Intro: VVITA is proposed Erasmus+ project with transnational cooperation: UAUIM, UNICT & NTNU, that raises question of European high education and underlines thematic approach of complexity on rural heritage conditions emergencies, actual chances and challenges where traditional division of disciplines are outdated. Topic declaration: Underrated, despised versus modernity, RURAL HERITAGE has suffered destruction and is still under threat. No object or skill is a heritage item in itself; it becomes part of heritage because of “meaning” it is invested. To decide what is to be done, it must be assessed in relationship to time as a vector of memory-space-geographical identifier-group or society, as indicator of belonging. Its components -material and immaterial- are related to a wide fields’ variety -history, architecture, arts, culture, techniques, crafts, including food-processing skills, environment, fauna and flora, natural and built landscapes. Innovation brief: Participant universities have different approaches and profiles offering DIVERSITY in the project; cooperation sets up creativity and discipline interference based on identity. Engineer field disciplines focus on technical-economics aspects and architecture ones on architectural design and aesthetic approach, while urbanism disciplines focus on territorial developments and cultural landscape. For the need of complexity approach on the topic, project offers INTEGRATE vision usually neglected through apart disciplines aiming strengthening architectural CURRICULA and new TEACHING and LEARNING adapted to new societal and professional setups. This NEW MODULE implies basis knowledge, teaching methods and role models transferred in rural heritage education have to be adapted to a new contemporaneous reality, to create a balance between the rural and urban approach in the curricula and reconsidering rural as valuable resource for present education and cultural-social needs. Goal is to enhance quality and relevance of architecture higher education by improving and diversification of participating universities curriculum on current approaches to rural built heritage environment, rural landscape and traditional construction systems. International cooperation will teach how to deal with INTER-CULTURAL changes and different teaching education tradition across cultures. ‘AIMS to: -increase quality of teachers’ training, rising quality, competences and skills relevance for students through promoting a STUDENT CENTRED APPROACH for field of rural environment regeneration; -develop and test NEW TEACHING METHODS, formats and instruments in the education of rural build heritage supporting the innovation and creativity through disciplines interferences and different profile architectural universities; -strengthen the architectural graduates’ ability to face the actual problems of rural heritage building, and thus improve the graduates’ social impact and their employability, and equip with interdisciplinary and inter-cultural competences and skills needed to deal with complex problem in multicultural society; -fill the gap between theory and practice, respectively participating in Intensive Study Programms through transnational collaboration (development, testing, adapting and applying innovative practices) regarding local construction systems, traditions, rural heritage, sustainable approaches in vernacular heritage; -support the EU recognition tools (ECTS) and support the better use of European transparency; Mechanisms within the project’s technology and innovation: Project also have a SOCIAL INCLUSION approach in selected local rural settlements with social-civic-interethnic-intercultural dimension, disadvantaged and remote architectural heritage through activity of Intensive Programmes hosted by each partner institutions. IPs will serve as local “teaching laboratories” where it will be implemented and tested the INNOVATIVE TEACHING MODULE and developed GUIDELINE METHODOLOGY, which will lead to a sustainable and inclusive development of strategies to vitalize heritage villages. VVITA project is directly addressed to participants of the partner higher education institution: teachers and students in the related disciplines of rural built heritage, but also to the associated partners and different stakeholders in academia and profession. TRANS-NATIONALITY is supported through: -exchange educational experiences&know-how on built rural heritage to find&develop new methods, formats and instruments; -develop digital platform as tool for future collaborative activities and ensure international cooperation; -strengthening bonds between education and profession sector to gain understanding challenges of rural built heritage and training dedicated future professionals; -prepare students to work in architecture and connected multicultural-diversity field, in international environment and respond to real problems of rural areas in line with specific local/regional level.
“Modernizing Learning and Teaching for Architecture through Smart and Long-lasting Partnerships leading to sustainable and inclusive development strategies to Vitalize heritage Villages through Innovative Technologies” is a project that considers the actual depopulation phenomena in far situated rural areas from urban centers. Depopulation implies lack of economic development, poverty and loss in the field of protection traditional architecture and monuments. On the other hand, architectural education is looking worldwide into new didactic teaching and learning techniques in order to achieve the actual technological level of communication, interdisciplinarity, building techniques and new sustainability standards. The project proposed a transnational University cooperation that raises the question of high education in Europe and underlines the thematic approach of the complexity of current rural heritage conditions emergencies, actual chances and challenges where the traditional division of disciplines are outdated. All the participant universities have different approaches and profiles offering diversity in the project. The cooperation supported creativity and the discipline interference sharpen their identity. In this direction, there is a need to face to the complexity of the rural heritage and, in that context, the project offers an integrated approach that is usually neglected through individual disciplines and aims at strengthening the architectural curricula and teaching to face new TEACHING and LEARNING and to be adapted to the new societal and professional situation. This NEW MODULE implied that the knowledge basis, teaching methods and role models transferred in rural heritage education was adapted to a new contemporaneous reality, created a balance between the rural and urban approach in the curricula and reconsidered rural as valuable resource for present education and cultural-social needs. Objectives: - Increasing the quality of teachers training and the relevance of competences and skills for students through promoting a STUDENT CENTERED APPROACH for the field of rural environment regeneration - Developing and testing NEW TEACHING METHODS, formats and instruments in this field of education - Strengthening the architectural graduates’ ability to face the actual problems of the rural heritage building and thus improve the graduates’ social impact and their employability - To fill the gap between theory and practice, respectively participating in intensive study programs - Supporting the EU recognition tools (ECTS) and support the better use of European transparency Number and profile of participants: •Teaching partners staff (22) with competence profiles of the teachers in about 15 disciplines • Students (100): - Directly involved students following the degree course of each partner university - Students from rural areas - PhD with a thesis on evaluation of risks, rural heritage or rural landscape study area - Students from other 7 countries (32) that participated in collateral VVITA workshops • Faculty management staff • NGO-s members • Public organization representatives • Researchers (NIRDDD, Museums) • Representatives of local community • Professional associations representatives (4 participants). Description of undertaken activities: In applying innovation and technology there were two kinds of outputs: - gathering tutors/mentors, trainers discussing the detailed curricula and support materials - output as dedicated phase in intensive learning programs for teaching assimilated and tested the development habituation and information, integrated thinking for both theory and practice. Results and impact attained: (1) Teaching staff: The new competences of the staff members were multiplied by involving new teachers in the activities. Pedagogical training was also maintained as the part of network activity. (2) Students: Benefited from the innovative program, gaining multicultural exchange, relevant knowledge and practice oriented experience, contributing directly to their employability. (3) Faculty management staff: benefited from the synergy across institutional boundaries and could transfer this concept to other fields of study. During the implementation there were elaborated also progresses and final reports, outcomes of the transnational meetings, of the short-term joint staff training event and intensive programs longer-term benefits By using common resources, profit was gained on several levels and the results are: academic benefit by exchange of knowledge; cultural benefit by social and intellectual exchange; economic benefit. There were organized exhibitions with posters and video presentations, scientific and educational papers, conference participation and internal exhibition. The results of the VVITA project were transformed into an educational network for the villages heritage vitalization as part of its sustainable strategy.