Incorporating excellent research within academic teaching: That is the basic idea behind the “research-based” learning concept that is gathering new impetus at the University of Bremen. Within the context of an initiative called “Excellence in Academic Teaching”, the Stifterverband für die Deutsche Wissenschaft [Association of donors for the promotion of science and the humanities] is funding a fellowship for innovation in academic teaching at the University of Bremen. The Association is supporting a project entitled “Research-based learning involving the statistical methods used in research projects on brain?computer interfaces and robotics” in an amount of 50,000 euros. Led by Dr.-Ing. Olena Kuzmicheva from the Institute of Automation Engineering in the Faculty of Physics / Electrical Engineering, the project is one of fifteen that were selected for funding from a total of 210 applications. The project deals with a topical issue concerning the application of automation engineering in medical technology.
“This latest success in the competitive call “Excellence in Academic Teaching” is further proof that the University of Bremen is not only excellent in the area of research – it is every bit as much committed to raising the level of academic teaching”, says Prof. Heidi Schelhowe, Vice Rector for Teaching and Learning at the University of Bremen.
Project description
The project embodies a concept for research-based learning that enables students to come to grips with important aspects and procedures of inferential and applied statistics as well as probability calculus via hands-on application in ongoing research projects. They also learn how to carry out hypotheses tests. By participating in the research projects sBCI (rapid brain-computer interfaces) and FRIEND (Functional Robot Arm with User-friendly Interface for Disabled People) and accompanying lecture courses on probability calculus and statistics, the students receive a grounded introduction to the complex subject matter, especially when it comes to the evaluation of measured data using stochastic methods and hypothesis tests. Working in groups and being involved in an ongoing research project provides students with insights into how interdisciplinary research teams work and the experience promotes communication skills and team-working.
For more information, contact:
Universität Bremen
Fachbereich Physik / Elektrotechnik
Institut für Automatisierungstechnik
Dr.-Ing. Olena Kuzmicheva
Phon: +49 421 218-62446
e-mail: olenaprotect me ?!iat.uni-bremenprotect me ?!.de
http://www.stifterverband.info/wissenschaft_und_hochschule/lehre/fellowships/fellows_2012/index.html
