As described in the previous papers, the ITELab project offers an innovative approach to fostering digital competencies of preservice teachers on a European level – a research desideratum which has been pointed out by related research repeatedly (Enochsson & Rizza, 2009; Krumsvik, 2014; Tondeur et al., 2015). The materials developed in the project for this purpose are being tested in two major pilot phases across Europe in 2018 and 2019 with an aspired number of approx. 5000 preservice teachers as participants, and the implementations are monitored and evaluated to systematically assess the success of the pilots. Against this background, this paper will introduce the evaluation objectives and methodology and discuss first results from the two pilots. In favor of a systematic approach, two research questions guide the ITELab evaluation. The first question focusses on the feasibility and usefulness of the materials developed, e.g. in terms of their trans-national applicability and their relevance for the preservice teachers’ future careers, while the second question is about the pedagogical quality and effectiveness of materials. To explore these aspects, a mixed methods approach is applied throughout the project, combining different quantitative and qualitative questionnaires and focus group interviews, which were designed and analyzed in accordance with related literature (e.g., Krueger & Casey, 2015; Litosseliti, 2003; Mayring, 2015). Central references for the evaluation of pedagogical effectiveness include the DigCompEdu framework (Redecker, 2017) and the TET-Sat (Technology-Enhanced Teaching Self-assessment tool). With regards to the research questions, the paper will introduce results on the feasibility and usefulness of the ITELab materials, and on the learning achievements and competency developments participants displayed in the studies. Beyond the research questions outlined, outcomes described in the paper will also refer to the role of evaluation as a facilitator for improvement of the ITELab materials, as the iterative design circle which guides the development of materials builds on findings from the evaluation. The focus group interview results in particular open up perspectives on potential for improvement and on the experiences that preservice teachers made in the pilot phases. Ultimately, the evaluation helps answer the question in how far the ITELab project succeeded in fostering European preservice teachers’ digital competencies collaboratively and innovatively and what can be learned from the experience also for related contexts and future studies in this important field.

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