Minutes from the Hansa Nova seminar at Vilnius College of Higher Education, April, 2007.

Transcription

1 Minutes from the Hansa Nova seminar at Vilnius College of Higher Education, April, List of participants: INSTITUTION PARTICIPANTS HIBU Eldar Dybvik Anne Kari Gulbrandsen SPBSPU Olga Emelianova Natalia Grishina Elena Nikonchuk ARCADA Hellevi Aittoniemi Christa Tigerstedt Leif Nordberg Peter Milden Eija Källström SPBSU Vladimir Sherov-Ignatiev Irina Vorobiova TIETGEN Regitze Kristensen Alice Pedersen Troels Kristensen Inger-Marie Christensen TALLINN Alina Sivitski Leo Teder VIKO Ilona Kojelyte Danute Rasimaviciene Povilas Sapkauskas Jolanta Preidiene VU Danute Diskiene Rima Cesyniene Thursday 19 April Jolanta Preidiene from Vilnius college of Higher Education opened the seminar by presenting the college and welcoming all participants. Thereafter Eija Källström accounted for the main stages and the present situation of the project. The main stages are: 1. Materials development ( ) 2. Testing the Module ( ) 3. Implementing the Module ( )

2 At present, the project is in the middle of the materials development stage. Materials are under development for a) a Manual (Nordplus funding), that will be published both in electronic and printed form b) an online Module to be tested and thereafter implemented in all participating HEIs (EU funding). The project is exactly on time, following the work plan submitted in the EU-application. The aims of the seminar were also listed. During the seminar, the participants were expected to: Learn from each other through chapter presentations Agree upon how the content of each chapter can be further developed Agree upon the timetable for chapter development Agree upon how the chapters can be developed to a common Module (EU) with learning outcomes and ECTs Agree upon how the Module will be tested Discuss the implementation of the Module in each participating HEI Discuss different possibilities for blended learning, where on-line materials can be used in different forms Consider how the evaluation reports can be applied for further development of the project The Hansa Nova internal evaluator, Christa Tigerstedt, presented results from the process evaluation that has been conducted so far. Feed-back has been gathered from the following sources: - Students evaluation of implementing the Materials development in a course in project management - Student s independent evaluation report of observing the work in the course in project management - Teachers mid-term evaluations of working as team-members or team-leaders in the Hansa Nova research teams (see appendix 1). Christa Tigerstedt also reported the findings of the Hansa Nova external evaluator, Timo Ala-Vähälä, who has evaluated the materials developed so far. He compared the materials developed with the plans in the application for the European Module. Furthermore, learning outcomes were compared with the EU-application and with the Dublin Level descriptors (see appendix 2). The report was later used in the workshops where the chapter teams agreed upon how the materials should be further developed. Regitze Kristensen presented the guidelines for chapter presentations and development Thereafter chapters 1-4 were presented and feed-back was given by the following persons: Presentation (P) of chapters and feed-back (FB) Chapter 1: Hellevi Aittoniemi, Arcada (P) Rima Cesyniene VU (FB) 2

3 Chapter 2: Chapter 3: Chapter 4: Vladimir Sherov-Ignatiev, SPBSU (P) Danute Rasimavaciene, VIKO (FB) Troels Kristensen, TBC (P) Olga Emilianova SPBSPU (FB) Danute Diskiene, VU (P) Eldar Dybvik, HIBU (FB) The audience also participated actively with suggestions for how the chapters could be further developed. After the presentations the participants had dinner in restaurant Belmontas. Friday 20 April The meeting continued with presentations and discussions of chapters 5-6. Chapter 5: Chapter 6: Alina Sivitski, TUT (P) Alice Petersen, TBC (FB) Regitze Kristensen, TBC (P) Peter Milden, Arcada (FB) Even if the chapters were produced by individual teams, it was stressed that the whole Hansa Nova network has a joint responsibility for the contents of the Module. Workshops thereafter followed, where the teams further developed their chapters on the basis of all feed-back they have received. Focus was on developing exercises for bachelor and master-level education, as well as on producing learning outcomes of each chapter. Furthermore, the chapter teams agreed on time-table for finalizing their chapter. It was agreed that the chapters should be updated with the following timetable By first chapter updates ready and published on the Hansa Nova website, internal area. The cultural chapters had difficulties in meeting that dead-line so they send in the first updates by By final chapter updates ready and published on the Hansa Nova website, internal area. All partners agreed to read all the chapters updates published and immediately react in case of unclear sections in the chapters. Preliminary suggestions for chapters 7-8 were presented by Eija Källström and Christa Tigerstedt. The management team is responsible for developing these chapters. First drafts will be available on the Hansa Nova website by for comments. 3

