The project aims to stimulate innovation in teaching in higher education through problem-based learning in Latin-America, to make higher education institutes and students better prepared to deal with contemporary urban problems and challenges.
Problem-based learning is a proven innovative approach for introducing real-world problems in the education program with huge possibilities to transform the quality of learning and teaching. It is a kind of active, integrated and constructive learning method that works from a student centered approach and emphasizes on learning to learn and learning by doing, and breaks with traditional teaching methods, which are still the dominant educational methods used in the Latin American higher education institutes.
Departing from existing niches of problem-based learning methods in the curricula of twelve Latin American higher education partner institutes, interdisciplinary CITYLAB modules will be developed. Teachers from different faculties will be involved and trained to implement PBL methods enabling students to develop key interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary competences and skills.
Moreover the project seeks to increase the societal relevance of Higher Education Institutions in Latin-America through creating a more structural link between universities and external societal actors such as public authorities.
The project is a collaboration between eighteen European and Latin American Higher Education Institutes.
More info on the project website
Project coordinator: Tom Coppens
Project managers: Stijn Rybels, Nina De Jonghe
Partner(s): Université de Technologie de Compiègne (France), Politecnico di Torino (Italy), Aalbor University (Denmark), Universidad Politecnica de Madrid (Spain), Universidad de Belgrano (Argentina), Universidad Nacional de Cordoba (Argentina), Universidad Autonoma de Nuevo Leon (Mexico), Universidad de Guanajuato (Mexico), Universidad del Rosario (Colombia), Universidad Tecnologica de Pereira (Colombia), Universidad Simon Bolivar (Venezuela), Universidad Metropolitana (Venezuela), Universidad de Lima (Peru), Universidad del Pacifico (Peru), Universidade Federal de Rio de Janeiro (Brazil), Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina (Brazil)
Period: 2015 - 2019
Funded by the Erasmus+ Key Action 2 programme of the European Union
Citylab LA project partners during the Inception Meeting at the University of Antwerp in 2016