SELBA/USUS

Project duration:

01.01.2003 - 31.12.2005

Project applicant:

Volkshochschulverband Baden-Württemberg

Project partners:

Fernstudienzentrum
SZS

Abstract:

USUS is a micro-project within the ESF project entitled "SELBA - Selbstgesteuertes Lernen erprobt auf dem Land und im Ballungsraum für den Arbeitsmarkt" investigating self-regulated learning in rural and urban areas for the job market. Its aim is to develop ways to support people with visual impairments who are doing courses on their own.

Objective:

One of the goals of the overall project is the promotion of students' abilities to learn on their own, consequently improving the population's scope of action and employment. In addition, the project aims to provide practical examples and recommendations regarding self-regulated learning designed to bring about a long-term improvement in the scope of employment for youngsters and working people.

Brief description:

The learning objectives to be achieved by education and training have undergone far-reaching changes in recent years. This makes preparing people for life-long, self-regulated learning a core pedagogical task to be fulfilled by training and further-education programmes.

The job market demands that candidates have such qualities as self-motivation and initiative, self-organisation, the ability to work under pressure, the ability to work in a team, and especially the constant willingness to learn new things, to learn more about a field, or to change to a completely new field, i.e. the willingness to learn for life. The ability to learn on one's own influences society as a whole: it allows the individual to take a conscious and active part in the issues in the community and to play a correspondingly responsible role.

As part of the SELBA project, the USUS micro-project's objective is to acquaint people who have suddenly lost their sight either partially or completely through illness or accident with the possibilities of modern information and communication technology (ICT). The project aims to help such people to overcome the limitations arising from the disability and to take an active part in life. One project segment involves the initiation of the reintegration process within the private and professional environments, the process being subsequently accompanied and stabilised. Appropriate material is drawn up, training programmes are developed and made available, and networks are created.