Contributed by: School of Mechanical Engineering; Editor: E'Mei
In 2016, School of Mechanical Engineering, BIT successfully applied for an EU Erasmus+ international cooperation project “Developing Trans-regional information literacy for lifelong learning and the knowledge economy (DIREKT)”. The Erasmus+ project is an EU education program for education, training, youth and sports. The DIERRK project is part of the “Capacity Building in the field of Higher Education” in the Erasmus+ project. Fifteen universities and institutions from Ireland, Germany, Slovakia, Russia, Kazakhstan, China and other countries have participated in this project.
The goal of the DIREKT project is to conduct information literacy (IL) research in higher education institutions and develop courses related to information literacy, science and technology writing to help students and teachers improve the ability of information acquisition, information utilization, and information exchange and scientific and technological writing in learning, teaching, and scientific research. The project will study and develop information literacy-related teaching content and curriculum, establish a global project website and online teaching platform, and improve research tactics and service methods related to information literacy in universities. The project will be coordinated and managed by the International Affairs, Beijing Institute of Technology, and will be jointly undertaken by the School of Mechanical Engineering and the library.
From May 8th to 12th, 2017, with nearly 30 project representatives from 15 universities and institutions in 6 countries, School of Mechanical Engineering, Beijing Institute of Technology, successfully held the job meeting for project teaching and scientific working group (Didactic and Scientific Working Group - DSWG) and English for Specific Purposes (ESP) training.
In the following week, Eva Reid from the University of Philosophy of Constantine in Slovakia, Olga Safonkina from Moldova State University in Russia, Gerard Cullen from Dresden University of Technology in Germany, and Padraig Kirby et al, from Limerick Institute of Technology in Ireland conducted training in multicultural communication, ESP basic English, basic concepts and terminology of IL, and IL research methods. From May 11th to 12th, the project's teaching and scientific working group DSWG also convened a job group meeting of the project to discuss the division of work among project members, the analysis of project research needs, and the job arrangements for the training of IL teaching courses. During the meeting, Gerard Cullen, an English language linguist from EMI (English as Media of Instruction) at the Technical University of Dresden, Germany, also specially organized English training for the Schools of Mechanical Engineering, Management, Information and Electronics, and Automation for over 10 teachers who undertake the all English teaching, and the members also observed the BIT's English teaching. During the meeting, representatives were also organized to visit the library of the Zhongguancun campus.
This is the first formal training and job meeting after the DIERIK project was held in February 2017 at the Petrozavodsk State University in Russia. The successful holding of the meeting helped teachers from various countries involved in the DIRECK project to train the IL-related English foundation, defined the project's follow-up teaching and research plan, and the main modules of the IL teaching curriculum. It also enhanced the all countries in the project to understand BIT, increased the international influence of BIT.
(Reviewed by: Zuo Zhengxing)