Author ORCID Identifier
Document Type
Report
Disciplines
5.3 EDUCATIONAL SCIENCES
Abstract
This report outlines the evaluation of the summer school which was a key element of the PROFESS 12 project. The key steps involved in the 5-day summer school along with the method by which the feedback and the reflections of the participants of the summer school were collected is described here. Thereafter, the reflections received in the form of audio and text files are analysed and themes identified from the experience of the summer school participants are explained in detail.
The survey responses from the feedback on the summer school participation are also shown graphically. This analysis helped us identify how the aims and objectives set for the summer school were met by evidence through the feedback obtained from the participants. The key areas that are covered in the feedback include but are not limited to Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and Sustainable Development, overall personal and professional development and increased awareness of the importance of diversity and inculcating intercultural skills. The significance that this experience can have on the future choices students make is also discussed. Students thoroughly enjoyed the summer school, felt it was well organised and would recommend it to their fellow students. They felt the pace and mix of activities on the programme was about right. There is evidence that the majority of students felt that all of the learning outcomes had been met, but particularly noteworthy were the learning outcomes related to understanding the SDGs, SDG 12, the circular economy and aspects of working with students from diverse backgrounds and appreciating intercultural differences.
A thematic analysis of the student reflections revealed five key themes;
• students enjoyed the social interactions and working with diverse people,
• they improved their understanding of sustainable development and the SDGs,
• they achieved personal development in developing communication skills, social skills, leadership and time management along with experiencing a change of mindset in relation to their role in achieving sustainable development
• they became more aware of ethical business practices, financial considerations and social influences in relation to sustainable development
• they appreciated the impact of technology and the role of research and development in achieving sustainable development
The evaluation of the summer school provides evidence of its success and effectiveness in achieving the original aims of the PROFESS 12 project.
DOI
https://doi.org/10.21427/g5sd-1998
Recommended Citation
Beagon, Una; JANI, Ruchita; MCKENNEDY, Janet; Bowe, Brian; MORGAN, Margaret; and HENRY, Rosalind M, "PROFESS 12: Project Report 5: The PROFESS 12 Summer School - Evaluation" (2024). Reports. 5.
https://arrow.tudublin.ie/createreports/5
Funder
HEA, DFHERIS, The Shared Island Fund
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-Share Alike 4.0 International License.
Included in
Educational Assessment, Evaluation, and Research Commons, Educational Methods Commons, Engineering Commons, Higher Education Commons
Publication Details
Evaluation of Summer School as part of project the PROFESS 12 research project, funded by HEA, DFHERIS, The Shared Island Fund and the North South Research Programme in Ireland.
This is the initial report from the team. A paper was written, peer reviewed and published in the Journal of Engineering Education Advancement in January 2025.
Beagon, U., McKennedy, J., Jani, R., Bowe, B., Morgan, M., & Henry, R. (2025). Student Reflections on a Summer School to achieve SDG 12: A Case Study . SEFI Journal of Engineering Education Advancement, 2(1). https://doi.org/10.62492/sefijeea.v2i1.24
(Original work published January 17, 2025)
doi:10.21427/g5sd-1998