Resumen de Virtual Learning for the management of successful SMEs in Europe

Clara Rodrigues, Dalila Coelho, Leonel Morgado, João Eduardo Varajão, Aura Haidimoschi, Gerhard Doppler, Hillevi Koivusalo, Paivi Jokinen, George Velegrakis, Chiara Sancin, Valentina Carmenini

• The VITA project – Virtual Learning for the management of successful small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in Europe - presents an innovative approach to teach, learn and practice entrepreneurship and business management competences, based on the results of different projects, concerning Web 2.0-based and virtualization strategies.

  VITA is under development, and will last 24 months. It aims to increase the capability of SMEs to adapt to European contexts, resorting to specific training, and increase adults employability, mobility and multicultural awareness, by means of: defining the European entrepreneur profile in terms of SME’s management competences on the basis of needs analyses in collaboration with employees;

  defining courses, pedagogical approaches and evaluation tools addressing identified needs, upon the results of different projects, adapted to the characteristics of a virtual learning campus;

  conceiving a 3D virtual learning environment located in Second Life where learners will participate in collaborative learning experiences and will have the opportunity to test their competences in a safe application context by generating and managing a virtual SME; certifying e-learners in the basis of EQF (European Qualifications Framework) and ECVET (European Credit System for Vocational Education and Training) systems and other national qualification systems.