4. Sustainable Energy Technology nota

C o n c e p t (JBE)

Master Sustainable Energy Technology

Information in support of the application for accreditation by NVAO

3TU Graduate School

(TU/e, TUD, UT)

October 20, 2005

1 INTRODUCTION 4

2 FINAL ATTAINMENT LEVEL (PROGRAMME OBJECTIVES) IN THE MASTER PROGRAMME 8

2.1 Domain-specific requirements 8

2.2 General and scientific requirements 9

2.3 Research oriented 10

2.4 Pedagogical approach 10

3 MASTER’S PROGRAMME 11

3.1 Overview of the Master’s programme 11

3.2 Master’s programme cohesion 15

3.3 Relation between the Master’s programme and academic research 17

3.4 Relation between final attainment level and the Master’s programme 18

3.5 Master’s programme study load 22

3.6 Academic support facilities 22

3.7 Admission 22

3.8 Duration 23

4 HUMAN RESOURCES EFFORTS 24

4.1 WO requirements 28

4.2 Staff quantity 28

4.3 Staff quality 28

5 FACILITIES 29

5.1 General services 29

5.2 Library facilities and other learning resources 29

5.3 ICT facilities 30

5.4 Video conferencing room 30

5.5 Academic support facilities 30

5.6 Office facilities 31

6 METHODS OF ASSESSMENT AND SYSTEM OF QUALITY CONTROL 32

6.1 Methods of assessment 32

6.2 System of quality control 33

6.3 Student involvement in quality control 37

7 CONTINUITY CONDITIONS 38

7.1 Guaranteed completion 38

7.2 Financial Analysis 38

7.3 Investments 39

Appendices

Appendix A: Summary of report (in Dutch): De TU/e M.Sc. Sustainable Energy – een verkenning van de markt, SDE, juli 2002

Appendix B: (In Dutch) Slagkracht in innovatie: Sectorplan Wetenschap en Technologie, februari 2004

Appendix C: Academic Criteria for Bachelor and Master Curricula, 3 TU, January 2005.

Appendix D: Description of courses: core curriculum

Appendix E: Elective subjects: M.Sc. Sustainable Energy Technology

Appendix F: Graduation projects

Appendix G: Short CV’s of Teaching Staff

1Introduction

Need for the M.Sc. programme Sustainable Energy Technology

In June 2005 the TU/e obtained the accreditation from NVAO for a M.Sc programme Sustainable Energy Technology. Already at that moment it has been the intention of TU/e and the two other technical universities TUDelft and UT, cooperating in the 3TU Graduate School to extend this M.Sc. programme to a national programme. This document is an extension of the document from TU/e, with contributions from TUDelft and UT, in support of the application of the accreditation by NVAO of this national M.Sc programme.

The actual need for engineers in sustainable energy technologies has been identified in a study performed by the director of SDE (Stichting Samenwerkingsverband Duurzame Energie) (see appendix A). Interviews were done with 18 organizations from the energy sector (i.e. EPZ, Essent and Nuon) and sectors closely related to it, such as the supplying industry, research institutes (i.e. universities, TNO and ECN), engineering offices, consultancy firms (i.e. Ecofys, CE and CEA) and parties involved in energy policy (i.e. ministries and NGO’s). The study clearly shows the need for graduate students with knowledge and skills of both sustainable energy technologies and knowledge of the introduction of these technologies in society. Hence, the future engineers need a sound technological basis of classical energy conversion systems, the physics and chemistry behind renewable energy systems based on biomass, wind and solar energy and hydrogen as possible future energy carrier and of how sustainable systems need to interact in a stable electrical grid. Current developments in the energy sector make that future engineers require more than a purely technical knowledge. The liberalization and internationalization of energy markets require understanding of (institutional) economy and their part in changes in the energy sector. During the transition to a sustainable energy supply both technical and social consequences (i.e. policy questions and legal aspects) have to be considered. The combination of engineering (beta) and policy (gamma) topics related to sustainable energy technology in one educational programme is unique and only possible in cooperation between different departments.

The need for graduate students in sustainable energy technologies also follows from the commitment of The Netherlands and many other countries to the Kyoto protocol on the reduction of greenhouse gases. For The Netherlands this resulted in a further commitment to generate 10% of the total energy use by renewable energy sources by the year 2010 (i.e. solar, wind and biomass). To reach these goals the use and generation of energy should be as efficient and clean as possible and renewable energy sources should be used as much as possible. Subsequently, the fossil fuels (i.e. oil, gas and coal) and renewable energy sources should be used as best as possible to avoid inefficient energy conversion. Only by considering the system as a whole and combining it with a thorough (multidisciplinary) knowledge about the processes within, different options can be evaluated and checked for their practical feasibility. Since September 11^th 2001, the concept of sustainability also has an extra meaning in the short term. There is a new social need for the design of energy supply chains with little vulnerability. This issue is especially important for large connected grids for gas and electricity.

