University of Évora in Poland to prepare educational plan focussed on sustainability
The partners of the EU GREEN alliance met at the University of Environment and Life Sciences in Wrocław, Poland, for the first staff week dedicated to Education. Between 9 and 13 October, the nine partners discussed the foundations of a networked Education Plan to promote the principles of Sustainability, and defined the guidelines for the alliance's Professional Development Programme. This meeting also gave rise to the first meeting of the Student Council, an advisory body that includes students from all EU GREEN universities.
One of the main objectives of the EU GREEN alliance is to think about the educational offer for a more sustainable future. For this reason, the working week dedicated to education began by defining a set of desirable attributes for future graduates. In this area, the key characteristics of the alliance's educational model, the guidelines for creating joint programmes, including BIPs (Blended Intensive Programmes), and the guidelines for pedagogical innovation were also discussed.
Another objective of Work Package (WP) 2, dedicated to Education, is teacher education. Here, the main features of new professional development programmes have been identified, and the priorities for the next three years have been defined. Education for Sustainability and improving communication skills in English are among the actions identified as most urgent. In addition, planning has begun for Academic Retreats, meetings between academics to update teaching skills and share experiences.
The team from the University of Évora was made up of professors Cesaltina Pires, Marília Cid, Paulo Costa, João Rabaça, Assunção Folque and Sofia Aleixo. Diogo Solipa and Filipa Saragoça represented the students at the first face-to-face meeting of the Student Council and at the joint sessions with WP 2.
