1. Overall, underachievement persists in mathematics and sciences in the EUThe latest PISA results (2018) show that the underachievement rate is 22.4% in mathematics and 21.6% in science, meaning that the European Commission's ET2020 benchmark which targeted an underachievement rate of less than 15% has not been reached. In addition, while performance in maths remained stable, it deteriorated in sciences. Therefore, there is a need for innovation in the way mathematics and sciences are taught in European secondary schools.2. Engagement and interactivity can be the key to unlock STEM teaching & learningIn “Beyond achievement: A comparative look into 15-year-olds’ school engagement, effort and perseverance in the EU”, the DG for Education, Youth, Sport and Culture pointed out the importance of learners motivation and engagement at school. It can be said that science, technology, engineering and mathematics all have a negative image at school: they are often perceived as difficult, abstract, or disconnected to the “real” daily life. Many students believe they are not able to tackle these subjects, which prevents them from ever imagining a career in these areas, in particular girls, underprivileged students and students who already struggle with difficulties at school.This reveals a real need to make STEM more concrete and closer to students.3. The teaching and learning experience should more tailored to students’ abilities and needsTeachers understand that not all students can follow the same course at the exact same pace and perform the same, as they spend time exchanging with students in their class and working on strategies to adapt to everyone. However, this basic fact has been put into the spotlight as schools closed down during the COVID-19 lockdown in spring. Suddenly, both teachers and students had to adapt to new studying context and realities. Surveys and teachers’ interviews have revealed: (1) during the lockdown, classes had to become more interactive and students be made more autonomous or risked students dropping out of virtual classes, (2) those for whom school closures have been the most negative were those who already underperformed at school, (3) even those who performed well could end up disengaged as they saw less point in waiting for the others to progress.There is a need for educative answers to the COVID-19 context to be inclusive and to give more agency to students to allow for everyone to explore at their own rhythm.OBJECTIVESThe project partners wish to create the first European virtual museum for STEM education at secondary level, that will include the needs of students with learning disorders.It will offer an experience that is immersive, interactive and engaging. As in a real museum, the students will be able to go and see what they wish, and to spend as much time exploring the notions and elements presented. To make sure it is useful for school education, it will come with supporting material to help teachers make the most of the tools provided, and guidance to link what it presented in the museum with the STEM programs. The Museum will be accessible from a regular web browser and not limited to virtual reality to make sure it is usable by most.TARGET GROUPS: secondary school students & STEM educators and teachersWHY A TRANSNATIONAL PROJECT1. Our approach can have benefits for all learners across Europe where only four countries have reached the 15% benchmark of the European Commission in mathematics and in science. All project partners are based in countries with a rate of low achievers in maths and science above the average of the EU, which makes the development of efficient methods for STEM education even more necessary and relevant: France (21.3%), Croatia (31.2%), Portugal (23.3%) and Cyprus (36.9%). The case of the Belgian partner is particular as the country performs decently in general (19.7% of underachievers) but with large differences between regions as the North of the country (the Flanders region) is one of the best performers while the South (Wallonia) keeps on underperforming as they are under the European average, like the other partners’ countries.2. There is a need to work at the EU level on solutions adapted to the needs of learners with Specific Learning Disorders (SLDs), which According to substantiated scientific estimates, the group of European Citizens with dyslexia and specific learning differences encompasses between 5 and 12 percent of the population.The partners will create the following OER in the 5 languages of the project (EN, FR, GR, PT, HR):- a virtual museum of STEM- a pedagogical guide on the use of virtual museum for STEM education- a creation and users’ guide- 60 collections related to the STEM program in secondary education in 4 collections: > the Science Exhibition> the Exhibition of Technological Advancements> the Contemporary Engineering Collections> the Exhibition of Hidden Mathematics

Games in education or to improve skills has a long history but lately the educational potential of video games has gained some focus. After a wave a pedagogical games in the 1990s, the question is now on the potential usage of video games in the classroom. While many advocate for it, the how is still very nebulous for most teachers it remains complex to set up despite a clear potential 1. Teachers need guidance to use with video games to teachVideo games can introduce a concept with which the player can interact and even think back on their own skills. This would be a perfect description for a school lesson, therefore institutions in Europe to advocate for their use in the classroom.Serious or educational game approach came with challenges: they are often less engaging to students. Teachers are still at loss as to how to use video games in the classroom because:-they lack practical