Make a change!
“Education Unlimited!” team encourages you, young European people, to take action, to find out which are the opportunities of mobility given by your university, to find, out what you can change in your faculty, to think about ways of improving your non-formal education and last but not least, to organise small events in your cities so that we can all together make a difference!
It is not easy, but this is why we are here! To help and support with anything you should need!
Please find below some real stories of students like you who managed to change something in their university!
1. Series of lectures helping students to find innovative research subjects
As innovation in many production areas (furniture, cars etc) has in last years also included more and more ecological sciences, a student organisation decided to held a series of lectures on eco-innovation to give students the possibility to find a research subject more connected to actual trends and needs in technology and production.
The initators wrote grant application to a fund, got positive reply and started orgnising. Through their own academic background they already knew what lecturers to ask for talks, thanks to the grant they were also able to pay to the speakers. Additionally, from the university, they got agreement to give credit points for attending the whole seminar.
There were not very many students present at the lectures, but those who were, got interested. One participant said, tht he came to the lectures because of the credit points, but now he wants to combine this thesis with eco-innovation. The whole project is still going on, final results will be summarized in 2009.
2. Student exchange initiated by students, supported by universities (twinning)
Estonian-French exchange project* started with the initiative of French students contacting Estonian students. Since a few professors from each university knew one another, the development of the idea had also support of the teaching staff. After getting teaching staff interested, some meetings were held between interested students, teaching staff and vice-rector. Approval was gained and so it started
Now, initiative is in the hands of students, it’s up to them to make the exchanges happen, meaning every year they form the organising group to manage the exchange. They gather teaching staff to discuss the program and talk again with university to get funding.
Results of the exchange so far:
- Better cooperation between students and teaching staff (communicating with each other also outside of lecture room)
- 3 French students decided to do 3 months of research for their Master thesis after the exchange
- Students actually get the chance to make their education more fun and diverse, give direction to it and add their own ideas, plus get organising-experience.
*Every spring around 20 French students come to Estonia and every autumn 20 Estonian students visit France. The first exchange was in April and October 2005, this year the exchange will take place for the 3rd time.
3. Forming discussion platform within university’s faculty – Open Space
Students found out that their faculty is starting to compile development plan. A group of students approached the dean with an idea to have a meeting between students, teaching staff and stakeholders in order to have students’ input to the process. It was decided to first do more general meeting just for creating discussion between all the target groups in order to define the main hot spots and problems within the faculty. Open Space Technology was chosen for the method of the meeting, with the title “How to create good working and studying environment in our faculty”. Students were left to organize the content and create posters, information mails; logistical part was left for the dean and promotion for both.
Only 10% of the people connected to the faculty gathered, but the key-persons were present.
During one day, students and stakeholders had one-to-one discussions, teaching staff and stakeholders got to know the students’ main problems and students got to know the obstacles on higher level. The main feedback was that ongoing discussion is needed (One professor: “We need to talk to each other more”.) Tools for improvement were decided.
* This case is quite rare even in our university and could mostly happen only because the dean is very open minded and ready to cooperate with students. Of course active and visionary students are important part here too.
4. Bringing in new study methods – Outdoor Learning
Two girls got the idea to introduce Outdoor Learning in their university, (meaning to have lectures and seminars outside when the weather is good). They wrote an e-mail to the vice-rector of studies asking what he thinks of the idea (explaining their reasons and suggesting the way). The vice-rector saw in the idea an opportunity to get public attention for the university as bringing lectures outside
would be something totally new. He said that the idea has the support of the university, but students have to take the lead in promoting it.
Action: “Outdoor Learning Week”
- the girls talked with all of their teachers and asked if they were interested, sent informative e-mails calling for participation, did a questionnaire among the students of these specialities and in the end of the week held discussion round with some university stakeholders and promoters of Outdoor Learning from outside university. Students continued taking actions: questionnaire among all the students of university, an Open Space meeting with interested students, teaching staff, posters and e-mails to encourage students and lecturers to go outside were distributed, questionnaire among teaching staff, holding another information day, making informative brochures, etc.
The process is still in the starting phase. But the rector already has recognized the initiative officially (special award was given to students during the university’s anniversary) which also attracted some media attention.