The sustainable future of Europe and the Green Deal were discussed at an international workshop in Barcelona
On 20-25 May, as part of the Erasmus+ project Gender, Digitalisation, Sustainability: Securing a Sustainable Future for All in Europe 2023-1-RO01-KA220-HED-000154433, a workshop was held at the Autonomous University of Barcelona, with the participation of a team of project experts from the Faculty of Information Technology of Uzhhorod National University, consisting of Professor Oksana Mulesa and Associate Professor Olena Melnyk.
This was the second transnational meeting of the partnership, attended by colleagues from the University of Agronomic Sciences and Veterinary Medicine in Bucharest (Romania), the Polytechnic University of Bucharest (Romania), the University of Porto (Portugal), with whom this international project is being implemented, and, of course, the Spanish partners who organised the event. The events were held in a mixed format, with the first three days of the workshop taking place offline, and the next two days, some participants were able to connect online.
The international workshop was based on topics related to the main objectives of the project: curriculum development, case studies and focus seminars in the context of the European Green Deal, as well as digital education methods through the development of chatbot-based learning methodologies, gamification and AI.
Among the keynote speakers at the international workshop were: Prof. Paqui Blanquez Cano from the host University of Barcelona, Prof. Razvan Teodorescu, Vice-Rector of the University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine in Bucharest, Romania, Associate Professor Nicoleta Radu and Professor Narcisa Babeanu, who presented reports on topics related to climate change and renewable energy, which are among the main areas of the European Green Deal.
The international workshop within the project consisted of several sections, including a scientific seminar held on 22 May aimed at discussing the topic "Calculating the Carbon Footprint. Case Studies", during which representatives of the Spanish Autonomous University of Barcelona and Romanian researchers presented curricula and examples of developed training programmes related to climate change and/or renewable energy. In addition, Mr Mihai Dan Caramihai, Professor at the Polytechnic University of Bucharest, spoke about potential innovative e-learning solutions.
Last but not least, the workshop focused on monitoring the project's progress, preparing an interim report, and discussing the communication plan for the next year. The main technical results of the project, which were achieved during its activities, and the issues that remained to be resolved before the first interim report were discussed in the speeches of Nicoleta Radu, Adrian Silva-Uporto, Oksana Mulesa and during their moderation of individual sessions.
Representatives of the Faculty of Information Technology of Uzhhorod National University, Professor Oksana Mulesa and Associate Professor Olena Melnyk, spoke about the initiatives and experience of Uzhhorod National University in the transition to a green course, the implementation of international projects aimed at digital transformation, energy efficiency, sustainable development, support for the higher education system in the context of mitigating climate change through the level of carbon footprint, and the involvement of innovative European practices at the international workshop.
The members of the project expert group are convinced that the combination of the experience of leading foreign partners and the willingness of UzhNU to join new trends will lead to constructive results.
Oleksandra Svezhentseva, student majoring in Journalism and majoring in Information Systems and Technologies