guidance,-hierarchies and parents have prejudices about video games,-existing guidance can be theoretical or outdated,-existing guidance might only cover one aspect of using a specific game at school, eg. Assassin’s Creed in history class. But such games could be useful in other subjects or in a cross-curricular setting too,-a lot of serious games have the fun taken out and end up as being yet another lesson or test that the learner has to follow,-to support students’ understanding of how video games work and encourage those who are less tech-savvy to try something just a bit technical, it is valuable to create video games with them.Thus we believe there is a need to create guidance material to use video games in pedagogy.2. Video games can be great vectors for cross-curricular and innovative pedagogiesAlthough competence-based and cross-curricular education are identified as priorities in EU policies since 2006 (recommendation 2006/962/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 18 December 2006 on key competences for lifelong learning),there is little guidance by EU ministries on how to implement these goals. Another Erasmus+ project, “Cross-curricular-teaching”, explored the state of competence-based and cross-curricular teaching in education across Europe, in policies and in practice. They noted that in absence of official guidance, cross-curricular activities were at best perceived as extra-curricular or optional activities, and that in the end, they depended on the motivation of the pedagogical teams. In August 2019, the partners of this project made 5 recommendations to support the development of such methods at school, to which we think that video games answer in the following ways:-cross-curricular teaching and learning must be integrated explicitly in national curricula: our project will highlight the links between school subjects and video games-curricula should stay flexible enough to keep the autonomy of teachers when they implement cross-curricular teaching: we will link video games and the main subjects-need for resources: we will provide actionable guidance supported by theory-cross-curricular teaching needs appropriate evaluation tools: we will include self-evaluation sheets for students to measure their acquired skills-development of cross-curricular methods should be supported across the community: 1) our outputs will contain factsheets for teachers to communicate with their peers and hierarchy to use video games, 2) one outputs will deal with game creation.Objectives: for all the reasons above, we will work on developing practical guidance for teachers to use video games in the classroom for cross-curricular teaching, as well as encouraging students to create their own games as learning by doing projects.NEEDS: -development of key competences in cross-curricular collaboration, creativity & innovative learning-innovative teaching and assessment, to promote competence-based teaching & learning-digital & open pedagogies, -promote access & use of ICT education by underrepresented groups, in particular learners with SLDs or girlsTARGET GROUPS: -Secondary level teachers-European secondary learners in general-Learners with Specific Learning Disorders (SLDs)This project should be carried our transnationally because:-Cross-curricular and competence-based teaching are still perceived as difficult to implement in Europe despite official recommendations-Video games benefit from a rather positive image in Belgium and France for example, but it is not the case in all other countries: the methodology needs to be validated in different cultures-Learners with SLDs account for 10 to 15% of the EU population, it is essential to spread inclusive teaching practices.The following OER will be produced during this project:-a booklet on why video games belong in the classroom-a practical on how to use video games in the classroom-4 experience libraries of pedagogical modules: as spectators, as creators, as single players or in groups with 88 experiences and recommendations

<< Background >>Digital devices and the internet have been a dominant part of the lives of today’s students since their formative years, with social media being the one ICT activity that reigns supreme. Eurostat data for 2019 states that the most common online activity for close to 85% of students is participating in social networks. In the wake of a pandemic that has led to a boom in using ICT for informal learning, the EU Commission has adopted a Digital Education Action Plan (2021-2027) which serves as a call to action for educators to make their teaching fit for the digital age. Creating educational content on social media can meet the requirements set by this action plan: apart from social media already being a staple of the digital age, the content on these platforms is free, customisable and accessible by nature, which allows for a learner-centred, inclusive design. It is even the OECD’s recommendation that social media services can support formal and informal learning, as stated in a report titled “Innovating education and educating innovation.” Therefore, dismissing the educational potential of social media as it simply being a platform for socialising and entertainment would be short-sighted. Nevertheless, in the view of the 2020 EU Parliament study titled “Rethinking education in the digital age”, in order for new technologies to be deployed in classrooms, teachers are need to be the central drivers of their successful application. However, the same study reports that teachers tend to use ICT only for simple tasks instead of for specialised learning purposes.When it comes to social media in particular, data shows us that the readiness of teachers is significantly lagging behind their students. A comparison made using Eurostat 2019 data between the proportion of youth