DigiSET | Digitally Sustainable European Teacher Academy

The project DigiSET – Digitally Sustainable European Teacher Academy – is an international initiative that aims to prepare teachers for the rapidly evolving digital and sustainability challenges of contemporary education. Bringing together universities, schools, teacher organisations, and technology partners across Europe, the project focuses on developing a new vision of the “Digitally Sustainable European Teacher.” DigiSET addresses the growing need for teachers to not only use digital technologies effectively, but also to engage with them critically, ethically, inclusively, and sustainably. The project integrates key European competence frameworks, including DigCompEdu, GreenComp, and LifeComp, while also addressing emerging topics such as generative AI, Web 3.0 technologies, adaptive learning, open educational resources (OER), and responsible digital practices. The project is structured around a multi-stage teacher academy model. In the first phase, teachers participate in international training programmes focused on digital sustainability competences and future-oriented pedagogies. In the second phase, participants collaborate in interdisciplinary communities of practice to co-create innovative OER and teaching approaches addressing issues such as AI ethics, sustainability education, inclusion, and adaptive learning. In the final phase, selected “Academy Ambassadors” implement and evaluate these approaches in real educational settings and contribute to wider dissemination activities. The University for Continuing Education Krems (UWK) plays a leading role in DigiSET by coordinating the work package on teacher training and certification. UWK contributes its expertise in adult education, continuing professional development, digital education, and educational research to design and implement innovative learning pathways for both pre-service and in-service teachers. The university is also actively involved in the development of competence frameworks, research activities, quality enhancement, and the international dissemination of project results. Through its collaborative and open approach, DigiSET aims to strengthen the long-term capacity of European education systems to support inclusive, ethical, and sustainable digital transformation in teaching and learning.