The “ONE CLASS! Open Network for Education” Project

The project proposes an efficiently monitored SATCOM solution integrated with eLearning services, aiming at supporting two main activities:

1. Basilicata Multi-classes: ONE CLASS! supports rural schools located in the Basilicata Region (IT), which needs to face the problem of the so-called “multi-classes” with the additional constraint represented by the geographical isolation.

2. Social Integration Services for Foreign Unaccompanied Minors (FUM): ONE CLASS! supports social operator entities and reception centres of immigrants and all other NGOs active in the field, which need to offer to foreign unaccompanied minors (FUM) educational and social inclusion services, being often located in very remote areas.

In particular, the two project components address the following issues:

1. Basilicata Multi-classes:
The project will support the Basilicata Region and the overall educational institutions, needing to ensure to each student present in a multi-class the access to the complete educational programme as delivered in regular classes, where each level has a dedicated teaching team. At this aim, ONE CLASS! offers a SATCOM solution to:

• Overcome digital isolation via the satellite technology
• Overcome the limit of a multiclass via the provisioning of a new didactic model
• Innovate the educational system towards an active dimension of learning.

The project wants to create “one class” virtually opened to several users and offering relevant opportunities to access to educational experiences, contents, relations wider than the ones offered by a usual physical class.

To offer students present in a multi-class the same educational path as delivered in standard schools, ONE CLASS! will implement a new didactic model based on:

• the daily use of video conferencing between the multi-class and the corresponding level of standard school (Synchronous teaching);
• a Cloud eLearning platform containing extra educational contents (Asynchronous teaching).

The proposed services create an undeniable advantage for the students thanks to access possibilities they offer to a real open network of ‘”Education” as well as to the possibility of creating a link between all the virtual classes.
Overall, the Basilicata pilot will last 8 months and involve a network of 28 sites, divided between multi-classes and master schools of primary education. Additionally, 2 International Second Grade Secondary Schools (1 located in the Province of Potenza; 1 located in the Province of Matera) will be involved to support multi-language education in connection with 2 International Schools located in two different European Countries.
Finally, the pilot will be extended to 2 multi-class in the paediatric ward of Matera’s and Potenza’s Hospitals, to support the educational needs of those students (patients) being under medium-long term medical treatment forced to attend teaching sessions limited per time and contents.

2. Social Integration Services for Foreign Unaccompanied Minors (FUM):
The project addresses social operators/NGOs managing Reception centres of immigrants, which face the burning problem of ensuring the hosted Foreign Unaccompanied Minors – FUM educational paths fostering social inclusion within the local communities.
The project proposal represents an important opportunity both for users and for the social operator entities and NGOs to create:

– Personalised and certified education path in a collaborative and open environment;
– The link with people/relatives living in the countries of origin;
– Opportunity to be in contact with local media to be informed about what it is happening in the country of origin;
– Social inclusion and labour market opportunities

For the FUM pilot, the following activities will be supported:

• Daily videoconferencing between the FUM reception centre and the corresponding classes located in selected African schools (Synchronous teaching).
• Enrichment and valorisation of the extra school-time via the access to the cloud e-learning platform containing educational contents (Asynchronous teaching).

The pilot activities will last 5 months and the network will be composed of 4 pilot sites:

• 2 multi-classes located in the Sicily Region (Italy);
• 2 master classes located in two different African Countries.