With the growth of globalization, education and employability challenges, there is an expanded need to graduate confident future leaders by providing them with the necessary documents supplement to their diploma and helping them highlight on their qualifications acquired from different Higher Education institutions. The right implementation of the project will result in various outputs and products that will promote the Higher Education System in Lebanon. The project could eventually unite universities, graduates, employers and other stakeholders for the sake of delivering a Diploma Supplement that could translate the qualifications and skills of students and refugees graduated from Lebanese Higher Education institutions. These outputs are summarized as follows:- Clear educational objectives and student outcomes for degree programs- Principles for generating a Diploma Supplement similar to the ones adopted in Europe- A national information centre which oversees the Lebanese Diploma Supplements issuance and raises awareness on its benefits to students and refugees- A platform “LEBPASS” that includes the Diploma Supplement module and other related modulesThe envisioned impacts of the project are really promising and listed as follows:1- Sufficient independent data to promote transparency between Lebanese and other Higher education Systems 2- A potential initiative towards recognition of prior learning and pre-university education for all students including refugees willing to resume their university studies in Lebanon3- A clarified common language for the nature, level, context, content and status of university studies in Lebanon4- Role model for Higher Education Systems in the region through the establishment of the LEBPASS platform and the Lebanese National Recognition Information Centre. This project shall be supported by European expertise that is of added value to the implementation process by offering guidance towards best practices adopted in Europe.

"Background----------------More than 90% of what we learn throughout life takes place outside formal education institutions, in everyday life, at work, in social or domestic activities. Yet this learning which is characterised as ""non-formal"" or ""informal"", unlike ""formal"" learning, remains essentially invisible: if formal education is made visible through its diplomas and certificates, what about informal learning? There are, of course, recognition mechanisms such as the Validation of Acquired Experience (VAE) in France, but this involves going through the filter of formal education institutions and obtaining a diploma. The only visible recognition of informal learning was formal recognition.This was the situation until 2011, the year of the invention of Open Badges: with Open Badges it became possible to make informal learning visible without having to go through the institutional box. Moreover, while Open Badges had been designed to ""make informal learning visible"", they were also intended to ""make informal recognition visible"".The main objective of MIRVA (Making Informal Recognition Visible and Actionable) was therefore to study how Open Badges could contribute not only to making these recognitions visible, but above all ""actionable"", notably by relying on the new Open Badges 2.0 specification. As Open Badges could now be ""endorsed"" by any person or institution to informally accredit their value and timeliness, we had the possibility of shifting the centre of gravity of recognition to the informal space, giving people more room for manoeuvre in a recognition process currently dominated by formal educational institutions. Thanks to working closely with associated partners in the various collectives initiated following the creation of the Reconnaître- Open Recognition Alliance, MIRVA has produced :* Open Recognition Framework* Guidelines for communities and individuals* Guidelines for organisations and practitioners* Guidelines for technology suppliers and customers* Guidelines for linking informal recognition to benchmarksResults beyond initial expectations---------------------------------------------------------The initial objectives of the project were largely exceeded, particularly in France where the results of the reflections carried out during the design of the Open Recognition Framework were taken up by the rapporteurs on the revision of the VAE appointed by five ministers to ""identify the blocking points"" of the system of validation of acquired experience (VAE) and ""formulate proposals for concrete evolutions"". Following Badgeons la Normandie, Reconnaître has enabled MIRVA to develop through ""learning territories"" projects in which dozens of local organisations promote the ideas and practices of open recognition: - Badgeons le Centre Val de Loire- Badgeons les Pays de la Loire- Badges Ouverts A Tous (BOAT) en Nouvelle Aquitaine- Collectif BRAVO en Bourgogne Franche-Comté- Badgeons la Mayenne- Badgeons le Pas de Calais- Badganou le collectif de la Réunion- Badgeons le Grand-Est- Manche Open badge Other results :- Creation of Reconnaître-Open Recognition Alliance (not-for-profit association)- Creation of Open Recognition Belgium (not-for-profit association)- Creation of Open Recognition Netherlands (not-for-profit association)- Creation of Bit of Trust (start-up on the future of Open Badges technology)- Setting up new European projects on Open Recognition- Financing of several Open Recognition projects within the framework of Plan d'investissement dans les Compétences (PIC)- Creation of REVA (REconnaissance VAlidation) a state-sponsored startup to support a ""renewed"" approach to recognition of prior learning and experience using Open Badges.Participants--------------1. EMF (Centre for Scientific, Technical and Industrial Culture) - France2. EAEA (European NGO - Adult Education) - Belgium 3. FiBS (Research Institute for Economics of Education and Social Affairs) - Germany4. Gear Up (Consultancy) The Netherlands 5. EPL EFPA EURE (Higher Education) - France 6. Open Knowledge (NGO) - Belgium 7. CINECA (Research Centre) - Italy8. Mind 2 Innovate (Expert Group on Education, Research, Social Innovation and Industry) - Greece"