and the proportion of adults engaged in social media activities across the EU shows an average difference of 30 percentage points. The same source also shows that the EU average for adults possessing ‘above basic’ digital skills, which denotes the ability (among other parameters) not only to participate on social networks but also upload self-created content to be shared with others (Eurostat), is just 31%.Teachers’ outlook on applying digital technologies does not seem to be the issue, as the EU’s Digital Education Action Plan noted “digital content creation” as a predominant area in which teachers would like to improve in the near future. The EU Parliament study echoes this statement, and notes that factors that are impeding the development of teachers’ digital proficiency are: a perceived gap in their digital skills, safety concerns and a lack of training opportunities.<< Objectives >>This project will provide guidance, training and resources to secondary school teachers and their students with the aim of developing their digital readiness and content-creation skills for the use of social media in pedagogically meaningful and inclusive ways. Curriculum and EU relevance will be a top priority – thus, teachers will learn to integrate such media into their pedagogical content, as well as apply it for teaching Erasmus + Key Competences for lifelong learning. The principles and practical uses of microlearning on social media, which can address students’ specific needs, will be promoted. Social media provides fertile ground for microlearning content to thrive as it is engaging, succinct and easily retrievable. Throughout this process, will also tackle concerns about safety and students' passive consumption of social media by providing safety resources relevant for edu-content creation, in order to strengthen digital literacy.Several other projects have deployed microlearning as a pedagogical technique for up-skilling competences; however, the innovation of this project lies in the application of microlearning content on social media platforms where students already congregate. In addition, although this project prioritises informed social media use and will create a project Result dedicated to cyber safety, unlike existing initiatives that focus on social media solely in the context of educating learners on how to safely navigate it, this project will move beyond this dimension, with its main focus being the use of social media for edu-content creation.<< Implementation >>In order to achieve these objectives, the project will produce the following Results: - Booklet “Social media as a learning tool” - Dynamic library of content - “Creator Kit” eLearning module- Pedagogical sequences - Safety resources - Implementation guideThe project will commence with the writing of the booklet “Social media as a learning tool” and start with contributions on the Dynamic library of content. The sections of the booklet will acquaint teachers with the engaging, accessible and ‘active’ approach to learning social media can offer learners, all with the goal of enhancing teachers’ knowledge and perception on the use of social media as a ‘force for good’ in pedagogy and spark their interest in edu-content creation. The Dynamic library of content will showcase existing edu-content creators on social media by providing over 200 examples of pedagogical content from the most frequented social media networks. This library will continue to be updated throughout the duration of the project, with the ultimate aim of providing inspiration and support for teachers on how content on social media can complement their curriculum and teaching objectives. The three following Results - “Creator Kit” eLearning module, Pedagogical sequences and Safety resources – will be tested by secondary school teachers and students and modified according to their feedback (50 teachers and 500 students testing overall).The eLearning module will be comprised of 24 videos in the form of tutorials and models for teachers to follow on how to use their own or create new content on social media that fits their pedagogical objectives. The ultimate aim of this Result is to develop the Eurostat-defined ‘above-basic’ digital skills that are needed for participation and content creation on social networks by educators.The proper adoption and usage of edu-content creation by teachers and their classes requires this digital content to meet the demands of the school curriculum. Thus, the Pedagogical sequences will provide 21 lessons designed as examples on how to structure a lesson using social media. The example lessons will correspond with the official programmes of the partner countries, with a focus on the 8 Erasmus+ Key Competences for Lifelong Learning. The materials will prioritise accessibility and engagement of all students, as they will be developed with the inclusion of children in need of special support in mind and promote the microlearning pedagogical technique.The project will also develop 30 Safety Resources in the form of examples and advice that cover safety precautions related to privacy and sharing concerns, cyber bullying, age-appropriate content, online exploitation, and others. The creation and usage of these safety resources is set to promote cyber safety and ‘active’ social media use, instead of passive consumption, with the ultimate aim to have users that apply critical-thinking skills to gauge the suitability of the media they create and consume online.The final Result will be the Implementation guide, created by gathering feedback and testimonials from teachers and students after testing and using the produced project materials, in order to be able to record how the use of these materials went, and which materials testers found most useful, relevant and applicable to their classes. Thanks to the good practices in this compiled guide, teachers and education professionals will be better assured of the relevance of this project, and be able to draw conclusions on what is useful and applicable to their specific pedagogical aims.