PURSUE Project Team Conducts Online Meeting to Discuss WP2 – Course Development
WP2 — Course Development Meeting
The PURSUE project team held an online meeting focused on Work Package 2 — Course Development. The meeting advanced alignment of course content and academic activities across partner institutions and was attended by representatives from Sakarya University (Turkey), University of Porto (Portugal), Eduardo Mondlane University (Mozambique), Dar es Salaam Institute of Technology (Tanzania), Ardhi University (Tanzania), SIMAD University (Somalia), and Mogadishu University (Somalia).
Objectives
- Review the overall progress of WP2 and identify key milestones and deliverables.
- Discuss the curriculum structure and content development based on partner needs analysis.
- Finalize module topics on sustainable construction techniques using locally available materials and climate-resilient practices.
- Establish a timeline for developing course content, training materials, lab manuals, and e-learning modules.
Management and coordination
The meeting was led by the WP2 Leader — University of Porto, who presented the proposed curriculum framework and responsibilities.
Key discussion points
- Aligning course content with the PURSUE project objectives.
- Identifying gaps in existing curricula related to sustainable housing and construction.
- Incorporating stakeholder feedback gathered during the Tanzania meeting.
- Assigning specific content-creation and review tasks to partner institutions.
Challenges and next steps
- Ensuring content consistency across partners with varying academic standards.
- Integrating practical training modules that use locally available construction materials.
- Developing a monitoring and evaluation plan to assess course impact.
- Holding weekly progress meetings during which partners will present draft content for review and feedback.
Commitment to capacity building and sustainability
WP2's course development is central to PURSUE's mission to enhance higher-education capacity in Sub-Saharan Africa. The courses will be published as open educational resources (OERs) to extend impact beyond the project duration.