Our society relies on the contribution from the scientific and engineering community to tackle complex problems and create systems and products that meet its needs. Similarly, companies require professionals with a solid foundation in terms of technical knowledge but who also have the ability to analyse problems in a systemic and transdisciplinary way, who are able to work in team and have the ability to Conceive, Design, Implement, Operate (CDIO) in the enterprise and in the social environment.
The MAKEADEMY project aims to innovate existing engineering study programmes by developing the flexible modular MAKEADEMY program, centered on the CDIO approach, in order to provide students with the skills to address current professional and global challenges.
The main objectives of the project are:
- Develop transdisciplinary learning materials, applicable to various engineering disciplines, that involve university students in all phases of the product life cycle;
- Developing the digital and manual fabrication skills of students through learning materials focused on prototyping;
- Make learning materials available to the public in the form of Open Educational Resources (OER) and through the Future Engineers e-learning platform;
- Test and improve project outcomes through the MAKEADEMY Hackathon, a training course for university students.
The project is led by Vilnius Tech with its Center for Creativity and Innovation “LinkMenų fabrikas”, a collaborative department and makerspace with modern tools for learning, creating and sharing, equipped with both mechanical workshops (3D, metal, wood, electronics, painting) and multimedia labs (photo, video and audio studios, 3D post-production and animation software, virtual and augmented reality). Members of the partnership are: the IAAC – Institute for Advanced Architecture of Catalonia, owner of FabLab Barcelona, which is the global coordinator of the Fab Academy program, an intensive program for the development of creativity and skills in digital fabrication and rapid prototyping; Riga Technical University with its RTU Design Factory, a platform for innovation and entrepreneurship that has the best-equipped prototyping lab in the Baltic countries, as well as a member of the Design Factory Global Network; Aarhus University, which also conducts experimental research in engineering in its Deep Tech Experimental Hub and boasts state-of-the-art laboratories in engineering disciplines.
CESIE within the project will coordinate the communication and dissemination of the project by facilitating the exchange of knowledge between the various stakeholders in the world of education, business, between professionals (Fab Labs, Makerspaces) and civil society.
On 25 and 26 may the Vilnius Tech hosted the first face to face of meeting the Makeademy project. During the meeting the Framework of a Study Module MAKEADEMY and the guidelines for other project outputs were discussed.
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