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6/8/2020 0 Comments CIM update - the effects of COVID 19 in organising traineeships and assessing creativity and innovationBackground The CIM project has developed a long way since its beginning two years ago. The project was originally formulated on the idea that creativity and Innovation are key success factors and that students in HE need to develop such competences. CIM delivered so far a complete blended learning approach in this new field and createed contents as open educational resources (OER). In addition to that CIM advocates a more dual learning systems in Europe to combine theory and practice. Industry, SME but also NGOs and Public organisations (as HEI) were involved in the educational processes and offered learning opportunities, despite the many challenges the project faced due to COVID19. To achieve this, it was essential that stakeholders were prepared to host students and a respective CPD is an important future field for host organisations. The main premise for CIM is that if learning becomes more open there arises the challenge on how to assess and validate competences acquired therein, especially if standardised reference systems based on fixed curricula are not appropriate. With relevant experience and research in previous projects (VITA, PROMOTE) CIM suggests that social, personal and organisational (key) competences are of increasing importance in our service rendering societies. The LEVEL5 system used in CIM created a procedural and technological basis to assess those competences and to connect them to European certification systems, as it comes with a unique validation approach to assess and evidence competences that are still not considered in European certification and validation systems. The whole system is mobile and can be adapted and integrated in the own learning technology system of any university. With this, CIM links HE with business experience via the acquired competences therein. CIM workshop in Palermo (2019) The framework CIM firstly developed a sound competence framework to thoroughly describe the social, personal and organisational competences needed to tackle the challenges related to innovation and creativity in enterprises. The framework was based on scientifically backed up competence taxonomies that became the backbone of competence based study programmes that are modular and flexible to be linked to a large variety of study subjects. The competence framework was then applied to develop innovative blended learning programmes (partly in HEI and partly in practice in combination with self-directed e-learning and accomplishing validation units). In the practice phase, students of different sciences were called to develop ad-hoc CIM projects along the credited blended learning concept which is on the one hand based on transferrable study units that can be integrated in the formal curricula, and on the other hand on an experiential learning approach in European enterprises. The process (course and mobility) The course that was suggested in CIM consisted of a preliminary web-based phase provided with both asynchronous (e-portfolio) and synchronous (online conferencing) tools. After a 5-day face-to-face workshop the recruiting phase was organised by intermediate teams that supported sending and hosting partners that started their collaboration in the training. The participants aided the matching couples and also supported them in the development of their joint learning projects, in the use of the e-portfolio and in the assessment and validation of the key competences. The mobility had a major impact on the quality of the recruitment and the matching since these two aspects were part of the workshops / trainings. The 6 Higher Education institutes in CIM developed and introduced an innovative study programme, which was linked to a Bachelor, Master or PhD course. Based on a modular blended learning concept and state of the art learning technologies, the study programmes weree designed in an utmost flexible way so that also other faculties and future HEI partners can join the approach. The HEI partners firstly scanned the European and international scenarios to get an overview of existing programmes, which included creativity and innovation management approaches. They then identified suitable methodologies (with a focus on design thinking instruments) which were introduced in the basic CIM toolbox. In the course of the project a growing pool of suitable instruments and approaches related to CIM was established as a future CIM inventory. In the short term HEI were benefited from CIM as lighthouse project which promotes the own innovation power. Indeed, competences of staff and study designers were developed, while cooperation with industry and business was fostered in the piloting phase of the project. On the long run HEI will attract more students and business partners also for international projects and a culture of cooperation between universities and business will emerge. This relates to the development of curricula and courses and it eventually leads to a growing pool of international academia and business mobility for students. CIM traineeships During the project's lifetime the target groups were addressed and motivated through offering an attractive, individual instrument to compile the outputs of learning that took place beyond the walls of universities in the business practice. More specifically, through:
At local level:
