VCSE Guidebook/Conclusions/Bibliography: Difference between revisions

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→‎Short Description of VCSE e-Courses

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-===Short Description of VCSE e-Courses===
+{| cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" border="1"
-VCSE-partner:	UOM
+| '''Short Description of VCSE e-Courses'''
-VCSE e-course:	Corporate Sustainability and Natural Resources (CORSUS)
+|-
-Challenge / Obstacle
+|'''VCSE-partner:'''
-to be faced:
+|'''OUM'''
+|-
+|'''VCSE e-course:'''
+|'''Corporate Sustainability and Natural Resources (CORSUS)'''
-	General
+|-
+|'''Challenge / Obstacle to be faced:'''
+|''General''
 The design of an introductory e-course on a very specialized subject such as “Environmental Economics and Management” addressed to undergraduate students from different nationalities, disciplines, institutions (and most probably with no academic background on economics or business studies).
-Specific
+''Specific''
 The main challenge faced was on how to set up a module incorporating in its final expression all the expectations and limitations present. The course should meet certain teaching objectives related to its content as well as to its teaching methodology. Quality expectations initially set were quite high and so were the demands placed on students. Lack of a common cognitive background, variety in the approaches of the teaching systems of different countries, lack of prerequisites, and the necessity to upload all the material in an electronic platform which would allow the visiting students to have an easy and accurate understanding of the posted content made the design task a rather complicated one. More modest expectations, a clearer understanding of certain norms and available tools, and trial-and-error approaches have led to a re-engineering of the VCSE course to better fit the students’ needs and abilities when offered in the future.
+|-
+|'''Approach/ methodology / medium used:'''
+|''General''
+*	'''Content:''' The course begins with an introduction to Environmental Economics, examining the links between economics and environment, with emphasis on environmental policies and the relation between environment and international trade. It continuous with an assessment of global ecological sustainability issues. It develops a framework for systematic eco-management by greening a company's vision, departmental operations, inputs, throughputs, and outputs. It presents the environmental management systems as practical means which simultaneously improve both the environment and corporate profitability. The financial / accounting tools used to record, measure, and disclose such improvements are communicated and the social and natural stakeholders involved emerge as critical factors to consider while making corporate decisions.
+*	'''Teaching Methodology:''' Because of its e-nature, the course emphasizes written, computer-based communication skills. Students are expected to present, defend, share and critique their own ideas and analyses in written form. The course relies heavily on case-study materials. The analysis and e-discussion of different industry and case situations is an important activity expected by the participants. Students were required to reflect on the process of writing, learn from writing, and present commentaries and reports of professional quality. Students were asked to produce a final assignment identifying the issues taught in a specific case-study and / or analysing the link between the business strategy and the sustainability strategy of a firm of their choice.
+*	'''Course materials:''' Web based: Power Point presentations, case studies, videotaped lectures, guidelines, assessment criteria, etc.
-Approach/ methodology / medium used:
+''Specific''
-	General
-•	Content: The course begins with an introduction to Environmental Economics, examining the links between economics and environment, with emphasis on environmental policies and the relation between environment and international trade. It continuous with an assessment of global ecological sustainability issues. It develops a framework for systematic eco-management by greening a company's vision, departmental operations, inputs, throughputs, and outputs. It presents the environmental management systems as practical means which simultaneously improve both the environment and corporate profitability. The financial / accounting tools used to record, measure, and disclose such improvements are communicated and the social and natural stakeholders involved emerge as critical factors to consider while making corporate decisions.
-•	Teaching Methodology: Because of its e-nature, the course emphasizes written, computer-based communication skills. Students are expected to present, defend, share and critique their own ideas and analyses in written form. The course relies heavily on case-study materials. The analysis and e-discussion of different industry and case situations is an important activity expected by the participants. Students were required to reflect on the process of writing, learn from writing, and present commentaries and reports of professional quality. Students were asked to produce a final assignment identifying the issues taught in a specific case-study and / or analysing the link between the business strategy and the sustainability strategy of a firm of their choice.
-•	Course materials: Web based: Power Point presentations, case studies, videotaped lectures, guidelines, assessment criteria, etc.
-Specific
 The Moodle learning management system provided the platform (and the limitations) for the learning environment and management. The use of an open source program was representative of the philosophy of the free access characterizing the VCSE project.
