On the home stretch: The final TrainDL Meetings

How could one learn more about data and AI competencies in a museum? What does good in-service training with primary school teachers look like? Why were all the trees cut down on Gediminas Hill in Vilnius? And what is happening in the last six months of the project? Important questions that were answered in Vilnius on August 28 and 29.

There, the TrainDL partners from three countries met for the last joint steering committee and consortium meetings of the project. Having already met in Berlin and Vienna, this time, the meetings were hosted by the NŠA, the National Agency for Education in Lithuania.

The TrainDL project, funded by the Erasmus Plus Program of the European Union and coordinated by the GI, is all about data, artificial intelligence (AI) and education. Its central goal is to train teachers in data literacy and AI competencies and to support the structural implementation of these competencies in teacher training. To this end, the researchers from Austria, Germany and Lithuania conduct teacher trainings, evaluate them and formulate policy recommendations on the topic.

On the first day in Vilnius, the TrainDL steering committee discussed the developments of the project, the latest results and planned future actions and transitions. For instance, the participants examined the conducted teacher trainings, what has to be considered for the outstanding ones, and discussed the continuous improvements of processes.

On the second day, the consortium consisting of the steering committee and public authorities rejoined for another day of workshops, discussions, and decision-making. Especially interesting for the public authorities were the insights into the actual teacher trainings, the used learning activities and the differences in trainings for teachers from differing countries, subjects and school levels.

Collaborating in person served to reflect on the work already done and plan the smooth implementation of the final months. The next time all partners will meet in person is for the closing event of the project: the “TrainDL Summit: Teaching Data Literacy and AI Competencies” in Berlin on February 22 and 23, 2024. Keynotes and hands-on workshops will be completed by opportunities to network with international experts from academia, politics, and civil society. Registration for online and in-person participation is possible here.