Example of a difference between goals, needs, activities, outcomes and impact in Erasmus+ KA1 projects

In this blog we offer you a concrete example of the difference between learning needs, goals, outcomes, activities and impact as it is used in all Erasmus+ mobility projects.

Drafting Erasmus+ KA1 mobility project might cause some difficulties in understanding terminology used by Erasmus+ programme guide. The same terminology as in Erasmus+ programme guide should be used by applicant in their application form.
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We explained the terminology and ideas for drafting arguments in different other blogs on our webpage www.erasmusbyprimerasupport.com. In this blog we only use a concrete example to explain the difference.

Let’s say you are a teacher in a high school called SuperPower school with relatively high rate of early school leaving. Among the causes of early school leaving at your school, there are failures in learning basic mathematics and scientific literacy. Many students left the school because they did not meet minimal standards at those subjects. As Erasmus+ coordinator you want to address this problem. Both aspects (preventing early school leaving and promoting STEM education) are in accordance with the Erasmus+ programme, therefore it is a good starting point.

First, you want to set a GOAL. A goal means the answer to the question: What do we want to achieve in with the Erasmus+ project? The goal needs to be SMART (specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, time-based).
In our case of SuperPower school the goal might be: we want to reduce early school leaving by 15 % in the next 3 years and increase achievements (grades) of low skilled students at STEM subjects in average by 10 %.
Those goals are specific, because the statement refers to concrete subjects and concrete problem. They are measurable, because we know how to measure school leaving and average grades. The goals are attainable, because they allow enough time to achieve it. They are relevant to both school needs and Erasmus+ general objectives. We also set time (3 years) so they are time-based.

Next, NEEDS of the organization refer to the question: How you will get from where you are now to where you want to be?
The answer in the case of SuperPower school might be: we need more student-centred teaching and more international cooperation to find different ways of working with low skilled students at STEM subjects to help them stay in school.

ACTIVITIES in the Erasmus+ mobility projects are a set of tasks carried out as a part of the project. In the KA1 projects you have 3 types of activities: job shadowing, structured courses/training events, teaching assignments abroad.
In your case of the SuperPower school you might decide that you will send 5 STEM teachers to 3 different structures courses to get new material and ways of student-centred teaching at STEM subjects. You also decide to send 2 teachers to 2 different schools in 2 different countries for job shadowing to observe innovative STEM teaching practices.

LEARNING OUTCOMES are statements of what a learner knows, understands and is able to do on completion of a learning process, which are defined in terms of knowledge, skills and competence. Outcomes refer to the end of a certain activity (course or job shadowing). If you have a good course provider, s/he will give you a list of competencies for the courses.

In the case of the SuperPower school you might seek for the following outcomes: participants (teachers in your case) will understand how to use new learning materials in the STEM curricula, participants will know how to boost students’ natural curiosity, participants will have a design of a project work about connecting STEM with everyday life, participants will understand new techniques of scaffolding pieces of knowledge to address students’ needs in a new way.

IMPACT in the Erasmus+ mobilities refers to the period after the project is already concluded. It means the effect of Erasmus+ activity on individuals, organisations and society. Have in mind how will you measure impact.
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In the case of a SuperPower school a desired impact on teachers might be higher teaching competence with new material (measure: number of new learning activities and material). Impact on students: better self-confidence for STEM subjects (measure: before/after survey). Impact for the school: cooperation with schools from other countries (measure: number of school), reduced early school leaving (measure: early school leaving rate). Impact for local environment: increased support and involvement of family members in school life (measure: number of STEM projects of students in local environment – project based learning).