of practice look like?

Communities develop their practice through a variety of activities. The following table
provides a few typical examples:

Problem solving
Requests
information

"Can we work on this design and brainstorm

some ideas; Im stuck."
for "Where can I find the code to connect to the
server?"

Seeking experience

"Has anyone dealt with a customer in this

situation?"

Reusing assets

"I have a proposal for a local area network I

wrote for a client last year. I can send it to
you and you can easily tweak it for this new
client."

Coordination
synergy

and "Can we combine our purchases of solvent to

achieve bulk discounts?"

Discussing
developments

"What do you think of the new CAD system?

Does it really help?"

Documentation
projects

"We have faced this problem five times now.

Let us write it down once and for all."

Visits

"Can we come and see your after-school

program? We need to establish one in our
city."

Mapping knowledge "Who knows what, and what are we missing?

and identifying gaps What other groups should we connect with?"

Communities of practice are not called that in all organizations. They are known
under various names, such as learning networks, thematic groups, or tech clubs.

While they all have the three elements of a domain, a community, and a practice, they
come in a variety of forms. Some are quite small; some are very large, often with a
core group and many peripheral members. Some are local and some cover the globe.
Some meet mainly face-to-face, some mostly online. Some are within an organization
and some include members from various organizations. Some are formally
recognized, often supported with a budget; and some are completely informal and
even invisible.

Communities of practice have been around for as long as human beings have learned
together. At home, at work, at school, in our hobbies, we all belong to communities of
practice, a number of them usually. In some we are core members. In many we are
merely peripheral. And we travel through numerous communities over the course of
our lives. In fact, communities of practice are everywhere. They are a familiar
experience, so familiar perhaps that it often escapes our attention. Yet when it is
given a name and brought into focus, it becomes a perspective that can help us

understand our world better. In particular, it allows us to see past more obvious formal
structures such as organizations, classrooms, or nations, and perceive the structures
defined by engagement in practice and the informal learning that comes with it.

Where does the concept come from?

Social scientists have used versions of the concept of community of practice for a
variety of analytical purposes, but the origin and primary use of the concept has been
in learning theory. Anthropologist Jean Lave and I coined the term while studying
apprenticeship as a learning model. People usually think of apprenticeship as a
relationship between a student and a master, but studies of apprenticeship reveal a
more complex set of social relationships through which learning takes place mostly
with journeymen and more advanced apprentices. The term community of practice
was coined to refer to the community that acts as a living curriculum for the
apprentice. Once the concept was articulated, we started to see these communities
everywhere, even when no formal apprenticeship system existed. And of course,
learning in a community of practice is not limited to novices. The practice of a
community is dynamic and involves learning on the part of everyone.

Where is the concept being applied?

The concept of community of practice has found a number of practical applications in
business, organizational design, government, education, professional associations,
development projects, and civic life.

[Link] concept has been adopted most readily by people in

business because of the recognition that knowledge is a critical asset that
needs to be managed strategically. Initial efforts at managing knowledge had
focused on information systems with disappointing results. Communities of
practice provided a new approach, which focused on people and on the social
structures that enable them to learn with and from each other. Today, there is
hardly any organization of a reasonable size that does not have some form
communities-of-practice initiative. A number of characteristics explain this
rush of interest in communities of practice as a vehicle for developing
strategic capabilities in organizations:
Communities of practice enable practitioners to take collective responsibility for
managing the knowledge they need, recognizing that, given the proper structure,
they are in the best position to do this.
Communities among practitioners create a direct link between learning and
performance, because the same people participate in communities of practice and
in teams and business units.
Practitioners can address the tacit and dynamic aspects of knowledge creation
and sharing, as well as the more explicit aspects.

Communities are not limited by formal structures: they create connections among
people across organizational and geographic boundaries.

From this perspective, the knowledge of an organization lives in a constellation of

communities of practice each taking care of a specific aspect of the competence that
the organization needs. However, the very characteristics that make communities of
practice a good fit for stewarding knowledgeautonomy, practitioner-orientation,
informality, crossing boundariesare also characteristics that make them a challenge
for traditional hierarchical organizations. How this challenge is going to affect these
organizations remains to be seen.

Government. Like businesses, government organizations face knowledge

challenges of increasing complexity and scale. They have adopted
communities of practice for much the same reasons, though the formality of
the bureaucracy can come in the way of open knowledge sharing. Beyond
internal communities, there are typical government problems such as
education, health, and security that require coordination and knowledge
sharing across levels of government. There also, communities of practice hold
the promise of enabling connections among people across formal structures.
And there also, there are substantial organizational issues to overcome.

