University of Stavanger (UiS) is welcoming more than 200 students from 11 ECIU University partner institutions this semester. Abdullah Hasham chose UiS for the second time in less than a year.
Students will arrive in several groups to take micro‑modules and work on challenges through the Challenge‑Based Learning (CBL) methodology delivered by various academic communities at UiS.
The first group consists of 17 ECIU students who this week are on a short-term exchange connected to the micro-module Cultural sensitivity, creativity and communication.
One of them is Abdullah Hasham, who studies robotics at the Kaunas University of Technology in Lithuania. He chose UiS again after taking the micro-module Sustainability thinking in education in August last year.
– Amazing town
“I loved being here last time. I think both the university and the town are amazing. The environment here is incredible,” says Hasham.
Both then and now, he chose a course offered by the Faculty of Arts and Education. The interdisciplinary element has greatly benefited the engineering student.
“I could easily relate the sustainability thinking to my own studies. We worked with a scenario that was relevant across disciplines,” he says.
Three new groups
In two weeks, new student groups will arrive at the Ullandhaug campus for the following learning opportunities:
- Critical Cultural Awareness in Migration Societies
- Design and Play Educational Creative Writing Games!
- Smart & Green
80 students in April
In April, the largest group arrives, with 80 students participating in various modules during the same week. These include the Faculty of Health Sciences’ new ultrasound module and their Blended Intensive Programme (BIP) SimBegin, as well as the Faculty of Social Sciences’ micro-module Negotiating Politics in Deep Polarization, which received nearly 100 applications.
In the middle of the same month, 27 students from seven universities will take part in Uniped’s pedagogical Escape Room challenge.
Finally, UiS will welcome six student groups in May and June to participate in various learning opportunities.
«An interdisciplinary learning environment»
Associate Professor Hong Li is teaching the Smart & Green course for the second semester in a row. The previous module gathered 63 students from 12 universities in 10 countries.
“This impressive diversity contributed to an interdisciplinary learning environment where students challenged established assumptions to solve real sustainability challenges,” Li explains.
This time, the focus is on Forus, Norway’s most important commercial and industrial area, and how it can be developed in the most sustainable way possible.
Academically enriching
“The course bridges theory and practice through meaningful, real-world issues. By working together in an international, interdisciplinary environment, students develop communication and problem-solving skills that increase their employability and prepare them for future careers,” says Li.
She herself finds this type of teaching academically enriching, noting that the experience has already resulted in a peer-reviewed article: Challenge-Based Learning as a Driver of Student Engagement: A Green Campus Case from Norway.
Different types of modules
A total of 298 students from all 12 ECIU universities (including UiS) have registered for various learning opportunities at UiS this semester. Most of the courses fall outside the ordinary study programs.
They come in different formats: micro-modules, student challenges, blended intensive programmes, and regular UiS courses opened for ECIU students.
The Erasmus+ project ECIU University also includes a social component. Joint activities are therefore arranged for the students, such as pizza evenings at Tappetårnet student bar and various excursions.