CIM traineeship assessment and certification This final assessment of the students that participated in the traineeships relates to “Competence to spot ideas and opportunities”. Students eventualy acquired and developed these competences during their CIM learning programme that are also validated. After they reflect on their competence levels before the course (at the time they entered the learning programme) and at the end of it. This is the basis for a self-assessment and rating and it was done in the following steps: 1. First they simply (and only) tick boxes on the levels of knowledge, skills and attitudes, where they would allocate themselves at the beginning and at the end of your CIM learning programme (only one rating possible per dimension) 2. Then they give examples that illustrate and reason their ratings. 3. Then they discuss these ratings and the reasoning with their team mates in case they can contribute with other examples. 4. After this step they finalise the examples and justifications and write a short final conclusion on their competence development . 5. Finally there will be a consistency check from the coordinators and the LEVEL5 certificates will be produced as PDF and send to them. CIM Certificate sample using LEVEL5
The real challenge lies for the institutions in which they have enrolled. Can traditional, campus-based universities adapt by choosing the right technologies and approaches for educating and engaging their students? The successes and failures that unfold should give us all a better grasp of what is possible. In CIM most HE partners we managed to provide a number of online practice teasers for courses as well as some creative ideas for traineeships due to social distancing some of which include the following: Geographic Fun Facts Duration: 10-15 minutes Tools Needed: Nothing! Number of Participants: 3+ Purpose: Icebreaker or team builder Rules/Description: Before the meeting, ask members to be ready to share three unusual fun-facts about the city/state/country they live in that aren’t commonly known. This can be a good way to learn something new, while improving understanding of the location and cultural environment where your teammates work. If you want to take this to the next level, have the participants create and share a one page slide that includes a map of their favorite places in town, or a little slide of facts and pictures. Post a goal Duration: 10-15 minutes Tools Needed: Nothing! Number of Participants: 3+ Purpose: Icebreaker or team builder Rules/Description: Teams should be there to help each other achieve their goals! Encourage each person to share a non-work related goal that they want to achieve, why it’s important to them, and the date they want to accomplish it by (think SMART Goals). Post it to the team’s shared calendar. As the date approaches, ask for updates and encourage them. This can be a good way to help build in some accountability as they strive to reach their goals. Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI®) Duration: 20-30 minutes (can be much longer, or over the course of a few smaller sessions) Tools Needed: The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI®) assessment Number of Participants: 4+ Purpose: Team builder Rules/Description: This program will help your team understand themselves so that they can better understand one another to improve team dynamics. Everyone has different strengths and weaknesses, and the MBTI program will give everyone the tools and common language needed to harness individual potential! Not only is this program an opportunity to take an assessment and for participants to understand themselves, it is also a practical workshop where everyone leaves with a plan in place to utilize their newly learned skills. Navigating conflict, communicating effectively, contributing to a team, solving problems, and capitalizing on strengths are all skills that will be honed during this program. There are no extra points on the assessment for laughing, but is sure is encouraged! DiSC™ Training Duration: 20-30 minutes (can be much longer, or over the course of a few smaller sessions) Tools Needed: The DiSC™ assessment Number of Participants: 4+ Purpose: Team builder Rules/Description: This is not your traditional personality test – the DiSC™ Assessment Training is an experiential and immersive program. Each participant will complete the assessment which generates their primary personality style(s), and then the epic fun begins! Participants are grouped by the four profile dimensions, and complete an exercise which will illuminate individual strengths, challenges, and motivations. The four DiSC™ profile dimensions can also be thought of as the four P’s: Project (Dominance), People (Influence), Persistence (Steadiness), and Procedure (Conscientiousness).
Corporate Quiz Bowl Duration: 20-30 minutes (can be much longer, or over the course of a few smaller sessions) Tools Needed: Video chatting platform or screen sharing program with chat Number of Participants: 4+ (can do teams if possible, but individuals are sometimes easier through virtual platforms) Purpose: Team builder Rules/Description: Let’s get quizzical. This battle of wits and nerve is sure to stir up some competition and teamwork! This event is fast-paced and laugh-filled and will challenge teams to answer questions from all general areas of knowledge. Some suggested subjects include: as history, science, literature, arts, sports, current events, and pop culture. Also, a great way to spice things up is to tailor some of the questions to focus on your company or organization. Some suggested question types include: first letter, multiple choice, and numeric answers. To add to the fun, some special questions can include photos and audio displayed on a projector or TV. Each team or individual should “buzz in” through the chat to keep the game even more exciting (and fair!). Teams or individuals will earn points for correct answers, and bonus points for being the first to ring in. Who will have the brains and teamwork to win this game of wit? Virtual coffee break Duration: 10-15 minutes Tools Needed: Video chatting platform Number of Participants: 4+ Purpose: Team builder Rules/Description: In a physical office, workers often interact in a coffee or break room. Host a morning or afternoon coffee (depending on different time zones) where the team has 15 minutes – 30 minutes on video chat to catch up over a cup of joe. While these meetings are