The European E-learning Institute (EUEI) is committed to providing high-quality learning experiences and innovative educational programmes which engage learners from a range of sectors and socio-economic backgrounds. EUEI is committed to promoting social cohesion, inclusion, and sustainability across Europe, making them a perfect fit for the DWEEL Project.
Our experienced team of trainers, researchers and technical experts are uniquely placed to guide educators from VET, HEI, Adult and Youth sectors to harness the opportunities that innovative and collaborative e-learning and digital tools offer for learners.
We specialise in the delivering of high quality, responsive and innovative projects to educators and learners in the topics of pedagogic approaches, entrepreneurial competences, digital skills, inclusion, and sustainability.
Meet our EUEI team working on the DWEL project
Canice Hamill- Managing Director
Canice has worked in the field of lifelong education for over 20 years and is recognised as an expert in instructional design and the development of e-learning solutions for education and training. A former trainer and lecturer, Canice utilises a holistic approach to creating innovative, interactive learning environments and works closely with tutors, trainers, and development teams, emphasising the importance of empathy and user experience in every learning solution.
Our Logician -Innovative Inventors with an unquenchable thirst for knowledge
Catherine Neill- European Project Manager
An experienced EU project manager, Catherine is an integral member of our team. She is an effective communicator and has a strong background in areas of Inclusion. The oldest of 5 children Catherine quickly learned how to lead the pack, utilising organisational skills alongside her passion for helping others, she is committed to making the world a more accessible, sustainable, and friendly place.
Our Protagonist -Charismatic and inspiring leaders, able to mesmerise their listeners.
Aine Hamill- European Project Officer
Aine plays an important role in the learning design and subsequently in evaluating the effectiveness of our eLearning products on completion. Aine is always keen to engage with her creative side and implement the newest digital tools, pedagogies, and trends into our e-learning solutions. She is passionate about finding effective and relevant ways to engage learners from all walks of life.
Our Defender-dedicated and warm protectors, able to implement ideas and “create order from chaos”.
Including our key role in the initiation of the SFEC project we will also work tirelessly alongside our project partners to deliver the highest quality project results as possible. Within the project EUEI will develop the project website and be responsible for the technical realisation of the materials.
Learn more about EUEI here:www.euei.dk
We often underestimate the significance of digital transformation and how it’s changed the way we work and live over the past few years. You’ve likely read countless articles on working from home and our “new normal.” But this transformation is not limited to where we work from. The accelerated transformation that has taken place over the last few years has changed the way employers approach their employees on a fundamental level (and vice versa).
It is the responsibility of employers to help their staff succeed, and the pandemic made this increasingly clear. With a shift to remote work, many companies had to reconfigure their processes and procedures within the span of days. Unfortunately, some company leaders left this responsibility up to the employees themselves, causing an undue amount of stress and difficulty.
I believe that this is part of the reason why the "Great Resignation" came to be what it is today.
In the past, HR departments and executives could check in at an employee’s desk, conduct in-person meetings and interviews, and engage in day-to-day watercooler chats. The rate of digital acceleration and remote communication permanently altered this style of interaction. In order for employees to succeed in a digital workforce, leaders need to identify the challenges their employees face and provide them with the resources they need to succeed. Here are three actions leaders can take to support their teams in 2022 and beyond.
Give them the tools to succeed.
Preparing people for the future of work will involve adopting technology at an increased pace. For example, my company utilizes artificial intelligence and automation tools such as intelligent document processing (IDP) solutions for customers. We also leverage cloud-based technology to enable employees to work remotely from anywhere, at any time, in a secure environment. This gives your team the tool sets they require and is paramount to success in today’s digital world.
Another element that can be solved with tech is reducing the minutiae. You hired your staff for their expertise and intellect, but you also hired them for their perspective, experience and personality—yes, personality and being able to fit into the team structure matters. You didn’t hire them to perform the data entry and mundane paperwork tasks that are important but don’t require human decision-making and personalized expertise. That’s where machine learning and AI come in. The future of business requires technology that automates and streamlines the minutiae so that your staff can focus on their core functions. This should improve their work experience and ensure better efficiency.
Make flexibility one of your core values.