<< Results >>The successful implementation of this project would make strides in addressing the aforementioned blind spots in the education sector when it comes to equipping teachers and students with adequate knowledge and resources to deploy digital technologies (such as social media) in their classrooms. Along with following the official programmes of partner countries, Erasmus + Key Competences for Lifelong Learning will be priority topics for content creation. With the production of these materials, two aspects of digital literacy in particular will be strengthened: e-safety and creativity (edu-content creation). This was targeted as important not only because digital literacy is one the EU’s key strategic priorities in its Digital Education Action Plan (2021-2027), but also because we believe such an approach will cultivate more informed and purposeful social media use among users (including those coming from disadvantaged backgrounds who are statistically more ‘passive’ consumers of content on social media). In addition, the use of microlearning on social media for creating ‘bite-sized’ educational content would not only promote a more collaborative and engaging learning experience, but it would also ensure that content creation is adapted to the needs of all students, particularly those with learning difficulties. Therefore, in practice we expect:To upskill digital skills for the use of social media in pedagogically meaningful ways, ensuring continuous personal and professional development To promote purposeful, ‘active’ use of digital technologies in education for teaching, making them accessible and inclusive for allTo increase competence and engagement in learning basic skillsTo inspire solutions for creativity and competence-based teaching through innovative pedagogical methodsTo educate on the importance of digital literacy on social media in order to combat the spread of disinformation, misuse and violation of personal data and ensure online safetyThis will be achieved through the development of the above-mentioned 6 Project Results, totalling over 200 free resources which will be made freely available on the project website in the languages of the partnership (1 booklet, a dynamic library with 210 content additions, 24 videos, 21 pedagogical sequences, 30 safety resources and 1 implementation guide).Additional expected results:Tests in all 6 countries of the partnership with 500 expected student participants 3 transnational meetings 6 multiplier events in the partners’ countries with 200 expected educators attending overall50 000 people reached through the social media campaign on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn by partners 1000 stakeholders, institutions, individuals reached and documented

<< Background >>We intend to create a set of tools for initial and continuous VET for learners on how to work as a virtual assistant (digital services provider), considering the job and business skills needed. In practice, we will create a MOOC, course design material to include the MOOC and methods into a VET course, as well as tutoring and guidance tools for virtual assistants in the form of a tutoring chatbot, a set of introductory factsheets, and a practical toolbox.I. Freelancers are the fastest growing segment of the EU labour market:In 2018 in Europe, there were about 11 million EU freelancers. This is in part why the European Commission has started advocating for the revision of the 2003 SME Definition since 2015 to acknowledge freelancers as a stand-alone category within the definition, who increased by 45% since 2000. However, such statistics gather people from a wide variety of professions, of which none is particularly useful to identify who virtual assistants are. This lack of information alone could be seen as a need for this project to shed light on new labour market practices.II. Working as a virtual assistant (VA) is not only for ICT specialists:According to a survey by EFIP and Malt, freelancers are most active in: 31% in marketing and communication, 26% in tech, 18% in arts and recreational activities.Also, the variety of tasks a VA can perform, ranging from low to high tech tasks, suggest that many profiles, not only ICT specialists, could benefit from this projects’ results.Finally, VA is can both be a complementary revenue (19% of respondents had multiple jobs) or a full-time activity (for 75% of respondents): 77% of the respondents made the choice to become freelancers, which reveals that it is a career that responds to new working methods.III. VET needs to train more in ICT and entrepreneurship and contribute to inclusion:-Cedefop’s latest European skills and jobs (ESJ) survey revealed that more than 7 in 10 adult employees in the EU need at least some fundamental ICT level to be able to perform their jobs, and expressed the need to mitigate the social exclusion effects of the digital divide by developing ICT skills in all professions.- Supporting entrepreneurship by the unemployed and people from vulnerable groups is one of the focuses of the Commission’s Europe 2020 strategy. - Developing learners’ and trainers’ ICT skills contribute towards the goals of the European frameworks on digital competences of educators, citizens and organisations.