This project evaluation report summarizes a collaboration between schools in different countries to develop innovative learning units using geocaching. Teachers created geocaching trails related to topics like tourism, art, food, sports, and science to motivate students and help them develop skills like teamwork, problem solving, and presentation skills. Students provided feedback that geocaching improved their language, technology and teamwork skills. The cultural exchanges during mobility activities were especially impactful, giving students an unforgettable experience meeting new people in other countries. While successful overall, the report notes that future projects could improve coordination for cache creation and use smaller groups for geocaching activities.

1. IES MORAIMA Cuesta del Bujeo S/N 18300 Loja (Granada) SPAIN
Telf.: +34 600161165 Fax +34 958327207
E-mail: iesmoraima@gmail.com
Project Code:
2016-1-IT02-KA219-024443
Action: Strategic Partnerships for
Schools Only
Call: 2016
PROJECT EVALUATION REPORT
This is a short summary of the project, our work and objectives so as to have a clear idea of the
project we have assessed through an online questionnaire.
Geocaching is a catching way to explore an unknown territory, and it is a valid practice
to devise new and more appealing tourist itineraries, but it can also turn into a
powerful tool to explore new or difficult school subjects. Starting from this idea,
teachers from our partners´ schools developed a set of innovative learning units and
modules which allowed also the less skilled or less motivated students to gain
competences that were at the core of our curricula.
Even if we came from different backgrounds and we teach in different countries, we
daily observed similar learning barriers among our students, no matter the type of
school they attend; and we daily struggled to devise innovative strategies and
approaches to better succeed in our educational mission.
With this project we exploited our different know-how and good practices to design,
test, validate and implement Geocaching Trails in Tourism, Art, Food&Sports and
Science. We enabled students with different backgrounds and futures to participate to
hands-on active-learning experiences. We triggered students' curiosity in order to
involve them in the learning process and made them discover contents, instead of
simply receiving them or taking them for granted.
Units and modules prepared with the Geocaching tools expanded our students'
learning horizons and motivated them.
Thanks to a set of peer-to-peer activities and workshops, we implemented the
students' soft skills (i.e. team work, critical observation, problem solving, presentation
skills, adaptability, advanced computer literacy, negotiation and tasks management)
and made them more ready to take an active role in their education.
Through our transnational and cross-field partnership, we implemented cooperation
with the local tourist and educational boards, in order to promote more INclusive types
of tours, also suitable to all people, either children or adults, with or without special
needs.
All our outcomes were meant to enhance the quality of our students' curricula, but they
were made available also to a wider target of users - students and teachers from other
local schools; ducators from other institutions; people interested in learning-by-doing
activities; tourists visiting our towns/areas.
Each partner had its own expertise and since the very beginning of the life of this
project we all wanted to share and be inspired. By working together we were able to
implement and develop a more creative approach to difficult topics, as well as to a
different way to look at and discover the world around us.
Our cooperation also enhanced a more comprehensive European awareness, the desire
to travel more, meet people, learn a foreign language, change perspectives, become

2. IES MORAIMA Cuesta del Bujeo S/N 18300 Loja (Granada) SPAIN
Telf.: +34 600161165 Fax +34 958327207
E-mail: iesmoraima@gmail.com
proud of what we are and give value to what we encounter; in other words both
teachers and students really put our minds on the move.
After the different mobilities, questionnaires to evaluate each of the geocaching activitieshave
been filled in by our students and teachers and there has been a final one to assess the whole
project including not only geocaching activities, but cultural and social aspects.
The students and teachers have given up to 5 points to each item in the questionnaires. The
result has been that with the exception of the item based on hosting and mobilities and skills
development where we get 5 points, most participants give our project 4 out of 5. It seems that
a project implementation has been a great success. However, it is important to point out that
our students have shown to have a critical opinions and have sent us improvement proposal
that undoubtly we will take into account for future projects.
However, there are some general considerations that Spanish teachers think should be pointed
out in this evaluation report. Considering that the caches have been designed, produced,
hidden and registered by the own students, we think the final results can be considered as
acceptable. Certainly, we also think that there are some aspects that should be improved:
- The creation of the caches requires lot of work and the best coordination between teachers
and students since it is not just creating a cache, but we aspire to improve our knowledge
about school subjects that we usually study in books. Work is worthy though.
- When going geocaching it seems necessary to split people into smaller groups since it is an
activity that must be done in a discreet way, therefore big groups make difficult. Besides,
students suggest that choosing their partners always help them to work in a better
environment.
- With respect to the previous knowledge of students and teachers and expertise, this has
depended on the individual interest and implication on the part of both teachers and
students. Some consider that not all the partners have been involved and worked in the
same way and degree.
- Most participants conclude that their language and ITC skills have been developed and
even more important they have realized that working in teams, learning on their own and
other relevant skills for their future have also been boosted. It was one of our objective and
we are satisfied that our students think that they are now much better than they were
before starting going geocaching.
- Certainly, the most successful part of this project has been their blended mobilities to other
countries: meeting new people, living with a hosting family and hosting partners at home,
sharing time, hobbies and life. All this has turned this project into an unforgettable, unique
experience that they would take part again and again.