Flexibility in the workplace is no longer a perk—it’s a necessary part of making sure your employees feel fulfilled in the workplace. The next generation of workers expects flexibility as a part of their job description. This will be a key part of not only attracting top talent but also helping employees succeed in the digital age. Giving them the means to complete their work in the manner that best suits them will only benefit your company long term.
Focus on outcomes and employee autonomy.
Many leaders prioritize processes (don’t we all?) but fail to broaden their focus to include the well-being of their employees. This needs to change. Leaders need to consider whether the processes they are prioritizing really suit their employees’ working styles. In some cases, we need to set processes aside and give our staff the autonomy to work in the way that best suits them.
The key here is still holding your teams accountable for the desired outcomes but not necessarily dictating the processes they use to achieve the desired outcome. This autonomy will be a significant marker in the era of digital acceleration. People can work in their own way, manage their own time and still achieve their company’s desired outcome.
Now, employers must still offer assistance and guide rails throughout this process—for example, if you want to implement new software or technology, you need to take the time to ensure every employee is trained and educated. But once your team has the tools and knows how to use them, trust the people you hired to work in the ways that work best for them. This will improve their work experience, increase their motivation, and help them take responsibility for their contributions to the company as a whole.
Overall, success in the era of digital transformation looks like focusing on what matters—and for any company, your employees are the heartbeat of your organization. Giving them the toolsets they need along with flexibility and a focus on outcomes, not the process, will enable them as individuals—and the company as a whole—to be successful.
The constant contact and usage of technology in today's world have brought about the dire consequences of digital addiction and its effects. This has led to a serious dilemma of management of screentime by an individual. Studies have shown a negative impact of excessive gadget use leading to a decline in performance rates, effect on sleep patterns, and reduction in workplace achievements thereby causing hindrance in unlocking the maximum potential of an individual. This has paved the way for the introduction of a novel concept known as ‘Digital well-being’ for tackling this underlying issue to bring about screen time reduction as well as to establish an ideal work-life balance. Digital well-being enhances the usage of technology itself to combat increased screen time by using restraints and promotes wellness by enabling productive and healthy lifestyles. In a new era where smartphones and technology have begun to dictate our lives, it is necessary to apply restraints and ensure there is a balance of wellness as well as productivity outflow. Digital well-being can be achieved by interventions that should be administered with the use of apps and healthy practices. The use of new-age apps acts as positive reinforcement and helps in providing a restrictive environment as well as maintains the time invested for useful and productive engagements. There is a lot of research yet to be done regarding this topic empirically regarding its success and this review article aims to approach the effectiveness of digital wellbeing and its applications in combating stress and increasing work performance and preventing digital addiction.
Over the past years, there’s been excessive and infiltrating use of smartphones, laptops, and tablets, which have become an integral part of our lives as it keeps us in touch with the external world. Their usage as a means of connectivity and the providence of using it whenever and wherever we want has caused it to be introduced recurrently in our daily life. A dramatic spike has been observed in their usage that has now slowly developed into an unconscious, effortless reach-out for gadgets even when it isn’t mandatory. There has been a major overtaking of gadgets and technology as it has been incorporated into our private and professional lives and has proven to be an aid in achieving a comfortable and easily accessible lifestyle.
It has been found that their design to lure attention has enabled an average person to tap and swipe their phones around 2600 times a day and has caused an individual to spend approximately three to five hours per day . It has been studied that there is a risk of addiction in university students all across the globe due to the constant use of gadgets that causes abandonment of work and engagement in unnecessary screen time [5-6]. There has been an observational decline in their academic performance and energy due to lack of sleep which has further added to a stressful lifestyle [6-8]. Studies have established the impact of digital technology usage and teenage well-being to be harmful but to a small proportion [9-10]. Gadgets, having given the leverage and opportunity to users to utilize the power of technology whenever possible, have many downsides and always come with a cost. The constant connection has led to social pressure to constantly be in touch with peers, safety issues due to excessive usage, and an overall decrease in mood and well-being [11]. Due to the negative impact of technology on student health and lower levels of well-being, the need for a novel idea to combat this issue has become a dire need.
