BEST Event on Education Chania
Authors Line Kloster Pedersen Cristina Sobrino Verde Krzysztof Czuryło Davor Pasovic
Designer Ionut Alexandru Cosuleanu
More information: Homepage of BEST/Edu-Id: www.best.eu.org/educationalInvolvement Homepage of LBG Chania: www.best.tuc.gr/en/ Homepage of TUC: www.tuc.gr
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12th July - 21st July 2017
Acknowledgement EoE Chania 2017 “Refreshing Education: Update, Rethink, Grow!� was kicked off from the 12th until the 21st of July, 2017, and was the culmination of 6 months voluntary international preparations. Several contributions made the event possible, to whom the writers of this report would like to pay a special acknowledgement.
Local BEST Group of Chania EoE Chania was organised by Local BEST Group (LBG) Chania with the support of the Technical University of Crete (TUC). EoE Main organisers: Ioanna Kotsira and Doukas Charalampos
President of Local BEST Group Chania: Alexandros Dimitriadis
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BEST Event on Education Chania
Educational Involvement Department of BEST EoE Chania was initiated and consulted by the Educational Involvement Department of BEST. The department conducts research on educational topics and increase awareness of educational involvement among European students of technology.
Educational Involvement Coordinator 2016/2017: Dragana Manasova
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Contents Acknowledgement Local BEST Group of Chania Educational Involvement Department of BEST
Introduction Board of European Students of Technology BEST Events on Education Partners of EoE Chania Content Team Participants of EoE Chania Topics of sessions
3 3 4
9 9 9 11 12 13 17
Assessing necessary skills of next generation
18
Integrated university-business corporations
18
Student diversity and personal growth in education
19
Schedule
20
Methodology
23
Session outcomes
27
Engineering students’ skills – What – Why and How?
27
Session methodology
27
Session outcomes
27
Problem-based learning
30
Session methodology Session outcomes
Projects in industrial settings
30 31
33
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BEST Event on Education Chania
Session methodology
33
Session outcomes
34
Applying academically possessed skills in industry environment 37 Session methodology
37
Session outcomes
38
Industrial partnership in curriculum development Session outcomes
42 42
Competency-based learning
45
Session methodology
45
Session outcomes
46
Global mindset of students
47
Session methodology
47
Session outcomes
47
Transnational development of student startups in higher education 50 Session methodology Session outcomes
50
Curriculum development
52
Session methodology
52
Session outcomes
52
The importance of emotional intelligence in education
55
Session methodology
55
Session outcomes
55
Students’ reactions to evaluation systems
58
Session methodology
58
Session outcomes
58
Time in Teams: Future University Project
6
50
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Session methodology
64
Session outcomes
65
Solutions applied at Saturn University of Future
67
Solutions applied at Neptune Future Education
69
Solutions applied at Venus Technical University
72
Solutions applied at Mars Utopia University
75
Discussion
79
Conclusion
87
Contacts
88
References
89
Appendix
90
Appendix 1 Appendix 2 Appendix 3
90 92 96
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Introduction Board of European Students of Technology Board of European Students of Technology (abbreviated BEST) is a constantly growing non-representative, non-political and nonprofit voluntary student organisation, which mission is to develop students. One of the core activities of BEST are the organisation of BEST courses, which aims to supplement the skills and outlook of European students of technology. Since the founding of BEST in 1989, more activities have been adapted to its vision of empowering students, counting engineering competitions (EBEC), BEST career support (BCD) and the BEST Events on Education (EoE). A special unit of BEST is dedicated to connecting students of technology on contemporary educational topics in engineering education. Through the Educational Involvement Department, BEST strives to listen to the students’ ideas on what can be changed in their universities, study programmes or curricula. BEST is eager to be in close collaboration with the stakeholders of higher education, letting them know about innovative solutions, coming from the main receivers of education - students. BEST is co-funded by the ERASMUS+ Programme of the European Union and cooperates with a number of corporate, career support, project and university partners in its services.
BEST Events on Education BEST Events on Education (EoE) were created to involve students in the process of educational improvement and raise their awareness about possible educational involvement. Together with the other stakeholders involved directly or indirectly in educational
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BEST Event on Education Chania matters, students discuss a variety of education related topics. These stakeholders can be professors, educational experts or industry representatives. BEST counts on both participants of the event and stakeholders to provide insights on current educational matters in a most active way, in order to influence changes in education across Europe In an Event on Education, participants are given the opportunity to express their ideas on educational matters through discussions and case studies. The students’ inputs are then transmitted in Conferences to relevant Institutions dealing with Higher Educational matters, making their voices heard.
Saint Petersburg
Del
Wroclaw
Aachen
Krakow
Prague
Vinnytsia
Erlangen
Trento
Mostar Podgorica
Aveiro Izmir Valencia
Faro
Las Palmas
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Isparta
12th July - 21st July 2017
Partners of EoE Chania BEST acknowledges the great privilege of cooperating with experts on educational topics in the making of EoE Chania. The expertise of partners on the event ensured the relevance of the discussion and insight into the perspectives of the academical and industrial worlds. The experts contributed to creating sessions during which, the perspectives were fused with the opinions of the participating students. BEST would like to pay a special respect to the partners, who contributed with raising awareness of educational matters among students and shared their research and expertise. Prof. George Stavroulakis Dean of Technical University of Crete School of Production Engineering and Management Prof. Evangelia Krassadaki Technical University of Crete School of Production Engineering and Management Dipl.-Wirtsch.-Ing. Tim Stock Technische Universität Berlin Institut fßr Werkzeugmaschinen und Fabrikbetrieb (IWF) Mr. Ioannis Skias Head of Engineering & Operations Division JR Technologies, Chania
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BEST Event on Education Chania
Content Team All sessions are created by a voluntary content team of BEST members in cooperation with invaluable experts on education.
Names and contact information of the Event on Education Chania Content team, from left to right:
EoE Coordinator: Line Kloster Pedersen E-mail: line.klope@gmail.com EoE Facilitator: Krzysztof Czuryło E-mail: krzysztof.czurylo@best.krakow.pl EoE Facilitator: Cristina Sobrino Verde E-mail: cristina.sobrinoverde@gmail.com EoE Facilitator: Davor Pasovic E-mail: davor.pashovich@gmail.com
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Participants of EoE Chania
Surname, Name
University
1
Baliasnikova, Evgeniia
2
Bobrowska, Agata
3
Cywinska , Maria
4
Dandouti, Emmanouela
Czech Technical University in Prague Wroclaw University of Science and Technology Warsaw University of Technology Technical University of Crete
5
Derveaux, Flaure
Ghent University
6
Dubas, Paulina
7
ElĂas Ortega, Natalia
8
Sarivan, Gabriel
9 Guimaraes Paiva, JoĂŁo
Technical University of Denmark Delft University of Technology Technical University of Moldova
Nationality Russia Poland Poland Greece Belgium Poland Spain Moldova
University of Lisbon
Portugal
10
Kadykeeva, Kristina
Ural Federal University
Russia
11
Logachev, Nikita
Ural Federal University
Russia
12
Marciniak, Karol
13
Loufatdaki, Theodore
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Mijacika, Adriana
Warsaw University of Technology Technical University of Crete University of Zagreb
Poland Greece Croatia
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BEST Event on Education Chania
15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23
Budapest University Nagy, Márton Tamás of Technology and Economics University of Rome "Tor Napoleone, Lorenzo Vergata" National Technical Nechitaylo, Svetlana University of Ukraine AGH-UST - University of Pacholarz, Witold Science and Technology Istanbul Technical Saygi, Nimet University Technical University of Ribac, Elena Moldova Tallinn University of Solovjov, Juri Technology Politehnica University of Tanase, Mihai Bucharest Technical University of Quintairos, Hector Díaz Catalonia
Hungary Italy Ukraine Poland Turkey Moldova Estonia Romania Spain
Table 1: Participants details
The following statistics of the participants were gathered through a survey created by Prof. Evangelia Krassadaki (Appendix 1): The gender distribution included 43% male (10 PAX) and 57% female (13 PAX). The minimum age was 18 spanning to the maximum age of 25 (mean: 22.1, mode 22). Two participants were of non-engineering studies or science studies, while 21 participants were of various fields of engineering, see Fig.1:
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Faculty or School of studies MINERAL RESOURCES ENGINEERING
1
ENGINEERING STUDIES WITHOUT REFERENCE ON SPECIALIZATION
1
ENGINEERING SCIENCE
1
BIOMEDICAL ENGINEERING
1
AEROSPACE ENGINEERING
1
23 Par cipants 19 Universi es
PRODUCTION AND/OR INDUSTRIAL ENGINEERING
2
NON-ENGINEERING STUDIES OR SCIENCE STUDIES
2
CIVIL AND/OR ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING
2
ARCHITECTURE AND/OR URBAN PLANNING ENGINEERING
2
17 Countries of studies
MECHATRONICS AND/OR ELECTRICAL AND/OR POWER AND/OR MECHANICAL AND/OR COMPUTER AND/OR CONTROL…
10 0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
9
8
10
Fig. 1: Overview of faculties and school studies of the EoE Chania participants based on survey results. The data was collected and presented by Prof. Evangelia Krassadaki from a survey performed on the EoE, Appendix 1.
The student migration and qualifications of the participants were assessed by Prof. Evangelia Krassadaki through a survey performed on the EoE, filed by all participants, Fig. 2.
Student Migra on & Qualifica ons of the par cipants 20 par cipants study in their country
Previous Qualifica on in numbers (N=23) & Mean Age of the holders 30
24.5
22.8
25
20.6 20
3 par cipants study outside of their country
15
10
9
12
5
2
0
Secondary Educ. Cer ficate
Bachelor's degree (A' cycle) Count
Master's degree (B' cycle)
Mean Age
Fig. 2: Answers on student migration and qualifications of the 23 EoE participants based on the self-assessment survey conducted by Prof. Evangelia Krassadaki, Appendix 1.
