A time to plan

Dear reader,

Due to the celebration of Easter (and its aftermath), this post is a bit later than you normally would expect from me. But like I said in the first post, family is important! In the previous post I told you about the reason behind my research, in this post I will enlighten the method of research in more detail. As a summarily you can also view the general presentation about EPT goes abroad.

But first we have to look closely at the phenomenon of knowledge exchange between Brazil and the Netherlands. What types of knowledge exchange are there and what would be the most suited to the Energy- and Process technology study program?

In this research we specify three important questions;

·         What does the student want?

·         What are the connections between Brazil and the Netherlands?

·         What would be the best program for the Energy- and Process technology study program?

In the coming paragraphs I’ll explain each of them and what my method of answering them will be.

Firstly, it’s important to understand what the student wants, because they are the reason to participate in knowledge exchange. The literture review shows that students desire knowledge, unique skills and experience abroad. For that, students need ambitions, support and funding.

But these are quite abstract definitions, so I will conduct interviews with the three student populations (Dutch, Brazilian and current exchange students) to explore the exact definitions.

Secondly, the connection levels between Brazil and the Netherlands. Our opinion is that a multistage connection between countries is important for a good working exchange program. This means that there have to be connections between universities (Living Labs, combined research), business  (NBSO) and students (exchange programs). By interviewing steakholders I’ll try to make an estimation of the possibilities that these connections offer.

From the outcomes I’ll advise the study program in the best exchange program. This program needs to suit the student’s needs, fit in the current study program and be useful to the local business.

To explore the Brazilian side of this story, I’ll be in Belo Horizonte form April 28^th till May 18^th. If you are in the facility or have any useful connections for me; please let me know! Maybe I can make some space in my agenda to meet you.

In the following post, I’ll tell you about my travel preparations and agenda in Brazil.

Until then,

Thijs