From an education prize to project-based learning in Suriname

A few years ago, FlexSciLabs won third prize in the Dutch Education Award. The prize money was subsequently used to develop a new version of the project, specifically for universities where fewer resources are available for project-based education. This version is now being piloted for the first time at Anton de Kom University of Suriname, where Jashwanti Kedar and Prithwie Boedhoe, two Applied Physics students, are working on a challenging assignment: adapting a programmable car so that it can reverse independently while towing a trailer.

From Twente to Suriname

The project is based on an initiative developed in Twente. Within the Applied Physics and Advanced Technology degree programmes, second-year bachelor’s students use a ready-to-use programmable car as part of their project-based education. The car is easy to operate, allowing students to focus on the design and programming.

For the pilot in Suriname, the concept has been expanded to include a trailer. The assignment has also been adapted for students who are further along in their degree programme. They have substantial subject-specific knowledge, but limited experience with project-based work.

The technical solution is therefore not the only objective. Above all, the students are learning how to approach a complex design challenge systematically. They learn to plan their time, communicate about their progress and adjust their plans when it becomes clear that they cannot achieve their original goal within the time available.

Education at a distance

An important part of the development process was making the project suitable for remote supervision. Over the past year, postdoctoral researcher Pim Dekker has worked on the adapted assignment and the accompanying instructions.

“Over the past year, we have mainly been busy with the preparations, and now we are right in the middle of the project. So at the moment, we are mostly learning how it works in practice,” says Pim.

Pim Dekker, Postdoc

I really enjoy working with the lecturers and students in Suriname. I think it is quite special that people on the other side of the world are working on my project, and that I can still speak to them in Dutch.

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Because students and supervisors cannot always communicate directly, the assignment has been described in detail. The reader contains all the information students need to continue working independently. In Enschede, there is also an exact replica of the car and trailer. This allows Pim and his colleagues to recreate problems encountered by the students and help them find solutions remotely.

The students in Suriname are supervised by Aroenprekash Badal and Bing Tan. At the University of Twente, Sissi de Beer coordinates the collaboration and acts as the primary point of contact. Pim is in contact with the students several times a week.

Investing in the future of physics education

The collaboration between the University of Twente and Anton de Kom University of Suriname goes beyond this project. Over the past year, the students have also taken several courses remotely, including Statistical Physics and Quantum Mechanics. They will soon start Solid State Physics.

The project with the programmable car has been made possible specifically thanks to the prize money awarded to FlexSciLabs. In this way, the Dutch Education Award is having a tangible follow-up: an investment in project-based education for students who would otherwise have fewer opportunities to gain this kind of experience.

The pilot runs until the end of September. Afterwards, the University of Twente and the partners in Suriname will evaluate the project together with the students. They will use the experiences from the pilot to further improve the project and prepare it for future applications.