=Paper=
{{Paper
|id=Vol-1498/HAICTA_2015_paper35
|storemode=property
|title=E-learning Course in Organic Food Retailing in Bulgaria
|pdfUrl=https://ceur-ws.org/Vol-1498/HAICTA_2015_paper35.pdf
|volume=Vol-1498
|dblpUrl=https://dblp.org/rec/conf/haicta/Ivanova15
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==E-learning Course in Organic Food Retailing in Bulgaria==
https://ceur-ws.org/Vol-1498/HAICTA_2015_paper35.pdf
E-learning Course in Organic Food Retailing in Bulgaria
Mariana Ivanova1
1
University of Agribusiness and Rural Development, Plovdiv, Bulgaria,
e-mail: mivanova@uard.bg
Abstract. The current paper presents results from the Transfer of Innovation
Project titled: “ECVET-based training of trainers in organic food retailing to
„EcoQualify“ Quality Assurance System” (ECVET-EcoQualify, № 2013-1-
BG1-LEO05-08698). The main project aim is to create an e-learning training
course for teachers/trainers and tutors/instructors oriented to offer them the
abilities needed to design, plan and distribute training courses based on the
European Credit System for Vocational Education and Training (ECVET) and
the European Qualification Framework (EQF) in a very specific subject field -
organic food retailing. The paper presents the structure of the e-learning
course, the main topics in the training contents, etc. based on the “EcoQualify”
Quality Assurance System and following the EQF and ECVET-learning
outcomes approach. The e-learning course is available in the following
languages: English, Czech, German, Bulgarian, Italian and Turkish. The e-
learning platform has been created and administered by Forum Berufsbildung
– Germany.
Keywords: organic food retailing, e-learning, ECVET, EQF.
1 Introduction
Organic food retailing is one of the fast growing sectors of the European economy.
Moreover, consumers' interest in organic products has risen in the last years
(Ivanova, 2012). Therefore, the issue of educating managers and shop assistants is
gaining more and more importance. However, this sector is suffering from a severe
lack not only of qualified personnel, staff and managers, but also of well qualified
teachers and trainers who provide training in that field (Ivanova, 2013). The main
objective of the ECVET-EcoQualify project is to create a training course for
teachers/trainers and tutors/instructors oriented to offer them the abilities needed to
design, plan and distribute ECVET and EQF-based training courses in the field of
organic food retailing. The e-learning course demonstrates how to apply the
Methodology for EQF and ECVET-based training course for organic food retailing
paying attention to the development in NQF in each of partner countries. The e-
learning course is available in the following languages: English, Czech, German,
Bulgarian, Italian and Turkish. The e-learning platform has been created and
administered by FORUM Berufsbildung – Germany. For Bulgaria, this is the first e-
learning course in the field of organic food retailing.
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2 Methodology
The e-learning course demonstrates how to apply the Methodology for EQF and
ECVET-based training course for organic food retailing paying attention to the
development in NQF in each of the partner countries.
The methodology applied is based on an integrated approach taking into
consideration the following main aspects:
a) Learning outcomes definition criteria coming from EQF / ECVET regulations
and methods, as it was analyzed and applied in previous Leonardo da Vinci
Partnership Project;
c) ECVET criteria to evaluate and assign credit points, taking into account the
complexity, scope and volume of learning outcomes in the unit, effort necessary for a
learner to acquire the knowledge, skills and competence required for the unit, as
clearly stated in the official study of EU Commission “The European Credit System
for Vocational Education and Training”" (ECVET). (“Get to know ECVET better
Questions and Answers” (February, 2011).
The following communication tools are used:
- Working meetings of the project management team, including consultants;
- Consultation via e-meetings;
- Information and advisory inputs by e-learning and e-training experts.
