International joint Master degree in Plant Medicine
Acronym: IPM
Competition title: Tempus call
Funding: EU programi
AFZ role: partner
Total value: €1,283,191.00
Funded amount: €1,163,266.00
Contract No: 2009-4861/001-001
Start date: 2010/01/15
End date: 2013/01/14
Abstract
The proposal follows the overall objectives to contribute to institution building in Higher Education (HE) at a Regional level, to sustain University networking partnerships, to enhance mutual understanding between the academic world of the Western Balkan (WB) countries and members of the EU, i.e. Bulgaria, Greece and Italy. The project proposal is aligned with the European Commission priorities on the central role of HE system in developing a European cultural dimension. It is based on the modernisation and harmonisation of HE systems according to the Lisbon Strategy and Bologna process. A Project Management Committee will manage the decision-making processes of the partners, guarantee the correct implementation of each activity, transfer the Best Practices regarding procedures and managements from the EU countries to the other Partner Countries, and strengthen the Best Practices within the consortium members. To make possible the realization of the project activities, Working Groups (WG) with specific tasks and Local Committees at partner level will be constituted. Attention will be constantly given to the needs of all potential stakeholders and beneficiaries (students, academical boards, enterprises, rural communities, etc.) of ths project, making possible all active forms of their involvement in sterring committees al local level, conferencings, workshops, other forms of dissemination, agreements, etc. according to the guidelines which will be edited.
The first specific objective of the project is to design and develop the International joint Master Degree in Plant Medicine (IPM) within the curricula of the Faculties of Agriculture at the Universities of the Consortium members. The Working Groups will be involved in Planning, development and organization of the IPM Course (Didactic WG), teaching content harmonisation (Scientific WG), permanent training of teachers (Training WG), quality evaluation of the project and the IPM Course (Evaluating WG). In the realization of project, planning and development of the joint Master Degree Course, the consortium will have full respect of the diversity of cultures, languages, national education systems, University autonomy and strategy, experiences of all involved countries. During the life of the project the consortium members will create a strong partnership in order to build an educational network between EU and WB Universities aimed at the international recognition of the degree, at meeting the needs of the territory in terms of competence and employment for public and entrepreneurial system in the market labour of phytosanitary scope, at allowing admittance to further educational programmes even in foreign countries.
The second specific objective is the improvement and modernisation of communication technologies (virtual communication tools) for teaching and project progress. An Internet- Learning W.G. will be involved in developing of innovative communication methodologies. The traditional teaching contexts will be assisted and enhanced by synchronous (Second Life platform) and asynchronous teaching moments. In addition, the synchronous system will largely assist Working Groups and Project Management activities reducing costs of the project and making faster communications, debates and decisions.
Finally, all possible actions regarding quality monitoring and control, and dissemination will be applied. At the end of the project, the Agriculture Faculties participating to the consortium will offer regularly the IPM Master Degree Course among their curricula, with adequate and harmonised didactic and teaching organization, qualified teaching human (permanently trained) and communication.
Leaders
Prof. prof. dr. sc. Zvonimir Ostojić, PhD, Professor Emeritus
Sveučilište u Zagrebu Agronomski fakultet
Associates
Prof. Renata Bažok, PhD
University of Zagreb Faculty of Agriculture
Prof. Maja Šćepanović, PhD
University of Zagreb Faculty of Agriculture
Contractor
Enrico de Lillo
University of Bari