Hochschule für Wirtschaft, Fachhochschule Nordwestschweiz (Project Leader)
Fachhochschule beider Basel, IFU, Haute Ecole de Gestion Fribourg

The project Tricks of the trade follows the notion that students completing their studies at the University of Applied Scienes should have acquired excellence in solving practical problems according to the canons of scientific methodology and state of-the-art knowledge in the respective fields. Just recently, the Conference of the Swiss Universities of Applied Sciences has defined more clearly the competencies the students should gain for a bachelor or master degree.

Advising students in methodology and scientific skills requires new ways of teaching that are problem-based and supported by modern information technologies in order to support them in their practical work and in order to motivate them to learn a subject that oftentimes is perceived by students as very factual and dry. As future decision makers, students should gain a deeper understanding of research activities in order to be able to independently solving complex practical problems as well as for critically dealing with different knowledge sources.

The goal of this project therfore is to develop a blended-learning course that teaches the students the tricks of the trade, the basic knowledge on methodology and the skills for scientific working, in order to prepare them for solving practical problems on a qualitatively high level. The course should respect didactical methods that are problem-based and that effectively make use of e-learning. Furthermore, the course should be aligned with the requirements relevant for a bachelor and a master degree level respectively.

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