3 Project Partners, Target Groups and Sectors
3.1 Project partners
! University of Agribusiness and Rural Development (UARD), Bulgaria –
Contractor and Coordinator
! Organic Retailers Association (ORA) – Austria
! Zivy Venkov – Czech Republic
! FORUM Berufsbildung. e .V. – Germany
! Ökomarkt e.V. Hamburg – Germany
! Institut Equalita – Germany
! Associacione Terre dell’ Adriatico (ADRIALAND) – Italy
! Canakkale Onsekiz Mart University – Turkey
! Education Research Association (ERA) – Turkey
3.2 Target groups and sectors
ECVET-EcoQualify project addresses the Priority titled: Support to initial and
continuous training of VET teachers, trainers, tutors and VET institution managers
(LEO-TraInno-8). The target group includes teachers and trainers, VET providers of
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services and trainers in the field of lifelong learning. The target sectors are education,
agriculture, organic trade and retailing, ecological field and food safety. In fact, we
refer in particular to a very specific sector – organic food retailing which is
characterized with a gap of well qualified teachers/trainers and tutors.
4 E-learning contents – description of the main e-learning course
documents
4.1 E(co)-Qualify Quality Assurance System
E(co)-Qualify is a comprehensive European Quality Assurance System for further
education in the area of organic food retail. It offers a basis for meaningful
assessment and certification systems and contributes to the alignment of different
training and evaluation systems. (Ivanova M., D. Dimitrov, et al., 2013).
4.2 Methodology for EQF and ECVET-based training course for organic food
retailing
The document outlines the methodology on EQVET units and credits attribution,
leading to the integration of E(co)-Qualify qualifications into ECVET. The strategy
is a bottom-up approach (from the work and market sector to educational and
training activities) assuring the transferability of the project results to other sectors
where informal and non-formal knowledge is concerned. It identifies basic units and
points able to establish a shared credits system for transferring recognized
qualifications in different European countries vocational and educational contexts.
The E(co)-Qualify qualifications credit system identifies corresponding learning
units and credit points for each qualification level, with the goal to make the E(co)-
Qualify qualifications identifiable for implementation across Europe.
4.3 Learning Outcomes
The document contains detailed description of Key Units and Learning Outcomes
by Professional Profiles, following the EQF/ECVET methodology.
Learning outcomes are defined as statements of what a learner "knows,
understands and is able to do” after a learning process. The categories are: 1/
Knowledge; 2/ Skills; 3/ Competence. They can be used for different purposes. For
example as descriptive units for the qualification frameworks, in order to define
qualifications, design curricula and make assessments. They exist on different levels
and in different quality according to their precision.
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4.4 Guidelines for VET Institutions in organic sector
The Guidelines define the didactics and practical instructions for training of
teachers in organic sector following the EQF and ECVET learning outcomes
approach.
5 Training course components
5.1 Component 1 – Learning outcomes
Learning Outcomes are grouped in "Units". A unit of learning outcomes (also called
“unit” or “module”) is a component of a professional profile consisting of a coherent
set of knowledge, skills and competence that can be assessed and validated. This
presupposes that the units of learning outcomes are structured comprehensively and
logically and that they can be examined. Units of learning outcomes can be specific
to a single professional profile or common to several.
The description of qualifications in terms of units of learning outcomes is one of the
main elements of ECVET.
The units of learning outcomes are used to describe the qualification and it is
important that the units of learning outcomes are designed so that they can be:
! Clearly understood by involved actors - such as learners, teachers and trainers
in home and host institutions, and competent institutions with responsibility for
validating and recognising learning outcomes achieved during geographical
mobility.
! Achieved during mobility - for example, taking into account learners’ existing
knowledge, skills and competence, the duration of the planned mobility and the
learning opportunities able to be accessed in the host institution and country.
! Assessed abroad - for example, taking into account learners’ foreign language
skills - some learning outcomes may be easier to assess abroad than others.
! Recognised when the learner returns to the home institution.
5.2 Component 2 – Organic Agriculture
This Component provides knowledge on the basic principles of organic production
system, the difference between organic and conventional products, technologies in
organic production, breeding technology of organic livestock production, disease
control, pests and weeds in organic farming, etc. (Angelova, Popov, Ivanova, 2008).
