CASE as good practice example of international educational research

Prof. Dr. Marco Rieckmann (University of Vechta, Germany) presented CASE knowledge alliance as good practice example

From the 17th until the 21st of July 2017 the 1st Vechta-Anhui Summer School of Teacher Education took place at the University of Vechta. Aim of the summer school was to found and establish a cross-national active network between scholars and researchers from the partner region Anhui (China) and Vechta (Germany) concerning teacher education. Prof. Dr. Marco Rieckmann (University of Vechta) presented the CASE knowledge alliance as a good practice example of international educational research. The aim of the summer school was to get a better understanding of the special functioning of teacher education based upon the predominant educational systems speakers from the mentioned countries gave insights into processes of learning and special kinds of teaching environments as well as used research methods in educational contexts.

The summer school was part of the project VANTE – Vechta-Anhui Network of Teacher Education which is financed by the International Cooperation Fund of the Ministry of Science and Culture of Lower Saxon. The project includes research and teaching visits, as well as student exchanges from Vechta to Anhui and vice versa.

Presentation and CASE connection p.18-19

More Information about the Vechta-Anhui Summer School


Sustainability and Teaching & Learning Day @ BOKU

Simon Kornhäusl (Pioneers of Change), Petra Biberhofer (WU Vienna) and Michael Ambros (BOKU)

For the first time, the Sustainability Day and the Day of Teaching and Learning were merged at the University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna (BOKU). A perfect environment to present and discuss the learnings and results of CASE with students, teachers, cooperating partners and interested people from in- and outside university.

A variety of sessions, workshops, lectures, discussions, networking activities, games, info-points and market places invited the participants to get in touch with or deepen the topic. Interaction was fostered using appropriate methods and thanks to mostly small group sizes. All members of the rectorate (general management) actively participated throughout the day.

Marketplace with students’ projects and initiatives

This Day is not only an occasion for visibility of good practices but also a moment of appreciation and gratitude for strongly committed university members.

CASE was not only present with a stand but also indirectly as many student teams out of different CASE pilots showed their projects and start-up ideas. The marketplace encouraged a fruitful and vital exchange among the students and other visitors.


CASE meets Italy

CASE Consortium meets at Free University of Bolzano


From the 18th to the 20th May 2017 the Faculty of Education, Free University of Bolzano welcomed the CASE team in the picturesque city of Brixen for an internal project workshop. In the beginning of the workshop, the CASE team welcomed the new project manager Josef Sedlak. During the first day, the CASE team concentrated on the Knowledge Platform and the two tools, which have been developed over the last months, the Sustainability Performance Tool as well as the Competence tool.
In the afternoon, Nihal Yildirim, the EACEA project officer from Brussel, joint the workshop and sustained our ideas and further developments of the project in a very constructive and supportive way.

Nihal Yildirim, EACEA project officer presenting at the CASE meeting


In the evening, local actors and sustainability-driven entrepreneurs from the region joint the meeting. There has been a fruitful exchange of experiences and challenges in acting as sustainability-driven entrepreneurs. A great opportunity for the CASE team was then to present the two CASE tools to the participants, who have been invited to test them and to give feedback for improvements.
The second day focused on the Knowledge Platform and on the next steps within the CASE project. On Saturday, we finished the CASE workshop with some team building exercises high up in the mountains of South Tyrol.


CASE at the 7th University-Business Forum in Brussels

Michael Ambros (BOKU) at the CASE stand

More than 400 representatives from business, higher education institutions and the European Union gathered in central Brussels in early April to share their experiences regarding University-Business cooperation in Europe. The Forum is a platform for the so far 40 Knowledge Alliance projects financed by the European Union under the Erasmus+ program, aiming to strengthen Europe’s innovation capacity and foster innovation in higher education, business and the broader socio-economic environment.

CASE was invited to participate in the exposition and disseminate the latest project results. With more than twenty exhibitors displaying exciting and innovative projects, there was high competition for the visitors’ attention. However, with a stand located directly at the entrance of the conference center, no visitor could overlook our exhibition and Michael and Gabriela were given ample opportunity to present CASE.

Apart from the exhibition, the topic how university-business cooperation can be intensified was intensely debated in workshops, panel discussions and key note addresses. As one of the speakers highlighted, you need not only bridges, but also places to meet and exchange ideas. It is key to understand and accept the differences between the players, build trust and be patient. As the various best practice examples showed, trusted relationships are the building blocks of successful collaborations. The conference participants were given the opportunity to build bridges at the networking dinner at the Belgian Comic Strip Center located in a beautiful Art Nouveau building, witnessing of Brussels rich history in both architecture and comic art.


Developing a coaching tool for fruitful cooperation-relations

Michael Ambros (BOKU), Antje Disterheft (Vechta University), Petra Biberhofer (WU Vienna) and Johanna Bernhardt via Skype (Terra Institute)

On Friday 17th of March 2017 Johanna Bernhardt (Terra Institute), Antje Disterheft (Vechta University), Michael Ambros (BOKU), Petra Biberhofer (WU Vienna) met in Vienna to develop further the CASE coaching tool for teaching and learning in transdisciplinary cooperation formats.

Based on a systemic approach Terra Institute has the lead in developing this tool for supporting students and enterprises in setting up a fruitful cooperation-relation. The tool is oriented towards a competence-oriented approach in higher education based on the previous research conducted in the CASE project.

Assessment categories are now refined based on a combination of key competencies for sustainable development and competencies for sustainability-driven entrepreneurship. From May 2017 on the tool shall be ready for practical testing.