Educational Digital Innovative CUltural heritage related Learning Alliance

Educational Digital Innovative CUltural heritage related Learning Alliance

Background
Throughout Europe, as evidenced by the recent global financial, pandemic and climate crises, there emerges a clear need to improve quality of life, foster employment, augment social cohesion and boost participation of the society in all stages of decision making. These can be addressed through the enhancement of the society’s identity and the integration of cultural heritage (CH) as an enabler for sustainable development. The field of CH protection has progressed to a new digital era. But for new knowledge to be beneficial to the society’s development, it must break the boundaries of science and engineering and be actively integrated at all levels of Education. EDICULA introduced innovative learning mechanisms with a strong digital character, educational material, and promoted hands-on training, while fusing the experience from existing postgraduate programs and emblematic projects. EDICULA transferred the connection of Society with higher education by demonstrating the importance of innovative transdisciplinary scientific synthesis to teacher in post-graduate programs, while providing – by educational toolkits, digital games, multiplier events – similar capacities to secondary teachers, researchers and stakeholders’ personnel.

Objectives
- Cultivate cooperation between NTUA and UNIROMA1 in emblematic projects in Jerusalem
- Utilize the interdisciplinary and innovative research in the rehabilitation of the Holy Aedicule, its context and setting, to trans-cut with the history of architecture in Jerusalem, through cooperation with BEZ and IAA, and promote transdisciplinarity as an educational lever in the protection of CH through cooperation with HRIAC.
- Create advanced educational toolkits and digital educational games, through cooperation with PerpetilSI.
- Reform the curricula of postgraduate programs of the EDICULA academic partners, to exchange good practices and create new courses that will lead to a Joint Master Degree in the field of CH protection.
- Train higher education teachers to promote the transdisciplinary scientific synthesis as a key element for innovative education,
- Organize hands-on training events in Jerusalem and Alexandria, and special conference and immersive workshops in Athens, to diffuse the outcomes of EDICULA to a wider community, and impart a higher impact of the project
- Learn from the innovation of the Holy Sepulchre research, fuse this knowledge at post-graduate level, and transfer Innovation to Society through Education.

Implementation
- Development of the EDICULA-4-all and EDICULA+ educational toolkits, based on an integrated architecture of categories covering the complete range of thematic areas in the field of CH protection.
- UNIROMA1 organized 2 new compulsory and 1 new optional post-grad courses, assigned a PhD thesis. NTUA reformed 3 optional post-grad courses, opened a new PhD position, call for a new EDICULA academic position. BEZ designed co-teaching and studio activities forwarding hands-on approaches, inquired for a practice-based PhD assignment.
- Survey of hands-on methodologies and development of EDICULA guidelines, framework, AR fusion for hands-on education in CH protection.
- Design and development of the EDICULA Digital Game with separate virtual tours for each phase of the Holy Edicule rehabilitation, and a Digital Class for educational activities.
- Educational analysis of the innovation of the Holy Sepulchre research. Transdisciplinary teaching methodologies of innovation and training approach to address grand societal challenges through Education.
- Hands-on workshops, E1 Jerusalem (03.22) and E2 Alexandria (06.22) and EDICULA Immersive event (12.22). E3 Athens (12.21) EDICULA sessions.
- EDICULA Teachers’ Course in Athens.

Results

- Website and EDICULA educational platform with two interrelated EDICULA-4-all, EDICULA+ educational toolkits.
- Post-graduate reformation: Design and organization of 3 new courses (UNIROMA1), the reformation of 3 existing ones (NTUA), hands-on focused co-teaching and studio activities (BEZ). Assignment (UNIROMA1), call (NTUA), inquire (BEZ) for PhD Theses. Call to develop a new EDICULA faculty position (NTUA). Upscaling with the perspective of a future joint master’s degree.
- Survey of hands-on methodologies, development of guidelines, framework and AR fusion for hands-on education in CH protection.
- Digital Game with virtual tours for each phase of the Holy Aedicule rehabilitation and digital class for educational activities.
- Educational analysis of the innovation of the Holy Sepulchre research. Development of transdisciplinary teaching methodologies of innovation and training approach to address grand societal challenges through Education.
- Multiplier events: E1 “The Historic City of Jerusalem, the Holy Sepulchre: A Hands-on Experience” (03.22); E2 Alexandria hands on workshop (06.22) and EDICULA Immersive event (Athens 12.22). E3 TMMCH21 Int. Conf. EDICULA sessions (12.21).
- EDICULA Teachers’ Course in Athens (03.23). 

The Partners:

ETHNICON METSOVION POLYTECHNION - NTUA, Greece - Coordinator

BEZALEL ACADEMY OF ARTS AND DESIGN, Israel

Hellenic Research Institute of Alexandrian Civilization, Greece
Israel Antiquities Authority, Israel
PerpetielSI SRL, Romania
UNIVERSITA DEGLI STUDI DI ROMA LA SAPIENZA, Italy