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Topics of sessions During EoE Chania, “Refreshing Education: Update, Rethink, Grow!”, problems regarding refreshing the way education is provided for future European engineers were tackled. The problems were based upon observations and personal experiences of European students of technology on dissonance between what is currently taught at HEI opposed to corporate expectations. Taking root in discussions on important educational issues and the constraints they put on young engineers’ development from students’ perspectives, the task was completed on rethinking the future university to meet the needs of the modern world and student growth. The
participants
explored
the
project
of
designing
the
Future University guided by sessions of the following topics: • Assessing necessary skills of next generation • Integrated business-university corporations • Student diversity and personal growth in education Skills of engineers were debated, based on current trends in the perfect graduate profile and innovative models of education delivery, such as problem-based and competency-based learning. Proceeding to ideas of integrated university-business corperation (UBC), possibilities for higher involvement of industry in education were approached. Finally, student diversity and personal growth in education was discussed, to learn how students’ believe differentiating education can be designed to meet the needs of students.
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BEST Event on Education Chania Assessing necessary skills of next generation Students are inhabitants of a global environment of rapidly changing demands. Engineers nowadays engage in international projects, work in teams and need to adapt fast to technological innovations. On the one side the globalization is opening new opportunities, on the other side it creates new needs. The skills which students are provided by universities are often not sufficient to engage in working environments, seen across the globe through high unemployment rates among young graduates. Studies (Ref. XX) in the beginning of this decade have predicted that skills such as computational thinking and cross-cultural competency will gain high importance until 2020. In order to close the gap between the skills, which are expected of young graduates upon graduation, and the ones which they gain on university, more stakeholders needs to be involved in the process. Sessions dedicated to the topic: • Engineering students’ skills – What – Why and How? • Problem-based learning • Competency-based learning • Applying academically possessed skills in industry environment
Integrated university-business corporations Over the past few decades the face of the engineering industry has been under drastic changes, with businesses changing their approach from traditional manufacturing to providing efficient, highend services. Unfortunately as research shows (Ref. XX), European education have not yet fully adapted to this change as engineering
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12th July - 21st July 2017 graduates need to undergo a long transition process provided by the company upon hiring [4]. Universities are expected to pursue academic research as well as providing graduates valuable for employers, why UBC is needed on more levels: from curriculum development to students’ projects under professional supervision. UBC is a trending topic as it follows Europe 2020 strategic plan, where it is underscored as vital to Europe’s economic competitiveness. Discussions on possible synergy structures, beneficial for all involved, are crucial to ensure increased student learning, business development and impact of university research and education. Sessions dedicated to the topic: • Projects in industrial settings • Industrial partnership in curriculum development • Transnational development of student startups in higher education
Student diversity and personal growth in education The demographics of universities are growing seemingly more multicultural and multilingual over time. This can be seen as a result of students mobility, which is encouraged between universities of Europe, as well as a growing body of immigrants and refugees enrolling in higher education in Europe. A heterogeneous mix of students urges higher educational institutions to provide a more differentiating learning experience than currently is met by “onesize fits all” teaching methods. Quality education is is a prioritisation of the UN’s 2015 Sustainable Development Goals among others. To meet this goal, quality needs to be reimagined in new terms to build on the individuals who are the customers of education.
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BEST Event on Education Chania Students call on social justice in HE, which is facing obstacles on adapting to the needs of individual learners regarding student background. Students’ individuality is an underestimated asset under an increasingly globalized business and education industry. Questions arise on how student find the environment fostered on universities to be encouraging global solidarity, social inclusion, cultural acceptance and overcoming language barriers. Sessions dedicated to the topic: • Global mindset of students • The importance of emotional intelligence in education • Students’ reactions to evaluation systems
Schedule During the EoE, a total of 28.5 working hours were delivered to the participants by the content team and experts on education. The schedule of the event is shown in Fig.3.
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going to going to campus going to campus going to campus going to campus campus ...zZz... ...zZz... Breakfast Breakfast Breakfast Breakfast Breakfast The Breakfast Breakfast Industrial importance of Official partnership in emotional opening Problem-based going to activity going to activity curriculum Global mindset intelligence in coffe break learning development of students education coffe break coffe break coffe break coffe break Engineering Cultural Activity Cultural Activity Transnational students’ skills Students' development of – What – Why Projects in reactions to student startups and How? industrial Competencyevaluation in higher settings based learning systems education lunch lunch lunch lunch lunch lunch lunch
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Fig. 3: Schedule of the event.
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Methodology
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Methodology The following facilitation tools were applied during sessions. Here follows a general description of methodology.
Discussion groups A discussion group is an interactive oral process in which a group of people is given a topic or a situation and after thinking about it for a few minutes, they discuss their views with each other. The opinions and ideas are expressed in a systematic way.
World Café The World Café is a facilitation method in which a person or group can take part in discussions or generate ideas in parallel at different topic stations. During this EoE, World Café was applied only for groups. A general discussion to a given topic is initiated at each topic station, at which the group can state new ideas, provide feedback to already existing ideas or rate them. Each group has a certain amount of time to state their opinion to a topic. When the time is up, the groups rotate among topic stations, in order to provide ideas, feedback or rate the work done by other groups at the current station. One person from each group stays at the same station after the first round, in order to brief the incoming group on the previous work done by the former group.
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Brainstorming Brainstorming is a structured process, which aims to generate a large quantity of ideas in a group setting. All ideas are recorded and no judgements or evaluations are made. It is one of the most popular techniques used in groups to facilitate the thinking process. Brainstorming works on the premise that even crazy and wild ideas should be listed, as they may spark new and practical ideas that would otherwise not have surfaced. Participants in a brainstorming session are encouraged to contribute any ideas, no matter how irrelevant they are, and to build on one another’s ideas.
SWOT analysis Participants are analyzing 4 aspects of the topic: the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and the threats. During this EoE each aspect was done through brainstorming. The participants wrote down every strong and weak point, as well as every opportunity and threat they could think of, while they were divided into groups.
Team work Teams were created individually by the session holder, when group works were needed. Attention was paid towards dividing participants into groups of as much cultural diversity and gender equality at all times, while still ensuring the participants a chance to work among different groups.
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Session outcomes
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Session outcomes The results of the sessions of EoE Chania are presented in this chapter.
Engineering students’ skills – What – Why and How? Session methodology The session was held by prof. Evangelia Krassadaki. During the 2 hour long presentation she presented what is meant by engineering skills, why they are important and how they are enhanced to the participants. During the whole duration of the presentation every participant had the chance to ask a question if something was not clear or if he/she wanted to discuss a topic related to the session. After the session each participant filled a survey.
Session outcomes Dr. Evangelia Krassadaki presented the concept of Learning Outcomes, ABET (Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology) Criteria, and brought a survey for the participants to fill in about the two subjects based on their own experience. The outcomes are presented below (survey is found in Appendix 1). During the presentation some important topics were raised by the participants. Regarding the importance of soft skills at universities, one of the participants addressed the issue that most soft skills are influencing the personality of a person, which is formed in younger ages. Therefore he asked if it’s possible to develop soft skills already through younger ages, already at high schools.
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BEST Event on Education Chania Another participant would rather have a longer period of studies (6 instead of 5 years) and have a proper time to solve real life problems, similar to the curriculum in medical schools. She stated that it’s important to know how to apply the theoretical knowledge in practice. Therefore universities should focus more on practice. 2 participants addressed the importance of time management. One of them who is a architecture student stated that it’s more important for projects to be finished on time, then to be done perfectly. Another participant from electrical engineering agreed, and said that she had the same experience at an internship. No general agreement was found on how to enhance learning in engineering education, due to personal viewpoints on important learning outcomes and different demands in engineering education.
Fig. 4: Self-assessed capabilities - Statistical results per criterion and globally (%). The results are from the self-assessment survey performed by Prof. Evangelia Krassadaki, Appendix 1
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12th July - 21st July 2017 The participants especially found communication skills, a broad education and solving engineering problems to be of importance Fig. 5.
Fig. 5: The most important skills (%) for participants. The results are from the self-assessment survey performed by Prof. Evangelia Krassadaki, Appendix 1.
The highest satisfaction of the participants are found in communication and team-work, while weaknesses are discovered in hards skills, such as designing and conducting experiments and solving engineering problems, Fig. 6.
Fig. 6: Strengths and weaknesses of participants. The results are from the self-assessment survey performed by Prof. Evangelia Krassadaki, Appendix 1.
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BEST Event on Education Chania
Problem-based learning Session methodology The session started with a 20 minutes topic introduction. During this part we covered the theoretical background of the Problembased Learning (PBL): where it comes from, what are the differences between PBL and the traditional teaching approach and gave them an example of a PBL lecture. Afterwards we divided the participants into 6 groups and gave them PBL related topics to brainstorm about. The topics which we gave them were: • Why is it beneficial to have a PBL curriculum at universities for students, and why is it beneficial to have the classical teaching model as part of the curriculum for them? • Describe which skills a mentor should have in the PBL concept. • What are the possible consequences if the mentor doesn’t have these skills? • What is your overall opinion about PBL? Afterwards we tried to identify which of the things the participants brainstormed about are the most important to them. Each group had up to 2 points to give per question to the ideas which the liked the most from the other groups. This block was done as a World Café. Each group had the chance to rate the ideas from 3 other groups.
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12th July - 21st July 2017 Session outcomes From all groups 3 out of 6 (3/6) agreed that the biggest benefit of PBL is that it prepares the students better for their future career. 2/6 groups found that the most important benefit is the chance to apply the theoretical knowledge student receive on real life problems.The improvement of communication, creativity, flexibility, critical thinking skills as well as the benefits of finding your best role in a team were found the most important by one group respectively. One group also agreed that the PBL is involving students more and getting them a deeper knowledge. On the other side 2/6 groups found that the biggest benefit of the traditional teaching model is that it provides students with a strong theoretical background, while the other groups found respectively that the identification of important skills, the amount of knowledge which student receive and the practice of memorizing skills are the most important benefits. The participants identified that the mentor of PBL lectures should be open minded in the first place. This opinion was supported by 5/6 groups as the most important skill of the mentor. Furthermore 3 groups said that there shouldn’t be a distance between the mentor and the students, that the mentor should be approachable, as well as be able to guide the students (supported as well by 3 groups). If the mentor doesn’t have these skills problems can occur. The following problems were found relevant by 1 group each: the mentor can get stuck on a problem, that he/she limits the students and their freedom, and that he/she looses the potential of the students, because he/she doesn’t know them well. The overall opinion from the groups in the session about the PBL was that it should be combined with the traditional teaching method
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BEST Event on Education Chania
(said 4/6 groups), that the PBL develops the skills of the students in a more adequate way which prepares them for their future careers (said 4/6 groups), but that it’s hard to implement since the quality of the lecture depends on the skills of the mentor which can be hardly found (said 3/6 groups).
