Across Europe, many school leaders and teachers work in small or rural settings—often geographically isolated in mountainous regions or on small islands—where resources may be limited, but creativity and commitment thrive! The Smart schooling and networking MOOC is designed especially for educators in such contexts, offering practical tools, inspiring ideas, and a supportive community to help you lead with confidence.
Based on research by European Schoolnet and INDIRE, the course explores smart schooling strategies tailored to small, rural, and isolated schools. Through four modules, you’ll discover innovative leadership approaches, flexible classroom organisation, multi-age teaching methods, and ways to actively engage parents and local communities. Real-life examples from 24 schools in 12 countries illustrate how to turn challenges like under-capacity and teacher isolation into opportunities for personalised, community-based learning.
Teachers in urban settings are also welcome—the course offers valuable insights into innovative pedagogical approaches such as peer learning and tutoring, outdoor and service learning, and networking strategies with a wide range of potential school partners.
Join a vibrant network of peers who understand your reality—and start transforming your school with smart, locally rooted innovation.
You can follow the course at your own pace. We will open one module at the beginning of each week, and there are only a few deadlines you need to pay attention to (those for the quizzes and/or the peer-review activity).
Join us in the Facebook group or share your thoughts on X (formerly Twitter) using the hashtag #SmallSmartSchools.
The course is open to school leaders and teachers of all subjects and levels; especially from small and rural schools—but also welcomes other education professionals and anyone interested in contributing to the discussion and development of practical recommendations for school authorities and policymakers across Europe. No previous experience with the course topic is required.
At the end of Modules 1, 2, and 3, participants will complete a short quiz to demonstrate their engagement and understanding. The main learning task takes place in Module 4 and includes two parts: Designing a “Proposal for School Improvement” using a provided template. Peer reviewing three proposals submitted by fellow participants using a provided assessment rubric. Participation in the end-of-module tasks counts for 10%, while the final activity and peer reviews make up 90% of the final assessment. To pass the course, participants must submit both their proposal and three peer reviews. Upon successful completion, participants will receive a digital badge and a course certificate.
The final deadline to complete all activities is Wednesday 05 November 2025, 23:59 CET.
Note to teachers from Emilia-Romagna: Per i docenti della regione Emilia-Romagna iscritti alla piattaforma regionale https://iscrizioni.istruzioneer.it/ è possibile ottenere, oltre all’attestato rilasciato da European Schoolnet Academy, anche l’attestato rilasciato dall’Ufficio Scolastico Regionale per l'Emilia-Romagna (Servizio Marconi) che attua un'azione di facilitazione ed accompagnamento a questa attività. Maggiori informazioni al link: https://bit.ly/EuroSmooc21.
Note to teachers from Ireland: It may be possible to count the completion of this course as part fulfilment of any discretionary CPD hours, subject to your school management's approval. Therefore, please enquire with your school management if your participation in this course can be formally recognised.
Anna Laghigna is an in-house pedagogical consultant at European Schoolnet, course designer and teacher trainer on active learning methodologies. She has contributed to several European projects focused on school innovation and technology-enhanced teaching and learning.
Arjana Blazic is a teacher trainer, course designer and education technology consultant. She is an external expert at European Schoolnet. Her interests focus on technology enhanced teaching and learning and the impact of digital technologies on teacher professional development.
All content on this course unless specified otherwise is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License