NMU in Check.point eLearning

Written by Gesine Stück  |  Friday, 03 September 2010  | 

In its August edition the German web portal Check.point eLearning presents the projects and activities of NMU.
In the article the application of e-Learning is commended because knowledge is considered as crucial factor to develop a competitive and dynamic economic area. 

Check.point eLearning gives continuous information on trends and innovation in the e-learning sector.

Click here for the article (German version).

Farewell to Peter Irminger

Written by Gesine Stück  |  Friday, 27 August 2010  | 

Peter Irminger will leave the NMU network as of September, and looks forward to taking up his new tasks at “Zeller Associates”.

Supporting the project as a partner and being session chair of some of the project events in Bremen, he was strong supporter of the NMU project and its success from the very beginning.
Peter Irminger enjoyed working in the our project with all partners and is hoping to be able to initiate a new cooperation between the NMU network and his new company.

All NMU project partners would like to thank Peter for his participation and wish him success in his new position.

NMU in China

Written by Gesine Stück  |  Thursday, 26 August 2010  | 

The NMU network was invited to give a presentation on the topic of the project activities: An international university network for innovative education and R&D and to attend the panel discussion for International Education Cooperation by He Mingke the dean of the Graduate School, professor of Business School of Beijing Technology and Business University of China (BTBU), and vice director of Teaching Guiding Committee for Logistics Education of Ministry of Education of China, at the 2010 Annual Educators’ Conference on Logistics Education in Changsha from July 26 to August 4, 2010.

The NMU network was represented at the conference by Gordon Wilmsmeier, Arne Jensen and Philippa Lenz. Our team gave an 80 minute presentation on the structure, and strategy of the NMU network and showed the audience examples from a number of NMU e-learning module elements.

The presentation also attended by the British Consul, Mr Dave Huxtable and representatives from Commercial College Salford University, UK sparked great interest and generated numerous questions on the availability and potentials of becoming part and/or using the knowledge and teaching modules created by the NMU network.

The conference was attended by over 300 hundred delegates from China.

The NMU network is now looking into in depth cooperation with the Business School of Beijing Technology and Business University of China (BTBU).
 











 







Gordon Wilmsmeier (Edinburgh Napier University, UK)                Philippa Lenz (University of Applied Sciences Lübeck, Germany)   
presenting "The academic network for innovative                    showing some of the modules elements.
maritime education and R&D".          



















Arne Jensen, Univerity of Gothenburg, Sweden, talking to an interested audience. 

 

















Before the presentation: Last preparations within a chinese audience.

E-learning for innovative maritime education

Written by Gesine Stück  |  Monday, 23 August 2010  | 

On August 18, 2010 state secretary Heinz Maurus from the regional government of Schleswig-Holstein visited our NMU partner University of Applied Sciences Luebeck as on his summer tour. During his journey he visits and examines some of the Interreg projects taking place in Schleswig-Holstein.

Heinz Maurus was very pleased with the outcomes and working of the NMU project. He said: “The transnational network ensures a high level of education with specific regard to the needs of maritime economies.”

As markets become increasingly global, tariff barriers are fast disappearing and more information-based economies emerge, the maritime industry and related sectors need to emphasize innovation, competency and collaboration. Developing and managing knowledge as a strategic asset is the key to success in securing a sustainable source of competitive advantage in any emergent knowledge-based economy. To maintain competitiveness, companies need to capitalize on their intellectual assets, rather than simply their physical assets and infrastructure. However, in common with other regions of the world, the maritime sector in the North Sea Region is facing a dearth of well-trained maritime business managers.

There is significant potential demand, therefore, for the offering of education and qualifications which enhance the innovation capacity within the sector; in the future, maritime business managers will need to possess multidisciplinary knowledge and skills to cope with growing maritime traffic, port development, and rising environmental challenges, all within an intermodal environment.

NMU developed e-learning modules in transnational cooperation enable the NMU partners to use the modules and module elements independent from time and space. Further, students have started to take part in exchange programmes without extending their studies attending NMU partner universities.

NMU member Rolf Granow, professor at the University of Applied Sciences Luebeck, provided insight in the NMU network structure to the state secretary Mr Maurus. Philippa Lenz, one of the NMU leading e-learning experts, presented examples from the e-learning modules realised for market entrance within the project.

Heinz Maurus was also given a tour of the production facilities at the University e.g. cutting places or recording studio.

At the end of his visit, the state secretary was able to directly speak with students about their learning experiences in the NMU network. He was also convinced that the developed e-learning modules contribute to the high innovation of the project for innovative maritime education. 

Click here for the article on the website of the government of Schleswig-Holstein (German version).








 

NMU project extension approved

Written by Gesine Stück  |  Monday, 09 August 2010  | 

The NMU application for project extension was approved by the Steering Committee of the North Sea Region Programme. The project will be extended for 18 months - until June 2012.

The background and motivation of the project extension is driven by the intensive dialogue and feedback from stakeholders in the maritime industry and the opportunities and needs identified during the evolution of the project.

Industry representatives and stakeholders have responded very positively to the NMU approach and the concrete pilot courses during the NMU dialogue with stakeholders e.g. within foresight exercises, industry meetings and conferences. The intensive discussion with stakeholders revealed new strategic needs regarding education specifically for the maritime sector in the North Sea region. Namely the maritime industry demands education content in the fields related to offshore, renewables, bunkering and specific management issues.

Furthermore, the stakeholders identified the overarching challenge of the maritime industry in the NSR as improving the image of shipping and careers at sea and shore. In order to raise the competitiveness and attractiveness of the maritime industry in the NSR for young people and skilled personnel, the image building needs to be improved and intensified. Lifelong career prospects in the NSR maritime clusters, modern lifecycle-oriented career paths particularly managing the link between training and university education, and labour mobility within the framework of an ageing work force must all be improved to compete with other industries.

NMU directly addresses these issues in the project extension phase. Accordingly, the aim of the project extension phase is to develop education content and a strategic framework for the creation, transfer, and integration of knowledge for education to enhance the human factor in the maritime industry and to promote the image of maritime industry.
Taking up the needs of stakeholders from the maritime industry in the NSR, the project extension focuses on:

• Module H: Offshore industry and shipping related to renewable
• Module I: Bunkering - operations, management and technology
• Module J: Cruise shipping - Operations, management, strategies
• Module K: Ferries and MoS – Operations, management, strategies
• Module L: Intercultural Management and Corporate Social Responsibility, organisational behaviour
• Module M: Hinterland management related to port management (virtual ports, dry ports etc.)

Furthermore, the following Executive Module Elements – "Maritime Business 2020 – Can you take the lead?", will be developed: 

• Shipping industry and globalisation - Concentration (horizontal/vertical), changes in trade
• Environment 2020 - Upcoming legislation, air and water environmental problems
• Communication and Information Management
• Human Resources 2020 - Health and safety, intercultural issues, technical Innovation
• Ship Lifecycles Management 2020 - Building, Scrapping, Brokering
• Logistics Challenges 2020
• Risk Management 2020 - Insurance
• Regulatory Environment – overarching

Other issues to be addressed during the project extension are the implementation of the NMU entity and secretariat and the NMU market launch and exploitation.

The project extension uses the momentum of the fruitful and productive cooperation of the NMU network and extends the partnership with the University of Hamburg. 

The new partner has special expertise in applying simulation for educational content development, particularly for interactive education tools for maritime transport to be used as a methodology both within education and research. The University of Hamburg also brings specific expertise in accreditation (i.e. accreditation of work experience in university education) which is of high importance in the development of the NMU continuous professional development (CPD) strategy.