Dear students, for the fourth semester in a row, ECIU University invites you to join challenges and micro-modules. It’s a unique opportunity to gain relevant skills for your future, develop ideas in an international environment and get in contact with business companies and public organizations. Participation in the ECIU challenges enables you to look for creative solutions to real-life problems, making a real impact in the communities and regions.

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Challenges

Challenges are courses that engage diverse teams to solve real-life problems using a novel and practical method of challenge-based learning (CBL). More than two hundred students have already participated in ECIU challenges. Their lessons learned? A new and different set of skills, an international network, and a new way of working and learning. Get to know the first-hand experience of participants.

Business and public partners provide real-life problems and are involved in the learning process. Themes circle around UN’s Sustainable Development Goal No. 11 Sustainable cities and communities. “Prevention of textile waste”, “Future Energy Hack”, “Developing an energetically autonomous building” to name just a few examples.

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Micro Modules

Micro-modules support learners and help them fill the knowledge gaps, for example, widen their knowledge on strategic planning or sustainable development. Part of micro-modules also help foster entrepreneurial, inter-cultural communication, foreign language and other skills.

Explore ECIU challenges and micro-modules offered in 2022.

Why participate?

• Experience the practical side of learning. Working in the ECIU challenge is similar to the experience in a real job: working in teams, using innovative models and tackling real-life problems. During the process, participants exchange practices and ideas, develop problem-solving, team-work, communication skills, and, of course, practice English language.
• ‍Expand connections. During challenges, students work with other learners, teachers, experts, representatives from business and public companies. All participants come from different backgrounds and areas of expertise, so it gives a unique opportunity to grow a network of connections. The experience could even resolve into a real job offer, who knows?
• ‍Be free to develop your ideas. Challenge-based learning (CBL) is unconventional: there is no pre-fix solution to a problem. Teams engage in the problem, investigate the situation and develop their own solution with a help of a team facilitator.
• ‍Work in an international environment. ECIU challenges are international: for example, the problem comes from Hamburg municipality in Germany but students and experts gather from all over the EU to work together. After all, ECIU University is developed by 12 strong Universities in Europe.
• ‍Get to know Europe. Though the majority of challenges are held online, some of them might have physical mobility options, providing the students the possibility to go abroad, brainstorm, create and experiment in person. If there is a physical mobility option, it will be included in the challenge description.
• ‍Deepen the knowledge. The challenge theme might be new to you? No problem: learn together with a team and participate in the ECIU micro-modules. It will allow filling in the knowledge gaps in various thematic areas.
• ‍Get recognition and develop ideas further. After successfully completing the challenge, receive a Certificate of Participation. You might have an opportunity to develop proposed solutions further, resulting in new services, products, research questions or start-ups and spin-offs. ‍
• Make a real impact. Finally, working on a challenge means a tangible contribution to a societal change. ECIU University challenges are provided by business companies and public partners and include problems that communities and organisations face at this very moment.

How does it work?

1. Explore the challenges in the challenge platform. Challenges can vary in length, from two-day challenge to a challenge stretching up to the semester length.

2. Register to the challenge platform and apply to the challenges you find interesting or relevant.

3. Students from ECIU member universities can apply. Check the detailed requirements and look for important Q&A. Some of the challenges might also be open to life-long learners.

4. After your application is approved, join a team that includes other learners and a team facilitator, called a “teamcher"‍

5. Work with the challenge provider, engage and investigate the challenge using the challenge-based learning method, and, finally, propose the solution.

6. Join the micro-modules that help gain additional knowledge or skills.

7. Receive a Certificate of Participation and grab a chance to further develop the proposed solutions with your team.

Any questions?

‍Write us challenges@eciu.org.

Explore and apply to the challenges and the micro-modules.

Find out more about ECIU University for learners.‍