EPOKA University together with other Albanian HEIs co-hosted a series of Virtual Expert Forums on ‘Innovative Virtual Teaching and Learning’ moderated by the Technische Universität Dresden from Germany in the framework of “Virtual Albanian European Universities Exchange” - VALEU-X Erasmus+ CBHE Project, to which EPOKA is a partner institution.

The forums were conceptualized as a free room for discussion on topics that included among others,

• Virtual Collaborative Learning.
• Technical and didactic learning practices.
• e-Learning environment and spaces.
• Students/staff digital literacy.
• Digital learning tools and platforms.

The online forums hosted VALEU-X project partners and other relevant stakeholders including Experts of Higher Education, Academic Staff, and Students aiming to set a common ground for discussion via informal exchange of practices and knowledge between participants.

The 1^st forum was held on Tuesday, May 12^th, 2020 and was designed to host Academic Staff from various HEIs in Albania. After presenting the Virtual Collaborative Learning approach to teaching and learning process, the floor was allocated to discuss the findings of the academic survey developed and implemented among VALEU-X partner universities to analyze the Albanian higher education context from the point of view of academic staff members with respect to virtual and collaborative learning, including the effects of the current Covid-19 crisis on the ongoing education process in Albania. The findings of this survey revealed very interesting results on how virtual/remote/online teaching is perceived by academia in albania, and especially challenges they have been facing recently together with suggestions how to tackle them. The detailed findings of the field study will be published in the Country Report to be soon finalized by the VALEU-X consortium. Many participants of this forum, including academic staff members from EPOKA Univesity, had the chance to share their insights and ask questions relevant to the topic of the forum and current emerging challenges of the remote education processes. European project partners attending the forum contributed with their insights on how challenges are being tackled in their home institutions in Germany, Italy and Slovenia.

The 2^nd forum was held on Tuesday, May 12^th, 2020 and was designed to host Students from various higher education institutions in Albania. This forum gave participating students, including EPOKA University students, the opportunity to listen to important presentations and provide their insights and ask questions regarding virtual teaching and learning, current situation of remote classes, the situation in partner European universities etc.

The 3^rd forum was held on Wednesday, May 13^th, 2020 and was designed to host Experts from the Ministry of Education, Sports and Youth, from Quality Assurance Agency in Higher Education, from NGOs related to education, experienced Professors, Labor market representatives etc. This forum was a very fruitful space to discuss the findings of the field study analyzing Albanian higher education with respect to virtual and collaborative learning in terms of policy making and on regulating virtual/remote/online teaching in Albanian higher education curricula. European project partners provided their best practices in virtual collaborative learning and answered questions of participants about tackling systemic and technical challenges of the quick shift from on-campus to remote teaching and learning processes. Other issues raised by participants consisted on the need for technical and didactical trainings for the academic staff in improving digital literacy and the need to submit the field study findings of VALEU-X project to MESY, which would serve as a good contextual foundation for further policy making in terms of integrating virtual components in the current curricula of higher education institutions in Albania.

VALEU-X project aims the qualification of academic staff at Albanian HEIs on modern pedagogical and didactical methodologies for innovative virtual teaching and learning settings. In this context, VALEU-X has planned and designed further forums to be held in the near future.

Please click here to access some of the forum materials.