„From Theory to Practice – International Teaching in Field Archeology in Roman Sarmizegetusa”

ERASMUS+Programe
Key Action: KA2 “Cooperation for innovation and exchange of good practices”
Action “Strategic Partnerships for higher education”.

Beneficiary: Muzeul Național de Istorie a Transilvaniei
Partners: RUPRECHT-KARLS-UNIVERSITAET HEIDELBERG (Germany), THE UNIVERSITY OF EXETER (United Kingdom), UNIVERSITAET WIEN (Austria), BABEȘ-BOLYAY UNIVERSITY (Romania)

Contract: 2015-1-RO01-KA203-015185

The project „From Theory to Practice – International Teaching in Field Archeology in Roman Sarmizegetusa”  starts from the need identified by us that refers to the lack of a coherent learning program at European level in the archaeological field-school for developing students archaeological entrepreneurial abilities. Although the shift towards commercial small-scale entreprises has been identified as the most important professional outcome of the extensive funding and job- cuts in the post-2008 archaeological world in UK for example (according to studies conducted by the Chartered Institute for Archaeologists – CIFA; formerly IFA) there is currently little emphasis on increasing the awareness of archaeology students towards the great diversity of entrepreneurial, skill-based career opportunities in archaeology, and no university programmes in UK and Europe with a formal curriculum on the subject. Thus, although archaeology is traditionally taught in many universities in Europe, only few graduates are aware of their great potential in providing specific specialist skills within an entrepreneurial framework; therefore, they find insertion in the traditional job market to be very difficult and only few of them are able to develop successful careers in archaeology.

Among the causes that led to the identified problem are:

–  poor opportunities for sharing know-how among research-active staff involved in educating students and for collaboration with other institutions employing qualified personnel in the field of archaeology;

– shortage of good practice models in archaeology aimed at developing entrepreneurship among young people and of working tools for the acquisition and recognition of skills and competences acquired in an archaeological field school at European level;

– low level of international and interdisciplinary collaboration in archaeology among teachers, researchers or students.

Without intervention, this problem may lead to the perpetuation at European level of outdated learning models, poorly adapted to the current social environment and which fail to appropriately stimulate students in their professional development and entrepreneurship. The prospective raise in unemployment of archaeology graduates and forecasted decrease of interest of European studentsin careers in archaeology would have further negative effects on profession-specific learning, which would become less relevant, thus determining a decrease in the numbers of relevant teaching staff.

The aim of our project is the creation, adoption and promotion of a coherent model of nonformal and informal learning, and the development of cross-border competences and of professional and transferable transversal skills for the European students within the framework of the archaeological field school at Sarmizegetusa, in order to facilitate the achievement of entrepreneurial awareness and practical experience useful in student mobility within a trans-European professional labour market.

Our objectives are:

1. To increase the quality and relevance within the labour market and high education in archaeological field schools for students through innovatory practices encouraging critical thinking in the study of classical antiquity; use of IT in archaeological recording  & heritage presentation; and virtual cooperation in research among the students.
2. To promote the employability-focused education in archaeology, with particular emphasys on practical skills entrepreneurship and on increased contact between educators and employers in the field.
3. To innovate, develop and adapt a working methodology for the teaching and recognition of archaeological competences and skills of students to the field school from 2016 and 2018 at Sarmizegetusa.
4. To consolidate the professional development and cross-border cooperation of 10 researchers from 5 European institutions working in high education in the field of archaeology through an innovative combination of nonformal and informal learning pattern and increase  the quality of high education in the archaeological field school from Colonia Sarmizegetusa.
5. To increase the active learning and abilities for professional insertion of 40 European students through interdisciplinary and international cooperation though undertaking discrete collaborative research projects.
6. To develop active European citizenship among the students in protecting and promoting our shared European archaeological heritage.

Activities:

3 Transnational Meetings of the members involved in project (one person for each partner);

2 Intelectual Outputs (We intend to inovate, develop, adapt and elaborate a working methodology for the teaching and recognition of archaeological competences and skills – 1 curricullum, 1 manual)

2 Learning Activities (5 students and 1 teacher from each partner involved in project) in augost 2016 and august 2017.

4 Multiplier Events (The Intellectual Outputs should be disseminated from each partner involved in project: Seminar, Workshop, etc. )

„From theory to practice – International Teaching in Field Archaeology in Roman Sarmizegetusa” includes in its activities two learning activities as well (Intensive Program for high education learners) which will take place during a time of 15 days. These two short learning activities will gather together a total number of 40 students from partner universities (20 students in the first ISP and 20 in the second one) with teachers and researchers who are part of the project team. The purpose of these two learning activities offers the possibility of testing the intellectual outputs of our project, the opportunity to test and adapt accordingly to the needs of the students the learning programs from the archaeological school type sites. Moreover, the development of these learning programs will help achieve the objectives of the strategic partnership, such as institutional cooperation and teamwork within the teaching activity of the project team members. Thus, it will be stimulated the transnational cooperation of the partners, it will be strengthened their professional development and it will continuously improve the programs and the learning methods that will lead to the increasing quality of high education in archaeology in archaeological field school. In addition, the participation of the active learning students will result in an increased active learning and of the employability skills among the students participating through international interdisciplinary cooperation. It will be also stimulated and developed a sense of European citizenship regarding the protection and promotion of the European archaeological heritage. As part of the activities from the intensive learning program, it will be taken into account the promoting of those learning methods that will develop the knowledge, skills and attitudes relevant for the mobility-focused education in archaeology, emphasising the practical skills entrepreneurship and the increased contact between educators and employers in the field as well as the quality and relevance within the labour market of nonformal and informal education in archaeological field schools for youth through innovatory practices encouraging critical thinking in the study of classical antiquity; the use of IT in archaeological recording  & heritage presentation and virtual cooperation in research among the students. Therefore, through the ISP we firstly intend to test, develop and adapt the learning methods. In order, to achieve this goal we will prepare within the drafting activity of the methodology concerning the necessary instruments for the quality management,  evaluation sheets of the activities which will be carried out during the 15 days of the ISP, which will be completed both the students and teachers, self-assessment forms which will be completed by teachers who applied the learning methods as well as feedback questionnaires which will be filled in by students in order to be encouraged to contribute to the process of learning and to the process of developing the quality and the relevance of the higher education. In the each evening of the activities within the ISP it will be taken into account to request a feedback on the activities of that day, as well as the final feedback which will be completed at the end of the intensive learning program. At the same time, The students who participated in this project will be required to complete before their return in the countries of provenance, until the first meeting with their teacher, an activity report whose format will be developed to determinate the necessary tools of quality management.

            The “From Theory to Practice – International Teaching in Field Archaeology in Roman Sarmizegetusa” (FIT in Archaeology) is coordinated by the National Museum of Transylvanian History in partnership with the University of Heidelberg (Germany), University of Exeter (UK), University of Vienna (Austria ), “Babes-Bolyai” University of Cluj-Napoca. The project is funded by the European Commision through ANPCDEFP within the Erasmus+ Programe, Key Actions KA2 – “Cooperation for innovation and exchange of good practices”, Action “Strategic Partnerships for higher education”. Total bid of the project is of EUR 122 950.