VICTORIOUS (VIrtual Curricula ThrOugh Reliable InterOperating University Systems)

Objectives:

The VICTORIOUS Project is an in-depth analysis consisting of feasibility tests in three different areas that are key to opening the door to large-scale implementation of virtual mobility: Quality, Interoperability/Open Standards, and Digital Repositories and Resources. However, as ICT technologies are changing rapidly, any approach needs some degree of future-proofing by being viewed in terms of possible technology developments likely to occur in the next few years. One stage in the project will address this subject.

Approach & Expected results:

A time span of 24 months is proposed to run the Project. The idea is to subdivide this time period in three separate successive periods of 4, 3 and 14 months, which will lead to the feasibility reports, followed by a period of 3 months for the preparation of the final seminar including the future-proofing aspects.
For each area studied, a Working Group of three Universities will be set up. Each Group will have one leading University. The Working Groups studying the three different fields described above will work with a parallel agenda. As a consequence, all their working meetings scheduled in the Work Plan will coincide. Each meeting will consist of both plenary sessions in which all Working Groups come together and separate working sessions. As such, the VICTORIOUS Project ensures a holistic approach to the subject of future Virtual Mobility.

In order to develop the feasibility reports, it is important to distinguish between three different stages. In a first stage (Month 1-Month 4), the Partner Universities are going to review the existing tools that are being used in order to materialize virtual mobility. In between the first kick-off and wrap-up meeting, a thorough investigation will be led by the three leading universities by means of questionnaires that can be circulated to all Coimbra Group Universities, as well as to the larger European University community through other European University Network the Coimbra Group is familiar with. This first stage will end with the publication of the Review Reports.

In a second stage (Month 5 - Month 7), three parallel action plans will be developed by the different Working Groups. In this second stage, the Project Partners will define what barriers should be taken down in order to considerably improve existing virtual mobility. The wrap-up meeting of stage 1, as well as the review reports will serve as a basis to develop the Work Plans to be developed in the three different fields. A thorough analysis will be carried out by each leading university in its specific field. Audioconferences and a wrap-up meeting will be organized in order to synchronize the activities and exchange information among the working groups.

At last, the third stage (Month 8 -21) will be the period in which the Feasibility Tests are carried out and the Feasibility Reports are written which will feed into the final seminar. This period will again be preceded by a kick-off meeting and finalized with a wrap-up. It is at this stage that pilots will be carried out on the processes that would need to be used in order to enable large-scale virtual mobility. For this purpose, when possible, existing courses and student groups will be addressed. If no courses turn out to be appropriate, new pilots may be developed.

The VICTORIOUS Project will end with a Final Seminar that will present the results of the three different studies into one proposal for enlarged virtual mobility throughout Europe and beyond. Given that ICT technologies are changing rapidly, the proposals made in the final seminar/report will be future proofed. This approach is considered as an important characteristic to be added to the overall outcome of the Project.

For more information, please visit the Victorious project website: victorious-project.org

Final Project Report
VICTORIOUS FINAL PROJECT REPORT
Executive Summary

Co-ordinating organisation: Coimbra Group asbl

Contact details:
The Coimbra Group Office
Egmontstraat 11
B-1050 Bruxelles
Tél: +32 2 513 83 32
Fax: +32 2 5 11 64 11
Contact person: Axelle Devaux ( )

Partner organisations: The Universities of Bristol, Edinburgh, Groningen, Granada, Leuven, Pavia, Siena, Tartu, Turku