Two separate teacher teams of four teachers each (one from each discipline) worked on the interdisciplinary and professional skills training, coordinated by the PPE Board member responsible for Skills Training (Selin Dilli). These two project teams were complemented with EMP hours for the educational consultants, Esther Slot (Educational Consultant Interdisciplinarity) and Elma Zijderveld (Educational Consultant Professional Skills) who supported
the project teams.

Background information

PPE is relatively new programme and has completed its first cycle in 2020-2021. In the academic year of 2021-2022, there were two educational projects started. The main goal of these projects is to develop and better embed (in a sustainable manner) the interdisciplinary and professional skills education in the PPE curriculum.

Aims

The main goal of these projects is to develop and better embed (in a sustainable manner) the interdisciplinary and professional skills education in the PPE curriculum.

Project description

In this stage of the project, the partial design as well as the implementation phase, we need time for a coordinator to lead the team and embed these activities in the PPE curriculum sustainably. The coordination of the skills projects includes:

• Co-design all skills week activities with the project members, making sure that the
  redesigned skills weeks form a coherent whole that fits the overall learning goals of the
  programme
• Coordinate, meet, and follow up on the project members
• Organize regular meetings and follow up with block teachers who carry out the new skills
  weeks’ activities for the first time
• Co-organize train-the-trainer workshops for teachers for the skills activities
• Participate in the relevant meetings of UU level initiatives on skills

Results

Extending the Professional Skills Project by one year with a reduced number of hours will allow us to make sure that that the skills activities that have been designed for year 2/3 are implemented by block teachers under the guidance of two of the project members who developed them.  In the final phase of the interdisciplinary project, our focus will also be better to embed interdisciplinarity in PPE courses in line with the new skills week. We will also work further on finalizing the PPE interdisciplinarity manual for teachers and students with the support of the educational consultant.