EduCardia: an ICT-Enabled Methodology for Assessment and Improvement of Socioemotional Competencies of Students Based on In-Person and Online Activities

Creating a positive school environment in classrooms can enhance the academic and social outcomes of students. In order to promote inclusive education, it is crucial that all students develop the skills to communicate, understand each other, and work together effectively. Although there are numerous research findings and guidelines available for developing social and emotional learning (SEL) materials and implementing SEL training in classrooms, there are limited methodologies and tools openly accessible for assessing SEL competencies. In the current work, we present EduCardia as a methodology to evaluate and enhance the socio-emotional competencies of primary and secondary level students. EduCardia provides both SEL material development and digital tools for teachers to efficiently perform assessment processes in their classrooms and monitor the progress of students' socio-emotional competencies. With access to assessment results, group-based educational activities can be organized to improve inclusion, social cohesion, and promote educational equality. The EduCardia methodology aims to create a supportive school environment that can prevent all forms of discrimination and foster socio-emotional development of students.