A two-days’ event for GeoICT4e experts

GeoICT4e project is implemented by eight universities from Finland and Tanzania. Altogether, we comprise a team of 51 experts, who have different knowledge, skills, experience, networks and personalities. Getting to know and knowing what and whom to ask is a key for finding the synergies and exploring innovations, getting smarter together. This is what the two days in 16th and 17th December was about.

This was a hybrid event; about a half of experts participating in Slipway, Dar Es Salaam and about half online. Some participated half of the program and some the full two days. Thus, these days included technical problems and challenges, for sure. However, we succeeded to provide a kick-start for so many planned activities in the project that we could only be happy to being able to organize it.

Day 1 – Building shared understanding of the Multicompetence learning (MCL) approach

The Multi-Competence Learning (MCL) approach is our key learning innovation method developed in the GeoICT4e. During the day, we got familiar with the pedagogical methods, the four thematic skills and e-learning assets underlying successful design and implementation of this approach.

First, Antero Järvi (University of Turku) and Eeva Timonen-Kallio introduced us to various ways of implementing related educational approaches with a headline of “Challenge based educational approach in HEI training – a pathway to societal impact and employability”. Then, we got familiarized to the four domains, thematic skills, which we have recognized in earlier projects to be 1) Climate, Sustainability and Resilience 2) Geospatial data and Technology 3) Entrepreneurship and Innovation and 4) Problem domain skills in Time and Space.

Videos of these thematic lectures can be found in the project’s  Youtube-channel:

Sanna Mäki: https://youtu.be/6ws2fImPrDY
Elina Kasvi: https://youtu.be/rPW__b8abxM
Jukka Käyhkö: https://youtu.be/HSBg4ouMzIc 
Antero Järvi and Otieno Mbare: https://youtu.be/dqWHnJnCXs4

We finalized the day by mapping out first ideas for implementing the three years education transformation; the desirable Training of Trainers mentoring activities 2021-2023.

First day, the teams were working between the experts from own HEI, but the next day we were working more together. After reflections for the first day results, we, for example, succeeded to map MOOC topis to Flinga.

Day 2 – GeoICT4e Ways to Work, from the key concepts to implementation in practice

Aim of the day 2 was to obtain a comprehensive understanding of the GeoICT4e project’s objectives, results and project management practices. We familiarized into HEI ICI Programme guidelines, and project’s key documents, which are guiding GeoICT4e implementation, and discussed good practices of cooperation. We completed the day by making tangible work plan ideas for 2021 and making practical commitments on including the role of Human Rights Based Approach and Sustainability in the project implementation.

And networking

The two full days included a lot of information and left a lot to digest for all the participants both in Finland and Tanzania. We also could fit important visits to the program, such as a when Finland’s Ambassador Riitta Swan and The World Bank team together with the GeoICT4e project leaders met University of Dar Es Salaam’s DVC-Research and ARU’s VC to discuss about future cooperations in the GeoICT4e and Resilience Academy projects in Tanzania.

Written by Rita Rauvola