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Digital democracy
Start date: Sep 1, 2014, End date: Aug 31, 2017 PROJECT  FINISHED 

In the democratic process, the media plays a key role. However, teaching about the EU decision making process is only a detail or absent in the curriculum of future journalists. If they lack the knowledge, nor the skills to understand its functioning, they won’t be eager to report on it. Moreover, a lot of citizens are not aware of the influence the EU has on national politics and on how national politics or current events influence EU decision making. This project aims to provide (journalism) students and stakeholders with the knowledge, skills and insights to understand the EU decision making process. Therefore Ryckevelde develops and tests simulation exercises of the Council of the EU and makes the results accessible and sustainable in an online simulation environment. First a European module is offered to journalism students: an intensive preparation period (lectures on EU and topic, negotiating skills training and writing a position paper) and a simulation of the Council of the EU. Per academic year, we foresee 2 of these model simulation exercises, each dealing with a different EU topic. To test the material developed during the model simulations, we foresee 2 testings by means of a one-day event. Here, the preparation period is reduced to a self-study of the produced material and a one-day session with lectures on the EU and the topic. The simulation exercise itself is similar to the one of the model, however here the online simulation environment guides the participants through the exercise. Per academic year, 2 groups will perform a model simulation session and 4 groups a testing simulation session. So, the project reaches 6 groups of students directly per year and 18 throughout the project life, reaching over 30 participants.The online simulation environment makes the material sustainable, so other groups can use the environment to learn about EU decision making in an independent way. The website will be disseminated on a large audience.

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