excellent opportunities for building rapport among coworkers, they can also serve as functional meetings for operations and projects. Encourage participation by all workers and try to frame these as open and fun discussions. Friendship and respect can be built virtually, but there needs to be opportunities like this for that to happen. Many of these practices will eventually be used in our final conference which is planned for late autumn! So, stay tuned... and visit our website dCIM traineeship implementation in AUTH Despite the general recognition of the benefits of the CIM project for the encouragement of creativity in the Faculty of Philosophy of AUTH, it has also been a challenge for the faculty. Based on an ad-hoc discussion among faculty members and involved students in the faculty’s internship programme, in which creativity and innovation are a priority, there was an agreement that students are not as creative as expected, and that faculty are generally not familiar with learning and teaching environments that promote creativity. Furthermore, all parties involved realize that many factors impact creativity expression in our faculty, such as students’ resistance, organizational structure of AUTH (too large), faculty attributes and pedagogical practices. In our faculty we largely rely on educational practices that although are COL based they generally reduce student motivation and creativity. The attitudes and resistance of faculty and students; organizational elements of structural, cultural and procedural nature; time and other resources; and government policies are commonly considered as potential barriers to the flourishing of creativity and innovation in our faculty. The CIM project has helped us understand that in order to facilitate the nurturing of creativity in our faculty, it is necessary to promote an institutional culture that gives greater value to creativity and its expression, not being restricted to traditional forms of academic development (hence COL), but also encouraging sufficiently varied and diverse working situations to enable all students to be creative; allowing students the freedom to work in new and interesting ways, challenging students with real, demanding and exciting work; designing assessment that allows for outcomes that are not narrowly pre-determined; fostering a departmental climate that encourages reflection and personal development for both staff and students; continuing academic debate within the discipline; and dialogue with the various stakeholders about the nature of the subject and the role of creativity and innovation within it. More concretely now, the CIM project so far gave us the possibility to understand the following: 1. Creativity is multidisciplinary:Not only can we practice creativity through many different mediums, its benefits are applicable to almost all domains in HE (academic and administrative). 2. Creativity allows to express oneself:An integral part of the human condition involves learning who we are and recognizing how that fits into the rest of the world. Creativity allows self-discovery, as well as the opportunity to share a hidden side of ourselves. 3. Promotion of thinking and problem-solving:From technical details of writing, drawing, or composing to the challenge of creating, problem-solving is a required component of the creative process. 4. Reduction of stress and anxiety:Academics usually pursue creative projects because they enjoy the process or the outcome. Just the act of creating inspires a sense of contentment. 5. Sense of purpose:Young scholars and junior researchers in particular identify whether they make money at their craft or not. Innovative methodology is their way of processing the world and a way of describing who they are. 6. Feelings of accomplishment and pride:The combination of brainstorming, the technical process, and a finished process is the perfect recipe for personal satisfaction. 7. Creating links to others with the same passion or purpose:Innovation and creativity are important because they both foster a sense of connection and understanding of what it means to be human. A creative focus helps us find our community and feel less alone. 8. Improving ability to focus:The act of creating requires dedication and commitment to each individual project (either teaching or research). 9. Promotion of risk-taking and iteration:Making things is not easy; making things others will appreciate is even harder. This requires courage, confidence, and the willingness to fail and try again. 10. Creativity is a prerequisite for innovation:Every advancement known to mankind started with a new idea, and new ideas are inspired by imagination and creativity. 11. Creativity encourages us to be lifelong learners:Creativity requires the humbleness to know that there is always room for improvement and a commitment to continue challenging your ideas and ability until new growth occurs. In total 9 (nine) PG students (5 women and 4 men) participated in the CIM activities within the PG course with the title 'Creativity and Innovation in Adult and Continuing Education Programmes: Design, Implementation and Assessment'. The course has three thematic units covering 13 training weeks and is offered in Greek language: Unit #1 (weeks 1-4): Theoretical Unit[1] focusing on the following aspects:
The course was further supported with:
_____________________________________ [1] This module was delivered face-to-face until week 2. Weeks 3 and 4 that covered ‘Methods and tools for generating ideas’, ‘Logical versus lateral thinking' and 'Creative problem solving', are delivered online via the AUTH e-learning platform (moodle based) for asynchronous learning and via the BigBlueButton (code-accessed and provided by AUTH) for synchronous learning and group activities. [2] This module is provided via the BigBlueButton (code-accessed and provided by AUTH) for synchronous learning and group activities.
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