Today’s speed of technology and global events further highlight the importance of digitizing academic activities. The transfer of the teaching/learning process to the virtual space has become particularly relevant. This is the focus of the international Erasmus+ project “Quality of Virtual Studies” (2020-1-LT01-KA226-HE-094740). Bringing together a team from institutions in Lithuania (Kauno kolegija Higher Education Institution (HEI)), Spain (Francisco de Vitoria University), Finland (Savonia University of Applied Sciences), Croatia (Zagreb School of Business), and England (School of Coding Limited), the aim is to improve the quality of virtual studies by creating teaching/learning methodologies and implementing technological and pedagogical innovations.

Teaching and learning in a virtual learning environment (VLE) bring about many changes in implementing study content. During remote learning, the number of contact hours between teachers and students decreases, more emphasis is placed on students’ independent learning, thus students lose the opportunity to receive informal emotional support from teachers and classmates, forget the sense of community, and experience decreased engagement in lectures.

The results of this two-year project are tangible intellectual products that will help modern educators raise the quality of studies to a higher level, ensuring that students remain motivated and active during virtual lectures.

Based on the analysis of VLE teaching and assessment methods conducted in the project, guidelines were prepared, translated into the national languages of project partners (including Lithuanian), and visual materials were prepared. These intellectual products are publicly available on the project website and will later be shared on the Zenodo and Erasmus+ open access platforms for results.

“The idea of the project was to create a kind of handbook for lecturers, where they would find not only theory based on scientific sources but also examples of good practices with various tips, such as when and which VLE platform tool to apply,” shares Vytautė Giedraitienė, Senior Specialist of the Project Management Unit at Kauno kolegija HEI and the Project Manager.

During the project, training sessions for lecturers from partner countries were also held, introducing the practical use of VLE tools in Moodle. Later, the knowledge was applied in creating pilot modules for virtual studies, which were implemented in the Autumn semester of 2022. These four international, interdisciplinary modules virtually brought together students from participating institutions and the modules were focused on current issues and students’ interests, covering topics such as career modelling, well-being, personal branding, personal and international communication, marketing, digital media, and entrepreneurship.

Dr. Rasa Tamulienė, an associate professor at the Faculty of Medicine at Kauno klegija HEI and a Project Researcher, emphasizes that in today’s world, the majority of teachers increasingly supplement their work in classrooms with online activities, which signifies changes within the academic community that takes the path of innovation: “When organizing activities in the virtual space, the content and methods of studies change, greater study diversity and freedom emerge, and new quality standards are created.”

High-quality virtual studies also reflect the growing need to promote internationalization at home, enabling students to study abroad without leaving their country. Many students cannot take advantage of physical mobility opportunities due to financial or personal reasons, so virtual mobility opens up possibilities to broaden students’ horizons and become part of an international community with the help of the internet.

On May 16, the closing conference of the “Quality of Virtual Studies” project took place at Kauno kolegija HEI, where not only project activities and results were shared but also presentations on virtual studies were given. Foreign and Lithuanian experts shared examples of good practices, challenges, and valuable advice regarding pedagogical and technical aspects of virtual learning, presenting innovative tools that help ensure not only the quality of studies but also promote inclusive learning.

Projects and events like these encourage discussions and provide opportunities for educators to exchange ideas about future trends in virtual learning, which are becoming increasingly difficult to predict but always interesting to discuss among colleagues.

The “Quality of Virtual Studies” project (2020-1-LT01-KA226-HE-094740) is funded with the support of the European Commission through the Erasmus+ program. This work reflects only the author’s view, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use of the information provided in it.