From theory to practice – International Teaching in Field Archeology in Roman Sarmizegetusa Erasmus Project

Project Title

From theory to practice – International Teaching in Field Archeology in Roman Sarmizegetusa

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 2015

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: New innovative curricula/educational methods/development of training courses; International cooperation, international relations, development cooperation; Research and innovation

Project Summary

The Project „From Theory to practice – International Teaching in Field of Archaeology” was coordinated by National Museum of Transylvanian History, a culture institution with activities in connection that regards the research and the valorisation of the cultural heritage and archaeological patrimony. The partners involved in the project are four high-education institutions, Univerisity of Exeter (UK), University of Viena (AT), University of Heidelberg (DE) and Babeș-Bolyai University Cluj-Napoca (RO).

The project started from the need identified by the project team in relation with to the lack of a coherent learning program at European level in the archaeological field-school for developing students archaeological entrepreneurial abilities. Thus, although archaeology is traditionally taught in many universities in Europe, only few graduates are aware of their great potential in providing specific specialist skills within an entrepreneurial framework; therefore, they find insertion in the traditional job market to be very difficult and only few of them are able to develop successful careers in archaeology.
Among the causes that led to the identified problem are:
– poor opportunities for sharing know-how among research-active staff involved in educating students and for collaboration with other institutions employing qualified personnel in archaeology;
– shortage of good practice models in archaeology aimed at developing entrepreneurship among young people and of working tools for the acquisition and recognition of skills and competences;
– low level of international and interdisciplinary collaboration in archaeology among teachers, researchers or students.

The aim of our project was the creation, adoption and promotion of a coherent model of nonformal and informal learning, and the development of cross-border competences and of professional and transferable transversal skills for the European students within the framework of the archaeological field school at Sarmizegetusa, in order to facilitate the achievement of entrepreneurial awareness and practical experience useful in student mobility within a trans-European professional labour market.
Briefly, the objective followed in the project aimed to increase the quality and relevance within the labour market and high education in archaeological field schools for students through innovatory practices; to promote the employability-focused education in archaeology; to innovate, develop and adapt a working methodology for the teaching and recognition of archaeological competences and skills; to consolidate the professional development and cross-border cooperation of 10 researchers from 5 European institution; to increase the active learning and abilities for professional insertion of students and to develop active European citizenship among the students in protecting and promoting our shared European archaeological heritage.

In our project we planned a set of activities on a 30 months plan that is approaching each objective. The main activity are related with the intellectual outputs of the project (A International Curricula and a Manual of learning methods on archaeology ) and includes besides management activities also two ISP for testing and updating the above mentioned outputs, 4 multiplier events that aims the dissemination of the results and 4 transnational project meeting.

To achieve these objectives a set of activities were developed inside this strategic partnership. In order to improve the cooperation between partners 4 Transnational Meetings were organised, that had like objectives the proper management of the project, the evaluation of the progress of the project and development of a new methodology and teaching and learning methods regarding the preparation of students. As well, as intellectual output the project developed teaching methods that were described inside of a Manual , but also the researchers and teacher involved in the project developed a new curriculum containing the aims and objectives of several learning activities and modules; knowledge, skills and abilities that could be gained in the learning activity; assessments and evaluation criteria. The resulted learning methods were tested and applied for students inside of 2 Intensive Study Programs organised in the archaeological roman site of Sarmizegetusa. The results of the project activities was disseminated through different channels and inside 3 Multiplier Events organised by partner universities.

The main results of the project, beside the development of a new curricula and of a Manual, was the development of a website containing details about the project activities, the recognition of the students learning process, a strong collaboration between partners. The impact of the project was measured at local, regional and European level by the feedback of other researchers in the field and the interaction with the project results on several media channels or scholar websites.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 121375 Eur

Project Coordinator

Muzeul National de Istorie a Transilvaniei Cluj-Napoca & Country: RO

Project Partners

• UNIVERSITATEA BABES BOLYAI
• RUPRECHT-KARLS-UNIVERSITAET HEIDELBERG
• THE UNIVERSITY OF EXETER
• UNIVERSITAT WIEN