Innovative Student-Centred Learning Practices fuelled with ITC-tools and university – industry cooperation towards reinforcement of Business & Engineering Entrepreneurships education Erasmus Project

Project Title

Innovative Student-Centred Learning Practices fuelled with ITC-tools and university – industry cooperation towards reinforcement of Business & Engineering Entrepreneurships education

Project Key Action

This project related with these key action: Cooperation for innovation and the exchange of good practices

Project Action Type

This project related with this action type : Strategic Partnerships for higher education

Project Call Year

This project’s Call Year is 2017

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: ICT – new technologies – digital competences; New innovative curricula/educational methods/development of training courses; Entrepreneurial learning – entrepreneurship education

Project Summary

The Europe Higher Education in the World sets out as one of key priority towards a comprehensive internationalization strategy the integration of digital learning practices into the teaching and learning processes, enabling to mainstream the global dimension of education into the design and content of all curricula . The Modernization Agenda for HE calls universities to fulfil their role in society as driver of economic development, creating stronger links to business communities, recalibrating education systems to enhance social cohesions, and entrepreneurial skills which generates value creation for economy, culture and society {COM (2011) 567 final}.
Our project InoLearn4BEEs delivered a coherent response to the key priority set by EC in Modernisation Agenda for HE and exploited the transformational benefits of ITC-tools. It enriched teaching practices, improved learning experiences of all participants through a set of interconnected activities that supported personalised learning, equipping students with transferable skills, in the joint attempt to contribute to competitiveness and innovation potential of the market economy.
The project overcame the shortage of sustainable collaborations between academia and business and brought forward an innovative solution bounded on Student-Centred Learning (SCL) practices, contributed to the improvement of digital and critical thinking skills of students in Business and Engineering & Entrepreneurship fields based on exploiting the potential of ITC learning environment, enriched with international cooperation between universities and industry.
By unique combinations of complementary skills, six EU partners (4 HEIs, 1 HE Association, and 1 SME) brought in the centre of innovation numerous teachers and students in Business, Engineering and Entrepreneurship, and business stakeholders in the joint support of innovation at the level of all parties involved, based on achieved objectives:
O1. Transformed the existing teacher-centred culture into SCL practices through the series of modernized disciplines (24 learning syllabus for SCL aimed at entrepreneurial skills development) within the areas of Business, Engineering & Entrepreneurship education. These were innovated and modernized through personalized e-learning practices and new pedagogical methods and tools, with incorporated multicultural views on international resources, innovative pedagogies, methods and teaching skills for SCL.
O2. Capacitated entrepreneurship and digital skills of students through the series of 24 intercultural digital teaching modules and 72 learning objects covering all entrepreneurial phases embedded in Innovative SCL toolkit. Given the engagement of 93 transnational stakeholders, from a wide range of local industries, in articulating the thematic maps for cross-disciplinary study case development, the innovative knowledge resources were augmented with real-life challenges from business sectors.
O3. Stimulated and enhanced digital skills and critical thinking of 417 bachelor students enrolled in Business, Engineering & Entrepreneurship (BEE) education through the exploitation of Innovative Student-Centred Learning practices in interdisciplinary and intercultural approach fuelled with ITC learning experiences.
O4. Multiplied the benefits of Innovative Student-Centred Learning practices by the involvement of 260 transnational participants better connected to the international dimension of higher education and exposed to synergies among 24 modernized disciplines within BEE education areas, and 13 teachers/learners with acquired better use of digital learning and new pedagogies in teaching via SCL.
Our project induced positive changes at all parties involved, as per components:
– HE institutions with integrated digital learning practices into the teaching and learning processes, giving students more opportunities for interactive learning and entrepreneurial development through innovative SCL approaches, increasing the international dimension of education;
– The enterprise with augmented business perspectives, increased intercultural and civic experiences, and improved capacity to generate further international cooperation and shared learning approaches;
– The association of HEIs with advanced capacity to support excellence in education and foster societal development, spreading best practices and learning experience by the aid of new pedagogies in SCL approaches.
Given the innovative learning environment, the project induced positive and sustainable effects ensured a critical mass of more responsive stakeholders for new educational models and international collaboration via digital learning and expanding use of SCL practices. The project offered a meaningful way for modernizing curricula and relevant disciplines/courses for BEE area, increasing international experiences and competences of the teaching staff, and development of joint courses and strategic partnerships.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 157968,77 Eur

Project Coordinator

UNIVERSITATEA POLITEHNICA DIN BUCURESTI & Country: RO

Project Partners

• TECHNICKA UNIVERZITA V KOSICIACH
• S.C.AVANTERA S.R.L.
• AGENTIA UNIVERSITARA A FRANCOFONIEI
• UNIVERSITY OF RUSE ANGEL KANCHEV
• UNIWERSYTET MARII CURIE-SKLODOWSKIEJ