- As 10-15% of the EU population has at least one learning disorder, and they tend to be overrepresented in VET, there is a need for adapted training material.IV. There is a need for examples representing diverse European contexts:Partners’ come from diverse locations: poor areas in rich Western countries (Hauts-de-France and poorest area of Belgium), partners from the South (Spain, Cyprus), center (Austria) and East (Poland).This partnership gathers different contexts for self-employment (OECD, 2019): in Greece the self employment rate (32%) is more than twice the EU average (15). Poland (20%) is above the EU average, Spain (16%) and Belgium (14%) are about the average, France and Austria are below (12%). In 2017 according to Eurostat, Cyprus was also about 12%.V. VAs can contribute to spreading greener work and digital practices:French ecology agency ADEME reported in 2020 that remote work was overall beneficial to the environment in terms of carbon dioxide emissions, but that digital practices needed to become greener to mitigate their impact (rising use of videoconferencing tools, email inboxes left unmanaged, use of cloud servers, etc). VAs could integrate such recommendations into their work to reduce the impact of their own and their clients’ working tools throughout Europe.<< Objectives >>A virtual assistant (VA) is a person who provides administrative, creative or technical support services to other business owners. By taking over recurring tasks and administrative work, they can free up time and offer flexibility to their client. They often work from a home office and can be located in any country. Some virtual assistants work as independent freelancers while others are part of a company or agency.We aim to create a MOOC for VET learners and entrepreneurs on how to work as a VA, considering the skills and knowledge to develop as well as the entrepreneurship skills specific to such jobs.We intend to contribute to the following programme priorities:ADAPTING VET TO LABOUR MARKET NEEDS- We will develop a VET course in the form of a MOOC and course design material to provide guidance to use the MOOC as part of a training course in VET to enrich the curricula, programme offers and qualifications.- This course will offer a balanced mix of vocational skills and create work-based learning opportunities as it will be designed for people in training as well as active professionals, to create or improve an existing activity.- Virtual assistant is now a proper career based on evolving jobs, working methods and market needs that make the most of key and digital competences.Therefore, the outcomes of this project will support VET providers in the adaptation of their training offer to changing skills needs (in particular business skills and entrepreneurship), green and digital transitions (by developing trainees’ digital skills and providing new perspectives for learners and trainers into possible career paths).ADDRESSING DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION- Creation and innovative use of digital education content: the project’s results, in particular the factsheets introducing the different technologies, the MOOC, the tutoring chatbot and the VA toolbox will be open to any learner (not just active or aspiring VAs) wishing to develop their digital skills. - We will support the use of the European frameworks on digital competences of educators, citizens and organisations by training learners into related skills, in particular 1.3 Managing data, information and digital content and 5.3 Creatively using digital technologies as these are closely related to a VA’s tasks. In addition, trainers will be made aware of new teaching objectives and career paths to direct their learners towards.INCLUSION AND DIVERSITY- One of the key concepts during this project will be for partners to research learner personas to embody different strengths and challenges. The goal will not be to reduce people to stereotypes related to their identity, but to offer a set of concrete examples, needs and opportunities to show how everyone can consider becoming a VA. - While a first reading of a VA definition may make it sound like a job for IT specialists, it is quite the contrary: quite a lot of VAs’ skills are already mastered or can be learnt quickly by anyone, such as managing emails, writing transcripts, copywriting, etc. In that sense, it is not only accessible to those with higher education specialist degrees.- Working on building VAs’ work and entrepreneurship skills is inherently a way to promote equality and equity, as they are jobs that can be carried remotely (socio-economic inclusion), are less time sensitive than office jobs and therefore allow to manage one’s schedule more easily (particularly important for those who need to take care of families or need medical treatment), and they can be convenient for people with disabilities who can accommodate their work environment according to their needs.- All the project material will be adapted to the needs of people with learning disorders, who account for 10-15% of the EU population and who are often overrepresented in VET.- The course content will be accessible to people with hearing impairments thanks to video subtitles.<< Implementation >>The project partners aim to produce the following results:R1 Booklet on Virtual AssistantsR2 Factsheets (the work, the contracts, the technologies)R3 The MOOCR4 Tutoring chatbotR5 The Virtual Assistant’s ToolboxR6 Course design material for VETThe workflow of the project can be divided into 4 main steps:PHASE 1: Partners will start with desk research on Virtual Assistant and create a booklet (R1) at the start of the project in order for all the partners to start on the same knowledge basis and to communicate with their teams and with VET professionals. It will collect the results of relevant research on a virtual assistants’ job/tasks and working conditions.The creation of the factsheets (R2) will allow partners to move from the theoretical tone of R1 into a more practical perspective on the job and skills of a VA by creating factsheet to describe each possible task or working