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Projects in industrial settings Session methodology The session began with a 10 minutes introductory presentations giving general overview of the Projects in industrial setting (PIIS) concept which was proceeded with a short discussion, during which participants could share their experiences with projects in industrial settings. Following that, the participants were divided into four groups and each of the groups had to come up with some ideas for: • Positive impact of PIIS for students, • Negative impact of PIIS for students, • Potential selling points of PIIS for companies, • Risk of getting involved in PIIS for companies. After an hour of group work, participants presented their outcomes in front of everyone. In order to find the points which were most important for them, each of the groups was asked to present only the three most important ideas from each category. In the end a discussion was help with the aim of giving participants a chance to reflect on their work. Main topics the participants discussed were: • The applicability of PIIS to all fields of study, • Should PIIS be a part of curriculum, • Should students be mixed or from the same year, • Should PIIS be interdisciplinary or not.
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BEST Event on Education Chania Session outcomes
Fig. 7: Answers of 23 participants on whether they had experienced projects in industrial settings during their studies.
Students’ Point of View Disadvantages
Advantages Topic of discussion
Percentage*
Possibility to gain real100% life experience Chance to cooperate with people from 75% different fields of study
Topic of discussion
Percentage*
Potential problems with moving forward with work 75% without proper guidance Mismatch between companies expectations 50% and students possibilities Possible communication problems between 50% students and the company Stress from working on a 50% real product Working for free
50%
Table 2: Student point of view on Projects in Industrial Settings *Percentage of groups which recognized this item in their work
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12th July - 21st July 2017 Proposed solutions for above mentioned disadvantages: Solution
Percentage*
Introducing a person in between companies and students for 50% easy and effective communication Introducing customer expectations clearly in the beginning of 50% project Introducing remuneration for students (possibly based on 50% usability of their solution) Organizing teambuilding activities in the beginning of project
50%
Table 3: Proposed solutions for above mentioned disadvantages from students point of view. *Percentage of groups which recognized this solution in their work
Industry’s Point of View Advantages
Disadvantages
Topic of discussion
Percentage* Topic of discussion Percentage* Waste of time and Recruiting talented 100% money if the students 75% students are not efficient Gathering ideas for Potentially too high problem solutions from 100% expectations, leading to 50% students disappointment Chance to improve company image as 100% supportive for students Having low-cost workers
50%
Table 4: Industry point of view on Projects in Industrial Settings *Percentage of groups which recognized this item in their work
Solution
Percentage*
Agreeing on realistic possibilities of students work
50%
Putting an experienced person to lead the team
50%
Table 5: Proposed solutions for above mentioned disadvantages from students point of view. *Percentage of groups which recognized this item in their work
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After discussion all participants (23/23) agreed that PIIS would be applicable to their fields of study, while at the same time agreeing that PIIS should be interdisciplinary. 14/23 participants stated that students in teams should be from different years, but only within a certain range (e.g. only Master level students). Additionally, it was discussed if projects in industrial settings should become an integrated part of university curricula, Fig. 8.
Fig. 8: Distribution of opinions on whether Projects in Industrial Settings (PIIS) should be made a mandatory part of university curricula.
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Applying academically possessed skills in industry environment Session methodology The session started with a 10 minutes long topic introduction. Besides providing them some background of the topic we also asked the participant the question ‘What are your expectations towards your future job?’. The aim of this question was to see why it is important for the participants to develop certain skills for their future career, what they wanna achieve with it. After the presentation we divided the participants into 6 groups. We gave them 4 questions to answer: • Which skills do you get through university and how? • Which skills are needed from the industry by your point of view? • Which skills did you use on university/job which you didn’t get on university? • Do you believe that the university is able to teach this skills? The aim of this block was to let the participants discuss the questions and to give everyone the chance to express himself/ herself more easily in a smaller group before starting the discussion with everyone being together. After the group work we started the general discussion about the topics which they discussed in smaller groups until the end of the session.
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BEST Event on Education Chania Session outcomes The expectations which the participants have towards their future job were:
FUN MONEY
challenges trainings
POSITIVE INFLUENCE ON OTHER PEOPLE experienced people with a meaning in the job (meaningful)
GROWING OPPORTUNITIES AS IN DEVELOPMENT
OUT OF THE
OFFICE ACTIVITIES
working with innovative technology
WORK ABROAD motivated job (not boring)
TECHNICAL skills
growth new acquaintances
benefits from the job
career guidance
The participants named up to two skills which are the most important for their future career they acquire at university. In total the participants found 43 skills relevant, of which certain skills were found the most important by three or more participants, Fig. 9.
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Fig. 9: Most important skills named by the participants for their future careers acquired at university.
The participants found that the most important skills which they acquire at university are time management, responsibility, to work under pressure, presentation skills and teamwork, as well as hard skills: - 6/6 groups - Teamwork - 5/6 groups - Hard skills - 4/6 groups - Time management - 3/6 groups - Work under pressure - 3/6 groups - Presentation skills - 3/6 groups - Responsibility While all 6 groups wrote down that teamwork is an important skills which they learn at university, 4/6 groups have written time management. Presentation skills, the work under pressure and responsibility were found important by 3/6 groups. Additionally 5/6 groups also identified hard skills as important skills which they receive on university (how to work with softwares, the work in labs, work on projects).
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BEST Event on Education Chania Afterwards the participants identified the most important skills which are needed from the industry. The following skills were named by more groups: - 4/6 groups - Different Hard skills depending on your field of work - 3/6 groups - Soft skills (communication, flexibility and problems solving) - 3/6 groups - Being open-minded The skills which the participants used during their studies or work, which they didn’t receive at university were: - 4/6 - Deeper knowledge on hard skills - 4/6 - Various soft skills (communication with customers, problem solving, emotional intelligence) To the question if the universities are able to provide those skills which were missing all groups agreed that they can. The most common solutions for it were: - 4/6 groups - More cooperation between universities and companies - 4/6 groups - More practice, more real life projects to work on - 2/6 groups - By doing more research and development by the university From the discussion which was followed certain topics were raised which were not mentioned before. To the question if Emotional Intelligence (EI) is important to have on universities all participants except five agreed that EI is important at universities (18/23). The participants also discussed that problem solving is a skill which is not taught well by universities. One of the participant raised the
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12th July - 21st July 2017 issue that students don’t know how to design an experiment, but just how to perform it. Two other participants had similar problems during their internships. During the session the participants were discussing about the important skills which are needed in the industry. Even though they found that the necessary skills are taught by universities, deeper knowledge in those fields is needed. The participants found that this deeper knowledge can be acquired at university, but new ways in providing this knowledge is needed.
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Industrial partnership in curriculum development In order to make the most out of the presence of industry representative, Mr. Skias from JR Technologies, the whole session was conducted as a panel discussion, divided into three main sections. First section’s goal was to develop potential ideas for partnership between businesses and universities on matter of curriculum development. The participants have discussed how could companies get involved into such process, what could they do to feedback current curricula and how could companies presence be introduced into learning programmes. During the second section participants focused on finding selling points of getting involved in curriculum development for the industry. In the final, third section the discussion was centered on how to keep balance between what companies want and what universities should provide, where participants have discussed a variety of topics from approach towards soft skills teaching to considerations about local and global scope of industry involvement.
Session outcomes Participants noticed the need for industrial partnership, they would like to have courses held completely by companies, guest lectures and possibility to work on master thesis in cooperation with a company. Industry representative stated that companies would like to be involved with students more and they would be willing to provide real-life settings for internships which could later be graded based on students performance. The participants discussed the possible impact of conducting projects in cooperation with companies at early stages of university, Fig. 10:
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Fig. 10: Discussion results of conducting projects in cooperation with companies on BSc level.
It was agreed by participants and industry representative that having a company funded laboratories would be beneficial as a way for students to get acquainted with company technology. Research projects offered by companies could be introduced into curriculum as a way to make engineering education more relevant to modern technological needs of companies. Getting involved in curriculum development is beneficial from company point of view because it improves company’s image and brand recognition as an employer. Being a part of curriculum delivery gives companies a chance to talk directly to students and harvest their ideas. Soft skills are extremely important in the eyes of companies, but it is the university who should be concerned with
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teaching them, not companies. Having industry representatives in university’s council meetings is crucial for updating and developing curriculum. The biggest problem from company’s’ point of view is lack of initiative from universities, as they themselves don’t have time to start the dialogue. There is a need for the middlemen, eg. a student organisation. The idea of having an online, public wish-list for companies has been proposed by industry representative and has met great acclaim from participants. The idea is for the university to provide a platform where companies could propose subject or areas of education that they would like to see introduced in a given study line. The university could use this feedback to develop curriculum and students could use it to shape their curricula.
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Competency-based learning Session methodology The sessions started with a 10 minutes presentation. During this 10 minutes we provided the necessary background of the topic to the participants, explained what competences are and what Competency-based learning (CBL) is and what the differences between CBL and the traditional teaching approach are. Afterwards we showed them a case in which one university implemented CBL in their curriculum. The goal of this block was to show them a real life example of CBL and to make them aware of some steps which need to be taken in order to implement CBL. Afterwards we divided them into 4 groups and let them make a SWOT analyze of CBL. The goal of the SWOT analyze was to make them discuss about all positive and negative sides of CBL in groups before coming to their own conclusion. After the SWOT analyze each participant needed to write down if he/she sees CBL as a useful teaching model and if he/she would like to have it implemented on universities.