[Link] and districts are organizations in their own right, and they
too face increasing knowledge challenges. The first applications of
communities of practice have been in teacher training and in providing isolated
administrators with access to colleagues. There is a wave of interest in these
peer-to-peer professional-development activities. But in the education sector,
learning is not only a means to an end: it is the end product. The perspective
of communities of practice is therefore also relevant at this level. In business,
focusing on communities of practice adds a layer of complexity to the
organization, but it does not fundamentally change what the business is
about. In schools, changing the learning theory is a much deeper
transformation. This will inevitably take
longer. The perspective of
communities of practice affects educational practices along three dimensions:
Internally: How to organize educational experiences that ground school learning
in practice through participation in communities around subject matters?
Externally: How to connect the experience of students to actual practice through
peripheral forms of participation in broader communities beyond the walls of the
school?
Over the lifetime of students : How to serve the lifelong learning needs of students
by organizing communities of practice focused on topics of continuing interest to
students beyond the initial schooling period?
From this perspective, the school is not the privileged locus of learning. It is not a
self-contained, closed world in which students acquire knowledge to be applied
outside, but a part of a broader learning system. The class is not the primary learning

event. It is life itself that is the main learning event. Schools, classrooms, and training
sessions still have a role to play in this vision, but they have to be in the service of the
learning that happens in the world.

and
Associations.A growing number of associations, professional
otherwise, are seeking ways to focus on learning through reflection on
practice. Their members are restless and their allegiance is fragile. They
need to offer high-value learning activities. The peer-to-peer learning activities
typical of communities of practice offer a complementary alternative to more
traditional course offerings and publications.

Socialsector. In the civic domain, there is an emergent interest in building

communities among practitioners. In the non-profit world, for instance,
foundations are recognizing that philanthropy needs focus on learning
systems in order to fully leverage funded projects. But practitioners are
seeking peer-to-peer connections and learning opportunities with or without
the support of institutions. This includes regional economic development, with
intra-regional communities on various domains, as well as inter-regional
learning with communities gathering practitioners from various regions.

International development. There is increasing recognition that the

challenge of developing nations is as much a knowledge as a financial
challenge. A number of people believe that a communities-of-practice
approach can provide a new paradigm for development work. It emphasizes
knowledge building among practitioners. Some development agencies now
see their role as conveners of such communities, rather than as providers of
knowledge.
Theweb. New technologies such as the Internet have extended the reach of
our interactions beyond the geographical limitations of traditional
communities, but the increase in flow of information does not obviate the need
for community. In fact, it expands the possibilities for community and calls for
new kinds of communities based on shared practice.

The concept of community of practice is influencing theory and practice in

many domains. From humble beginnings in apprenticeship studies, the
concept was grabbed by businesses interested in knowledge management
and has progressively found its way into other sectors. It has now become
the foundation of a perspective on knowing and learning that informs efforts
to create learning systems in various sectors and at various levels of scale,
from local communities, to single organizations, partnerships, cities, regions,
and the entire world.

Further reading
For the application of a community-based approach to knowledge in
organizations:

Cultivating communities of practice: a guide to managing [Link]

Etienne Wenger, Richard McDermott, and William Snyder, Harvard
Business School Press, 2002.
Communities of practice: the organizational frontier. By Etienne Wenger
and William Snyder. Harvard Business Review. January-February 2000,
pp. 139-145.
Knowledge management is a donut: shaping your knowledge strategy with
communities of practice. By Etienne [Link] Business Journal,
January 2004.

For in-depth coverage of the learning theory:

Communities of practice: learning, meaning, and identity. By Etienne Wenger,

Cambridge University Press, 1998.

For a vision of where the learning theory is going:

Learning for a small planet: a research [Link] Etienne Wenger,

available at [Link]/research, 2004.

