The exchange of three participants from FME BUT took place at the University of Malta in the period of 6.5. - 15.5.2005 with the following programme:
arrival of participants, accommodation at the Sliema hotel
visit to the Faculty of Engineering of Malta University, dealings with the coordinator of the exchange - ing. Zdenka Sant, who provided us with the history of the faculty and its structure. Faculty of Engineering consists of six faculties: Communications & Computer Engineering, Electrical Power and Control Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Metallurgy and Materials Engineering, and Microelectronics Engineering. The Dean of the Faculty of Engineering, Prof. Ing. Maurice Grech, together with the heads of departments of Mechanical Engineering, Prof.Ing.P.P.Farrugia, and Manufacturing Engineering, Dr.Ing. Jonathan C. Borg, made the participants familiar with teaching and research goals of their departments including cooperation with both Maltese industry (e.g. Methode Electronics Malta, Ltd., Fabian Enterprises Ltd., Malta Shipyards, Ltd.) and foreign companies (e.g. SZU in Hungary, Bodycoat and ZFW in Germany, Tecoac in the U.K., and SC Plastmaterm in Romania).
visiting the capital of Malta, La Valletta, information on the history of the country and cultural environs in English - organised by ing. Zdenka Sant - including a visit to the Crafts village in Mtarfa, where the participants made themselves familiar with the history of traditional Maltese crafts - glass blowing, pottery, leather processing, silver filigree, stone -carving, wrought iron products, and handmade laces.
attending the seminar on (Mechanics of Solids - Statics, topic: Equilibrium of body -special cases), followed by the discussion with Maltese colleagues with the aim to improve and consolidate communication skills of language specialist from FME BUT in engineering English. After the seminar a discussion continued about the requirements related to the level of engineering English for international students applying to study at Maltese University. Our students would, in most cases, experience great difficulties mainly in communication in engineering English because their knowledge is rather passive (reading comprehension).
participating in students' presentations of seminar projects Mechanical properties of spinal element, acquiring knowledge about the methods used in the partner institution when teaching engineering subject presentations in English; studying written annotations of final projects from the year 2004 - a number of them were realised in cooperation with industry (e.g. aircraft engineering).
a discussion with colleagues from subject departments of the Faculty of Engineering about teaching materials and methods used when teaching engineering subjects in English (including courses for international students) that could help us to improve the level of engineering English taught to the students of FME BUT. In the course of project development, a translation has been started of Czech curricula used to teach the subjects STATICS and MECHANICS I into English (ing.Sant) offering thus the possibility to use this material for Czech students who would like to study these subjects in English.
a visit to the Departments of Industrial Services, which is an integral part of Department of Manufacturing Engineering. This department has qualified employee who offer consultancy and services about development of products. In this way the department cooperates with a number of local companies in such areas as product and process innovation, welding and sheet production, CAD/CAM and CIM technologies, calibration of linear measuring equipment, industrial robots, etc. The participants visited mechanical laboratories providing static and fatigue testing and also the laboratories for development and study of surface spraying. These laboratories closely cooperate with local industry. The participants had discussions with heads of these labs not only about their engineering tasks but also about the level of Engineering English required for students' mobilities in industry with the aim to implement the acquired information and finding into the teaching curricula of FME BUT.
presentation of FME BUT in terms of study programmes offered in English and cooperation with local industry and institutions where English is a means of professional communication. Due to the fact that these programmes are currently under development, their choice is limited. The local companies, which actively cooperate with FME BUT and can offer a good level of English, are e.g.Honeywell, a.s., Siemens Drásov and MEDIN, Nové Město na Moravě.
the exchange proved to be effective in terms of both parties involved: the Maltese institution is offering assistance in training the teachers from FME BUT in engineering English even through study visits to local industry and through cooperation on projects where industry participates. Within the framework of bilateral agreement concluded between the Maltese University and BUT, further visits of university teaching staff will take place this year: LdV mobility (two teachers from Institute of Automation and Informatics) and study visits: head of Institute of Process and Ecological Engineering, head of Institute of Mechanics of Solids, Mechatronics and Biomechanics.
departure of participants
Leonardo da Vinci II: CZ/04/A/EX/ - 134265
Duration: 1/1/2005 - 16/7/2005
This project has been carried out with the support of the European Community.
© Brno University of Technology 2005
Last update: 26-Oct-2005, 18:31