The Dutch Government has recently started to increase the innovative power of the Dutch society. The proposed programme will contribute to the advancement of the Dutch knowledge economy (kenniseconomie) as its graduates and researchers will contribute to new scientific developments in the area of sustainable energy technology in innovative sectors of industry.

M.Sc. Sustainable Energy Technology and the 3 TU Graduate School

In 2003 the three universities of technology in The Netherlands (Technische Universiteit Delft, Universiteit Twente and Technische Universiteit Eindhoven) embarked in a cooperation directed at the harmonization and coordination of research and educational efforts. In March 2004 the final version of the resulting joint strategy report “ Sectorplan Wetenschap en Technologie” was presented to the Staatssecretaris van Onderwijs Cultuur en Wetenschappen (appendix B). Five new M.Sc.-programmes are proposed in this plan because these programmes are not yet offered in The Netherlands and are considered as being essential for (innovation of) the Dutch knowledge-based economy (kenniseconomie). The M.Sc. programme Sustainable Energy Technology is one of these five.

The three technical universities TU/e, TUDelft, and UT are in a good position to offer a national M.Sc. programme as required by the energy sector.

The energy-related research at the three locations is accommodated in different research schools.

Examples of research areas are:

•Research on energy from biomass at all three locations with different specialities. The UT has an emphasis on thermal and chemical conversion processes for the use of biomass as an energy carrier and chemicals. At the TU/e the biomass related research is focused on small scale conversion units with a special emphasis on the tar removal and cleaning of the syn gas. At the TUDelft biomass related research is focused on large scale power generation.

•Research on solar energy focused in Eindhoven on the production of amorphous silicon and polymer solar cells, in Delft on nano-structured 3D solar cells and in Twente on the integration of solar energy into products.

•Research on wind energy is mainly concentrated in Delft with some small contributions from TU/e in the area of fluid structure interaction and from UT in computational fluid dynamics of wind turbines

•Research on hydrogen technology with its focus on the large scale production of hydrogen in Twente, the production using sustainable energy and storage of hydrogen in Delft and the small scale production of hydrogen in Eindhoven.

Characteristic for these research topics is that several departments cooperate in these areas. Only through this cooperation between different departments a good combination of broad and in-depth research can be accomplished. The connection between education and research in this field of technology guarantees a strong basis for the M.Sc. programme.

It is of great importance that a master programme is firmly and directly linked to the research groups. Through the direct participation of the heads of these groups in Sustainable Energy Technology (SET), the corresponding master programme will be firmly embedded in the participating departments. In order to take advantage of the available synergy - the master programme is defined as a multidisciplinary and interdepartmental programme, independent from existing M.Sc.-programmes at each of the participating departments.

Benchmark for the M.Sc. programme Sustainable Energy Technology

At the moment, a strong interdisciplinary technological study programme like this is unique in The Netherlands. The Utrecht University offers a track Energy and Resources within the Sustainable Development Master’s programme. The report of SDE describes the difference between the original TU/e programme and the programme in Utrecht as follows: “The M.Sc.-programme Energy and Resources, as is offered by the Universiteit Utrecht has an approach which focuses more on the stages in the energy chain and more on the policy dimensions of the supply of energy. This as opposed to the programme in Eindhoven, which follows an interdisciplinary technological approach. It is found that the interviewees (the 18 organizations from the energy sector) will be able to make a conscious choice between the Eindhoven Master Sustainable Energy (Technology) and the Utrecht Master Energy and Resources.”

Because of the need expressed in the SDE research for graduate students with knowledge of sustainable energy technologies and knowledge of the introduction of these technologies in society, this national programme will integrate technical and social sciences. The ratio between these sciences will be inverse to the ratio in Utrecht, while in Utrecht the ratio between technological and social sciences is about 25 to 75, the ratio in this 3TU programme will be 75 to 25. This way both programmes will complement each other.

Also internationally the energy courses at an M.Sc.-level can be divided into two groups: 1) more technically oriented and 2) more policy oriented. An example of a course in the second category, which can be compared to the course offered in Utrecht is: Sustainable Energy Systems at the University of Edinburgh, United Kingdom.