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BEST Event on Education Chania Session outcomes All 4 groups identified flexibility as a strong point of the CBL. The weaknesses which were found important by several groups were that the CBL is a complex system and therefore hard to implement, that students don’t have a clear path of lectures which they should follow and that a lot of soft skills might get lost which you would get if you attend lectures like in the traditional model.Each of those 3 weaknesses were found important by 2/4 groups. 2/4 groups identified the following opportunities of the CBL: • possibility of shortening the time which is needed to acquire the diploma • students have more time to take extra curriculum activities or get work experience • students have more control over their education All 4 groups named the possibility of not having well taught engineers as a threat of the CBL. 3/4 groups also feared that students might not put as much effort in demonstrating their competences as they would put into going to lectures and do the exam in the traditional teaching model. When we asked the question if the participants see CBL as useful and would like to have it implemented in universities 13 out of 23 said ‘Yes’, 9 said ‘No’ while 1 participant said both reasons for and against having it implemented on universities. This shows that the participants were not sure if the CBL is a good method to prepare them for their careers.
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Global mindset of students Session methodology This session started with short presentation on the topic: what we talk about when we talk about global mindset. Some statements about different global matters/concerns in different universities in Europe were stated for participants to agree/disagree and share their opinion. Participants who totally agreed had to go to one side of the room, participants who totally disagreed had to go to the other side of the room. The rest had to go to somewhere in the middle according to their opinion. After that, participants were divided into 3 groups and there was World CafĂŠ with three different tables about three different important subtopics which affect to Global Mindset: Student mobility, Crosscountry university collaboration, Knowledge/Cultural understanding.
Session outcomes Most people considered themselves globally minded but there were some people who were not sure about it. There was only one participant (1/23) who stated that she did not consider herself globally minded since she thought that she still had much to learn about international knowledge and interaction with people around the world. Some participants agreed on that they need to learn more about global world. The participants who were sure about considering themselves globally minded agreed on they understand and respect people from other cultures and different points of view. There were some students who studied abroad so they agreed on being globally minded because they had to learn a new different culture. One participant said that working in an international team
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BEST Event on Education Chania in a company also contributes to make yourself more globally minded since everybody has another style of working, practise and experience. A question was asked to see if they considered that multicultural world is something positive in all the cultures, 7/23 said yes, 10/23 said no and 5/23 were not sure. People who said no considered that there are cultures which have a problem with working in other cultures. One participant who was not sure said that for some cultures, it may be simply like wasting talent, because they have a different ways of functioning so when they get used to another way of living, they kind of lose something that is unique for them. 3/23 participants considered that European universities provide a student environment of cultural diversity and 3/23 considered that it does not. The rest, 17/23 considered it does, but it is not enough. The current opportunities provided by universities for the development of student environments were found to be: Exchanges, masters abroad and courses including international projects. Most people (20/23) agreed that students do not have a global mindset when they enter university (it is something which is being developed there). Some participants considered that it depends a lot on the personality. There are a lot of opportunities to develop a global mindset without the university. 17/23 people considered that European universities can foster global mindset of students but 6/23 are not that sure because they considered there are many other ways to develop it, not only universities. Most participants agreed that it should be developed in High Schools as well. One participant stated that, in order to provide students with more opportunities to go abroad, the European Union should manage and control an exchange system, as e.g. the Erasmus program is limited to a few exchange possibilities at some
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12th July - 21st July 2017 universities. The World Café provided the following results: • Regarding mobility, students considered that universities should provide them with more exchange opportunities. All the professors should speak English so it would be easier for foreign students to attend those classes. Universities should search for partners and grants for sponsoring mobility activities. • Regarding how universities should empower knowledge and cultural understanding, participants agreed on by organizing (more) multicultural studies environment/programme with foreign people and courses in English, promoting international events and organising events to get to know exchange/local students, collaborating with other universities abroad. • Regarding cross-country university collaboration, students came up with ideas like free courses to overcome language barriers, continuous work through time zones to overcome time difference due to time zone, online meetings, more promotions on these kind of projects and more fundings for them, personality tests to screen the best possible team composition for making sure that personal differences are not becoming a disadvantage. These projects should have a external coordinator to make sure that one university does not advantage of the others, since universities may have different approaches. There should be trainings to become knowledgeable about differences and the practices of the university and to overcome knowledge gap.
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Transnational development of student startups in higher education Session methodology The session was held by the expert, Dipl.-Wirtsch.-Ing. Tim Stock. The session was structured as a one hour introduction into the topic followed by a 30 minutes long workshop. During the introduction the most important points regarding the master course European Engineering Team ‘EET’ [2] were covered. During the workshop the expert Mr. Stock asked various questions regarding the EET to the participants, of which the highlights were gathered.
Session outcomes 13/23 participants took at least one course with students from different universities. The participants agreed that the entrepreneurial part is important for the general engineering education. 16/23 participants stated that they would attend such a master course as the EET. For some of them the number of ECTS points which they would receive and the topic are also important factors to decide if they would attend it or not. One participants stated that working not only in an international team, but also with other field of studies, like business students, would be beneficial. There was a disagreement with the opinion if the students need to know business logics. Some of the participants think that as engineers they also need to know how to present and sell their products, while some others don’t see it as the job of engineers. To the question what the people think about having e-lectures on universities 5 participants responded. 4 of them were against having them, while 1 participant said that they are a very efficient way of
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12th July - 21st July 2017 learning,since you can adjust to your own pace. The 4 participants who were against having e-lectures were against it partly because they cannot concentrate while attending an e-lecture, but also due to the social aspect of normal lecture. Another important aspect was if the students are willing to pay on their own to travel for this lecture. One participant stated that the university should provide reimbursements, while another one said that it depends on the economical situation of the country from where the students are coming.
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Curriculum development Session methodology In addition to the 23 participants, Dipl.-Wirtsch.-Ing. Tim Stock participated in the discussion and group work of the curriculum development. The session was initiated by a 20 minutes discussion on participants’ feelings about their current curriculum systems. They had a chance to share how their universities take their opinions into account, how does their university’s feedback system work and how relevant are their curricula to the needs of job market. Following that, the participants were divided into six groups and they were set to discuss to aspects of curriculum development: students involvement in its creation and curriculum evaluation. In the end of the session a discussion was held on some of more generic topics - involvement of alumni in the process and allowing courses outside the study line into curriculums.
Session outcomes Majority of participants admitted that they have either none or only limited freedom in choosing courses. The few who have, shared that before choosing they seek information about the teacher and evaluation from students who previously taken the course. Academic expert stated that the curriculum in German universities is in the hands of professors, while some of the participants stated that they either have student unions representing their opinion on curriculum or it is gathered through surveys. They have also stated that the evaluations of teacher may influence their employment. Table 6 shows the views of participants on students involvement in curriculum design and delivery:
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Topic of discussion
Percentage*
It’s vital for students to have a possibility of choosing subjects, 66% thus allowing students to create their own curriculums Students’ opinions are not taken into consideration when it 50% comes to curriculum design Students are afraid of giving their opinion
33%
Professors are not motivated to improve themselves
33%
Table 6: Opinions of participants on students involvement in curriculum design and delivery *Percentage of groups which recognized and/or supported the opinion.
As a solution to problem of professors motivation participants proposed having competition for them with bonus salary as a prize Below table 7 shows participants’ thoughts on ways to improve curriculum feedback system: Topic of discussion
Percentage*
Feedback should be conducted online
83%
Feedback of curriculum should be mandatory
83%
It is crucial to have student representatives - e.g. student unions, who are responsible for disseminating students’ input 83% and feedback of curriculum Feedback should also be asked in the middle of the semester 50% in order to improve course as it goes, not only after it’s finished Evaluation results should be public
50%
Table 7: Opinions of participants on students involvement in curriculum design and delivery *Percentage of groups which recognized and/or supported the opinion.
One group suggested having an online platform for older students to share their experiences and help their younger colleagues with choosing the rights subjects.
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BEST Event on Education Chania Majority of participants saw a lot of value in involving alumni into curriculum feedback process. In addition, the participants discussed increased freedom in course choice during study programs, Fig. 11:
Fig. 11: Percentage of participants supporting or rejecting the possibility of choosing additional courses besides the study programme
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The importance of emotional intelligence in education Session methodology The session started with a presentation about the concept of Emotional Intelligence, some theoretical background, its parts and ways to assess or measure it. Afterwards, there was a self-assessment test based on IQ test/personality [3]. Different statements were stated and participants had to write down how they felt about each statement. After that, participants had to discuss about the importance of Emotional Intelligence, both in general and in universities and they came up with ideas for its implementation. This part was carried out through Discussion Groups, where participants were divided into 4 groups.
Session outcomes Some participants considered it is important to have this training on Emotional Intelligence to understand and control your feelings and behaviour towards others. It also helps you to work with other people and understand their personalities but sometimes it may be dangerous to label people in different boxes due to their personality. Regarding the IQ test/personality, 7/23 participants considered that it should be mandatory after High School for students to know better who they are and help them with their university studies choice. 16/23 participants stated that it should be optional. This test could be done at the university as well, not only after High School and it should be open to everybody, not only students, and also professors because they need to learn how to handle different
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BEST Event on Education Chania situations. Different statements were stated and participants had to write down how they felt about each statement (anonymously). Statement 1: I know how to calm myself down when I feel anxious or upset. Statement 2: I enjoy organizing groups. Statement 3: I ask people for feedback on what I do well, and how I can improve. Statement 4: I find it difficult to read other people’s emotions. Statement 5: I use active listening skills when people speak to me. Statement 6: I know my strengths and weaknesses. The results are shown below, Fig 12.
Fig. 12: Answers to different statements based on the IQ tests/personality.
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12th July - 21st July 2017 After the self-assessment test, participants had to discuss about the importance of Emotional Intelligence, both in general and in universities and they came up with ideas for its implementation. The main outcomes are shown in the Table 8:
Ideas for implementation of EI
Percentage*
EI is an important topic which will help students in their personal 100% and professional life. Universities should provide students with courses on Emotional 100% Intelligence. These courses should be mandatory for all students.
