The project activities will take place over a span of 36 months (02/10/2013 – 01/10/2016) and are organized in three phases: (1) Development of the curriculum of the Master modules (12 months); (2) Test of curriculum and training of personnel (9 months); and (3) Implementation of Master modules in the academic programs of the three ACP universities and in other relevant contexts (15 months).
Phase 1−Development of Curriculum
Through a residential workshop at Stellenbosch University and the PARTICIPIA interactive website, the scientific concepts, teaching methods, administration and management of the proposed master modules in Participatory Integrated Assessment of Energy Systems will be shaped by all partners of the PARTICIPIA consortium.
During the workshop the consortium first defines the set of modules needed to provide the desired expertise. Following, thematic working groups are formed covering the specific lines of the curriculum, each group consisting of both ACP and European partners and having the task to organize the scientific content, teaching format, and teaching material of the specific course(s) related to their theme. A dedicated working group is to focus on the management and administration of the Master modules. The interactive website serves as the platform for exchange of scientific ideas and materials and the collaborative development of course content and material.
Phase 2−Test of curriculum & training of personnel
The curricula of the Master modules will be tested in three interactive 5-day residential programs (workshops), one at each of the participating ACP universities, Stellenbosch University, the University of Botswana and the Polytechnic of Namibia. These programs, organized and taught by the ACP and European project partners, are offered to local lecturers and post-graduate students not previously involved in the project with the goal to:
- Evaluate the choices made in Phase 1 about the selection of courses and activities for inclusion in the Master modules;
- Test the efficacy of the proposed courses with regard to scientific content, material and teaching methods;
- Train local lecturers for the continuation of the Masters modules at the participating ACP universities.
Feed-back from participating lecturers and post-graduate students will be solicited during the workshop and after using the forum of the interactive website.
Phase 3−Implementation of Master modules
In a residential workshop in Barcelona, the project consortium evaluates the experience accumulated in the first two phases in order to:
- Arrive at a final formulation of the Master modules for integration into existing MS programmes or for a new MS-degree programme;
- Select teaching material developed in relation to the various Master modules for dissemination by the international organizations associated to the project (FAO and NEPAD) in thematic workshops and/or other training programmes.
Implementation of the Master modules in Participatory Integrated Assessment of Energy Systems into the academic programs of the universities of the ACP countries will initially take place under the guidance of the various members of the project consortium. However, in the long term, the Master modules are intended to be independently managed and run by local academic staff of the ACP member universities.
