The ReSTI Austrian team has been busy working toward refining the ReSTI 5-Door Approach to eLearning, and we are pleased to report that an article about our unique approach has been accepted for virtual presentation at INTED2018 (https://iated.org/inted/). In the paper we outline the foundation for the 5-door approach and then take the reader through each of the 5 doors to help them imagine what the experience will be like. In the 5-door approach we are experimenting with an innovative way for online learning. Each class offers multiple entry points to the learning through these doors: The Library (course content resources),The Café (interactive activities with others), The Playground (playful activities and games), The Forest (reflection activities to integrate the learning), and Assessment (to test the level of knowledge gained and/or skills acquired).

This approach is based on the classic theory of Kolb’s Learning Styles (Kolb, 1984) and adapted from Thiagi’s 4-Door Approach (Thiagi, 2015). Program participants can walk through the assessment door as they get started with a course to either define a focus for themselves while taking the course and/or to simply test out of the course and move on to those courses that provide new learning for them. Behind each door, the learning is tailored for a particular learning style, and participants can either walk through all doors and solidify their learning through repetition in various formats and/or choose the approach that works best for them and dive deeply into the offerings provided behind the chosen door.

The intent is to offer many resources behind each door (more than would be needed in traditional learning scenarios), so that participants can choose from a plethora of offerings according to their preferences. They can do a lot of activities, or just a few, or none if they pass the assessment upon entry. The purpose here is to optimize the learning potential and give full control about type and depth of learning to the learner, including the option to complete all or just a few modules. Another interesting idea is the evaluation option we have chosen: course, modules, and the final certificate are graded pass/fail and modules and certificate are awarded a badge when successfully completed. The badges are then collected into a virtual backpack to be placed on digital resumes and professional online profiles, such as LinkedIn. We are excited to populate our courses with innovative content and offer a fun learning environment to our ReSTI Project Management program participants.