Start up guide

Examples of education magazines, journals and publishers

Examples of education magazines, journals and publishers

Publishers:
[Link]/spain/english/
[Link]/
[Link]
[Link]
[Link]
[Link]/[Link]/directorio-de-editoriales
[Link]
[Link]/
[Link]
[Link]
[Link]
[Link]/06/7/[Link]

Magazines:
[Link]
[Link]
[Link]/RELIEVE/
[Link]/[Link]
[Link]/HEURESIS/
[Link]
[Link]
[Link]
[Link]
[Link]
[Link]
[Link]

[Link]

Institutions:
Ministerio
de
/[Link]

Educacin:

[Link]

Conselleria de Educacin, Cultura y Deportes: [Link]

/default_edu.asp
Instituto Cervantes:[Link]
/[Link]
British Council: [Link]

Universities:
Universitat Jaume I: [Link]
Universitat de Valncia: [Link]/
Universitat d'Alacant: [Link]/
Universitat Oberta de Catalunya: [Link]/
Universitat Autnoma de Barcelona:[Link]/
Universidad Computense de Madrid: [Link]

Harvard style for publishing

Harvard style for publishing

When writing assignments you must acknowledge the source of your ideas and
quotes in sufficient detail so that those reading can locate the item. Referencing is
important to avoid plagiarism, to verify quotations and to enable readers to follow up
what you have written and locate the cited authors work.

The Harvard style is a generic author-date style for citing and referencing
information used. There are many styles which follow the author-date convention,
including the American Psychological Association (APA) and the Chicago Manual of
Style. This guide is based on an Australian style manual (AGPS style) now revised by
Snooks & Co, 2002.

[Link]
/harvard_6_July2014.pdf

Training modalities

Legal regulation
ORDER 65/2012, of October 26, of the Conselleria of Education, Training and
Employment, which provides the model of in-service teacher training and the design,
recognition and registration of training activities

(DOCV Nm. 6893 / 31.10.2012)

Erasmus+: Dissemination and exploitation of results

The Erasmus+ Programme. Introduction

The Erasmus+ programme aims to boost skills and employability, as well as
modernising Education, Training, and Youth work. The seven year programme will
have a budget of 14.7 billion; a 40% increase compared to current spending
levels, reflecting the EU's commitment to investing in these [Link]+ will
provide opportunities for over 4 million Europeans to study, train, gain work
experience and volunteer abroad.

Erasmus+ will support transnational partnerships among Education, Training, and

Youth institutions and organisations to foster cooperation and bridge the worlds of
Education and work in order to tackle the skills gaps we are facing in Europe. It will
also support national efforts to modernise Education, Training, and Youth systems.
Erasmus+ brings together seven existing EU programmes in the fields of Education,
Training, and Youth; it will for the first time provide support for Sport. As an integrated
programme, Erasmus+ offers more opportunities for cooperation across the
Education, Training, Youth, and Sport sectors and is easier to access than its
predecessors, with simplified funding rules. It provides opportunities for the
development of partnerships with schools and organisations across Europe to
improve standards and the quality of teaching and learning. These "Strategic
Partnerships" allow partners to work together on issues of shared interest during 2-3
years to introduce innovative practice and/or engage in new forms of co-operation
with partners from different fields.

In order to achieve its objectives, the Erasmus+ Programme implements the following
Actions:
Key Action 1: Mobility of individuals;
Key Action 2: Cooperation for innovation and the exchange of good practices;
Key Action 3: Support for policy reforms.

Multilingualism is one of the cornerstones of the European project and a powerful

symbol of the EU's aspiration to be united in diversity. Foreign languages have a
prominent role among the skills that will help equip people better for the labour market
and make the most of available opportunities. The EU has set the goal that every
citizen should have the opportunity to acquire at least two foreign languages, from an
early [Link] promotion of language learning and linguistic diversity is one of the
specific objectives of the Programme. The lack of language competences is one of
the main barriers to participation in European education, training and youth
programmes.

Under Key Action 2, Strategic Partnerships in the area of language teaching and
learning will be encouraged. Innovation and good practices aiming to promote
language skills can include for example teaching and assessment methods,
development of pedagogical material, research, computer assisted language learning,
etc. Projects supported under this Key Action are intended to produce innovative
approaches to addressing their target groups, by providing for example more
attractive education programmes.

Activities serving the dissemination and exploitation of results are a way to showcase
the work that has been done as part of the Erasmus+ project. Sharing results,
lessons learned and outcomes and findings beyond the participating organisations
will enable a wider community to benefit from a work that has received EU funding, as
well as to promote the organisation's efforts towards the objectives of Erasmus+,
which attaches fundamental importance to the link between Programme and policies.
Therefore each of the projects supported by the Programme is a step towards
achieving the general objectives defined by the Programme to improve and
modernise education, training and youth systems.