"It is significant that currently only 4.3% of adults with low formal education in the EU participate in lifelong learning. The need to create, promote and support a learning society is currently being hampered by problems such as how to bridge the gap between informal, non-formal and formal learning, how to support and activate hard to reach and underserved learner groups and how to apply technology to social innovations. As the recent response paper from the Lifelong Learning Platform to the EU's Future of Learning (2018) states: “we urge Member States to broaden[their] scope to the non-formal and informal learning as providers in this area, particularly civil society organisations, are in a strategic position for reaching out to the most vulnerable and marginalised groups in society.”Objectives-----------------Everyone belongs to Local Recognition Networks (LRNs) of some sort, which may be a professional, civic or social network, informal or formal (club, association, business, trade union, etc.). Whether for leisure or work pursuits, these LRNs are places where individuals develop a wide range of skills, knowledge, attitudes and values that could be activated beyond those places. But to do so, they would need to be recognised beyond the limits of LRNs.The objectives of REVEAL (Recognition of Experience Validation of Experience, Achievements and Learning) is twofold:* providing support to existing informal and formal networks to become active Learning Recognition Networks, i.e. recognising the learning that takes place within in a way that makes it visible beyond* exploring the potential of loosely coupling (informal) 'recognition' and (formal) 'validation' as a means to remove current barriers to recognitionREVEAL builds on existing and emerging practices with the support of technologies, Open Badges, open data and their application to social innovation to remove barriers to recognition, encouraging new learning and career pathways based on real life experience with a focus on adults with low levels of formal education in, or expected to be, in precarious job situations, e.g. early school leavers, long term unemployed, women back to work, migrants.Outcomes-----------------The project flows from analysis, co-design iterative development and testing to guidelines for action:* IO1 - LRN Modelling: identification and recognition of existing Local Recognition Networks (LRN) to formalise their practices. The modelling LRNs practices will be used to initially inform IO2 and IO3.* IO2 - iREVEAL: activating and supporting Learning Recognition Networks with “agile” development of an ""Open Access"" Open Badge environment supporting the practices identified in IO1. Co-designed during IO3, this IO is primarily focused on technologies (supporting practices).* IO3 - REVEAL Piloting: activation of a number of LRNs contributing to the co-design of IO2: specification, testing, feedback. This IO is primarily focused on practices (supported by technologies.* IO4 - REVEAL Exploitation Pack. A range of resources supporting the emergence and operation of LRNs.* IO5 - REVEAL White Paper. The lessons learned in the course of the project to encourage institutions of further and higher education, public authorities and employers to open their policies to informal recognition practices.Expected impact----------------------------The impact will be twofold: * Individual: the project will have a direct impact on people’s lives by offering them a chance to have the skills, knowledge, attitudes and values acquired and activated within those LRNs to be recognised within and beyond those LRNs. This will offer them chances and options to develop economically and socially sustainable life courses even in times of change and interruption or false starts.* Community: individual and community recognition work hand in hand: the recognition of the community (LRN) as a whole will have a positive impact on the recognition of its members and, conversely, the recognition of individuals beyond the borders of their community will have a positive impact on the recognition of the community as a whole therefore empowering further its individual members.Long term benefits--------------------------------Creating and sustaining an open and learning society where the qualities and contributions of its members is recognised and valued will have a positive impact on social cohesion and economic well-being of all its members.Participants----------------------1. Espace Mendès France (France)2. Open Recognition Netherlands (the Netherlands)3. AKMI (Greece)4. Novo Mesto (Slovenia)5. Cognizone (Belgium)6. PRISM (Italy)"

Context/background-------------------------An analysis of computer science shows a steady decrease in female graduates since 2000 that is particularly marked in high-income countries. While numerous reasons have been advanced to explain gender imbalance in STEM education and careers, the one BRIDGES aims at addressing is the issue of recognition. The BRIDGES approach------------------------------While numerous reasons have been advanced to explain gender imbalance in STEM education and careers, the one BRIDGES aims at addressing is the issue of recognition, e.g. the “Matilda Effect” about how women scientists’ contributions can be overlooked or mis-attributed to their male colleagues, the different needs and modalities of recognition between men (who tend to need and receive more) and women, etc.Based on the seminal work on recognition from authors including Nancy Fraser, Charles Taylor, Axel Honneth in combination with the latest development in digital recognition technologies, such as Open Badges and social networks, BRIDGES aims at exploring the conditions for novel approaches to recognition, more open, more inclusive and more fitting to the social practices of girls and woman (c.f. Deborah Tannen “You Just don’t Understand”, Eckert, Penelope and Sally McConnell-Ginet “Communities of practice: “Where language, gender, and power all live”).:Building Open STEM Ecosystems---------------------------------------------BRIDGES aims at designing, implementing and evaluating Open STEM Ecosystems based on innovative approaches to recognition and accreditation to improve gender equity in the access to STEM education and careersBRIDGES will:1) Create the conditions for the increased participation of girls and women in STEM education and careers2) Bridge informal and formal STEM education and practices for future and actual female scientistsOutcomes-------------Through the consultation of a network of organisations and practitioners, BRIDGES will produce: * O1 – State of the Art (of STEM Learning and Recognition Ecosystems )* O2 – Open STEM Scenarios * O3 – Open STEM Infrastructure* O4 - Open STEM cMOOC * O5 – Open STEM Ecosystems* O6 – Open STEM Guidelines Long term benefits-------------------------Better understanding the causes of gender inequity in STEM education and careers, and possibly having provided elements to redress it, through a combination of awareness raising, innovative practices supported by innovative technologies.Participants---------------The participants are a consortium of non-formal and formal science and technologies education providers:1. Espace Mendès France, France2. University of Cyprus3. Open Knowledge Belgium4. Scientifica, Romania5. Vrije Universiteit, Netherlands6. Reconnaître-Open Recognition Alliance