MARINTECH project aim to enhance the human capital and knowledge base in Romania through the following specific objectives:
O1. The enhancement of the quality and relevance of education and training will be achieved through:
- updating knowledge and acquiring new skills in the field of intelligent technologies for the maritime industry, in accordance with the requirements of the labor market;
- use of IT tools and innovative methods of teaching/learning/assessment in the online environment, adapted to the pandemic context.
The project will develop an innovative curriculum for a joint course of 3 modules, on intelligent technologies applied in the maritime industry („Intelligent technologies applications in maritime industry"), adapted to the new requirements of the labor market, attributed with ECTS, and commonly recognized by both universities. With a focus on the requirements of the labor market, the course will provide a solid ground for promoting excellence in teaching and for improving students' practical skills. The innovative educational resources and training facilities will be implemented in course modules. Thus, the courses will be adapted with the reference framework of the Digital Competence Framework 2.0 in order to develop and use open educational resources, as SPARC Europe, Open Education networks, and ER World Map.
The courses will also develop students' critical thinking skills and teamwork skills that will allow students to learn, study, work in groups, and use digital tools (Moodle, Google Classroom). The innovative teaching methods will be aligned to new tendencies in education and training processes, with a student-centered approach (flipped classroom, cooperative learning, etc). The project will facilitate the use of digital technologies and of innovative and open pedagogies for both partners through the development of a virtual training platform (VTP) in intelligent technologies in the maritime industry.
O2. Higher education student and staff learning mobility between donor-DS and beneficiary countries -BC:
- improving students' practical skills and competencies in the field of marine intelligent technologies, by organizing student exchanges between partners: 2 short-term exchanges and 2 intensive training programs for students.
- teaching staff exchanges among partner universities, by organizing 2 short-term joint staff training events.
Higher education student and staff learning mobility will be one of the tools that will consolidate the strategic partnership between DS and BC.
The learning needs of students will be achieved by these exchanges where new innovative tools for teaching and evaluation will be applied, in order to prepare future graduates to deal successfully with increasingly demanding labor markets. Through intensive learning programs the learning becomes personalized for each student. There will be used both inverted learning and practice-based learning approaches to permit the students to spend more time in practice, learning by collaboration and debate, to ask questions, to work in multinational teams, to solve problems or scenarios.
The target groups are made up of master's students from both universities participating in the project, consists of women and men alike.
Within the project, two common training events will take place, one in each partner university, with the academic staff from both universities. During these training events, good practices exchange regarding the use of new technologies and innovative teaching/assessment methods will be stimulated, for transferring knowledge in the field of marine intelligent technologies among the partners. The main purpose of these events is to improve the professional skills of participating teaching staff in the field of marine intelligent technologies.
O3. Cooperation and partnerships between education and the world of work:
This project aims to build a strategic partnership between the MBNA and NTNU Universities, on the basis of identified common needs, in order to obtain competitive advantages on the labor market access for their own students in the field of marine intelligent technologies. In order to raise partners' awareness in regard to labor market needs and to validate the results of the project, each partner university will organize 2 workshops with business environment representatives from both partner countries, that will involve stakeholders from the industry in regard to intellectual outputs evaluation and further enhancement process.
O4. Professional development of teachers:
The teaching skills, competencies, and didactic methods of academic staff will be improved and developed during the intensive study programs and joint staff training events on the marine intelligent technologies area, with a strong focus on the student-centered teaching/learning methods, considering the development of critical thinking of students.
The target groups of these training events encompass academic staff from both partner universities.