Project weeks at Wittenborg are an essential and unique part of the academic curriculum. They form the bridge between academic study, cognitive learning, personal development, and team work within group directed learning.
Project weeks bring students into contact with “real life projects” as much as is possible, either of a research nature or a practical nature. In one way or another, Project Week are part of the educational structure of the BBA, MBM and MBA programmes.
Project Weeks - Teams and Groups
During Project Weeks, students are formed into groups and given a project topic during an introduction session by the project teacher, sometimes accompanied by a representative from a company or organisation that has helped to instigate the project.
All students within a year of a particular programme, complete the same project in teams with the following basic format:
- Students form project teams with a clear role division
- Students evaluate themselves within the team undertaking prescribed roles
- Students produce a final report, in the form of a proposal, that can be presented to external investors
- Students are able to present their final report, in a clear and organised pitch
During project weeks, students are also encouraged to complete a ‘Belbin’ evaluation of their performance. This personal development method is continued throughout the programme, allowing students to map a developing profile of themselves.
Often the project will be instigated by a business/government organisation working with Wittenborg (if you're interested in becoming a partner, see here). Sometimes, representatives from that organisation will be involved in the start-up of project week and the final evaluation for the best projects. Often a prize is awarded to the group with what has been judged as the best project. During project week, students often make a business excursion to the focus of the project, either a company, an organisation, or the location of an event or object that is the subject of the project week.
For examples of project weeks, read the following news articles:
Institution-wide Project Weeks
In recent years, Wittenborg has introduced the concept of a theme for each academic year. Each year the school selects through stakeholder voting a specific Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) theme to guide its teaching and learning activities. The theme serves as a foundation for interdisciplinary discussions, research and project-based learning, allowing students to explore innovative solutions to global challenges. The institution-wide project weeks always introduce the theme of the academic year and provide students with real-world problem solving. Students collaborate to address global issues and this way project weeks integrate the 17 SDGs into practical challenges. So far we have worked on SDG#13 Climate Action, SDG#1 No Poverty, SDG#3 Good Health and Well-being and SDG#4 Quality Education. These project weeks are fully packed with guest lectures, panel discussions, workshops and teamwork, whereby students learn to apply academic knowledge and critical thinking to foster innovation and come up with sustainable solutions.
Experiencing these project weeks at Wittenborg enhances each student's learning experience and it encourages them to become responsible global citizens. Wittenborg is committed to providing education that contributes to a sustainable future.
To get an impression about the institution-wide project weeks, you can watch the videos below and you can read the following news articles: