Welcome to the course!

The aim of the course

In a context of widespread concern for literacy levels across the EU, there is growing recognition of the role of family literacy (FL) in addressing intergenerational cycles of literacy inequalities. Indeed, European and UNESCO policies currently reflect a strong commitment to FL as a means of combating disadvantage and enhancing literacy levels across generations (find more relevant information on EU policy framework at European Policy Cooperation (ET2020 framework), and in UNESCO’s 2017 study on family literacy and learning titled Learning Together across Generations: Guidelines for Family Literacy and Learning Programmes(link is external). That said, FL is most often integrated into adult education, basic skills provision or other sectoral policies for social inclusion.

This MOOC is focusing on the policy and practical perspectives of family literacy interventions around Europe and beyond. The goal is to give a basic overview on the potentials and challenges in designing and conducting family literacy programs to policy-makers, adult learning professionals and other stakeholders in the development and implementation initiatives linked to the Upskilling Pathways recommendation of the EU. 

The Course Plan

    • Chapter 1 - Introduction to the course, impact of austerity on literacy and language development, impact of technology on FL
    • Chapter 2 - FL policy overview
    • Chapter 3 - Good practices
    • Chapter 4 - FL policy considerations

The Capacity Building Series of EBSN provides free open educational resources (OERs) and massive online courses (MOOCs) through EPALE, to help the implementation of the European Commission recommendations on Upskilling pathways in EU Member States. EPALE is funded by the Erasmus+ programme, as part the European Commission’s ongoing commitment to improving the quality of adult learning provision in Europe. The project is implemented with the support of the Education, Audiovisual and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA).