BME Institute of Continuing Engineering Education
The Institute of Continuing Engineering Education (BME MTI) that was founded in 1939 as the first in Europe to be founded as a new type of university institute specializing in continuing education. In 1997 its Distance Education Centre was found which since May 2003 works with the extended responsibility, including the tasks related to adult learning activities. The Institute is organizing 35-40 Courses and trainings every year with more than 600 participants. All the courses are ISO 9001 compliant. The majority of the courses offered by the Institute are targeting continuous professional development, if requested even work based, on company grounds, on the fields of technical courses on various fields of engineering, economics-centered courses focusing on the aspects of management (including French MBA), courses in computer studies with informatics as the background, language and interdisciplinary courses, negotiation techniques for engineers and competencies as basics of lifelong learning. The Institute can also boast with its remarkable international activities. It plays an active role in several notable Engineering Education organizations. Most notably the Institute is involved in the adjudication of EUR ING degree of Hungarian engineering graduates and in 2000 it was awarded with the ‘UNESCO Chair’ title. Until now, no other European institute for continuing engineering education has this distinction. The institute is offering digital certificates upon successful completion to most of the courses in the format of digital Open Badges.
The Centre for Learning Innovation and Adult Learning
The Institute has a separate unit dedicated to learning development, called the Centre for Learning Innovation and Adult Learning. The tasks of the Centre are complex: it aims at facilitating the introduction of new technologies in teaching and learning by e-learning course development, and it provides organizational and methodological services for adult learning at the University. Within the framework of participating in high number of EU and national projects the Centre is continuously monitoring and systematizing the international and national trends, policies and development of ICT enhanced learning, open and distance education. We are also offering e-learning courses and training in the fields of instructional design, course development and digital student support. The research focus of the Centre in the last five years is related to digital credentialisation: microcredentials and the quality of them. (OEPass, DiscoVET projects) The Centre is experienced in on-line and e-learning especially course development: developed many teacher’s further education courses accredited by the Ministry of Education. The subject of the courses wary, including ICT related (Use of Internet, School Computer Network Manager), Training of Open and Distance Learning Tutors and Developers in ODL, etc. For 25 years the Centre hosted the secretariat of the most comprehensive European association in distance and e- learning, the European Distance and ELearning Network (EDEN). Know-how, in the form of advice, consultancy, learning and studies, is part of services provided by the Centre to educational institutions, small and medium sized enterprises and private persons.
The Centre has been participating effectively in a number of European and national projects. Within these frameworks the Centre is continuously monitoring and systematizing the main international and national trends, policies and developments of on-line and e-learning carrying out information collection, analysis and research, developing courses for HE and VET of OER, e-learning and applies evaluating and quality assurance systems.
The following sample of projects show the variety of research conducted:
- Digitally signed credentials and Open badges (VET, HE): research on micro-credentials (terminology and use), development of open badge displayer platform, developing course on digitally signed credentials and open badges
- Vocational Online Collaboration for Active Learning (VET): research topics were digital collaborative skills, open educational practices, testimony technique
- Student guidance at university for inclusion (HE): research on existent practices for guidance and support at the university – Open Education Passport (HE): research on recognition of open education, ranking and classification of online certificates,
- Data Understanding and Communication Knowledge and Skills for Trainers and Teachers in VET and HE (VET): needs analysis and researching best practices of data understanding and communication training in VET, HE and CPD fields
- Digital Resources as a New Strategical Factor for a Renovation of Modernization in Higher Education: researching business models of sustainability of MOOCs, OER and related online education endeavour, as well as national and public policies
- Added value learning for Preschool Teachers & Pedagogical Coordinators (VET): research on national value education
- Promoting the EQF Learning Outcome approach within European Universities: researching the implementation of Learning Objectives within the EHEA
- Reviewing and reviving VET practices: research on ICT integration