Up2U

 A few steps to higher education

We believe that advanced digital skills are essential for students entering university. Up2U portfolio provides the tools to revolutionize your teaching method and motivates students to benefit from the latest technology during learning. Let us help you unfold the regular classroom and make learning fun.

Next Generation Digital Learning Environment

Up2U makes available a specific Next Generation Digital Learning Environment (NGDLE) that integrates the formal and informal learning spaces for secondary school students and teachers who wish to develop and enhance their teaching and learning skills up to the university standards.

In order to support universal use, our architecture is modular, scalable and portable. We rely on open technology and standard protocols wherever we can. Our ecosystem is compliant with the latest GDPR regulations by design.

Up2U’s NGDLE offers the following unique feature set:

• WebSSO (via eduGAIN and social media accounts);
• Group management (powered by eduTEAMS Hub);
• OER content hub (via eduOER);
• File Sync&Share storage platform (powered by CERNBox and ownCloud)
• LTI tools integration and other third-party apps (aka. Up2Universe);
• Learning Analytics and Open Badges;
• Mobile application;
• Multi-language support

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Teachers

Have you noticed that keeping up the attention span of teenagers is getting more difficult? In a world where digital technology rules the world, why not benefit from it? Incorporating digital tools and services in your teaching method can result in more engaged students and helps them developing “critical thinking” and be more independent learners. Introducing value-added learning analytics and community-based digital reward system changes the learning scenario thus it becomes more adaptive to students liking.

High schools

Up2U project is building a community that can support the new trends and methods of digital teaching and learning. We provide tools and services that will help you implement digital learning scenarios in the classroom. A heterogeneous training plan is being elaborated that would be able to accommodate training teachers with different technology backgrounds. Pilot schools from various European countries will experiment with our concept and will share their lessons learned. Skills that can be acquired via these digital learning methods can drive up your enrolments with students ready for higher education.

Students

Our project helps you to adapt to new learning scenarios that will be useful when attending a university. Experimenting with the informal learning spaces and develop new skills that will be inevitable in higher education. Up2U promotes technology in the classroom – no more boring classes! Engage with your fellow peers, explore the international Up2U universe ecosystem and experience with the digital reward system. Say goodbye to the old chalkboard and enjoy the era of digital classes.

Introduction

“If we teach today’s students as we taught yesterday’s we rob them of tomorrow. “

John Dewey

Mind the gap-bridge the gap!

Up2U project aims to define what kind of barriers prevent freshman university students in succeeding in higher education.To prepare students for university we must start in secondary schools. We believe that in order to thrive early on the academic year students must have advanced digital skills. Do they have all the latest tech gadgets? Sure! Do they know how to use it properly? Probably. Are they aware how to make benefit from these devices? Well, we have to see about that.

We support incorporating team work, project work and critical thinking in a blended classroom where besides the regular classroom, students can learn in a virtual environment. You can guess which one they are more familiar with. Our concept is simple: why fight innovations and technology? Why not implement them in the classroom?

We invite you to join us on our journey where we explore and integrate tools and services (aka the Up2Universe) that can support teachers and students in the digital advancement.

Up2U is a 36 month long project with 5M € funding that kicked off in January 2017. The project is coordinated by GÉANT and gathers 18 partners from 12 countries across Europe including NRENs, traditional and open universities, infrastructure providers and commercial partners (Find out more).

Goals

Up2U focuses on K12 education, moreover the last years of secondary school. We hope that with the creation of Up2Universe, an innovative digital ecosystem will facilitate a more effective usage of digital content in the classrooms and beyond. Hybrid learning scenarios will help students advance their skills and also enjoy learning. We plan to address project based and peer-to-peer learning scenarios and support collaborative and personalised studying.

Our main goal is to develop a toolkit that will be sustainable and teachers and students can make good use of it in the long run. We will work on developing an applicable business plan that allows new members to join the Up2Universe easily and thus form a federated market-place for the learning community.