 A careful choice of environmental management issues was made with the emphasis lying in the comprehensibility and complementarity of the content as well as in the avoidance of overlapping with the courses offered by the rest of the participating Universities. Each chapter topic presented state-of-the-art knowledge in its field and provided links to official sites with disclaimer of rights to their content (OECD, EU, UNEP etc) to allow the students access to extensive information. Small flicks and recorded interviews escorted the Power point presentations which were assigned the role of the main tool to structure and deliver the content of each chapter. Articles published on each topic as well as articles written by the lecturers for the specific course were provided to the students to gain further knowledge, while each chapter included a glossary to set a common understanding of the concepts used as well as self-test questions.
+|-
-Achieved outcome / results:
+|
+'''Achieved outcome / results:'''
+|
-	General
+''General''
 The foreseen outcomes for the successful  student participants were:
-- To understand the basic concepts of sustainable development and critically evaluate the arguments for and against business sustainability;
+* To understand the basic concepts of sustainable development and critically evaluate the arguments for and against business sustainability;
-- To implement and ‘operationalize’ the SD concept as practised in the various departments of a company;
+* To implement and ‘operationalize’ the SD concept as practised in the various departments of a company;
-- To evaluate, compare and combine alternative ideas in current academic literature;
+* To evaluate, compare and combine alternative ideas in current academic literature;
--  To apply theory to real life-problems and situations;
+* To apply theory to real life-problems and situations;
-- To cooperate with students from different cultural and disciplinary backgrounds and identify the best practices for each case;
+* To cooperate with students from different cultural and disciplinary backgrounds and identify the best practices for each case;
-- To use a computer based system for this cooperation effectively and efficiently
+* To use a computer based system for this cooperation effectively and efficiently
-Specific
+''Specific''
 The result was quite ‘catchy’ since it provided attractive, alternative and integrated ways of gaining knowledge on specialized, highly demanding topics in a scientific, yet plain way. The step-structure of the material delivered allowed each student to adjust his/her approach to the depth preferred. So one could restrict oneself in reading just the basics on a topic or proceed to an in-depth wider understanding of the issues involved in it.
 Nevertheless, the 7 participating students in the pilot run of CORSUS (3 students from VCSE-partners' universities and 4 students from UOM) barely reached the minimum expectations of the CORSUS. According to the internal evaluation of the course, the participating students considered CORSUS as too demanding with high level of academic expectations.
+|-
-Lessons learned / Recommendations for other virtual campuses:
+|
+'''Lessons learned / Recommendations for other virtual campuses:'''
+|''General''
-	General
 The Scientific Team of CORSUS considers that they have been rather over-optimistic in their original expectations, thus they are planning to re-design CORSUS in a more simplified manner. Even though the CORSUS educational material comprises a very extensive compilation of high quality academic reference material, most of the participating students were intimidated by the academic articles on environmental economics (including demanding statistical data and mathematics).
-Specific
+''Specific''
-	The application of Internet examination in specific dates. Although the learning process should not be dependent on the location of the students, they still should have to consider certain inflexibilities in the way they organize their reading programme.
+*	The application of Internet examination in specific dates. Although the learning process should not be dependent on the location of the students, they still should have to consider certain inflexibilities in the way they organize their reading programme.
-	The enrichment of the course offered with further media accessible through the Internet that can be delivered in portable devices such as i-pod or mobile phones. In the first phase, the design emphasis went on the collection of free available tools and documents and on the original writing of articles and cases for the students. In the second phase, further elaboration on the extent and quality of the content should –and will– take place.
+*	The enrichment of the course offered with further media accessible through the Internet that can be delivered in portable devices such as i-pod or mobile phones. In the first phase, the design emphasis went on the collection of free available tools and documents and on the original writing of articles and cases for the students. In the second phase, further elaboration on the extent and quality of the content should –and will– take place.
-	The main elements of the re-designed CORSUS will be the following:
+* 	The main elements of the re-designed CORSUS will be the following:
-- Inclusion of real-life examples and best practice case-studies, in the form of newspaper and popular science magazine articles;
+** Inclusion of real-life examples and best practice case-studies, in the form of newspaper and popular science magazine articles;
-- Inclusion of relevant short video-clips and animated films in order to provoke discussions among the participants.
+** Inclusion of relevant short video-clips and animated films in order to provoke discussions among the participants.
+|-
-Food for thought / Challenges still to be met:
+|
+'''Food for thought / Challenges still to be met:'''
 	The main challenge of the next run of CORSUS will be to find the “golden compromise” between pure academic knowledge and appealing transferable know-how for beginners.
+|}
-Short Description of VCSE e-Courses
+==Short Description of VCSE e-Courses==
 VCSE-partner:	LUE
 VCSE-course:	Syndromes of Global Change