25%
There should be mandatory sessions to talk and develop Emotional Intelligence once a month in the early stages of higher 25% education. These courses should be open to professors since they need to learn how to develop a personalised, individual approach 50% towards students. These courses are important to cope with panic attack and 50% stress management. Social skills are also gained with these courses.
75%
There should be psychologist to help students with their 50% personalities and their Emotional Intelligence. There should be both individual and group mandatory psychology 25% sessions for students to be able to express their feelings. There could be a mandatory EI test after high school to help 25% students with their career path. Table 8: Ideas for implementation of Emotional Intelligence. *Percentage of groups which recognized the idea discussed.
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Students’ reactions to evaluation systems Session methodology First of all, participants brainstormed on types of examinations. After that, they were divided into six groups and they analysed each type deeply. They analysed their advantages, disadvantages, tried to find solutions for those problems and they thought of how new kinds of examinations should be in order to evaluate students’ work properly.
Session outcomes Participants brainstormed on different evaluation systems and analysed their advantages, disadvantages, as well as possible solutions to the problems found. The results are shown below, in Table 9:
Oral exams
1
Advantages
Disadvantages
Possible solutions
It allows students to explain better what they want to say and they learn how to overcome stress. Professors may help if they get stuck. Moreover, it is harder to cheat and the evaluation is more precise.
Evaluation may be subjective based on professor’s opinion, based on appearance or previous behaviour. More stressful so people can get speechless, no chance to correct your mistakes, you can pass the exam without real knowledge.
1/6 groups mentioned that it should not be only one professor evaluating but a jury composed of few professors. Professors can help students for not to be that stressed.
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Written exams
2
Advantages
Disadvantages
Possible solutions
Less stressful, wellorganised exams with several questions and adjustable timing. There are more chances to pass the exams since students can answer the answers that they know. They can correct their mistakes afterwards. Suitable for both practical and theoretical courses. More objective evaluation.
It is much harder for professors to read the papers and evaluate, possibility to cheat, limit evaluation, learning by heart. Students are examined of a small part of the course. Students may lose track of the question and answer something different.
Better design of the exam, they can evaluate global knowledge (not only a small part of the course). 1/6 groups suggested writing exams on graphical tablets which will digitalize handwritings (pattern recognition tech) and make them readable.
Open Book 3
Advantages
Disadvantages
Possible solutions
No need to memorise useless things, students learn while searching for information, less stressful.
Students can pass the exam without basic knowledge. It is hard to evaluate sometimes.
Materials should be provided by professors, not focused only on theoretical part.
Multiple choice exams
4
Advantages
Disadvantages
Possible solutions
Easier to pass/prepare, students may figure out the answer even if they don’t know it.
No learning, since students can pass the exam by chance. Easy to make mistakes, easy to cheat. Same questions every year. They limit creativity of students, they cannot develop/ explain what they know.
Professors should change the questions, add some open questions.
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Quick initial tests Advantages
5
Disadvantages
Possible solutions
Keep students motivated Takes time of the lectures. In order not to consume and prepared, quick, a lot of time, limit the no time-consuming, time for those tests. improvement in time management.
Work during the semester
6
Advantages
Disadvantages
Possible solutions
Confidence for the final exam, time management improvement because you have less concentration on one exam, less stress in examination periods, less stressful, strong knowledge acquired while researching. 3/6 teams agreed that they keep students motivated.
More workload, you have to be systematic, poor evaluation sometimes. 1/6 teams considered it is time consuming.
Schedule and grade of each assignment so students know the percentage of each task. Each assignment has a % of the final grade so that is not based only on the final exam.
Practical labs Advantages
7
Disadvantages
Possible solutions
Possibility to apply Lack of evaluation of Combinable with theoretical knowledge, theoretical part. another kind of exam better understanding, to evaluate that lack of possibility to pass the theory evaluated. final exam more easily, students are more prepared for working. It continues on next page
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Projects
8
Advantages
Disadvantages
Possible solutions
Practical, deeper knowledge, hard skills, teamwork improvement, communication.
Huge time consuming, overload of work, you focus too much on a small part of the course, difficult to evaluate involvement of group members.
To divide big projects into smaller and simpler projects so that they are easy to evaluate and they are not such a workload for students. Evaluate those projects with a final presentation.
Case Studies
9
Advantages
Disadvantages
Possible solutions
Analytical thinking, teamwork, students learn how to research on their own, team building, close to real life, 3/6 groups considered that soft skills are improved.
Repeated cases all Professors should look the years, sometimes for new cases every year. only one good solution according the professor point of view.
Online exams Advantages Advantages → No time 10 limit, quick/instant grade, 3/6 groups mentioned flexibility on timing of the exam.
Disadvantages
Possible solutions
Technical problems may occur, 3/6 groups mentioned that it is easy to cheat.
There should be a time limit anyway, they should be taken at university facilities, without internet and under supervised conditions.
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Partial exams Advantages
Disadvantages
Study less for the final Passing the same 11 exam, reviewing during knowledge couple of the year, improving times. time management,less quantity of material to learn at once, quick.
Possible solutions Professors should change final exams, and should not include questions from previous partial tests.
Homework Advantages It is easy to consult with others, independence, 12 flexibility, learning from practise, students can come up with a more complex approach since they have more time to think about the problem.
Disadvantages
Possible solutions
It is hard to evaluate, bad-organised people will have bad quality of homework. 3/6 groups agreed on easiness to cheat and copy homework from others.
Different homework for different groups but with the same level of difficulty. To set a limited amount of time to solve the problem.
Presentations Advantages 4/6 teams agreed on students gain knowledge 13 on public speaking and soft skills in general.
Disadvantages
Possible solutions
Stressful, emotions, shyness, people could not talk because of stress, impression of teacher, grading for presentations and not for knowledge.
Courses on presentation skills should be provided by the university for students to calm down under scenic panic.
Table 9: Advantages, disadvantages and their possible solutions for different evaluation systems.
Besides analysing the current evaluation systems, participants showed some ideas for new evaluation methods to evaluate properly both theoretical and practical knowledge gained. 4/6 groups mentioned the importance of evaluating the progress of the students, and not only final grades on exams. 3/6 groups mentioned that the evaluation system should not be only
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based on judgements but also on feedback from the professors to improve in certain points. 2/6 groups mentioned that the evaluation system should depend on the course, but 6/6 groups agreed on there should be a mix of different evaluation methods and not only one per course or not only based on exams results. 4/6 groups mentioned that the grade should not be set only by one lecturer. 2/6 groups considered that students should be able to grade themselves and their classmates. One group mentioned that there should be self-made exams for the other students (oral or written) being supervised by professors.1/6 groups mentioned that projects should be evaluated by a Jury composed of three different professors who are experts on three different fields, not only on lecturer’s point of view. 1/6 groups considered that each exam should be graded by different professors based on different criteria and the final grade should be the average. 2/6 groups mentioned that participation and proactivity in class should be evaluated. 1/6 groups considered that assistance to classes should be compulsory so professors can assess students and evaluation should be carried out through questions. 2/6 groups mentioned that exams should be more flexible, mainly on when to have an exam.
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Time in Teams: Future University Project Session methodology The concept of Time in Teams (TiT) was for participants to work on The Future University Project throughout the whole event, taking it step by step and developing solutions as they have learned, discovered and discussed new approaches to educational matters, while improving their teamwork connected soft skills along the way. Four TiT sessions were scheduled on four different days: first one lasted 60 minutes and the others 90 minutes each. TiT Day 1: Following a presentation of the TiT concept and setting expectations, teams were created and had a chance to team build. Their task for the remainder of the session was to recognize problems in education and come up with potential improvement points. The brainstorming was guided by the following questions: • How do you feel about studying at your university? • What annoys you at your university? • What do you believe to be really innovative at your university? • What works the best at your university? • What would you change in your university’s way of providing education? TiT Day 2: Firstly, the participants were given 15 minutes to review the problems
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12th July - 21st July 2017 and ideas from the first day and had a chance to brainstorm on them a bit more. Subsequently, 20 minutes were given to choose N most important problems, where N is the number of participants in a group (5 or 6). The work was continued based on the following questions: • Which do you believe to be most important of the problems you’ve written down? • What do you believe to be most important from the improvement points you’ve written down? • If you could make one of the listed things fixed instantly, what would it be? Subsequently, they were asked to divide the tasks between themselves. Each person would now be responsible for facilitating the problem solving process for their problem. The participants reached consensus without the help of content team in both tasks, thus honing their skills. For the last 50 minutes of the session participants worked to find solutions to chosen problems based on their creativity and knowledge they’ve acquired during the event. The participants were leading discussion in turns. TiT Day 3 & TiT Day 4: The final two days of Time in Teams were left for participants to manage. They had a clear goal of creating a vision of a Future University and worked towards it independently.
Session outcomes Four projects were presented from the TiT groups: - Saturn University of Future - Neptune Future Education
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BEST Event on Education Chania - Venus Technical University - Mars Utopia University The following problems were focused on individually in the teams and solved in a concept for Future Universities, see Table 10: Saturn University of Future
Neptune Future Education 1. Passive student mindset
1. Lack of flexibility in educational system
2. Insufficient interaction with job market 2. Soft skills competences of professors during studies 3. Practical knowledge from real life 3. Outdated courses adjusted curricula evaluation
and
lack
4. Absence of students’ feedback in 4. Poor university organisation evaluation systems infrastructure on campus 5. No support of innovations from UBC
5. Professors’ teaching
6. Facilities at university
6. Future universities freedom
Venus Technical University
Mars Utopia University
1. Reduced freedom and flexibility in education
balance
of and
and
1. Badly structured curricula
2. Lack of finances and modernisation in 2. Lack of soft skills and practical facilities and professors knowledge 3. Unevenly distributed study and work 3. Companies’ involvement load throughout a semester 4. Teaching of outdated technologies 4. Missing practice, experiments and internships 5. Lack of guidance 5. Insufficient share of projects and topic 6. Worldwide diversification program
standard
engineering
6. Outdated lectures without recording
Table 10: Problems of future education listed in no specific order. The problems were the focus areas for finding solutions in the teams and decided upon independently by the teams.