Dissemination activities will vary between projects, and it is important to consider

what kinds of dissemination activities are fitted to each participating organisations.
Partners in smaller projects should undertake dissemination and exploitation
appropriate to the level of their activity. Dissemination activities for a mobility project
will trigger different requirements than those for a partnership project. The extent of
dissemination and exploitation activities will increase with the size and strategic
importance of the project. When applying, applicants will be asked to explain their
intentions/plans for dissemination and exploitation activities, and if successful,
required to carry them out.

The objective of this section is to function as a guide, a reminder and an eyeopener

for projects under Erasmus+ Key Action 2, especially for those project coordinators
and participants who have little or no experience in doing dissemination work, and to
make them aware of the range of options which exist.

Dissemination and exploitation of project results: what,

why, who, when. where and how

1.- What do dissemination and exploitation mean?

Dissemination means to spread widely. In terms of the Erasmus+ Programme this

envolves spreading the word about the project successes and outcomes as far as
possible. Making others aware of the project will impact on other organisations in the
future and will contribute to raising the profile of the organisation carrying out the
project. To effectively disseminate results, an appropriate process at the beginning of
the project needs to be designed. This should cover why, what, how, when, to whom
and where disseminating results will take place, both during and after the funding
period.

Exploitation means to use and benefit from something. For Erasmus+ this means
maximising the potential of the funded activities, so that the results are used beyond
the lifetime of the project. It should be noted that the project is being carried out as
part of an international programme working towards lifelong learning and supporting
European policies in the field of education, training, youth and sport. Results should
be developed in such a way that they can be tailored to the needs of others;
transferred to new areas; sustained after the funding period has finished; or used to
influence future policy and practice.

What is intended by "results of the activity"?

2.- What is intended by "results of the activity"?

Results are the outputs of the European activity or project funded. The type of result
will vary depending on the type of project. Results can be accessible products like:

curricula;
studies;
reports;
materials;
events;
websites.

Results can also mean the knowledge and experience gained by participants,
partners or other stakeholders involved in the project.

What do impact and sustainability mean?

3.- What do impact and sustainability mean?

Impact is the effect that the activity carried out and its results have on people,
practices, organisations and systems. Dissemination and exploitation of results plans
can help to maximize the effect of the activities being developed so that they will
impact on the immediate participants and partners for years to come. Benefits to other
stakeholders should also be considered in order to make a bigger difference and get
the most from the project.

Sustainability is the capacity of the project to continue and use its results beyond
the end of the funding period. The project results can be used and exploited in the
longer-term, perhaps via commercialisation, accreditation or mainstreaming. Not all
parts of the project or results may be sustainable and it is important to view
dissemination and exploitation as a progression that extends beyond the duration of
the project, and into the future.

What are the aims and objectives of dissemination and

exploitation?

4.- What are the aims and objectives of dissemination and exploitation?

The first goal of dissemination and exploitation is to spread and embed the project's
results. The second goal is to contribute to the implementation and shaping of
national and European policies and systems. Beneficiaries should develop their own
way of achieving this aim. To develop ideas for dissemination and exploitation is
important for every project funded by the Erasmus+ Programme.

However, the type and intensity of dissemination and exploitation activities should be
proportional and tailored to particular needs and type of project developed. This
includes whether the project is process-oriented or aimed to produce tangible
deliverables; if it is stand alone or part of a larger initiative; whether is developed by
large or small-scale participating organisations, etc. Participating organisations
should discuss the aims and objectives of the activities/plan and decide the best
activities and approaches as well as share the tasks among partners taking into
account the particular specifics of the project.

For structured cooperation projects such as Strategic Partnerships, a good quality

dissemination and exploitation plan should include measurable and realistic
objectives, adhere to a timetable and provide a resource planning for the activities to
be undertaken. Involving target groups in activities will also help to maximise the use
of the project's results. It is important to get the strategy right as this is the main way
that will help communicating with the target audiences. Such a requirement is not
foreseen for mobility projects. However, projects organisers are invited to
communicate the learning outcomes reached by participants in such activities. They
should also encourage participants to share with others what they have gained from
taking part in the mobility activity.

Communication is a broader concept. It includes information and promotion activities

to raise awareness and enhance the visibility of the project's activities in addition to
the dissemination and exploitation of the project results. However, very often it is
difficult to make a clear distinction between these areas. For this reason it can be
more efficient to plan an overall strategy framework covering both fields so as to
make the most of the available resources. Dissemination and exploitation of results
should form a crucial part of any communication activities taking place during the
project's lifetime.

Why is it important to share project results? What are the

wider benefits?

5.- Why is it important to share project results? What are the wider benefits?

