New Level of Integrated TEchniques for Daylighting education Erasmus Project

Project Title

New Level of Integrated TEchniques for Daylighting 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 2020

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: New innovative curricula/educational methods/development of training courses; Overcoming skills mismatches (basic/transversal); ICT – new technologies – digital competences

Project Summary

Daylighting design is a key trans-disciplinary field in the context of a resource-efficient world. Daylight in buildings is also proven to increase well-being, productivity and comfort.
The lack of daylight has serious psychophysiological consequences, while excessive exposure to electric lighting can potentially disrupt hormonal circadian rhythms, affecting mood and health. Proper integration of daylighting is promoted by newly approved EU standards under CEN/TC 169 “Light and Lighting” scope.
However, despite the strategic role of daylight in building design, there is a strong knowledge gap among students and professionals. As a direct result, there is a tendency to use design strategies with low awareness of environmental consequences (e.g. overheating, energy-intensive buildings, human distress, etc.). This represents a serious limitation towards a healthy and energy-efficient society. This issue are linked to the absence of a set of coherent educational offers that would allow expert competence on the subject.

The NLITED (New Level of Integrated TEchniques for Daylighting education) project aims to fill the existing knowledge gaps by introducing a comprehensive learning model consisting of an educational package offering state-of-the-art and research-based, yet professionally-oriented, competence in daylighting design of buildings.
This must be done through a strategic use of ICT combined with a flexible educational model built through a supranational network of stakeholders.
To achieve its goals, NLITED relies on a strategic partnership among four European HE: the Niccolò Cusano University (UNICUSANO), the Technical University of Denmark (DTU), the Gdansk University of Technology (PG) and the University of Lund (LU).

The recipients of the training proposal are 3 types of learners: traditional fulltime learners (university students), part-time students, and non-traditional students (e.g. continuous life learning or professionally commissioned education).

NLITED comprises three main macro-activities corresponding to the three years of the project duration:
• Year 1, the creation of the educational package.
• Year 2, the launch and testing of the trial version,
• Year 3, the publication of the final version of the package, as well as the monitoring, evaluation and revision of the methodological approach.

The educational package is based on the integration of techniques in a newly developed educational venue: a modular teaching through an ePlatform and an intensive study program (ISP) in form of a physical summer school. The ePlatform will provide theoretical knowledge, while the summer school will be used for in-depth applied training.
The proposed programme is designed to provide a tailor-made training path thanks to the use of separated eModules. An input test will be used to allow the participants to take only the necessary modules to fill the knowledge gaps.
The students will receive ECTS credits, while professionals will get a Certificate of Attendance for each eModule. As for the ISP participation, there will be a selection among the participants in the programme.

The project will result in the following outcomes.
– A definition of competences (report) carried out by involving associated partners and other stakeholders, which will help to create a demand-driven training offer.
– A complete educational package that allows students to become more aware of the design implications of daylighting.
– A full eLearning platform that allows learners to acquire ICT skills, particularly useful for non-traditional professionals.
– A database of “eModules for daylight education” suitable for a tailor-made teaching model.
– A supranational macro network based on local networks of stakeholders (as associated partners) suitable to improve cooperation and dialogue.
– A methodological approach (report) that will be made solid by the validation process and by the involvement of stakeholders from the early stages of the project.

The potential long-term benefits of the project can be read from a European perspective.
Thanks to the use of ICT technologies, it will be possible to improve the technical training offer by going beyond the national scale and reaching students from other European countries.
The specialist and trans-disciplinary approach proposed will also prepare the most environmentally aware designers who will become the drivers of change in their workplaces. The universities involved in the supranational network will become centres of excellence, channelling the knowledge of the different actors involved and will become the focus of a change of mentality.
Moreover, the transferability of the proposed model will allow other similar experiences both at European level and in different educational sectors.
Finally, the results of NLITED will help to improve future research in education.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 449932 Eur

Project Coordinator

UNIVERSITA DEGLI STUDI NICCOLO CUSANO TELEMATICA ROMA & Country: IT

Project Partners

• DANMARKS TEKNISKE UNIVERSITET
• LUNDS UNIVERSITET
• POLITECHNIKA GDANSKA