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12th July - 21st July 2017 Each team presented their solutions to the Future University to meet demands of students for future education. The following statements are all representing the opinion of the TiT Groups individually and might represent given problematics experienced by one or more team members, while the solutions are focused in European HE.
Solutions applied at Saturn University of Future Six problems were solved for the future university (Table 10). Lack of flexibility in educational system During the educational process, students should be guided by mandatory subjects, but receive the freedom of choosing additional subjects. The university provides students with soft skills through subjects, ie. teamwork, public speaking, working skills etc. Flexibility should be brought into the program by utilizing E-learning classes and online consultation for meeting the students, where they are. Additional education programs should be developed for students with talent. Soft skills competences of professors The university will focus on teaching soft skills both for students and for professors, to ensure quality teaching. The university employs a balance of professors who are specialised in their field and knowledgeable about how to apply their soft skills into the teaching. The ability to motivate students through eg. creativity and act as a role model is of great importance, thus the university should train the professors in mentoring skills, and reward professors accordingly for their teaching with privileges and benefits. Professors will be focused on modern technologies, teaching
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BEST Event on Education Chania methods and research. Importantly, they will provide collaboration opportunities all around the world. Practical knowledge from real life adjusted curricula Nowadays, the biggest problem is that curriculum is not adjusted to real-life problems employers are facing. To overcome this problem, collaboration with companies in courses are established as partnerships. Classes provided by companies will be organized by the companies in their working place, in order to familiarise students with real-life problems Absence of students’ feedback in evaluation systems The university will apply mandatory feedback after exams on an online evaluation platform. The feedback from students on the courses and projects will be collected in a database, which should be openly accessible to professors, students and other stakeholders such as companies involved in the education. Regular evaluation meetings with stakeholders will work towards continuous improvements of the education systems, as will be managed by a special department of evaluation systems at the university. No support of innovations from UBC Generally, the university works to promote and support student programs and student organisations, as these opens up more opportunities for students. The university works on establishing opportunities for internships. Cooperation between business and university (UBC) will enable students to work on practical subjects, which the partners need solved, so there is a benefit for all involved. PBL will be implemented to ensure learning outcomes for the students. Student start ups will be financed with help from the university. The support will come from eg. incubators and technoparks as well, while grands will be delegated for implementation of the new
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12th July - 21st July 2017 technology innovated. Facilities at university The university will consist of a green environment with facilities both for studies, extra curricular activities and for fun activities supporting a rich student life.
Solutions applied at Neptune Future Education This team focused on finding specific solutions to five problems (Table 10) and assigning a sixth problem to developing their concept of the future university. Passive student mindset Students are motivated to focus on their own learning through practical projects, which applies obtained theoretical knowledge in useful manners. This motivation will prevent students studying simply to pass an exam and wasting time at university while waiting for future employment. To engage students in social life, the campus will provide extra-curricular activities which can develop student life outside lectures as well. Excellent students are sustained through proper scholarships. Overall students are motivated in their campus life through evaluation systems, which will be changed to enable feedback. Insufficient interaction with job market during studies Students are encouraged to obtain practical work experience through mailing lists, which informs about internships, PhD and job openings, projects in industrial settings. Internships are mandatory and the university is supporting the students to find the companies. There could be organized Job Fairs, workshops, career days, simulation of a job interview in university, etc.
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BEST Event on Education Chania Outdated courses and lack of evaluation Programs are updated to the newest standards and prevents repetition of curricular in later courses. Both mandatory and elective courses are balanced in curriculum, with personality tests aiding students to find their path and choose courses based on their results. Evaluation is performed through the course in the shape of small exams, to ensure the students are aware of their performance in class. Optional courses on soft skills, such as emotional intelligence, and software courses in eg. Autocad, Matlab, are free for students to choose. Students learn how to apply their knowledge from practical courses through interactive projects. PBL is applied to develop teamwork, independence and soft skills. The projects and material needs revision after each semester, possibly assisted by companies assure relevance for job market’s needs. Poor university organisation and infrastructure on campus Laboratory equipment and technology are funded by companies and kept up to date. All offices are concentrated at campus, with extensive opening hours providing the support student need, at the time they need it. The time frame of mandatory courses are scheduled at the beginning of each semester to allow students to arrange work in their own time. Student organisations are provided with facilities and financial support, and an international office promotes opportunities to go abroad. Projects are organised with foreign universities to establish the university’s international profile and diversity at campus, with optional foreign language courses provided. Professors’ teaching Professors are motivated to teach and transmit their research by
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12th July - 21st July 2017 rewarding skillful teachers with bonuses, and all teachers with a fair salary. Opportunities to improve teaching are discovered through mandatory feedback of courses from students, with a third party assessing the ability of the professor to teach. Practical courses are supported by hiring competent professors, that can bring experience from industry to class. Future universities’ balance and freedom The future university is open at all hours and provided with all needed facilities and updated equipment for laboratories. The education is public and free for anyone, paid by the government in the way it finds feasible. Different teaching techniques are implemented, ie. PBL and projects in industrial settings, for a balance between theory and practice. Learning is enabled at all times by continuous evaluation instead of concentrating all learning by the end of a semester in the exam period. Knowledge is evaluated with mixed methods adapted to the specific courses, in contrast to how some universities solely evaluate on written exams and no oral performance. The focus is learning instead of passing, which is enabled through a evaluation framework, which applies feedback from previous years continuously. The horizon of students are broadened by worldwide exchange programs and lectures from professors with international and industrial experience. Courses are half-half provided in English to open the university to exchange. Company representatives deliver classes and workshops as well to bring students in contact with real work life. Jobs fairs, career days etc. are further bridging the gap between students and companies. University promotes internships and job offers to students from an office dedicated to this task. Active and useful student organisations are supported financially for the benefit of campus life. Emotional intelligence is taught both
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BEST Event on Education Chania for supporting professional career and personal life, to reflect all applicable aspects of the tool.
Solutions applied at Venus Technical University The group assessed problematics in current education (see Table 10) and based on these, adapted the following solutions to their future university. Orientation before university High school students are giving the opportunity to experience the full university life for a couple of days to come closer to an understanding, of what it includes before attending. The concept of a Demo University is developed to include living in dormitories, attending classes and experiencing campus life. Career opportunity days with company representatives are organised for students to support them in actively deciding upon a field of study. Learning methods A combination of PjBL, PIIS, theoretical lectures, soft skills lectures and practical sessions are balanced in the curricula: PjBL is essential to develop certain soft skills ie. teamwork and cooperation and is implemented from the first year of studies, min. once per semester. The groups are combined with different nationalities, genders, etc. and the projects include flexibility for groups to select between diverse project topics. PIIS is adapted minimum once in curriculum to prepare the students for real-life work, and a broad selection of companies are involved in PIIS. These projects will improve the partnerships with companies, as they can provide the cases.
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Theoretical lectures for gaining important hard skills are developed to become more interactive eg. including videos, demonstrations, etc. as opposed to only listen to professors. The attendance should not be mandatory, but videos of lectures accessible online. Mandatory soft skills courses focus mainly on communication and presentation skills in order to prepare students for their future careers, but also includes scientific writing, negotiation, time management and interview skills. Practical lectures motivates students to learn by adding practical examples of the theoretical lectures. Laboratories and building/ design/development projects of products are important and will be tested and redesigned according to testing, to increase learning. Extracurricular opportunities Programs are accessible for all students, who want personal development beyond the classroom. Engineering competitions (eg. EBEC) are implemented, as well as field-trips and programs to go on exchange. A sports and culture centre for students’ experiences is to be found at uni for spending free not only studying. Development of ideas and start-ups should be nourished by incubators. Freedom is granted to enroll in any subject, even different courses from different faculties, is ensuring learning based on interest. Free language courses are provided to remove the financial obstacle of becoming multilingual. Communication and inter/intrapersonal skills are in focus at EI courses and debating clubs, which teach students how to sell an idea and speak in front of a group of people. A psychologist is employed to help students improve their mental health. Orientation weeks are organised for future relations and getting to get to know fellow students at the beginning of student life.
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BEST Event on Education Chania Exchange possibilities It is mandatory for students to go abroad on an exchange, supported by solid grants and scholarships for everybody. Credits are easily transferred as partners of the exchange ensure a regulated validation of credits, which prevents the current limitation of exchange possibilities at most universities. The students have world wide opportunities and freedom to choose both institution and topics at the place of the exchange. A database for exchange possibilities provides the foundation for the selection process and students can apply and become accepted depending on their motivation, skills, grades, etc. Exchange students are mentored at the university by buddy programs. Internships Worldwide offer of solid partners and companies to provide paid internships, which should be compulsory with a duration of 6 months, with the possibility of extension in case of job or thesis cooperation. Students should have a chance to get trained in the company to complement student curriculum, and to increase the likeness of writing a thesis in that company Evaluation methods Continuous assessment improves time management of students with a combination of different types of exams (oral and written). Trainings in lecturing are provided for professors, with focus on evaluation, as communication between professors and students is established before or after courses for feedback and implemented in future courses. In case of communication gap between students and teachers occurs, consultation before and after classes are a possibility.
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12th July - 21st July 2017 Solutions applied at Mars Utopia University The group assessed the problematics in current education (see Table 10), and based on these adapted the following solutions to their future university. How it should START The number of attending students could be dictated by the market needs. The university will accommodate free preparation classes to attend the university for high school graduates. The classes will prepare students with skills which can guide them in how to study. Introductory weeks for new students will aid students in getting to know the social and physical interiour of university. Curriculum The content of a subject is estimated to ensure, that the study load equals the amount of ECTS accredited to the subject. The curriculum is designed with flexibility, to avoid overloading students, which could prevent them from participating in other on or off campus activities. The flexible is found in freedom to choose when to enroll in certain courses, eg. in winter or summer, which will enable students to structure studies around their life. The concept is made possible through a concept of one academic year as “one unit�: students will be not be required to pass specific courses in the first semester to attend courses in the second, as it is still within the same academic year, and can thus be placed in second semester. Feedback from students to professors is included midterm and at the end of the semester. Feedback should be transparent and visible to everyone. Student elected student representatives propose ideas to university committees on decision making. Mandatory internship are coordinated of one semester duration.
