ThinkBS: Early Dual Degrees in Basic Sciences

ThinkBS: Early Dual Degrees in Basic Sciences’ is an Erasmus+ project funded by the European Union under the coordinatorship of Prof. Dr. Ayşe Hümeyra Bilge, a faculty member at KHAS Industrial Engineering Department. This project provides a platform that contains advanced mathematical information for engineering students and helps the engineering students aspiring to have an academic career in basic sciences improve their mathematical background.

ThinkBS: Early Dual Degrees in Basic Sciences is an Erasmus+ project funded by the European Union under the coordinatorship of Prof. Dr. Ayşe Hümeyra Bilge, a faculty member at Kadir Has University Industrial Engineering Department. Encouraging intercultural dialogue, this project aims to create a platform that contains advanced mathematical information for engineering students, improve the basic competence and skill levels of the young, and enhance the mathematical background of those who study in engineering departments but aspire to have an academic career in basic sciences.

The total budget of the ThinkBS project is €257,252. The partners of the project are San Jorge University (Spain), Politehnica University of Bucharest (Romania), and University of Debrecen (Hungary). This 36-month project will end on August 31, 2022. During the project, different courses with intermediate, upper, and advanced levels are given to undergraduate and graduate students from various universities. The courses are carried out with the participation of foreign partners and some educational platforms are created based on these courses in line with the project.

Prof. Dr. Bilge states that the project outcomes are defined as blended learning platforms which contain an adequate level of material for self-learning and these platforms can also be used to complement formal education. As Prof. Bilge expresses, project-based educational approaches have brought up the question of ‘Which mathematical information is required for advanced engineering practices?‘ and the blended learning model has come into prominence. In project-based education, the students have to define, find and apply the necessary mathematical information for their projects on their own. ThinkBS project platforms serve guidance in line with this aim.

A workshop named “ThinkBS: Basic Sciences in Engineering Education” was held on March 25-26, 2021, to share new ideas obtained through the experiences during the project. Experts, academicians, and students in mathematics and engineering fields came together and shared their experiences.

For those interested in the project, all studies about the ThinkBS are published on http://thinkbs.khas.edu.tr. Also, academicians and students who want to contribute to the project may send an email: [email protected]