The EU-CONEXUS team at SETU recently hosted colleagues from the European University Alliance for their first in-person meeting to discuss the joint master's and focus on the development of a new joint micro-credentials programme for upskilling at master's level.
This event marked a significant milestone in the collaborative efforts of the alliance, bringing together representatives from various European institutions for a two-day series of workshops and discussions and followed on from a significant level of online meetings and workshops completed to date.
Key objectives
The primary focus of the meeting was to develop eight micro-credentials, a project led by Dr Niamh O’Brien and Dr Mike Kinsella. SETU is at the forefront of this initiative, tasked with creating a Joint Master's and a total of twenty micro-credentials related to Smart Urban Coastal Sustainability.
Background
These meetings are the result of over nine months of preparatory work by the EU-CONEXUS group as well as online meetings and workshops. The collaborative vision of EU-CONEXUS emphasises promoting common European values and strengthening European identity. This is achieved by fostering a new generation of Europeans who can work across different cultures, languages, borders, sectors, and academic disciplines.
Development
The exploratory work for the Joint Master programme began in 2023. A pan-European skills survey, designed and distributed by each EU-CONEXUS university, played a crucial role in identifying the skill needs across Europe, placing emphasis on sustainability competencies, transversal skills as well discipline specific skills across 12 industry sectors. The insights from this survey are integral to the co-creation process of the Joint Masters and Micro-credentials.
Highlights
Dr Niamh O’Brien commented "We are thrilled to welcome colleagues to SETU for two days of workshops to collaborate on micro-credentials. Particular emphasis is placed on promoting Education for Sustainable Development, embedding the European Green Competency Framework, and utilising the ABC Learning Design Model, supported by Keith Byrne, Instructional Designer and Michelle Maher Sustainability Lecturer at SETU. This workshop is a huge team effort by all at the SETU EU-CONEXUS Office".
Dr Mike Kinsella echoed these sentiments, highlighting the collaborative spirit of the event. "Co-creation is at the heart of EU-CONEXUS, and this theme was consistently highlighted. The group worked well together, and we look forward to continued collaboration for the further development of new high quality, joint educational offerings."
Prospects
The successful completion of these initial workshops sets a promising foundation for the continued development of the Joint Master programme and its associated micro-credentials. The commitment to fostering sustainable education through co-creation remains a central goal for the EU-CONEXUS alliance as we move forward with this initiative.
About EU-CONEXUS
EU-CONEXUS is a fully-fledged transnational European University offering joint education, training and study programmes, joint research and professional development opportunities for all of its staff, researchers, and students.
SETU is a partner of the EU-CONEXUS European University Alliance on Smart Urban Coastal Sustainability with La Rochelle University, France; Catholic University of Valencia, Spain; University of Zadar, Croatia; Agricultural University of Athens, Greece; Frederick University, Cyprus; Technical University of Civil Engineering Bucharest, Romania; Klaipeda University, Lithuania and University of Rostock, Germany.
EU-CONEXUS is themed on “Smart Urban Coastal Sustainability”, focusing on education, research & innovation, and knowledge-sharing activities on defining, understanding and addressing societal challenges experienced by communities from urban and semi-urbanised coastal regions (rivers, seas and oceans).
Further details can be found on the EU-CONEXUS website.