Taking the time to develop a comprehensive dissemination and exploitation plan will
be advantageous for both the beneficiary and its partners. As well as raising the
profile of the organisation, dissemination and exploitation activities can often create
new opportunities to extend the project and its results or develop new partnerships
for the future. Successful dissemination and exploitation may also lead to external
recognition of the work carried out adding further credit to it. Sharing the results will
enable others to benefit from the activities and experiences of the Erasmus+
Programme. Project results can serve as examples and inspire others by showing
what is possible to achieve under the Programme.

Dissemination and exploitation of project results can help to inform future policy and
practice. Dissemination and exploitation of results activities carried out by
beneficiaries will support the wider aim of improving the European Union's systems.
The impact of the Erasmus+ Programme is measured not only by the quality of
project results but also by the extend to which these results are known and used
outside the project partnership. By reaching out to as many potential users as
possible through dissemination, this will help to achieve a return on investment.

The dissemination and exploitation of project results also increases awareness of the
opportunities offered by the Programme and highlights the European added value of
activities supported by Erasmus+. This can contribute to a public positive perception
and encourage wider participation in this new EU Programme. It is fundamental to
consider the aims and objectives of the dissemination and exploitation plan. These
should link to the project aims to ensure that the methods and approaches used are
appropriate for the Erasmus+ project and its results as well as for the identified target
audiences.

Dissemination and exploitation goals may be to:

raise awareness;
extend the impact;
engage stakeholders and target groups;
share a solution and a know how;
influence policy and practice;
develop new partnerships.

What can be disseminated and exploited?

6.- What can be disseminated and exploited?

The next step is to identify what to disseminate and exploit. The results of the project
may be of diverse nature and consist of both concrete (tangible) results as well as of
skills and personal experiences that both project organisers and participants to the
activities have acquired ( intangible results).

Tangible results may include for example:

- an approach or a model to solve a problem;
- a practical tool or product, such as handbooks, curricula, e-learning tools;
- research reports or studies;
- good practice guides or case studies;
- evaluation reports;
- newsletters or information leaflets;
In order to disseminate more widely experiences, strategies, processes, etc; it is
recommended to document them.

Intangible results may include for example:

- knowledge and experience gained by participants, learners or staff;
- increased skills or achievements;
- improved cultural awareness;
- better language skills.
Intangible results are often more difficult to measure. The use of interviews,
questionnaires, tests, observations or self-assessment mechanisms may help to
record this type of result.

Who are the target audiences?

7.- Who are the target audiences?

Identifying target groups, both at different geographical levels (local, regional,

national, European) and in the own field of the beneficiary (colleagues, peers, local
authorities, other organisations leading the same type of activity, networks, etc.) is
essential. Activities and messages have to be tailored appropriately taking into
account audiences and target groups, for example:
end-users of your activities and deliverables;
stakeholders, experts or practitioners in the field and other interested parties;
decision-makers at local, regional, national and European level;
press and media;
general public.

Your plans should be flexible enough to allow target groups and other stakeholders to
become involved during the different stages of the project. This will help to ensure
that the project remains on track in terms of their needs. Their participation will also
highlight the potential value of your project as well as help to spread the news to
other interested parties throughout Europe.

How to disseminate and exploit results?

8.- How to disseminate and exploit results?

In order to reach as many people as possible, it is advisable to translate as many

communication materials and project outputs in as many languages as possible. It is
recommended to cover all languages of the partnership and English; the cost of these
translations could be included in the grant request if necessary.

There are many different ways to disseminate and exploit results. Being creative and
thinking of fresh ideas so that the Erasmus+ project and results really stands out will
be appreciated. Beneficiaries could use:

the EU Dissemination Platform;

project or organisational websites;
meetings and visits to key stakeholders;
dedicated discussion opportunities such as information sessions, workshops,
seminars, training courses, exhibitions, demonstrations or peer reviews;
targeted written materials such as reports, articles in specialised press,
newsletters, press releases, leaflets or brochures;
audiovisual media and products such as radio, TV, YouTube, Flickr, videoclips,
podcasts or apps;
social media;
public events;
project branding and logos;
existing contacts and networks.

In terms of exploitation it is important to think about how results can make a difference
to the project, end-users, peers or to policy makers. Exploitation mechanisms include:

positive reputational effects for the participating organisations;

increased awareness on a theme, target or area of work;
increased financial support by other supporters or donors;
increased influencing on policy and practice.

