ARPEL4Entrep Project – Transnational Meeting held in Žilina, Slovakia 31st March 2023

From Left to Right: (Prof. Radovan Madlenak, Professor – University of Zilina; Ms. Danutė Rasimavičienė, Head of Academic Staff – Vilnius University; Mr. James Scerri, System Administrator – Advenio eAcademy; Mr. Nicholas D’Alessandro, Managing Director AllSecure Ltd – eBusiness Systems; Mr. Stephen P. D’Alessandro, Executive Director – Advenio eAcademy; Dr. Jenny Pange, Dean of the School of Education – University of Ioannina; Mr. Vytenis Mockus, Project Manager – Vilnius University; Mr. Apostolis Atsiuris – Finance Manager – University of Ioannina)

From Left to Right: (Mr. Apostolis Atsiuris – Finance Manager – University of Ioannina; Ms. Danutė Rasimavičienė, Head of Academic Staff – Vilnius University; Mr. Vytenis Mockus, Project Manager – Vilnius University; Dr. Jenny Pange, Dean of the School of Education – University of Ioannina; Mr. Stephen P. D’Alessandro, Executive Director – Advenio eAcademy; Mr. Nicholas D’Alessandro, Managing Director AllSecure Ltd – eBusiness Systems; Prof. Radovan Madlenak, Professor – University of Zilina). Representatives from University of Bari Aldo Moro and EUCEN participated in the meeting virtually.

The Erasmus+ ARPEL4Entrep project, “Integrated RPL & APEL Level 6 Accredited Online Programme for Entrepreneurs“, implementation commenced in September 2020. The project partners are: Advenio eAcademy, Malta (lead partner); University of Bari Aldo Moro, Italy; University of Ioannina, Greece; University of Žilina, Slovakia; Vilnius University, Lithuania; EUCEN – European University Continuing Education Network, Spain; and AllSecure Ltd – eBusiness Systems, Malta.

This project provides a framework for recognition of prior learning to enable seasoned entrepreneurs to continue with their studies at a first-degree level. It focuses on the development of Accreditation & Recognition of Prior & Experiential Learning (ARPEL) process where credit is given for learning which has not previously been assessed and formally accredited. The project implementation already included a research process that served as the basis for the development of the ARPEL process that was developed and piloted through this project.

On the 30th March 2023, University of Žilina hosted a workshop meeting with other members of faculty to discuss RPL and ARPEL processes and how these are currently being implemented in different countries and institutions. The meeting provided an opportunity for participants to learn from each other and improve their own practices. Following the workshop meeting, an eye tracking exercise was carried out to test various scenarios on the eLearning platform, which is currently being used for this Bachelor’s Degree programme. The exercise aimed to identify any areas of the platform that may be improved for better usability and user experience.

The Transnational Meeting in Žilina was held on the 31st March 2023 and followed up on discussions held during the Transnational Meeting held in Vilnius in January 2023 regarding plans for further project dissemination including seminars and dissemination in various newsletters.

The meeting was attended by project partners from several European countries, who discussed the progress of the project and analysed student progress on their final research project. The partners also discussed how the eLearning platform tools are being implemented and shared best practices.

The project, has made significant progress since its inception, thanks to the hard work and dedication of its partners. The Zilina meeting provided an opportunity to review the project’s achievements and plan for its future success.

The meeting also discussed the sustainability of the ARPEL Bachelor’s Degree in Entrepreneurship programme once the Erasmus+ project is completed. The participants explored ways to ensure the continued success of the programme and discussed ideas for future development. The meeting also covered plans to extend the ARPEL programme to other programmes and EQF levels.