Abstract:

Contemporary technical universities increasingly aim to equip students not only with advanced technical competencies but also with transversal and soft skills essential for interdisciplinary and international engineering practice. In response to these challenges, Białystok University of Technology (Poland) has developed a long-term portfolio of interdisciplinary international summer schools designed to complement traditional engineering curricula. Between 2016 and 2024, the University organised 14 international summer courses involving 228 students and over 50 academic staff members from multiple countries. The courses were delivered in various formats, including intensive, blended, and mobility-based programmes funded through Erasmus+ and NAWA (Polish National Agency for Academic Exchange). They addressed topics such as sustainable construction, energy-efficient buildings, digital design, and urban and environmental challenges, and engaged students from diverse disciplines including architecture, civil and environmental engineering, energy systems, spatial planning, and landscape architecture. The study evaluates the educational value of these courses based on post-course surveys and competency assessments completed by participants. Students assessed their experience using a five-point Likert scale. The results demonstrate very high levels of satisfaction: between 89% and 95% of participants agreed or strongly agreed that the courses enabled effective know-how exchange in international teams, while 89–95% considered the acquired skills useful for their future professional careers. All participants declared satisfaction with their decision to take part in the courses. Moreover, 95% of participating academic staff confirmed that interdisciplinarity should be a core feature of summer schools and international training formats. The findings indicate that interdisciplinary international courses are not merely an added value but increasingly a necessary complement to standard engineering programmes. Such courses support the development of teamwork, communication, intercultural competence, and systems thinking—skills that are difficult to achieve within single-discipline curricula. The results suggest that universities should systematically integrate interdisciplinary international learning opportunities into engineering education to better prepare graduates for professional practice in complex, collaborative, and globally oriented environments.

Keywords:

Summer school, BIP, skills, European University.