At the Accenture Innovation Center for Smart Services in Heerlen, we bring the latest technologies to our global clients to become leading in their industry. In our office, we have the right mix of subject experts and innovative graduates to provide creative, smart and industry-changing solutions. As we are an international company with a broad expertise, the sky is the limit.
CBS, the Dutch Central Agency for Statistics, indicates that 67.000 adults in Limburg experience conditions of poverty in 2019(based on the social threshold determined by the government). In South Limburg 9% of the households fall below the poverty line, compared to 6,4% in Central Limburg and 6,7% in North Limburg. Poverty is a multifaceted social issue that particularly affects the region where the Brightlands Campus is located, which ranks high on poverty lists.
Accenture is part of a collaborative ecosystem. Together with other regional partners we have the goal of positively improving our community with a focus on reducing poverty. Keeping in mind the various direct/indirect causes of poverty, ATC Heerlen would like to investigate the role that technology can play in improving the outcomes of our community. What opportunities exist for ATC Heerlen to leverage our tools to improving equality in our local community?
We are looking for students who will research new technologies (like Artificial Intelligence) to reduce poverty in South Limburg. With this project we can contribute to an important societal goal in the region.
Are you an ambitious student who wants an opportunity to collaborate with of one of the 3 top employers in the region? Take this chance to get to know Accenture as a company and use and develop your skills in this unique project! This can lead to new possibilities, even for you!
At the Accenture Innovation Center for Smart Services in Heerlen, we bring the latest technologies to our global clients to become leading in their industry. In our office, we have the right mix of subject experts and innovative graduates to provide creative, smart and industry-changing solutions. Topics we are leading in are Intelligent Automation, Blockchain, Smart Cloud Services, Security, Salesforce, Microsoft Technologies and many more. As we are an international company with a local footprint, the sky is the limit.
Delivery is a key aspect of innovation. Getting breakthrough concepts to market quickly is critical to success. Digital technology is constantly accelerating, after all. Seizing opportunities requires agility and speed.
That is why the Innovation Center for Smart Services in Heerlen is focused on digital delivery. We specialize in co-innovation, prototyping and scaling up for data science and smart services, serving clients in Belgium, Germany, Luxembourg and the Netherlands. With a dynamic, international team of young talent, fluent in English, German, French and Dutch, we have everything you need to accelerate value creation through innovation.
Stage 3: Align means and ends
At the Maastricht Sustainability Institute, teaching and learning in the master takes place in a ‘flipped classroom’ format. Small groups of 5 to 6 students first work independently on learning objectives, and subsequently report back in a plenary meeting with around 20 students. This puts a strong emphasis on the self-directed and collaborative aspects of learning. To prepare for this, at the beginning of the programme, students do an exercise in group work. They also draw up a Team Charter that describes how they will collaborate.
Stage 5: How are we doing?
This activity aims to get students to reflect on their experiences with PBL, especially those that have been less positive, thinking first about what caused the disappointment, then possible solutions. The activity involves a 10-15-minute individual reflection activity, followed by some 30 minutes of small group discussion of causes and solutions to problems. The tutor’s role (not described in the exercise) is to monitor the discussion and ensure suggestions are collected in a useable form.
Stage 4: Keeping up the spirit
At the MSc Learning and Development in Organisations, learning is based on the principles of constructive, contextual, collaborative and self-directed learning. The constructive and collaborative aspects of learning in particular, are seen as very similar to learning and working in a professional context. In the coaching that is an integral part of this programme, reflection on what is learned and how it is learned become two sides of the same coin. Goal setting and self-evaluation by students concerns the development of competencies and the way in which these are acquired through learning.
Stage 2: Mind the gap to previous experiences
We used a flipped format to deliver PBL information during Introduction days. We set up a canvas course dedicated to Introduction days were students could find all sort of information, including websites, contact information and student manuals related to their selected study programme. Within this canvas site, we added an Introduction days schedule with embedded welcome videos and/or documents. In the week prior to Introduction Days, participants received an email (via Canvas announcements) asking them to go over the event’s schedule on Canvas and watch a ~40 min video with a detailed explanation on how PBL works. During Introduction days the panel was organized as follows:
— Panel chair briefly summarized the main concepts related to PBL
— The tutors/coordinators and current students panelists introduced themselves and shared (informally) their thoughts and experience with PBL
— The chair opened the room for questions from new students
Unlike previous years that used a simple PBL presentation (passive listening), the flipped approach allowed us to provide the factual information before hand and opt for a more active PBM meeting for optimal engagement of participants during the event. Participants asked many questions, often building up from answers provided by the panel. Having a diverse panel answering questions was an added bonus, as the participants quickly realized that different coordinators/tutors might approach PBL differently, depending on the content and focus of the course. The current student perspective was very valuable as they provided examples of how they prepare for PBL and act as chairs or scribes. In Period 2 we asked the new students to provide feedback about Introduction Days and they commented quite favorably about the active PBL panel.
Stage 1: Mapping Teaching & Learning Styles
This activity is designed to get students to compare their expectations of teacher and student roles, with the hope of revealing underlying cultural perceptions so that all are aware of them and they can be addressed. When grouping the students, try to select diverse nationality groups. Time stage A so that students discuss their (national) cultural expectations before learning in detail about PBL. Carry out stage B after they have received some input about what PBL is.
