Abstract:

Educational partnerships encircle international strategies for equitable improvement of the involved institutions. They require a strategic option to articulate expertise, knowledge, and professional qualification. The mutual benefits to all partners involved are a result of exchanged experiences and learning.

In the project DrIVE-MATH - Development of Innovative Mathematical Teaching Strategies in European Engineering Degrees, the partners were chosen based on their experience in Engineering Education. The resulting collaborative network brings value to the project, by exchanging knowledge of several case studies. These case studies comprise the implementation of innovative teaching methodologies, namely the active-learning technique (AL), which includes, in particular, eduScrum, and Jigsaw teaching frameworks. EduScrum creates an environment where students are the owners of their knowledge, increasing the sense of self-initiative and entrepreneurship. Applying eduScrum enhances collaborative learning, emphasizing the students’ interactions with each other. Students are involved in small groups and work towards a common goal – learning, while being evaluated individually. The same principle is behind the Jigsaw technique. In this method, the classroom activity makes students dependent on each other to succeed. Students are divided in groups and assignments are split into pieces, which need to be assembled by the whole group to complete the (Jigsaw) puzzle.

With all of the described above, we expect to build a win-win situation, creating a value network, where each partner participation can effectively see the created value, how is created and from whom is created in order to develop innovative practices at their own universities.
As educators, we recognize that an engineering education is acquired over a long period and in a variety of institutions, and that educators in all parts of this spectrum can learn from practice elsewhere. All partners involved in the current project have experience in previous projects, which provide background, knowledge, and experience for the current one. Some already accomplished assets will be delivered in this work.

Keywords:

DrIVE-MATH, Educational Innovation, collaborative networks, Math courses, Engineering degrees.