Level: For Advanced Setting: Mixed Format: In-Person Subjects: Engineering |
Introducing TECSKILL project
Urgent digital transformation in the European framework has aroused the establishment of the European Commission Digital Strategy and the Digital Education Plan 2021-2027, as well as the need to fulfil Sustainable Development Goals set by the 2030 Agenda, the 2050 Long Term Strategy for Climate Action and the Green Deal. In this way, innovative teaching and learning assessment tools and methodologies to complement classical academic knowledge in higher university cycles are required to cope with these objectives. Trends in digitalization and sustainability reflected in the aforementioned European strategies leads to the European labour market demanding more qualified profiles in digital and environmental skills. This need for training is accentuated in engineering and research profiles. In this environment of competence development, higher education institutions act as an ideal forum for the development of green competences and specialized digital training promotion of professors, students and researchers.
In that way, the general objective of TECSKILL is to develop green and digital competences in engineering PhD candidates in Europe, gaining international training experience and developing innovative learning methodologies of these competences.
Training methodology
To develop green and digital competences in engineering PhD students requires an appropriate training programme. Thus, TECSKILL has developed an advanced and specialised level of the competences set out in the digitisation framework (DigComp) and sustainability framework (GreenComp) adapted to engineering PhD students.
During the implementation of the project an innovative teaching and learning methodology has been developed and will be applied by different teachers from the 4 organisations of the project consortium. This methodology is based on Challenge-Based Learning, Project-Based Learning and Research-Based Learning. The training will be implemented during the 4 face-to-face training activities in the 4 partner countries, developing the green and digital competences of the engineering doctoral students. Complementarily, TECSKILL will develop open access online courses (MOOCs) to facilitate the acquisition of green and digital competences in engineering doctoral students. These will be accessible through different channels and will enable PhD students to implement digital and sustainable design models, working and acting in a more sustainable way.
In order to disseminate the knowledge generated in the project to any higher education institution, TECSKILL will develop teaching publications and a good practice guide where the teaching and learning methodology, the training experiences and the evaluation of the acquired competences. In this way, the project will contribute to achieving the digitisation and environmental needs of Europe by designing, working and acting in a more sustainable way.
Results and deliverables
Among the results and deliverables of the project, the following can be highlighted:
- A learning and teaching methodology guide to develop the green and digital competences developed in the project.
- Green and digital competences for engineering PhD candidates adapted from Greencomp and Digcomp.
- Evaluation method for digital and green competences.
- MOOC courses for the acquisition of green and digital competences.
- Teaching and learning activities to embody the methodology and green and digital competences acquisition.
- Guide of best practices: teaching, learning and training experiences carried out in TECSKILL.
Project Impact
The project results will have a strong impact on engineering PhD candidates, teaching and research staff and higher education institutions and ultimately, across Europe. The project will create an international knowledge network that will enable the different stakeholders in the consortium countries to grow and prosper in their research work, expertise in sustainability and digitization, teaching innovation, etc. Competitiveness and cohesion of Europe will be improved, with social inclusiveness as a main subject. The expected impact of TECSKILL will be the following:
- Create innovative teaching and learning methodologies applicable to any higher education institution. Positioning of universities will be internationally strengthened in terms of sustainable and digital education.
- Employability of European engineering PhD students will be increased. The acquisition of green and European competences during the project will enhance the student’s employability.
- European identity of the PhD candidates will be reinforced by living an international training experience in other countries.
- Sustainable business models will be developed through the correct exploitation of natural resources and waste reduction.
TECSKILL will have the same impact on all partner organizations, as it will develop a teaching and learning methodology and training resources applicable to any higher education institution. Moreover, the training activities will be developed in all countries of the consortium and with PhD students from all 4 organizations, thus achieving an equitable impact among the organizations.
Dear Jaime González Domínguez
Congratulations on such an interesting project! I had the pleasure to read your full submission, including your survey, and it is an inspiring learning scenario. As explained in the call page and in the survey, I have now proceeded to curate your post to include all the relevant tags. However, I believe that the community would benefit from learning more about your methodology, subjects involved in the project, and a more detailed explanation of the learning scenario.
Would you mind editing your blog post adding this information for the rest of the community?
Excellent learning and more successes SDG4 ODS4
Please log in or sign up to comment.