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BEST Event on Education Chania Students are allowed to do it at the same time as studying, while opportunity exist of doing the internship in an additional semester, to ensure that every student can manage the workload. Courses with industrial projects are predefined before the beginning of the course with company cooperation. The projects can be chosen independently by students according to topic or company. Trainings in soft skills and EI are provided. The duration of the course are of one year, with different soft skills discussed every three weeks to ensure students acquire the full pallet. PBL is an acknowledged working method at the university for professors to include in curriculum. Evaluation Students’ courses are evaluated to increase study motivation, with continuous monitoring during the projects. The university adopts and practice zero tolerance of cheating. Evaluation methods are adapted to each course to reflect the acquired competences, eg. written, oral, presentation, and/or project evaluation. Criteria for passing examination is equalised in grading systems to ensure professors’ fair evaluation of students. External examinator evaluate student performance along the teaching professor of the class, to avoid biased evaluation. It is possible for all students to create a portfolio of courses completed during their studies for potential employers. Company involvement New technologies and work experiences are brought to students to discover the working life at a company. The university provides hightech laboratories with company experts. Involvement of companies is increased during studies throug guests lectures, company visits,
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12th July - 21st July 2017 job fairs, open days, etc. Companies are provided with the possibility to recruit students through a job bank or career events. Additional features Students are relieved of financial burdens by the university to focus on their studies instead of working to support their lives. Students can enroll in extra curricular activities and field courses to develop themselves. Mentors help freshmen during their first time at university. Psychologists are open for students, since students fall under stress especially during exams. Additional workshops are focused on EI to enable students to manage and prevent panic attacks through stress management, etc. Facilities as dorms, sports centres and entertainment are a part of campus for a full student life not uniformly dedicated to studying. Student organizations are supported by the university for eg. communication between students. International involvement Standard program for engineering students are provided worldwide at every university, with possibilities of studying in English for easy entrance, to enable everybody to can go to another place and support exchange of students. The level of studies should be the same for everybody everywhere through similar curriculum between universities. The university works to increase exchange programs like Erasmus, and promotes studying abroad to achieve global mindset of students.
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Discussion
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Discussion All results were gathered during the sessions and at the final presentation. Since the Future University Project differed in working methods, this content team found it interesting to conduct a small survey, on how the PBL approach to solving the task in multicultural teams might have affected the skills of the participants. The survey (TiT Survey) was answered by voluntary participants (17 out of 23 possible), to evaluate the impact of the applied methodology on the development of student skills and educational awareness (Appendix 2). An interesting comparison can be made between the skills, which were found to be important to obtain from university, and the skills currently possessed by students. From the TiT Survey (Appendix 2), a concerning 47.1% assessed a lack of presentation skills, 41.2% time management skills and 23.5% stress resistance skills in order to create the solution to the Future University task. As half, or more, of the participants during the session assessed presentation, work under pressure and time management skills to be important outcomes of attending university, this highlights basic deficiencies of universities to provide the skills of most importance to students. Only 5.9% assessed a lack of capabilities to work in teams, which was unanimously voted as the most important skill gained through universities, while 11.8% lacked the technical skills, Fig. 13. However, as four out of six groups during the sessions proclaimed they gained skills outside university, it is uncertain if the skills reflects proper university teaching or private/ voluntary activities.
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Fig. 13: Statics of the skills mentioned by 17 participants in the TiT survey to be lacking for solving the project task of the Future University. All the skills mentioned were available in the survey as options, while “creativity� was mentioned as other skills.
The solutions found by the participants for the Future University Project (ie. more cooperation between universities and companies and more practice and real-life projects during studies) are supported indirectly by the TiT survey results, from which increased skills of the participants was found to be gained during the Future University Project: 47.1% increased teamwork skills, 29.4% presentation skills, conflict solving, and communication, while 23.5% on flexibility. The greatest impact of the TiT practice was increased cultural awareness in 52.9%, owing to the diversity of the teams, Fig. 14. Overall, a global increase in skills occurred during the TiT, apart from technical skills, leading to the conclusion, that project based working methods in teams can be found to generally enhance crucial soft skills lacking in overall university education in the opinion of participants.
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Fig. 14: Statics of the skills mentioned by 17 participants in the TiT survey to have been improved during the Future University Project. All the skills mentioned were available in the survey as options.
How the participants solved the task of the Future University Project, is indicated by the survey to have followed a group oriented approach, due to a greater proportion (total 72.2 %) of conflicts were resolved through compromises, with and without difficulties, Appendix 2. Due to 27.8 % reporting having solved problems by taking sides in a conflict, it is remarkable how none of the participants assessed to have lacked conflict solving skills in order to solve the task. However, 5 participants reported to have grown in conflict solving through the project. A general satisfaction of the way problems were solved (no grading below 3 out of 5) does not reflect any great disagreements, why the concepts presented for the Future Universities can be accepted as good representations of the general participant opinion. The participants expressed a low
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BEST Event on Education Chania conflict occurrence, while a greater time frame for the task could have left more time for discussions based on different backgrounds of the participants, and thus a better representation of opinions. Interestingly, the majority of participants, 88.2%, experienced the internal cultural differences as an enhancement factor of solving the task. This misaligns with the statements of participants during sessions, as cultural diversity was considered to be a general obstacle of obtaining study goals in multicultural environments. We can conclude from this, that the hands on experience with problem solving in multicultural teams resulted in a different sentiment of the participants on the subject, changing from being perceived as an disadvantage to a project advantage. The findings thus support multicultural projects at universities, while drawing attention to challenges of overcoming the sentiment of fear in students for engaging in activities of cultural diversity. The survey reflects the experience of problem solving through a hands-on-approach, as no prior preparations for the task were made for the participants. Soft skills were found to be lacking by the participants to solve the task, such as time management, presentation skills, stress resistance, leadership and flexibility. Interestingly, 4/17 participants decreased their confidence during the TiT, as compared to 5/17 participants who increased their confidence, indicating diverse personal experience. The overall confidence increased slightly, while a shift between overall confidence before and after TiT was observed: 56% expressing confidence increased to 80% percent after TiT, while those who felt very confident was downsized from 26.7% to 6.7% percent. Adding to the center seeking trend, the percentage of not so confident participants decreased from 20% to 13%. The shift in confidence might reflect the experience of the teamwork, as it first could have been anticipated based on personal starting points
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of the participants, compared to a more realistic reflection of the challenge after having completed it. The decrease in confidence of the participant subgroup could be caused by the self-assessed lack in soft skills necessary for handling the projects satisfyingly. If so, the result is worrying, as international projects are integrated in globalised work environments, which graduates are expected to work in. The slight increase in overall confidence of the participants could support practise through study projects as a possible solution, as also mentioned in the solutions presented on the Future University Project. However, the observed decrease in satisfaction might instead reflect the restricted timeframe allocated for solving the Future University Project, which was found too narrow. If so, this adds to the need of improving time management skills of students to meet short deadlines. The wish for increasing the time allocated the Future University task reflects the enthusiasm and general interest exhibited by the participant towards the task and working method, Fig. 15. The best feedback on the sessions of the EoE was received on the Future University Project as 13 out of 19 participants reported the topic to be interesting. This outcome was gathered through an additional survey (Appendix 3) to assess the impact of the EoE on the participants. Project based working methods in teams can be found to generally enhance crucial soft skills lacking in overall university education in the participants.
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Fig. 15: Survey results on the session topic preferences of 19 out of 23 participants, multiple answers made possible for the respondents. Full survey can be found in Appendix 3.
The participants responded positively towards the group work and independent choice of facilitation method, as they were able to decide upon an agenda best suiting the ambition and goal of the project groups. This was further indicated by the self assessment of soft skills improved during the TiT, such as cultural awareness, teamwork, flexibility, time management, presentation skills, critical thinking, conflict solving, etc., (Appendix 2). A general increase in educational awareness was detected by the participants as a result of the discussions on the educational topics and the encounter with more engaging working methods, Appendix 3. The participants who answered the survey reported a broadened horizon regarding European education, awareness of alternative learning methods and educational structures. Some expressed a wish to implement some of the methods discussed and used during the EoE as tools for teaching, when they are to study a PhD. The
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12th July - 21st July 2017 impact of the BEST EoE extents therefore further than the opinions reported here. EoEs are shaping the teaching of Europe by inviting students to find the best practices of education and empowering them to act them out at their respective universities.
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Conclusion
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Conclusion The BEST Event on Education 2017 in Chania was accomplished with 23 students of higher education gathered at the Technical University of Crete on discussions concerning educational advances based on students’ perspectives. Concerns and improvement points were expressed on the topics: - Assessing necessary skills of next generation - Integrated business-university corporations - Student diversity and personal growth in education The outcomes of the sessions were gathered for reporting. Additionally, the results were compared to two surveys following the EoE (answered by the majority of the participants), to assess the learning experience and validate statements expressed during the event. Based upon the opinions of the participants, possible improvement points were assessed through project work in groups, to guide future universities to meet the interest of students. Especially increased university-business cooperations, freedom of mobility and choice of lectures, and the power of gaining soft skills through project based working methods in teams were expressed by the participants as possible solutions for future universities. The greatest concern appeared to be the time pressure which such implementations at universities might constrain on students, if they are still to obtain the same technical learning outcomes. It is the intention of the content team, which have conducted the research, that the findings can and will be used for further research and engagement of European students of technology on the path towards educational excellence.