The course of study includes the following topics:
! History of Organic Farming
! Principles of Organic Farming
! Basics about Soil and Agriculture
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! Soil and Agriculture II
! Soil and Humus Management
! Humus Management
! Basics of Organic Crop Farming
! Crop Rotation
! Plant Protection and Weed Regulation
! Plant Protection
! Animal Welfare
5.3 Component 3 - The Retailer of Organic Products and its 5 Professional
Profiles
The first point the partners agreed on is the overall Professional Qualification which
is the ultimate goal of the learning paths we have been working around. On the basis
of previous projects’ results and surveys, we believe that today in Europe a new
Professional Qualification is stemming from the onward and upward growth of
organic products market, the RETAILER OF ORGANIC PRODUCTS. It was
precisely this Professional Qualification the aim of Eco-Qualify previous Leonardo
da Vinci project, we capitalized inside the current project. A long and deepened
discussion lets partners to In the field of Organic Food Retailing the partners of
ECVET-EcoQualify project have been determined 5 Professional Profiles which
represent the progressive professional development of initially non-skilled people
should follow to attain the higher level of Knowledge, Skills and Competences that
could make them as a professional Organic Shop Manager. This point is a very
meaningful one, as it clearly shows that Organic Retail Sector is a new employment
area where it is possible to build up a satisfactory, dynamic and motivating career,
not yet taken into consideration by traditional education institutions like high school
and universities. In the following Table 1, we present the general description, based
on EQF criteria, of the five Professional Profiles building up the Professional
Qualification of RETAILER OF ORGANIC PRODUCTS, namely:
1. General Agro-food Shop Beginner;
2. Organic Products Shop Junior Sales Assistant;
3. Organic Products Shop Sales Assistant;
4. Organic Products Shop Area Manager;
5. Organic Products Shop General Manager.
5 Conclusion
The e-learning course designed on the project ECVET-EcoQualify provides the
opportunity to implement for the first time in Bulgaria the e-learning approach in the
field of organic food retailing. The target group of teachers and trainers will gain
sufficient knowledge, skills and competence in the field of organic agriculture,
organic food marketing, etc.
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Acknowledgments. The current paper has been supported by the means of the
European Union on the Transfer of Innovation project called: “ECVET-based
training of trainers in organic food retailing to ‘EcoQualify’ Quality Assurance
System”. The project was supported by the Lifelong Learning Programme of the EU.
The content of this document does not necessarily reflect the view or legislation of
the European Commission. Neither the European Commission nor the project
partners or any person acting on behalf of the Commission is responsible for the use
that might be made of the information in this document.
References
1. Angelova R., V. Popov, M. Ivanova (2008) Organic crops. Module 6. On-line
distance learning course to acquire professional qualification in EcoJob-AP
developed on Leonardo da Vinci Pilot project “Training on European standards
for ecological agricultural production – EcoJob-AP”/№ 2006-BG/06/B/F/PP-
166012/.
2. ECVET-based training of trainers in organic retailing according to "EcoQualify"
Quality Assurance System. Application Form, Call 2013. Leonardo da Vinci –
Transfer of Innovation.
3. Ivanova M. (2012) Qualification in the field of trade in organic food retailing - an
important factor for expanding the market of organic products. Paper presented
on the Day of organic farming - 10.03.2011 at AGRA '2011. Journal of science
"New knowledge", edition of the University of Agribusiness and Rural
Development, Vol. 1, No. 1 (January-March, 2012). pp. 87-90.
4. Ivanova M., D. Dimitrov et al. (2013) Integration of the Quality Assurance
System “EcoQualify” into EQF and ECVET. Handbook on Project № 2010-1-
AT1-LEO04 (Leonardo da Vinci Partnership).
5. Ivanova M. (2013) Organic Agriculture. Multimedia tool designed on project
BG051PO001-4.3.04.0056 – Development of electronic forms of distance
learning at the University of Agribusiness and Rural Development.
6. The European Credit System for Vocational Education and Training. ECVET.
Get to know ECVET better Questions and Answers” (2011).
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