Scale up: from classroom to industry

Posted by Tina Skalar, on Oct. 16, 2022, 9:42 p.m.
Pedagogy
Excursion Mentoring
Content
ChemicalIndustry
Context/Topic
STEM-CPD@EUni

Tina Skalar

Faculty of Chemistry and Chemical Technology, University of Ljubljana, Slovenia

Challenge and goal

The goal is to enrich the study of chemical engineering and related sciences by visiting the chemical industry in the local area. Unfortunately, the classroom or the computer (pictures, videos) cannot show the real situation of the end user of the profile that the institution teaches and develops. From a financial perspective, the cost of conducting such a visit is minor compared to the return in experience, performance, and insight. However, such a relaxed visit can become too frivolous, so it is necessary to include elements with tasks to be completed by the students before, during and after the visit.

Excursions are an important part of the study process. Their organization is complex. The content of visit must be related to the curriculum. The students should actively participate in the technical visit (motivation).

 

Topic of the user case

  • organization
  • cooperation: presentation of potential staff, solving actual research problems
  • How to motivate the students?
  • Evaluation (strudents and professors) before and after activity
 

Local context (specific)

  • Universal user case
  • Adjustment due to study programme, cycle, subject syllabus

Local CPD goals

Train academic teacher how to

  • implement visit in subject curriculum
  • identify key points in such activities (obligations)
  • improve communication between student teachers and the industrial partner

 

 

Needs defined in STEM-CPD Roadmap

Competences
2 define intended learning outcomes in every course they teach
10 support students in socializing (specifically e.g. during a pandemic)
11 stimulate discussion
Attitudes
6 use students evaluations and the feedback of students to improve courses.
Activities
5 following online courses / MOOC about teaching and learning.

CPD activities at the local university

  • Getting mentoring from an experienced colleague
  • Giving mentoring to a junior lecturer
  • Giving workshops to other lecture
  • Blended learning (do it yourself – in collaboration)

Teaching and learning materials

  • science literature on the specific subject
  • TPACK approach (T- different tools used, C-content related to industry, P- flipped classroom, A-actual problem)

Suggestion:

  • Before visit - literature review, prepare content questions, Reflection before visit (student expectations).
  • After visit: students should submit the required written work. Reflection after visit.

Sustainable implementation

  • Producing micro MOOC or another user case
  • Organizing of a pedagogical conference (experience exchange)

 

 

 

Expected impact of the CPD User Case

  • Model for organizing that kind of activities (sparing time)
  • Development of personal competences
  • Higher level of self-motivated students

Plans for eventual continuation of the CPD within the same topic

  • Updating the existing user case with new findings and observations. 

  • CPD activities for industrial partner, students

  • Analysis of student reflection – use in user case updating

  • creating and updating the user case has given me new ideas and a constant need to revise and update my work

  • I'll probably make a microMOOC

  • In parallel, I will prepare survey questions in various apps to be given to students separately before and after the excursion.

  • Among the activities the students would do is: how would they organise a similar event if they were on our side (organisers) or how would they organise if they were on the guest's side (industry). The assignment would be designed as a project work, covering all the organisational and contextual aspects from different perspectives.

  • they would mainly focus on the things that went well, but also suggest changes (things they didn't like very much) or additions.

 

 

Constructive alignment, Competence teaching, Deep learning (type P1-1, P1-2a, P1-3c)

This CPD scenario describes a User case in which lecturers develop their competence in sound course design and teaching in higher education and how to facilitate student’s deep learning and development of higher cognitive skills and develop attitudes in practicing teaching and learning in an evidence informed way.
The approximate duration of a User case that follows this scenario is several weeks.
In this CPD scenario the participants are using a very short open online course, a micro mooc (μmooc) and meet in person on location with the training staff and with other participants.

Learning environment
μMOOCs
Face-to-face
Time
Several weeks

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