Abstract:

This paper reports the rationale behind the scheme developed by the Italian working group on the syllabi of the EPICT (European Pedagogical ICT Licence) certifications. The EPICT Certifications are the result of a European project (years 2022/2005) and they attest teachers’ competence in the "pedagogical use of digital technologies,". It is a system of certifications, each based on a syllabus that describes the details of the "pedagogical use" of different technologies: the web, digital writing, digital videos, coding, augmented and virtual reality, and so on.

In Italy, since the conclusion of the European project, the University of Genoa has continued to use the EPICT model for the training and certification of Italian teachers, keeping the syllabi updated and updating the overall certification system based on the evolution of digital technologies. Until the 2022/2023 academic year, EPICT certifications were provided in Italy by the University of Genoa as a result of training courses. From October 2023, Italian teachers can access the certification process independently of the training courses to certify their competences also acquired in a non-formal way. This evolution has required a revision of the certification syllabi, and this paper aims to share the developed scheme.

What scheme can be identified as useful for guiding reasoning and, given any digital technology, being able to write the syllabus for its specific pedagogical use?
Using the macro-phases of teaching (from planning to evaluation) and the DigCompEdu framework as references, our model describes the competence of using a specific technology according to 4 macro-areas of competence.
PLANNING PHASE - Expert teachers are able to identify in which kind of lessons (depending on different didactic methods and strategies) to use “technology X”: which kind of products students will develop, which digital and citizenship competences, which learning styles students will develop using that technology, and which special needs will be addressed (DigCompEdu Areas 3, 5, 6).
PREPARATION PHASE - Teachers know how to implement all the operational aspects so that the lesson works: the most suitable classroom setting for the use of "technology X", the configuration of digital devices, and the most suitable teaching materials (including evaluation tests) following the Universal Design for Learning approach (DigCompEdu Areas 3, 4, 5).
ACTIVITY PHASE - Expert teachers know how to teach the use of specific applications and lead students in all phases of the process of creating particular artifacts with "technology X", highlighting the aspects of digital culture linked to the use of that specific technology: it is different to produce a video, a presentation, a digital text, a podcast, or interact in a forum on an e-democracy platform (DigCompEdu Areas 3, 5, 6).
DOCUMENTATION PHASE - This phase is transversal to the previous ones: expert teachers know how to reflect critically on evaluating the efficacy of their lessons with “technology X”; they know how to prevent and manage critical events with “technology X” and they know how to document and share their results with colleagues and stakeholders (DigCompEdu Area 1).

Finally, each syllabus describes the functions of the main applications of “technology X” according to three levels of competence suitable for different school levels, considering the general level of cognitive development of primary, lower, and upper secondary school students.

Keywords:

Certification schemas, EPICT Certifications, Competency-based approach.