Interaction between Student and Project

1. Interaction between Student and Project • In the EEM, project-based work will always involve projects dealing with a problem that is so open it will always be viewed by the student as problem-based learning. • The introduction of project organisation as a method for solving an open-ended problem within a limited scientific or technical field will be the basis on which the student builds up a range of applied competencies: April 2010 Faculty of Engineering

2. Interaction between Student and Project • creativity, initiative, self-confidence and an appetite for seeking new challenges when the student successfully tackles an apparently overly complicated assignment; • experience in formulating hypotheses and defining problems; • the ability to generate ideas and to assess and select possible solutions; • the ability to plan one’s own time and to deploy one’s own resources; • experience in disseminating knowledge and results; • the ability to transfer theory to practical utilisation and, in return, to be fully aware of a theory that can be generalised on the basis of practical application; In so doing, a more profound, coherent learning process is achieved. April 2010 Faculty of Engineering

3. Interaction between Student and Team • When the student joins a group of fellow students for the purpose of jointly carrying out a study activity, the student will have to develop competencies related to teamwork and organization. • This is an important part of general engineering competencies, and “cooperative learning” is a central educational method in the EEM. • The content, which is the object of the students’ focus, comes from Subject or Project. • Depending on the scope of the joint activities, the following competencies can be strengthened: April 2010 Faculty of Engineering

4. Interaction between Student and Team • cooperativeskills; • an awareness of cultural and social norms and values; • tolerance and respect for others (from other cultures, if relevant); • experience in team roles, guidance, communication, negotiation; • understanding the significance of agreements, plans and framework; • the ability to assess the quality and relevance of one’s own efforts and those of others; • a deeper, broader scientific understanding by sharing knowledge within the group. April 2010 Faculty of Engineering

5. Interaction between Student and Subject • The part of the learning environment based on the individual student’s participation in subject-oriented courses corresponds in the model to the elements Student and Subject linked by the line labelled “A”. • In this learning environment, it is possible to build up the following competencies, depending on the type of study selected (independent study, lectures with exercises, problem-orientation): April 2010 Faculty of Engineering

6. Interaction between Student and Subject • self-discipline, perseverance and responsibility; • the ability to assess the relevance and quality of one’s own work; • an awareness of different styles and levels of learning; • the ability to assess, select and structure knowledge; • the ability to analyse problems systematically by applying mathematic and scientific models and possibly through experimentation (depending on the specific subject); • the ability for scientific absorption. • The scientific and technical knowledge to be learned will usually be determined by the syllabus, and the application will mostly be single-subject and exemplary. April 2010 Faculty of Engineering

7. Interaction between Subject and Project • By making projects interdisciplinary and application-oriented, the following is also achieved: • a deeper, broader understanding of the individual subject by putting scientific and technical knowledge in an interdisciplinary context and in an applied context; • the ability to independently gain new scientific and technical knowledge, as open-ended problems will usually require solutions that are unknown to the student in advance; • the ability to analyse complex problems; • a general perspective on a wide range of solution strategies with an accompanying identification of subsidiary goals; • an understanding of the project’s entirety and its relation to economic, environmental and ethical factors, etc. April 2010 Faculty of Engineering

8. Interaction between Project and Team • If the team jointly implements a project, an extra dimension will be achieved in several competencies, as the teamwork will make additional demands on coordination, planning, delegation of responsibility, knowledge administration and communication. April 2010 Faculty of Engineering

9. Interaction between Project and Team • Interdisciplinary, problem-oriented project work in teams is a central educational method in the EEM. This is motivated by the fact that this method has the greatest degree of authenticity and equivalence with the prevailing working methods in the business community. Thus, it is appropriate for building up the general engineering competencies in demand by the target companies. April 2010 Faculty of Engineering

10. Interaction between Project and Team • The projects are based on reality-based or actual problems that the companies wish to resolve. In addition, an effort will be made to assemble the groups as “teams of experts”, made up of students from various courses of study and make sure that everyone learns to work in teams comprised of international participants. This will enable the following to be achieved: April 2010 Faculty of Engineering

11. Interaction between Project and Team • responsibility, commitment and a broad perspective; • experience in project administration, management, coordination and resource planning; • experience in complex project models; • the ability to share and collect knowledge and to assess and communicate ideas and solution proposals; • openness to creative, innovative solution options that consider the entirety in which the project is included; • the ability to disseminate results and conclusions using various methods and for various target groups. April 2010 Faculty of Engineering

12. Interaction between Subject and Team • If the team cooperates on scientific studies, e.g. as a study group, this will lay the groundwork on which to establish skills for teaching and supervising peers, assessing the quality of each other’s work and technical self-assessment and quality assurance, cf. above. • Competencies that generally contribute to strengthening the technical qualifications of the individual student. April 2010 Faculty of Engineering