area.R1 and R2 will set the base for the creation of the content of R3 MOOC.PHASE 2 will consist it creating the MOOC (R3) and the tutoring chatbot for learners (R4), both in terms of creating content and implementing it on the technical platform.PHASE 3 will be focused on testing the MOOC (R3), keeping the tutoring chabot monitored and maintained (R4), as well as creating the VA’s toolbox (R5) that will differ from R2 in the sense that the toolbox will not be descriptive but provide practical tools, resources and working methods for learners and active VAs.PHASE4 will consist (1) in gathering participants’ feedback about the MOOC (R3) and tutor chatbot (R4) and updating them accordingly to ensure conte is up to date, (2) finalising the toolbox (R5) and (3) developing the course design material (R6) with practical guidance for VET organisations and trainers to use the MOOC and additional activities in-class as part of their curriculum.This methodology ensures that the content created in each result is tested and will receive appropriate feedback to provide the best possible results at the end of the project. In particular, the MOOC and tutoring chatbot will be updated according to learners and trainers’ feedback to make sure that the project offers a training course and supporting tools and content that can answer efficiently to the needs of digital services providers in training or active and of VET organisations.<< Results >>Through this project, the partners seek to offer an innovative methodology, tools and strategies for the development of market-relevant skills in the business services sector, as well as support entrepreneurship in this field. More specifically the outcome of the project will be digital and entrepreneurship skills development of the target group (VET learners and active entrepreneurs, trainers, tutors) by providing them an attractive and engaging way of doing it through a set of course, theoretical and practical resources.In addition, the project partners also defined secondary outcomes for this project:• Offering VET trainers attractive and motivating education methods, which will help to teach professional and digital skills through the creation of new job and business opportunities• Strengthening VET education and learners’ experience thanks to innovative and up to date courses (online and in-class)• Providing knowledge and skills, promoting problem-solving and working on real examples based on partners’ diverse profiles and locations• Sharing experiences and good practices in VET education in digital and business skills between project partners from interdisciplinary backgrounds• Offering an innovative and inclusive tool for all learners including those with SLDs• Providing practical tools and methods to make the services industry and entrepreneurship more inclusive• Contributing to the reduction of the environmental impact of the use of digital technologies in the workplace by training eco-conscious digital specialistsTo successfully realize those aims, the project partners will participate in the creation of OER which will allow learners to develop VA skills and entrepreneurship skills. All the resultswill be translated into the 6 languages of the project (EN, FR, DE, ES, GR, PL).The practical results of this project will be:• 1 pedagogical guide introducing what a virtual assistant is (what is their activity, where and how they can work etc.) and gather existing research• 1 collection on descriptive factsheets on a VA’s work, contracting/business skills, and technologies• 1 MOOC to train future virtual assistants and current professionals wishing to consolidate their knowledge and skills in the 3 aspects of a virtual assistants’ work, including tools and tutorials followed with at least 350 learners registered• 1 tutoring chatbot (conversational robot operating over a messaging platform) providing guidance, additional resources, coaching and suggestions fir learners to deploy their business• 1 toolbox for VAs gathering the practical tools and resources available for their activities• 1 set of guidance material for educators to adapt the MOOC and project results into a VET training course (workshop scenarios, lesson plans, ECVET guidance)Additional results:- The project’s website on which all the materials will be uploaded- Pilot tests in the 7 countries of the partnership with 350 expected participants- At least 15 trainers involved in the conception, testing and evaluation of the projects’ results- 3 transnational meetings and 3 half-day online meetings- 7 multiplier events in the partners’ countries- 1 virtual multiplier event to promote the launch of the MOOC

<< Background >>The Commission’s article “About Multilingualism Policy” stresses the importance of linguistic diversity and language learning in the EU to foster unity, intercultural understanding, employability, and mobility. Member countries are thus encouraged to provide better language learning opportunities from an early age, following the Council Recommendation on a comprehensive approach to the teaching and learning of languages, aiming to modernize and improve language teaching methods.The Eurydice report on key data on teaching languages at school in Europe (2017) shows that foreign language courses are now starting in primary school or even earlier. It emphasizes that 90% of students in lower secondary school chose English and that two thirds of EU countries use the CEFR as a reference for language levels at school. For students learning two foreign languages, the level set at the end of upper secondary school ranges between B1 for the second language and B2 for the first language. According to the results of the European Survey on Language Competencies measuring foreign language student proficiency (2015), only 42% of tested students reached