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Contacts
Hanija Bujas Educational Involvement Department Coordinator E-mail: hanja.585@gmail.com
www.best.eu.org www.facebook.com/bestorg
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References [1] Davies, A., Fidler, D. and Gorbis, M, (2011): Future Work Skills 2020, Institute for the Future for the University of Phoenix Research Institute, Available at: http://www.iftf.org/ futureworkskills/
[2] T. Stock,C. Haskins,B. GĹ‚adysz,M. Urgo,H. Kohl,J. O. Strandhagen,E. Jarzebowska,T. Tolio (2016): Development of a project-oriented and transnational master course for training the engineering competencies required in an increasingly demanding work-life in Europe
[3] How Emotionally Intelligent Are You?, online test available on: https://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/eiquiz.htm
[4] K. Kovesi, P. Csizmadia (2016): Industry perception of new engineering graduates: the gap between requirements and reality, 44th SEFI Conference
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Appendix Appendix 1 Survey about student outcomes Survey results collected on “Event on Education Chania 2017” on the 13th of July 2017. Dr. Evangelia Krassadaki, Technical University of Crete, School of Production Engineering & Management.
estionnaire t page)
SURVEY ABOUT STUDENT OUTCOMES Gender : Male
Female
Age ………………
Years in Engineering studies, since today : ……………….
Your Engineering School: …………………………………………………………………… Country of your School :…………………………………………… What is your main mode of study? internal (on-campus)
external (distance)
Your University : …........................................................
Country of your permanent residence:……………………………
mixed (internal and external)
What was the full tle of your highest previous educa onal qualifica on? (i.e. Secondary Educa on Cer ficate, Bachelor in Economics) ………………………………………………………………………………………………….…… ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… What is the level of this highest previous qualifica on? no previous qualifica on completed secondary educa on undergraduate diploma bachelor postgraduate degree or diploma other
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naire )
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The ABET organiza on, responsible for the accredita on of US Engineering Schools , has launched the following 11 student outcomes. As ABET claims, a “program must have documented student outcomes that prepare gra duates to a�ain the program educa onal objec ves�. In this sense, we would appreciate if you could fill - in the ques onnaire, by expressing the level of your capabili es, indica ng how well you are prepared for future career . What is the level of your capabili es in the following ABET student outcomes ? Very High High level level An ability to apply knowledge of mathema cs, science, and engineering An ability to design and conduct experiments, as well as to analyze and interpret data An ability to design a system, component, or process to meet desired needs within realis c constraints such as economic, environmental, social, poli cal, ethical, health and safety, manufacturability, and sustainability An ability to func on on mul disciplinary teams
Neither high nor low level
Low level
Very low level
engineering solu ons in a global, economic, environmental, and
An ability to use techniques, skills, and modern engineering tools necessary for engineering prac ce
An ability to iden fy, formulate, and solve engineering problems An understanding of professional and ethical responsibility An ability to communicate effec vely
The broad educa on necessary to understand the impact of societal context A recogni on of the need for, and an ability to engage in lifelong learning A knowledge of contemporary issues
Globally, the level of your abili es on the above are considered as of Thank you very much
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Appendix 2 TiT Survey on the Future University Project Survey responses:
17 out of 23 participants responded on the survey.
Names of participant respondents:
Names can be found below Gabriel Sarivan
Natalia Elías
Witold Pacholarz
Karol Marciniak
Hèctor Díaz
Juri Solovjov
Adriana Mijacika
João Paiva
Nimet Saygi
Emmanouela Dandouti
Evgeniia Baliasnikova Nikita Logachev
Flaure Derveaux
Maria Cywinska
Nagy Márton Kristina Kadykeeva
Lorenzo Napoleone
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Self-assessment of conflict solving satisfaction by participants in the Future University Project groups on a continuous scale. 1 represents “Not satisfied at all” while 5 represents “Very satisfied”
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BEST Event on Education Chania Describe what conflicts you believe could have been avoided or solved more easily, eg. by conflict solving skills, and how you would change it: (9 answers) “Actually, we had a great team and we had no conflicts. We were sharing our ideas, next we were discussing them and choosing the best ones.” “I think we didn’t have much conflicts in our team. Probably we could have had some disagreements, but they were solved in further discussion and all the opinions were taken into consideration.” “Having the opinion of all team members, and voting upon a solution. Not always having the same people giving their opinions.” “Of course there were some conflicts when tackling the main problems of future universities, but most of the time we didn’t discuss them due to lack of time. Most of the time we agreed upon a solution that suited one or two opinions and then we moved on. We had problems when we disagreed on some solutions for future universities that could have been solved by having more time to discuss them.” “The conflicts were only regarding different opinions because of our different past grounds, there was no need to be avoided or solved more easily” “There were people that feel strongly about their opinion and lack just a little bit of patience to listen to other opinions. They were leading more the TiT but I think we kind of overcome this. I’m talking for the whole team, including me” “I know this was not really possible and would probably have
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12th July - 21st July 2017 been really boring. But if think if you are working to achieve one solution and you don’t understand someone’s background/ environment you might have different levels in wanting to achieve something. So solution: boring background check on universities of your team members. Or maybe a 1 hour study moment in a pc class to do this task.” “Conflicts on choosing which area suited best the issue and its solution, I would have liked to listen yo more opinions before choosing something all together.” “It wasn’t a conflict, but not each member of our team was active, but it’s not a big deal. We always found a solution together.”
Self-assessment of the impact of cultural differences on team work by participants in the Future University Project groups, rated on a continuous scale. 1 represents “It damaged our work” while 5 represents “It enhanced our work”.
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Appendix 3 Survey for EoE content evaluation Survey responses:
19 out of 23 participants responded on the survey
Names of participant respondents:
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Names can be found below João Paiva
Nagy Marton
Adriana Mijacika
Paulina Dubas
Lorenzo Napoleone
Natalia Elias
Svitlana Nechytailo
Gabriel Sarivan
Flaure Derveaux
Nikita Logachev
Emmanouela Dandouti
Nimet Saygı
Kristina Kadykeeva
Hèctor Díaz Quintairos
Karol Marciniak Juri Solovjov
Witold Pacholarz Evgeniia Baliasnikova Maria Cywinska
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How do you plan to use the knowledge you gained in the EoE? (14 answers) “Maybe I`ll suggest my professors to use some approach of teamworking and to focus on the soft skills” “It has shown me that there is more than only technical skills. An erasmus program may be limiting your technical development
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BEST Event on Education Chania (knowledge) but it gives you much more other skills that you will need in your future self-development and career.” “I would like to implement it in my University; I am part of the Student’s Delegation of my University and we can propose changes in educational methods and evaluation systems. So I would really like to see all these methods discussed in this EoE implement it in the years to come.” “In uni: put forward ideas from the discussions via course evaluation. at work: providing guidelines for trainee work programs” “I will be more open in discussions” “I think i`ll be possible in my future work” “First of all, I’d use it when i’ll be applying for the university abroad, because now I know to what aspects I should pay special attention to, that I didn’t know before. Plus, if i’d be working in teaching sphere which is possible for me, I’ll know what students need and try to give them what they want. Maybe even try to influence an educational institution on the way to make it better for students.” “Now I have better understanding of my skills and those which I lack. It will help me to fulfill my duties at work and develop myself in the best possible way.” “For example, I am planning to do PhD and I am more than sure the knowledge I gained in the EoE will help me” “Maybe I would propose some of the ideas to the universities in my own country. I have not think about that yet, but I may be involved in some more events related to improve education in
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12th July - 21st July 2017 the future where I can apply this knowledge” “As I am interested in the topic, I would like to share the gained knowledge and exchange views during various meetings connected to this subject to change education of the future as a result.” “I liked some ideas which we had on our lectures, for example to create feedback university database or organize meetings with students who have graduated already from our universities. I think it could be very useful at least for my university and I want to share our ideas to develop my university system.” “I’m going to start my PhD next year so I’ll probably be better prepared for giving classes by myself.” How did the EoE benefit you personally? 16 answers “Understanding better the importance of students voice in the improving university education” “it makes me to believe in another education (in good, which you can use in your life)” “I felt accepted, being heard and the most important was to see the impact I had on others. Things I have seen, experienced can help others to move forward from weaker positions. So not only did I gain knowledge in engineering through university but much more (knowledge+skills) I didn’t realize before coming to this event. The group discussions were the most valuable to me because I was able to give other students an idea or solution to their problem.” “I acquired a lot of knowledge regarding educational methods. I gained more experience in discussion, public presentation and
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BEST Event on Education Chania summary information.” “New ideas about education, i became more open to other people” “I learned more about working in team and about different countries” “Knowledge of educational system in europe” “First of all, I think time in teams was my fav! We had an amazing group. GO OCHO! :D But as much as I enjoyed these sessions, all discussion groups were very interesting for me: it was motivating and what’s more, I was pleasantly surprised that everyone was so involved into conversation - there were no people (at least in my teams, maybe I was just lucky) who just kept silent. That’s amazing! What did I benefit? I think, I improved my team work skill. Plus, as I’m not an engineer I got a better overview of the major and it’s aspects I’m not related to. Moreover, as I already knew that education in Russia, let’s say sucks, I managed to structure everything in my head, see what’s going on in other countries(to be honest I thought it’s better in Europe, but turned out not everywhere), and now I definitely know that we are the worst :D Plus, most of the topics we had lectures on were new for me so it was interesting to learn it too!” “Of course I gained a lot of knowledge about people from different countries and clultural backgrounds.” “I really liked to investigate what kinds of learning exist and also get to know how university and curriculum differ in every country” “I have learned about other people’s opinions and experiences from all over the Europe.”
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12th July - 21st July 2017 “It made me know more about education systems in other countries of europe” “It made me realize some issues of my University deeper through the discussions, when other participants shared their personal experience of their Universities. This made me focus on the elements that my University lacks of but are important for a student’s overall education (for instance teaching soft skills) and as such I can at least seek for other ways in order to replace this deficiency. I also had the chance to collaborate with students from different cultural backgrounds and experience different ways of thinking, approaching and solving problems! I met some new amazing people that we stayed in touch! Last but not least it really motivated me for the next year and for my future as a BESTie!” “I definitely broadened my horizons in different aspects. I got to know plenty of methods of leading a workshop, possible methods of providing education at universities. Functioning in a multicultural development was also really developing as it enabled a mix of opinions and views.” “The best and awesome benefit is obviously people which I met at this EoE and experience we had all together. Also thanks to “Time in Teams” I have university of my dream in my mind and some ideas how to spend my studying time more effectively.” “I think that I am more openminded and in general open to other people, I learn how to share my opinion with others and how to listen what others have to say.”
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