Digital futures challenge-based learning in Higher Education in Europe: The DIFUCH Erasmus+ Project

Within DIFUCH, we are developing innovative challenge-based pedagogies, tools and platforms for the virtual delivery of a joint programme within a groundbreaking-breaking and flexible academic structure in Europe. This Erasmus+ project is focused on delivering new multi-disciplinary, transnational, cross-sectional future skills-orientated modules and learning pathways that address societal challenges. In this paper, we present the current work of DIFUCH to develop an innovative programme underpinned by Challenge Based Learning (CBL) that addresses local and global societal challenges and strengthens interactions between education, research, and external stakeholders for a positive effect on our communities. This project facilitates the improvement of learning outcomes vis-à-vis university learners' perception of social responsibility, their ability to deal with complex societal challenges from social and economic stability to global warming, their ability to put knowledge into practice, team building and communications skills.This work has been supported by Erasmus Plus KA2 within the project 2021-1-PT01-KA220-HED-000023536.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Intractability of Electronic Structure in a Fixed Basis

Finding the ground-state energy of electrons subject to an external electric field is a fundamental problem in computational chemistry. While the theory of QMA-completeness has been instrumental in understanding the complexity of finding ground states in many-body quantum systems, prior to this work it has been unknown whether or not the special form of the Hamiltonian for the electronic structure of molecules can be exploited to find ground states efficiently or whether the problem remains hard for this special case. We prove that the electronic-structure problem, when restricted to a fixed single-particle basis and a fixed number of electrons, is QMA-complete. In our proof, the local Hamiltonian is encoded in the choice of spatial orbitals used to discretize the electronic-structure Hamiltonian. In contrast, Schuch and Verstraete have proved hardness for the electronic-structure problem with an additional site-specific external magnetic field, but without the restriction to a fixed basis, by encoding a local Hamiltonian on qubits in the site-specific magnetic field. We also show that estimation of the energy of the lowest-energy Slater-determinant state (i.e., the Hartree-Fock state) is nondeterministic polynomial time (NP)-complete for the electronic-structure Hamiltonian in a fixed basis

Designing future oriented curriculum: methodological approach of European corporate social entrepreneurship curriculum

The European Union is implementing policies to achieve its priorities of the European Green Deal; A Europe fit for the digital age; An economy that works for people; and A stronger Europe in the world. To achieve these goals, there is a need for a paradigm shift in the way public and private sector organisations, as well as civic society organisations (CSOs) ‘do their business’. In particular, current employees, from chief executive to operative, volunteers, and new entrants to these organisations need to be educated and equipped with the knowledge and mindset of being Corporate Social Entrepreneurs (CSE). EMBRACE (European Corporate Social Entrepreneurship (CSE)) is a three-year initiative funded within the framework of ERASMUS+, Knowledge Alliances programme. The project aims to promote CSE in HEI educational programmes and improve students’ competences, employability and attitudes contributing to the creation of new business opportunities dealing with social change inside companies as well as promoting collaboration among companies. This paper and presentation articulate the theory and methodology for establishing and Implementing the European CSE curriculum. Developing Corporate Social Entrepreneurship, entails identifying and developing a profile of Corporate Social Entrepreneurs, a competences framework and an European curriculum for CSE with the related competencies, skills and knowledge and a transversal learning pathway for HEIs. This curriculum is a vital catalyst resulting from a process of engaging a vast range of stakeholders and as a reflection of a society’s aspirations and vision for its future, involving a diversity of institutions and actors, and clearly focusing on the what, why and how of education. It is therefore crucial to ensure a wider policy dialogue around curriculum design and development, with the active inclusive involvement of an expanded range of actors beyond the traditional ones. The relatively new and undefined scope of CSE in HEI’s, industry and literature meant that there were few if any examples to help define what the contours of such curricula would look like. The fact that this curriculum is to serve the European HEI and enterprise arenas, meant that the European Frameworks and UNESCO materials were used as relevant sources of policy and knowledge to develop the EMBRACE CSE curriculum. There are numerous models and guidelines for curriculum development, each with its own merits. For the CSE methodology framework, two models and a set of guidelines were chosen because they are complementary and support the EMBRACE objectives: The Curriculum 4.0 guidelines and The Hanze UAS model for curriculum development. The combination of the two models led to the development and design of the EMBRACE model. As follows, the presentation/paper addresses the choices as to the design approach which are particularly relevant to all CSE curricula, as well as the definition of CSE competences and four CSE tracks (Novice, Intermediate, Professional and Expert)

Designing future oriented curriculum:: methodological approach of European corporate social entrepreneurship curriculum

The European Union is implementing policies to achieve its priorities of the European Green Deal; A Europe fit for the digital age; An economy that works for people; and A stronger Europe in the world. To achieve these goals, there is a need for a paradigm shift in the way public and private sector organisations, as well as civic society organisations (CSOs) ‘do their business’. In particular, current employees, from chief executive to operative, volunteers, and new entrants to these organisations need to be educated and equipped with the knowledge and mindset of being Corporate Social Entrepreneurs (CSE). EMBRACE (European Corporate Social Entrepreneurship (CSE)) is a three-year initiative funded within the framework of ERASMUS+, Knowledge Alliances programme. The project aims to promote CSE in HEI educational programmes and improve students’ competences, employability and attitudes contributing to the creation of new business opportunities dealing with social change inside companies as well as promoting collaboration among companies. This paper and presentation articulate the theory and methodology for establishing and Implementing the European CSE curriculum. Developing Corporate Social Entrepreneurship, entails identifying and developing a profile of Corporate Social Entrepreneurs, a competences framework and an European curriculum for CSE with the related competencies, skills and knowledge and a transversal learning pathway for HEIs. This curriculum is a vital catalyst resulting from a process of engaging a vast range of stakeholders and as a reflection of a society’s aspirations and vision for its future, involving a diversity of institutions and actors, and clearly focusing on the what, why and how of education. It is therefore crucial to ensure a wider policy dialogue around curriculum design and development, with the active inclusive involvement of an expanded range of actors beyond the traditional ones. The relatively new and undefined scope of CSE in HEI’s, industry and literature meant that there were few if any examples to help define what the contours of such curricula would look like. The fact that this curriculum is to serve the European HEI and enterprise arenas, meant that the European Frameworks and UNESCO materials were used as relevant sources of policy and knowledge to develop the EMBRACE CSE curriculum. There are numerous models and guidelines for curriculum development, each with its own merits. For the CSE methodology framework, two models and a set of guidelines were chosen because they are complementary and support the EMBRACE objectives: The Curriculum 4.0 guidelines and The Hanze UAS model for curriculum development. The combination of the two models led to the development and design of the EMBRACE model. As follows, the presentation/paper addresses the choices as to the design approach which are particularly relevant to all CSE curricula, as well as the definition of CSE competences and four CSE tracks (Novice, Intermediate, Professional and Expert)