We have chosen to use and develop the app Actioswim in conjunction with the teaching method described further down. The teaching design utilizes smartphone technology (application/app) and video, as well as reverse teaching ("flipped classroom") as a methodical approach in the pool and by water.

The app Actioswim allows for new opportunities in the teaching of swimming. The app has over 250 video tutorials/Movies in HD format and contains what you need to reach the learning objectives of the 4th, 7th and 10th grade. With a large screen, ipads or smartphones in the swimming pool, teachers/instructors have the opportunity to communicate their movement tasks in a correct and efficient manner. Students can see the work tasks before, during and after, and there will be less instruction and more guided practice. Parents and guardians have the opportunity to practice at home or prepare for teaching by reviewing the resources at the forefront of their teaching. Where there is a need to hear speech, you can choose your preferred language. Currently, the app is translated into Swedish and English, but it will eventually be available in Spanish, Arabic and Chinese. 

As a result of that described above, we have made changes in our focus and in the way we teach swimming and water safety at NTNU. The changes are small but important, and they have led to what we believe to be a quality elevation in the teaching of swimming and water safety. One of these changes is the use of reverse teaching by the help of the previously mentioned app Actioswim.

According to the learning outcomes description for Physical education in elementary school teacher Education, it says that the candidate should be able to teach swimming in grade 5–10 and perform life-saving first aid and life-rescue in water. Students at NTNU have lessons both in the pool and outdoors. The goal is for students to be able to conduct safe and effective training with pupils in school both outdoors and indoors. As part of the project, we have intervened on the sessions of life-saving. The framework for a number of teaching lessons and assigned resources are given, so it is important for students to get the most out of their training. Reverse teaching is a way to optimise the time in the pool, where films are used in the preparation, during teaching and afterwards for reflection. There are often didactic challenges related to the instruction of individual movements and movement patterns in water, and neither images, text nor instructions on land are well suited. Visual aids (films), which can also show correct movement above and below the water can, therefore, help to increase the quality. In addition, this opens up opportunities to improve cooperation with the home and leisure arena.

Unfortunately, many of those who drown come from cultures where teaching and development of swimming and water related skills are not practiced. Water Competence is a project aiming to provide teaching of swimming for all those who currently are not able swimmers.

According to a survey from Statistics Norway (2017), many leisure activities take place in proximity to various aquatic environments. Often used activities are swimming, fishing, kayaking and rowing. In Norway, the use of outdoor activities is generally understood as an inclusive arena and presents an opportunity to learn and understand parts of the Norwegian community and culture. In this context, Water Competence describes a versatile knowledge, awareness and movement competence in water, aiming to prevent drowning accidents, but also provide the prerequisits for participation in an important aspect of the Norwegian culture.

Participants in our project are women and men aged 20 – 65 years, from six nationalities (Syria, Eritrea, Russia, Brazil, Thailand and the Philippines). Participants are recruited through an adult training program, where outdoor activities are actively used in education. We have conducted outdoor swimming and life rescue training focusing on promoting participants' competence in, by and on water. Results from the intervention are collected through observations and interviews with the participants, during and after each session. The first round of the data material is analyzed and published in 2019.

The Norwegian Directorate of Education and Training recommends that all teachers working in, by or on water shall have an annual life-rescue test (2015, 1-2008). A separate test for teaching in water outdoors is further recommended. To date, there has been no good system for conducting such training, which has led teachers to keep the teaching of swimming indoors only. In turn, schools may not dare to bring pupils to different aquatic environments outside. They avoid it because they believe the risk is too high. The focus of this sub-project has been on creating a training and competence system that allows such training to be implemented and that teachers achieve a sense of safety and competence to carry out such training. The need for a competence training system with documentation seems initially to be needed in schools and kindergartens. This is because they are required to create an internal regulation and that in this context is central to documenting what expertise the business possesses. With few pools available and little pool time for each school, one can achieve great benefits by moving parts of the teaching outdoors. The training becomes authentic, safer, and children and young people acquire valuable experiences through their school offerings. VÅTTKORT- Life-Rescue is an education and competence system that starts with a life-rescue test outdoors and finishes with education aimed at certification of supervisors. The system follows the same model as the VÅTTKORT paddling.

NTNU has implemented lifesaving training in teacher education, created course plans and will ensure quality education in the various levels of the educational ladder. The new national competence and training system will ensure a unified understanding of what is to be learned, what can be expected. It will contribute to a transparent training system, better access to instructors/teachers, as well as contribute to research-based knowledge on how to avoid drowning accidents. Registration in the VÅTTKORT base takes place in cooperation with the Norwegian Paddle Association where they have trained over 130.000 paddlers throughout Norway since 2006. The system is secured in relation to GDPR guidelines.