PRAISE project digital education began its journey with an inspiring kick-off meeting in Nicosia, Cyprus, on 27 October. Partners from Cyprus, Spain, Greece, and Romania gathered at the University of Nicosia. They launched a new Erasmus+ Cooperation Partnership in higher education focused on programming, robotics, and artificial intelligence (AI) for future teachers. The meeting marked the start of a shared commitment to rethinking how we prepare pre-service educators for a rapidly changing digital world.
Why robotics and AI in teacher education?
Firstly, the project responds to a clear skills gap. Across Europe, many student teachers still graduate without structured training in programming, robotics, or AI, even though these fields are reshaping classrooms and curricula. PRAISE builds on recent European research showing that technology-enhanced teaching can boost student engagement, creativity, and problem-solving. This impact is strongest when digital tools are embedded in thoughtful pedagogy rather than added as an afterthought.
Moreover, PRAISE is aligned with the EU’s Digital Education Action Plan, which calls for high-quality, inclusive, and accessible digital education in all sectors. By focusing on pre-service teachers, the partnership aims to integrate digital competences early in their professional journey. This reduces reliance on short in-service courses later in their careers. This early integration helps future teachers see robotics and AI not as extra content, but as everyday tools for inquiry, collaboration, and inclusive learning.
From proposal to practice: what PRAISE will develop
During the kick-off meeting, partners reviewed the project application and turned its ideas into a concrete roadmap. In addition, they began defining an innovative university-level curriculum that embeds educational robotics and AI into existing teacher education programmes. This curriculum will be supported by a digital activity book, practical lesson ideas, and assessment strategies that help student teachers design meaningful classroom projects.
For example, one work package focuses on designing a credit-bearing course that introduces core concepts such as algorithms, sensors, and simple machine learning. The course will use accessible language and hands-on activities for non-technical education students. Another work package will pilot this course with cohorts of pre-service teachers in all partner countries, collect feedback, and refine the materials based on classroom realities.
Open resources and ethical AI
PRAISE will not only create materials for partner universities. The project will also offer open-access training resources so that other higher education institutions can adapt the curriculum to their own contexts. These resources will include tutorials, sample activities, and guidance on linking robotics and AI to broader frameworks like DigCompEdu and the Sustainable Development Goals.
Therefore, ethical and responsible AI use is a central theme. Partners will draw on resources such as the European Commission’s ethical guidelines for educators on using AI in teaching and learning to help future teachers reflect on data privacy, bias, and fairness. This reflection will inform how they design activities with intelligent systems.
A European partnership with strong local roots
The University of Nicosia, through its GNOSIS research centre, coordinates the project. The team brings extensive expertise in digital education, open resources, and large-scale Erasmus+ initiatives. Its PRAISE project description highlights the goal of enhancing teacher competences, fostering sustainable pedagogy, and promoting the inclusion of underrepresented groups in STEM subjects.
In Spain, Fundación Flors and Meraki Projectes ensure that the partnership stays closely connected to schools and regional education systems. Meraki Projectes already supports schools and universities with Erasmus+ consultancy, management, and training, helping them design and implement digital education projects across Europe. Through PRAISE, Meraki will contribute its experience from previous initiatives on digital competences and online learning, and will help transfer project results to teacher education communities and school networks. To learn more about our Erasmus+ project management services, visit our Erasmus+ projects page.
At the same time, Greek and Romanian partners add strong expertise in engineering, computer science, and STEM teacher education. Together, the consortium blends pedagogical, technical, and policy perspectives. This mix is essential for a project that aims to change how universities conceptualise digital competences for student teachers.
Connecting PRAISE to wider European priorities
PRAISE project digital education goals are not isolated. They directly support wider EU strategies promoting a high-performing digital education ecosystem and stronger digital skills for all citizens. The project builds on the growing body of Erasmus+ initiatives in higher education that experiment with robotics, virtual reality, and AI to improve initial teacher training.
Furthermore, PRAISE offers a concrete example of what Erasmus+ Cooperation Partnerships (KA220-HED) can achieve. These partnerships enable transnational collaboration, joint curriculum development, and robust open-access outputs that other institutions can reuse and localise. By aligning with European policy documents and digital competence frameworks, the project creates a bridge between high-level strategies and day-to-day teaching practice in lecture halls, labs, and schools.
What happens after the kick-off meeting?
After the meeting in Nicosia, partners agreed on a clear timeline. In the first project phase, they will carry out research on national curricula and map existing digital education practices in teacher training. They will also interview stakeholders such as lecturers, mentors, and student teachers. This needs analysis will guide the detailed design of the PRAISE curriculum and digital activity book.
Next, the consortium will develop the course materials, activity book, and online resources, then test them with pre-service teachers in each country. Feedback collected during these pilots will inform revisions so that the final outputs are realistic, inclusive, and easy to integrate into different institutional contexts. Finally, dissemination events, multiplier activities, and online campaigns will share the outcomes across Europe, inviting other institutions to join the conversation on robotics and AI in teacher education.
PRAISE project digital education is, above all, about empowering the next generation of teachers. By combining cutting-edge content with solid pedagogy, ethical reflection, and international cooperation, the project seeks to ensure that student teachers are not just users of digital tools. They will become confident designers of engaging, future-oriented learning experiences.
