ENGINE Erasmus Plus Project Continues Its Activities

ENGINE – Engineering Curricula Modernization in Renewable Energy in Albanian Universities is funded under the Erasmus Plus Program. The project, which is carried out by a total of 11 different institutions under the coordination of Tirana Polytechnic University and Kadir Has University, was accepted in August 2020 and will continue for 36 months.

The Kadir Has University team of the project includes Prof. Dr. Meltem Ucal (Coordinator), Prof. Dr. Volkan Ş. Ediger (Researcher), Prof. Dr. Ahmet Yücekaya (Researcher), Assoc. Prof. Dr. Gökhan Kirkil (Researcher).

This project aims to modernize and internationalize the vocational education and training and undergraduate curricula in the field of engineering for renewable energy in the target universities in Albania, by renewing them in line with the new development and labor market demand in the region.

The first work package of the project mapped the market needs and VET curricula and degree programs in the field of energy in Albania. The sample curricula prepared under the project were then used as reference points for the development of new curricula and the updating of existing study programs. Kadir Has University acted as the work package leader and complemented the work with the project lead institution in preparing the in-depth desk research assessment and report for Albania and partner higher education institutions, developing the survey and interviews with relevant stakeholders and creating the competence matrix, preparing the report on best practices and global trends in higher education institutions and organizing an online meeting.

The overall objective of the second work package is to design curricula, course content and assessment for new higher vocational education degrees and updated undergraduate programs in renewable energy education. The new course content was designed for the learning outcomes defined in the first work package. Preparations for accreditation started at this stage with discussions with the academic council of each university. Separate courses and study programs were developed for each partner higher education institution. The Kadir Has University project team held a meeting on December 1, 20221 to develop the new course curricula. In this context, while updating the curricula of four existing graduate courses, two new courses were created, one undergraduate and one graduate course. Accreditation studies for the courses are ongoing and the work package is expected to be completed on July 30, 2023.

Within the scope of the second work package, two project meetings were held, one in Ghent, Belgium on April 26-28, 2022 and the other in Sofia, Bulgaria on May 31-June 1, 2022. The meetings were attended by Prof. Dr. Meltem Ucal, KHAS coordinator of the project, representing our university.

For detailed information about the project: https://engineproject.eu/