We are very happy to announce that ITSHEC project has ended with all objectives met! All partners (Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Escola Superior d’Infermeria del Mar, Metropolia University of Applied Sciences, UNIST – University of Split, and Immersium Studio), have worked very hard to get this project forward. This project will allow many healthcare and social services professionals to improve their knowledge of transversal skills, which are important in their professional and personal development. Innovative techniques such as Virtual Reality will allow students to deepen their knowledge on these important skills throughout life.
ITSHEC project – Integration of Transversal Skills into Health and Social care, Higher Education and the Curriculum – had improved the training of healthcare and social services professionals in transversal skills. The key competencies that had been addressed are critical and creative thinking, interpersonal/socio-emotional and citizen-oriented skills and learning to learn. These transversal skills are crucial to lifelong learning and continuing professional development (CPD). Additionally, they are essential to promote active and involved European citizenship in civic and social life and will support improvements in a sustainable working environment.
The main objective of this project was to design, pilot, implement and evaluate teaching-learning strategies for undergraduate and postgraduate training that aim to address learning outcomes based on the aforementioned Transversal Skills. In addition, the innovation and creation of these educational strategies had two specific objectives: promote the development of transversal skills in Higher Education students, using innovative educational strategies, such as Virtual Reality, and train teachers to teach, guide and accompany the acquisition of Transversal Skills in undergraduate and postgraduate training. For this purpose, the teaching-learning strategies that we have designed, piloted and implemented were:
1) Methodological guide: This guide include Pedagogical framework in which transversal skills are defined and levels of skills development are established and the most appropriate and innovative teaching-learning strategies to support the development of transversal skills, including an evaluative framework. (Read more information here).
2) Toolkit with educational resources to work on transversal skills, consisting of a set of practical and ready to use activities designed for teachers to integrate the development of transversal skills into health and social care higher education projects, courses, subjects or programs. (Read more information here).
3) Virtual Reality tools, materials and educational resources to work on transversal skills. VR environments provide students with the opportunity to be immersed in a highly realistic, vivential and first-person learning experience that only requires a VR headset. (Read more information here).
Events/Trainings
During this project we have developed various activities for teachers and students which are summarized below. Working with students and teachers has been very interesting and enriching for both parts. We are very happy to know that teachers and students are already applying the knowledge acquired during our trainings.
Multiplier event – Barcelona (Spain, Apr 2023)
The Multiplier Event “Challenges and discussion on Transversal Skills training in the Health Field: Learnings from ITSHEC project” was a 1-day programme to generate a space for exchange and dialogue between professionals, students and other members of the educational community of health area who wish to deepen their knowledge of transversal skills, especially critical and creative thinking, interpersonal/socio-emotional skills and learning to learn. Read more information here.
Multiplier event – Split (Croatia, March 2023)
The Multiplier Event “Strategies to develop students and professionals’ transversal skills” was 1-day programme based to prepare health and social care students for the rapidly changing landscape of health and social practice by creating innovative teaching tools and practices for transversal skills. This event opened the doors for possible implementation of created tools and future cooperation. Read more information here.
Training Teachers Activity – Split (Croatia, March 2023)
ITSHEC’s Training activity “Capacity building on teaching-learning strategies to support students’ transversal skills development” comprised a 5-day training program offered to Healthcare and Social Sciences Teachers from Croatia, Spain and Finland. The goal was to provide teachers with both theoretical and practical methodologies to train them to guide and accompany students’ transversal skills development. Read more information here.
Multiplier event – Helsinki (Finland, Nov 2022)
The Multiplier Event “Changing working life and Transversal Skills” was a 1-day programme based on the changing working life from the perspective of the social and health sectors and what kind of transversal skills, such as critical and creative thinking, emotional, cooperation and interaction skills, are needed in a multidisciplinary working life. Read more information here.
Intensive Program on Virtual Reality – Helsinki (Finland, Oct 2022)
Virtual Reality training offered to Master’s degree and degree students in Healthcare and Social Sciences to provide students with both theoretical and practical first-hand knowledge of immersive technologies and their applications. Read more information here.
International Summer School – Barcelona (Spain, July 2022)
International Summer School – “Transversal skills for humanization of technology for health and social wellbeing” comprised a training offer to health and social care students about transversal skills based on experimentation of innovative active methodologies (PBL, simulation, collaborative learning, role-play, gamification and virtual reality). Read more information here.
International Master Summer School – Helsinki (Finland, Apr 2021)
ITSHEC project activities were a part of the week. Eija Raatikainen and Katriina Rantala-Nenonen from Metropolia University of Applied Sciences managed a workshop in Transversal Skills with the title “Transversal Skills – An Answer for Future Social Workers for Creating a Better Tomorrow”. Workshop’s purposes were to present the results of pedagogical intervention on how to support students (Master´s degree students) to develop their transversal skills during their studies and to describe what kind of connection there is (may be) between Transversal skills and Innovation competences. Read more information here.
The ITSHEC project aims to improve the training of healthcare and social services professionals in transversal skills throughout the undergraduate and postgraduate training journey. ITSHEC is co-funded by the Erasmus+ project of the European Union.
Contact us: itshec@upf.edu