TREE outcomes students’ point of view

European universities responding to industrial challenges, 7th March,

Helsinki

Anna Fernández, BarcelonaBEST Educational Committee

BEST is…

• constantly growing non-profit, non-representative, non-political and volunteer student organisation funded in 1989

• 79 European Universities

• 29 countries

• 900.000 Students

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BESTEduCoEoEBEST in

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Educational Committee

• BEST Educational Committee

• Enhance engineering education in Europe

• Participation in European Thematic Networks and Projects about Engineering Education such as H3E, E4, TREE, ReVE, VM-BASE, SPUTNIC, etc.

• Involving students in educational matters

Events on Education• Participant: stakeholders in engineering education

• One week events on educational topics. Sharing opinions and experiences

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Why Events on Education?

• Students are the most affected by the education changes

• Source of fresh opinions and ideas• Opportunity to raise awareness of projects among

students

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Events on Education in numbers

• From 1996 until 3/2008: 28 events on education• Outcomes of the discussions presented in

conferences all around Europe (over 90)BESTEduCoEoEBEST in

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BEST in TREE

• Member of the Management Committee (Anna Fernández)

• Leading 2 Special Interest Groups (SIGs):

– B6: Stimulating student research in 1st cycle (Nicolò Wojewoda)

– C8: The role of extra-curricular activities in EE (Ömer Hantal)

• Students’ input in the project

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BEST in TREE

• Events on Education:– B6:

• BEST Academics and Companies, “Service Science and Undergraduate Research”, Brussels, March 2007

• Acces to higher education and undergraduate research, Ljubljana, May 2005

– C8:• The role of extra curricular activities in the formation

of Engineers, Rome Tor-Vergata, July 2005• BEST Academic and Companies, Istanbul, March

2006

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BEST in TREE• Outcomes of Events on Education in other SIGs:

– D6:• Ethics and Sustainable Development in Engineering

Education, Madrid, March 2006– A8:

• Engineering Demand and offer in Europe, Milan, April 2007

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Outcomes• SIG C8: The role of extracurricular activities in

EE

– Potential of such activities: self-confidence, team work, leadership,etc. social skills, competent engineers complementary education

– Key role from universities: flexibility for students involved (e.g. exams and attendance)

– Recognition (good practices):• UK• Spain

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Outcomes• SIG B6: Stimulating student research in the 1st

cycle

– Undergraduate Research (UR) enhances student learning richer Innovation Culture

– Common approach is to encourage UR in the phase of the final thesis

– In Europe no nation-wide initiatives exist for UR. It is left to Higher Educational Institutes.

– Companies are a crucial element as they provide fundingfunding

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Kiitoksia!

QUESTIONS???

Contact: education@BEST.eu.org