Strengthening problem-based learning in South Asian Universities

Dick van Gameren and Nelson Mota are part of a consortium led by Aalto University, who have been awarded a 1 million-euro Erasmus+ grant to promote cooperation for innovation and the exchange of good practices in capacity building in Higher Education.

The project, with the title “Strengthening problem-based learning in South Asian Universities” aims to strengthen the capacity of partner Higher Education Institutes in Nepal, Bhutan and India to contribute to socially responsible local innovation ecosystems. The project will develop problem-based learning (PBL) projects as a tool to connect faculty and future graduates to innovation networks, deepen knowledge sharing, identify critical issues and knowledge gaps, strengthen students’ employment prospects and develop leadership capacity. The project’s focus on sustainability challenges integrates themes of sustainable development, social responsibility and human rights. A key aim of the project is to create an educational practice in which students of mainly technical fields acquire key concepts and perspectives to position their technical work in a broader societal context. The project aims to consolidate best practices in PBL from East and West, addressing challenging themes such as cross-cultural understanding, equality and inclusiveness, relating local design and innovation goals to the global context.