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Description
BLUE ROUTE is an inter-disciplinary initiative in marine science to promote networking, high-level thinking and critical 21st century skills in Doctorate professionals. To boost the Blue Economy, we rely on a hybrid (virtual, simulated and physical) pedagogical design and experienced scholars to support a global network of learners. The pedagogical approach favors student-active learning on a flipped classroom and stresses the value of face-to-face communication. Dealing with the global challenges brought about by the pandemic and climate change requires an unprecedented undertaking to advance and rebuild an equitable and sustainable ocean economy. Our proposal is a concept development of a global network that counterbalances the Maritime Silk Road proposed by China, and engages Portugal and Norway with their strategic partners in the south Atlantic and Asia.The outcomes of BLUE ROUTE are: 1- an advanced and interdisciplinary program to produce highly skilled international workers with the ability to create jobs and start-ups at a global scale (10 PhD student supported), 2-Create an open network of remote educational resources (BLUE ROUTE online platform), 3- To create modern academic structures centered on Blue growth in Portugal and Norway (PhD programs Joint Initiatives- Curricula development, online courses, cotutelles, simulated internships).The BLUE ROUTE will join the UAlg- University of Algarve (lead) and the UiT -University of Tromsø (co-Lead), two partners with over 20 years of collaboration.Institutional/Industry Partners will increase value of the doctoral program: IPMA, IPL, Akvaplan-niva AS, OLSPS Marine, MARTRAIN and CCVLagos. Moreover, BLUE ROUTE has associated partners, both national as S2AQUA CoLAB and international: Angola (University of Namibe), Mozambique (Eduardo Mondlane University), Brazil (University of Pará), as well as historical partners in Asia, including Sri-Lanka (Ruhuna University) and Japan (Nagasaki University) and others will join.
Summary of project results
BLUE ROUTE is an inter-disciplinary initiative in marine science to promote networking, high-level thinking and critical 21st century skills in Doctorate professionals. The challenge is to boost the Blue Economy the iniciative rely on a hybrid (virtual, simulated, and physical) pedagogical design and experienced scholars to support a global network of learners. The pedagogical approach favors student-active learning in a flipped classroom but stresses the value of face-to-face communication. Dealing with the global challenges brought about by the pandemic, war, and climate change requires an unprecedented undertaking to advance and rebuild an equitable and sustainable ocean economy that delivers security food and other goods needed for quality of life. The BLUE ROUTE is based on the concept development of a global network that counterbalances the Maritime Silk Road proposed by China and engages Portugal and Norway with their strategic associated partners in the coastal areas of the Atlantic, including Small Island Development States SIDS and Indico and Japan Coasts.
The outcomes of BLUE ROUTE are:
1- an advanced and interdisciplinary program to produce highly skilled international workers with the ability to create jobs and start-ups at a global scale (more than 10 PhD students supported by the online and residential courses developed),
2- an open network of remote educational resources (BLUE ROUTE online platform) linked to Moodle Tutoria Electronica UAlg (acess as guest) with 12 Small Open Courses in transferable competences,
3- an innovative learning environment in modern academic structures centered on Blue growth in Portugal and Norway (Curricula development able to be used in existing or to be created Ph.D Programmes in marine science /Blue economy, based on our open online courses, simulated internships, residential modules).
BLUE ROUTE provides an integrated and modern insight into disciplines that respond to the maritime sector and the marine science education sector, according to our gap analysis done based on the non-academic institutions. The educational purpose of BLUE ROUTE was to promote networking and high-level thinking, which we define, in accordance with Bloom’s taxonomy, with skills involving analysis, evaluation, and synthesis (creation of new knowledge). We rely on a hybrid design to support diverse learners and promote engagement in a networked context. Our pedagogical approach favors student-active learning through a flipped classroom design in a flexible schedule with synchronous and asynchronous activities. Students and teachers stressed the need to complement online learning with the value of face-to-face communication in achieving knowledge synthesis and critical skills to support the early-stage researcher in quality innovation and sustainable blue growth. This will support the innovation of new products and new services both in Europe and worldwide to face food crisis, poverty, and equitative development growth.
Summary of bilateral results
The BLUE ROUTE brings together UAlg- University of the Algarve (lead) and UiT - University of Tromsø (co-lead), two partners with over 20 years of collaboration in marine sciences and more recently in the blue economy. UiT, with professors and researchers experienced in developing small online courses and virtual internships, has a broader experience in online teaching and learning platforms. UAlg develops its first experiences in this field and developed Blue Route training platform with 12 Small Online Courses. The non-academic industrial partners of UAlg increases the value of capacity development of graduate students on blue growth knowledge, namely Ph.D. candidates: IPMA, OLSPS International, MARTRAIN and CCVLagos. In addition, BLUE ROUTE allows UAlg to consolidated internationalization with open courses in English to attract students from associate partners from the CPLP: Angola (University of Namibe, University Agostino Neto), Mozambique (Eduardo Mondlane University), Brazil (Federal University of Pernambuco), as well as historical partners in Asia, including Sri Lanka (Ruhuna University) and Japan (Nagasaki University).The Blue Route project provides an opportunity to have joint online courses with UAlg and UiT professors, namely in the field of GIS applied to marine sciences and other fields useful for the development of blue growth in different areas around our only ocean. Moreover, the experience of UiT Residential Ocean school-Development of “hands-on” learning components result in an opportunities to UAlg students.