Budakov Films, a partner in the Inclusive Design Hub consortium (Pr. No: 2023-1-DE02-KA210-VET-000124768 ) presented the progress made on the training program in front of aspiring young graphic designers in the halls of the Faculty of Journalism and Mass Communication at the Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski” as part of the Activity 3.  The series of events aimed at validating the project results, took place on the 15th, 22nd and 29th of May.

During the course of the event, university lecturer and Budakov Films Project Manager Yordan Karapenchev presented the project website, social media presence as well as several of the Training Modules. 

A total of 19 participants who are representing the project target audience joined the three events. The event was open to students from all majors, as well as guests. However, most were students-freelancers who work with Budakov Films, with those majoring in Public Relations and Advertising showing a particularly strong interest in the training, as well as in graphic design in general. 

Asst. Prof. Yordan Karapenchev, delivering a presentation on the Inclusive Design Hub

To the great satisfaction of event organizers, the students proved to be a truly international group, with people representing Bulgaria, Ukraine and North Macedonia being present. While most professed to be novices in the field of graphic design and had only limited understanding of concepts like IPR and GDPR Regulations, the vast majority reported to be very satisfied with the training event. 

Dr. Karapenchev moderated the discussion that followed the event and expressed his own satisfaction with the activity of the group: “I am very pleased to see that we had people join the training sessions on all three separate dates that we planned. Honestly, I was not surprised to see so many people with interest in graphic design and freelancing here on campus. Hopefully, this will be a valuable experience for them and provide them with the necessary tools to further their own careers.”

Some of the  participants in Inclusive Desing Hub event

Upon completion of the trainings, all participants received an questionnaire in Google Form: https://forms.gle/xfSpnJY2CcdsyAev5 , with which they could rate the platform and their experience in general . 

For this purpose, Anderson’s Model for Learning Evaluation was chosen to evaluate the quality of the VET training program ‘Inclusive Design Hub’ for several compelling reasons:

  1. Comprehensive Framework: Anderson’s Model offers a holistic approach to evaluating learning outcomes by encompassing multiple domains—cognitive, affective, psychomotor, and interpersonal. This ensures a thorough assessment of various aspects of the training program, from knowledge acquisition to emotional engagement and practical skills application.
  2. Relevance to Diverse Learning Objectives: The model’s four domains align well with the multifaceted goals of the ‘Inclusive Design Hub’ project. It allows us to measure intellectual growth (Cognitive Domain), shifts in attitudes and values (Affective Domain), improvements in hands-on skills (Psychomotor Domain), and enhancement of social and collaborative abilities (Interpersonal Domain). This is crucial for a training program aimed at empowering diverse participants, including migrants and newcomers to Europe.
  3. Emphasis on Holistic Development: The ‘Inclusive Design Hub’ aims not only to impart technical skills but also to foster a sense of community and support among participants. Anderson’s Model helps capture these broader impacts by assessing changes in participants’ social skills and emotional responses, which are essential for their overall integration and success.

The results from this survey have been coming in and reveal the overwhelming majority of attendants enjoyed the activity.  The presentations also gave valuable feedback to Budakov Films, which will be used to fine-tune the training program in time to deliver on the expected results of the Inclusive Design Hub project. 

The entire team at IDH expresses sincere gratitude to the management of the Sofia University and particularly to the Faculty of Journalism and Mass Communication for providing a venue to host the event. 

*Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor EACEA can be held responsible for them.