Virtual Wood University Project Erasmus Project

Project Title

Virtual Wood University Project

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: Pedagogy and didactics; New innovative curricula/educational methods/development of training courses; ICT – new technologies – digital competences

Project Summary

The aim of this project is to strengthen the cooperation of higher education institutions (universities and universities of applied sciences) in the field of wood engineering and management and jointly develop and implement distance learning modules. The develpment process in three steps guarantees a high standard of the collaboratively designed teaching units. After each step a thorough evaluation process takes place in order to incorporate students’ and teachers’ feedback into the new tranche of online teaching material to be created. At the end of the project 40 ECTS are available online, out of which students can choose 30 ECTS and do a virtual Erasmus+ mobility semester with full ECTS recognition at the home university. This means that for the first time ever, a European student of wood engineering or wood management can study a full exchange semester online, without having to leave the home university. Nevertheless, benefits and learning outcomes should be as close as possible to the ones from a real exchange semester that involves mobility. The virtual exchange semester will contribute to opening the possibility of studying in an international context, with courses in a foreign language (English) and lecturers as well as students from other cultural and institutional backgrounds to a higher percentage of students than the number of students who can afford to do an Erasmus+ exchange programme with physical mobility. Regardless of financial, social or physical barriers, students can do an exchange semester at the Virtual Wood University. The modules offered will show a high degree of collaboration and cooperation and put special emphasis on aspects that help to develop a European mindset, both with regard to the wood business and European citizenship. The exchange semester offered on the Virtual Wood University Platform shall provide students with a high degree of experience in cross-country cooperation and intercultural awareness building.
The joint development of teaching modules adds a European dimension to the study material. Four representative institutions in the field of wood technology studies put efforts and expertise together in order to collaboratively create up-to-date online teaching units: Salzburg University of Applied Scienc-es. Austria (Lead), LAB University of Applied Sciences in Lahti Finland, Tallinn University of Technolo-gy (TalTech), Estonia and DHBW Baden Württemberg Mosbach, Germany.
The long-term vision is to use the results of this project to strategically extend the number of partners and develop a Virtual European Wood University in which several institutions that offer post-secondary education in the areas of forestry, forest products technology, timber trade & management work strongly together and offer joint programmes.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 217365 Eur

Project Coordinator

Fachhochschule Salzburg GmbH & Country: AT

Project Partners

• Duale Hochschule Baden-Württemberg Mosbach
• LAB AMMATTIKORKEAKOULU OY
• TALLINNA TEHNIKAULIKOOL