When the Funding Ends: Using the Handson ICT MOOC as a Key Element in Research and Development Projects Funded by the EU ICT Industry

This paper concentrates on potential methods of sustaining the development and use of the EU LLL funded HANDSON ICT MOOC after the project ends in April 2015. At this early stage in the project, the MirandaNet Fellowship, the English partner that leads the sustainability work package, outlines the position of the ICT industry in the UK in order to stimulate the investigation of similarities and differences in the partner countries: Greece, Spain, Slovenia and Holland. The key challenges for UK industry in 2014 are to: generate or respond to business opportunities internationally; encourage those seeking system change to look to the UK and facilite the UK response; increase the involvement of third country collaboration; work with EU and global players. On the basis of evidence from MirandaNet activity since 1992, the authors recommend developing a HANDSON ICT community of practice during the pilots that will want to use the environment in the future to develop further courses for teachers that showcase EU products and services in a classroom setting in a situation. In this context the teachers who become co-researchers gain valuable ICT professional development in the uses and pedagogies associated with digital tools. A range of other partnerships have also been set up as part of the sustainability programme that increase the dissemination of the findings through accreditation and global publication.