Before deciding which dissemination channel(s) can best be used, project partners
have to take into account of the aspects listed below:
1. The subject of dissemination;
2. The context of dissemination;
3. The target group(s) one wants to reach;
4. Additional measures to attract the attention of the target group(s);
5. The scope and degree of penetration of the dissemination channels;
6. The attractiveness of the dissemination channels for the target group(s);
7. External experts one has to consult, for instance, for making a good video or for
organising a symposium;
8. The cost of the dissemination channels;
9. The revenues that can be expected.
It is of particular importance to make a solid and well-grounded connection between
the target group(s) and the dissemination channels.

When should dissemination and exploitation activities be

carried out?

9.- When should dissemination and exploitation activities be carried out?

Dissemination and exploitation of results are an integral part of the Erasmus+ project
throughout its lifetime: from the beneficiary's principal idea, during the project and
even after European funded has ended.

Setting up a timetable of activities together with the partners involved and allocating
appropriated budget and resources will be necessary. The plan will also have to:

agree realistic targets and deadlines with partners to monitor progress;

align dissemination and exploitation activities with key stages of the project;
offer sufficient flexibility to respond to the needs of the target groups as well as
wider developments in policy and practice.

Examples of activities at different stages of the project cycle are:

BEFORE the project starts:

- drafting the dissemination and exploitation plan;
- definition of the expected impact and deliverables;
- consideration of how and to whom dissemination and exploitation outcomes will be
disseminated.

DURING the project:

- updating the dissemination platform with recent information on the project and
results;
- contacting relevant media e.g. at local or regional level;
- conducting regular activities such as information sessions, training, demonstrations,
peer reviews;
- assessing the impact on target groups;
- involving other stakeholders in view of transferring results to end users / new areas /
policies.

AFTER the project:

- continuing further dissemination;
- developing ideas for future cooperation;
- evaluating achievements and impact;
- contacting relevant media;
- contacting policy-makers if relevant.

How to assess success?

10.- How to assess success?

The impact assessment is an essential part of the project. It evaluates achievements

and generates recommendations for future improvements. Indicators could be used to
measure progress towards goals. These are signs that helps to measure
performance. Indicators can be both quantitative relating to numbers and percentages
as well as qualitative relating to the quality of the participation and experience.

Questionnaires, interviews, observations and assessments could also be used to

measure the impact. Defining indicators relating to the different project activities
should be foreseen at the start of the project and part of the overall dissemination
plan.

Some examples:
Facts and figures related to the website of project organisers (updates, visits,
consultation, cross referencing);
Numbers of meetings with key stakeholders;
Numbers of participants involved in discussions and information sessions
(workshops, seminars, peer reviews); follow-up measures;
Production and circulation of products;
Media coverage (articles in specialised press newsletters, press releases,
interviews, etc.);
Visibility in the social media;
Participation in public events;
Links with existing networks and transnational partners; transfer of information
and know-how;
Impact on regional, national, EU policy measures;
Feedback from end-users, other stakeholders, peers, policy-makers.

The project partners should try to disseminate the project results to other target
groups, for instance, to other schools or organisations; to policy makers for eventually
incorporating the project results in the national, regional or local education system
(only if this is feasible); to the Schools' inspectorate; to other (potential) Erasmus+
partnerships who might profit from the experiences gained, not only with regard to the
products but also with regard to the processes; to the National Agencies which have
the task of coordinating and promoting the Erasmus+ programme; to networks of
influential experts on the subject matter so as to gain their commitment too, etc.

Use of the Erasmus+ Dissemination Platform

11.- Use of the Erasmus+ Dissemination Platform

A new platform established for Erasmus+ will offer a comprehensive overview of

projects funded under the Programme and highlight best practices. It is meant to be a
project database as well as showroom for best practices. The platform will also make
available products /deliverables/intellectual outputs which are the result of the
projects funded.

Best practices will be the object of an annual selection by each National Agency and
at European level by the Executive Agency.

The new platform serves different purposes:

information tool for the public to provide relevant and interesting content;
project database (project summaries, work in progress, links);
database of project tangible deliverables giving access to end-users and
practitioners to main outcomes;
showcasing the best practices among Erasmus+ beneficiaries that will be
selected every year at national and European level.

Useful references and contact details

Analysis of education and training; covering all areas

[Link]
Main policy initiatives and outputs in education and training since
the year 2000 - Developing school education policies
http:/[Link]/education/school-policy/index_en.htm
Spanish National Agency (OAPEE)
[Link]
Erasmus+ Programme Guide
[Link]
European Commission - Directorate General Education and Culture
(DG EAC)
[Link]