4 The management team is also responsible for producing the Manual for Nordplus Neighbour on the basis of the chapters developed by the research teams. The Manual will be available in electronic form on the Hansa Nova website. A few printed versions will also be sent to each partner institution. The Module will only be available in electronic form. It will be published on the Hansa Nova website for all partner institutions. It was agreed that Vilnius College of Higher Education (Bachelor level) and Vilnius University (Master level) are responsible for testing the Module in autumn (September- October). Testing will be done by a group of students and by a teacher that has not participated in the materials development. Buskerud University College was also asked to investigate the possibilities for testing the Module at Master level. The responsible HEIs will write a plan for the testing and send it to the management team for feed-back before summer. For the testing, the material on the Hansa Nova website will be used. The discussion thereafter moved to the possibilities for online cooperation when implementing the Module. Inger-Marie Christensen highlighted pedagogical and technical aspects of moving from materials production to on-line delivery of the Module (see appendix 3). Her presentation inspired the chapter teams to a first discussion on how online delivery could be implemented in each institution. This seminar day ended with an excursion to Vilnius City Old Town with guide and dinner in Vilnius Old Town restaurant Tores. Saturday 21 April The day started with feed-back from team discussions regarding online implementation of the Module. Pros and cons were discussed in general possibilities were seen for at least some parts of the Module to be implemented online. Feed-bask from chapters 5 and 6 summarized the different possibilities starting from the easiest and ending with the most sophisticated version (see appendix 4). Leif Nordberg thereafter presented a possible IT-structure for joint delivery in more detail. Further examples were given by Troels Kristensen and Hellevi Aittoniemi. The network also agreed upon the amount of ECTS that the Module comprises. It was 10 ECTS in total divided by the different chapters in the following way: 1. The Cultural Landscape: History, Culture, and Languages 1 ECTS 2. The Social Landscape: Social and Environmental Conditions 1 ECTS 3. The Economic Landscape: Macroeconomics in the Baltic Sea Region 1 ECTS 4.The Business Culture Landscape 2 ECTS 5. Working in international projects 2 ECTS 6. Experience from companies working with a multicultural workforce 2 ECTS 7. Theory versus practice 1 ECTS 8. Evaluation of the learning process

5 A first discussion on how the Module could be implemented in each institution thereafter took place. The network has a flexible approach for implementing, since the organisational possibilities for changes vary in the partner institutions. In some institutions, the materials can be implemented in already existing courses, while in others the whole Module might be implemented as a new course. All institutions will now start planning on how the 10 ECTS best could be implemented. Possibilities for face-to-face meetings were appreciated by all network partners. Such meetings also give possibility to further discuss the online possibilities for delivering the Module. The Hansa Nova network therefore decided to meet the next time 8 10 November, 2007 in Odense, Denmark. The main issues for that seminar is - feed-back from the testing of the Module - detailed plans for how the Module will be implemented in each partner institution - detailed plans for online delivery of the Module It was agreed that this seminar has fulfilled the aims stated for it. Administrative issues were thereafter discussed with the contact persons in each institution. It was agreed that all dissemination activities should be reported to Eija Källström as soon as possible when they have taken place. Such activities need to be reported both to Nordplus and the EU. The principles of cost requisitions were also agreed upon. Further details on these issues will also be sent by to the responsible persons in each institution. The seminar was concluding lunch in Vilnius centre restaurant Laikinoji sostine. 5