Improving Online and E-Learning Education Through Train-the-Trainer Model: A Case Study of European Innovation Project ECOLHE

The quality of online and e-learning is crucial for ensuring that students in European higher education have access to high-quality education and are prepared for the future workforce. The Train-the-Trainer (TTT) model and implementation approach can play a crucial role in improving the quality of online and e-learning by providing educators with the skills and knowledge they need to design, deliver and evaluate practical online and e-learning courses. This paper is part of the EU innovation project Empower Competencies for Onlife Learning in Higher Education (ECOLHE) and utilised a mixed-methods case study. The project has designed, developed and implemented a TTT approach and executed a TTT programme for online learning as pedagogical development practices. The pilot study, conducted as part of the ECOLHE project, evaluated the impact of the TTT and presented the findings. The research demonstrates the effectiveness of TTT in improving educators' competencies and the overall quality of online education for students' development. The paper argues that these findings can be developed into best practices for the TTT programme. The TTT approach can potentially create a larger pool of highly skilled educators across the European Higher Education Area (EHEA) and increase the education offering capacity. This can lead to significant improvements in online and e-learning experiences, ultimately empowering students for success. The paper emphasises the importance of ongoing professional development for educators in online learning practices. The TTT approach empowers educators to create online learning environments that facilitate student development and progress by fostering these competencies within a real-world context. The ECOLHE project focused on online learning only, in future, similar studies exploring TTT programmes in other educational formats could yield valuable insights for educators and policy makers across the board. The wider implementation of ‘Train-the-Trainer’ approach can improve online education and digital transformation across the EHEA.