Digital well-being is an upcoming intervention that can be viewed as using digital technology to ensure one's mental and physical health in an environment overridden by digital abundance. Digital well-being primarily focuses on incorporating and adapting personal tech habits to fulfill essential targets. The central but small steps that can be incorporated into one's life are to promote focus when working or studying and minimize distractions, set reminders to unplug and detox and promote the building of social and family relations for better mental wellness [12]. Digital wellness essentially prioritizes the level of self-control one can assert over their usage of digital devices and focuses on aligning them to achieve long-standing goals. Self-control as the focus of attaining digital well-being is seen to be more effective, and a means to achieve personal and healthy lifestyles [13].
Although individuals have expressed an interest in setting self-limits and restricting the usage of smartphones, adhering to them has proven to be tricky and often cumbersome. There has been the development of many productivity-promoting apps and tools for individuals to set restraints and limits. Still, little research has been done on its effectiveness and the aspects to be considered to ensure its efficiency. Only when there is non-use of apps that cause distractions can there be a shifting of the attention to engage in n productive environment.
The current evidence suggests that typical or balanced digital technology use will not harm adolescents or students. However, excessive or inappropriate use may lead to adverse effects like insufficient sleep [5,9], lack of energy, poor academic achievement [5], altered psychological well-being [6], withdrawal, functional impairment, compulsive behavior [7], physiological stress, mind wandering, attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder-related behavior, nonadaptive/negative thinking styles, decreased life satisfaction [9]. Digital technology use is more likely to affect short-term positive or negative affect than long-term life satisfaction.
The European Commission 2020 announced ‘The European Digital Strategy’ that focuses on digital inclusion incorporating technology in education as one of the priorities in schools and colleges; hence use of technological advancements is inevitable [14]. A study conducted in Riyadh on medical students showed that 51.6% of students use personal digital assistance devices such as laptops and tablets for their studies. Even though they are aware of the ill effects it causes on their health, they continue using the same [4].
Leading technology companies such as Apple and Google have taken the initiative of incorporating digital well-being tools such as ‘Screentime’ and Digital Wellbeing’ into their operating systems in the promotion of digital wellness by aiding in the monitoring of daily usage and setting limits on distracting apps and ensures concentration and efficiency (Figure 1, 2). Apps such as ‘Forest,’’ Detox’, ’OffTime’, and ‘Moment’ act as positive reinforcement and enable individuals to focus on their goals with visual stimulus and rewards, thereby regaining control of lost screen time [15]. The main focus of such an initiative is to ensure that we use technology for the betterment and not let it take control of our lives.
Research conducted for two weeks on the effectiveness of digital tools with a self-designed app called 'Mytime' revealed that stand-alone interventions have reduced smartphone's non-use of specific apps by 21% and have effectively helped individuals achieve their self-defined goals for a short duration. However, this has been limited as smartphone usage has become a social practice, and often warnings are ignored in a social setting; hence interventions have to be personalized to cater to an individual for them to be effective [11].
NUGU is a group-based app used to self-regulate and restrict smartphone usage. It primarily focuses on taking aid of groups and social support and serves the purpose of helping and motivating each other. There was a positive impact, and this kind of intervention successfully managed distractions and limited usage [16].
Digital detox interventions wherein an individual observes voluntary abstinence from social media and technology have been suggested as a solution to reduce the negative impacts of smartphone use on outcomes like well-being or social relationships. These interventions are a solution to minimize digital addiction [17]. The national day of unplugging observed on 4th-5th March has been followed by many organizations for several years and has dedicated a day to promoting 24 hours detox from technology. Digital detox intervention studies have shown that there has been a significant reduction in stress, improved sleep hygiene, and overall improved mental health [17,18]. On the other hand, a study conducted on a digital detox for smartphone users for 24 hours measured the effect on three parameters (mood, anxiety, and craving) on four different occasions. The results showed that only desire was affected, suggesting that a long period of smartphone usage might not be indicative of digital addiction [19]. Hence there seem to be varying results indicating the need for a personalized approach.
Tiffany Shlain [20], in her book '24/6: The power of unplugging one day a week', talks about how it's necessary to take a break from technology and smartphones once a day according to convenience to promote balance and recharge oneself with social interactions. She talks about putting aside a day for self-reflection and regaining control of one's life. The tips shared in her books are simple yet effective and are a means of promoting digital wellness.