an independent level (B1-B2) in their first foreign language and this number went down to 25% in the second foreign language. In addition to be a European priority, foreign language assessment will also be part of the 2024 targets of the OECD PISA test.The low student proficiency might also be explained by a lack of adaptations for students with specific needs, such as those with ‘Dys’ disorders, also called Specific Learning Disorders (SLDs). The European Dyslexia Association (EDA) estimates that around 9-12% of the European population has one or several SLDs. It stresses that the multilingual demands of the EU are triggering difficulties for ‘Dys’ students and has acquired support of the EU parliament in its effort to change legislation, attitudes, and practices in education and in the workplace. The Belgian Association of parents and professionals for children with learning difficulties (APEDA) also stressed that ‘Dys’ students need more support in language acquisition and foreign language learning than those with no special needs, as a new language comes with new sounds, letters, words, spelling, and grammar. It also emphasizes that English is one of the most complicated languages to learn, as it uses 40 different phonemes spelled in 1120 different ways. They compare it to French, which uses 36 phonemes spelled in 170 different ways. ESL is therefore one of the courses for which ‘Dys’ pupils will need more support and motivation.<< Objectives >>Our project aims to support teachers in adopting innovative tools and practices to create and use video games in their language courses to raise the motivation, engagement and participation of all their students, including those with SLDs. The focus of the project will be on ESL, since 90% of pupils choose it and as it causes more challenges for ‘Dys’ pupils. Associations for the Dys all around the world advise to use gamification such as quizzes and games and encourage the practice of language skills through informal channels (e.g. movies, series, music, and travels). However, gamification has proved to be efficient for all learners in several studies such as “Motivation, Engagement and Learning through Digital Games” by I. Iacovides et al. (2011). Our project focuses on gamification by exploring the creation of downloadable video games through different tools such as Genial.ly, RPGmakerV, Flowlab, or PowerPoint. These games will help raise the student’s motivation through non-formal and experiential learning and will be built around specific objectives to guide them towards improvement. The existing language learning games are often not adapted for students with SLDs. The inclusiveness of the games developed in this project will therefore be innovative and foster greater participation and success rates for those learners as well.<< Implementation >>The project will produce several results leading to three testing phases organised in partner countries. The expert partners will first start with the production of 6 pilot video games for ESL, adapted to the needs of learners with SLDs. These games will be tested by the partners and modified according to the received feedback. The requirements will be updated in order to prepare the production of the second batch of games.The second batch will consist of another 30 video games for ESL which will be developed by all partners, including school, based on the pilot video games and on the updated requirements and will be tested again in all partner countries. The feedback of participants will be collected and all games will be modified accordingly, to ensure their quality and relevance for the teachers’ needs.The third testing phase will be organised to evaluate the training material presented in the fourth Result: the creation tutorials e-learning module, made for language teachers to gain skills in video game creation for their students. This result will be tested and evaluated in all partner countries and feedback will serve to improve the quality and consistency of the online course with the teachers’ skills and training needs.The participants in the schools’ testing phases will then be interviewed in order to gather their testimonies, impressions, and good practices on the use of video games for ESL. These interviews will be shared in our sixth Result, the implementation guide, in order to foster the exchange of good practice and provide real-life application examples to future language teachers willing to use the project Results for their course.<< Results >>Through this project and its results, the following outcomes are expected:For teachers:•Enable improvement of language teachers’ professional practice and easy access to pedagogically adapted resources•Offer reliable tools to be used in different settings (video games to be used online in class or at home)•Offer an innovative language teaching approach and methods enhancing the teachers’ digital skills•Facilitate the inclusion of all students in language courses through the use of adapted gamesFor learners:•Increase student engagement and motivation in language learning•Increase ‘Dys’ students’ feeling of inclusion in language courses•Support the acquisition of language skills for all learnersThe practical Results of the project will be: •A booklet on “Engagement as key for success for ESL learning”•30 D-ESL practice sheets (Dys-friendly)•36 Video Games and pedgagogical sequences•A Creation Tutorials e-learning module•A Resources database•An Implementation guideAdditional results:•The project website on which all the material will be uploaded•Field tests in all 5 countries of the partnership with at least 200 participants•3 transnational meetings + 2 virtual meetings•5 multiplier eventsIncreased experience and knowledge of the partners in innovative and inclusive practices for language learning.