Courses in the first category, are:

-Renewable Energy at the Carl von Ossietzky Universität Oldenburg, Germany

-Sustainable Energy Engineering at the Royal Institute of Technology, Sweden

-Sustainable Energy Engineering at the University of Leeds, United Kingdom.

The course at the Royal Institute of Technology focuses rather on the application of technologies in the generation and utilization of energy. The course does not cover all relevant areas for sustainable energy. The 3TU programme will be more focused on research and will cover more fundamental principles in order to meet the criterion that its engineers should be broadly deployable. The course at the University of Leeds is directed at practical industrial combustion and emission problems of energy supply, including transport emission problems and the related environmental pollution consequences of polluted water and air. This course has clearly a rather limited scope with relatively one-sided attention for sustainable energy.

The programme at the University of Oldenburg has the following core courses: Solar Energy; Wind & Hydro Energy; Energy from Biomass; Energy Meteorology; Energy Systems & Power Plants and Economy of Energy Systems. Some of the main requirements to fulfil the needs identified above can be recognized in this programme, notably the interdisciplinary approach, the attention for technical and social sciences and the system approach. This programme will be seen as the benchmark for the 3TU programme. The ambition of the 3TU graduate school is, however, to offer a more research-oriented programme oriented at research-based technological design in order to fulfil the societal need for engineers that can contribute to the innovativeness of The Netherlands and the advancement of the Dutch knowledge economy.

Organizational structure of the programme

The interdepartmental master programme Sustainable Energy Technology will be accommodated in Eindhoven by the department of Mechanical Engineering in Twente by the faculty of Engineering Technology and in Delft by the faculty of Applied Sciences.

All supporting services will be provided by staff of these departments.

In the transfer to a national programme it will be the 3TU Graduate School to act as a commissioner.

At present it is not (yet) possible to have one CROHO-position for the programme. So there will be three curriculum committees (one at each location), with three programme directors, being the programme directors of the accommodating departments.

Anticipating the new WHW we suggest that the programme supervision of the M.Sc. programme will be in the hands of a small committee with one member from each of the three locations. This committee consists of dr. ir. A.M.C. Lemmens (TU/e), prof.dr.ir. Th.H, van der Meer (UT) and prof.dr. J. Schoonman (TUDelft). The programme director is dr.ir. A.M.C. Lemmens.

Another suggestion is the formation of one Examination Board. Because of practical issues this board will authorize the three local Boards.

It is very important that the Master Programme Sustainable Energy Technology (SET) is also well embedded in all the participating departments. Within SET, therefore, a number of theme-groups are distinguished: Solar Energy, Wind-energy, Biomass, Hydrogen, Intelligent electricity networks, and Transition policy. All lecturers of the different departments at TU/e, TUD and UT are members of one of these theme groups.

The theme-groups are represented in the Curriculum Committee (Onderwijs Commissie).

The research activities related to the Master Programme match perfectly with the research of the Dutch Graduate School on Process Technology (OSPT, in which the Departments of Mechanical and Chemical Engineering take part), J.M. Burgers Centre (in which the departments of Mechanical Engineering and Applied Physics take part) and of the Centre for Plasma Physics and Radiation Technology (CPS, in which the departments of Applied Physics and Electrical Engineering take part), and the Delft Institute for Sustainable Energy (DISE). The activities in the department of Technology Management will be accommodated in the Posthumus Institute and the J.F.Schouten School.

The programme also coincides with the former activities of the Dutch Foundation for Sustainable Energy (SDE). Participants of this foundation were ECN (Energy Centre The Netherlands), TNO (the Netherlands Organization for Applied Scientific Research), universities and a number of industrial partners: EDON, ENECO, Energie Delfland, ENW, EnergieNed, EPON, GASTEC, KEMA, Shell and Stork. In cooperation with SDE the subjects of the system integration projects (see appendix A) were formulated in the past years. This cooperation has been continued with some the industrial partners in varying bilateral arrangements. With these partners possibilities are investigated to incorporate in company research trainings for some of the students.

.

2Final attainment level (programme objectives) in the Master programme

In this section we describe the skills and knowledge of a graduate in Sustainable Energy Technology and indicate his or her general academic level.

2.1Domain-specific requirements

The domain specific requirements are based on the needs of the energy sector and of countries as already expressed in the introduction. Organizations from the energy sector, sectors closely related to it and parties involved in energy policy indicate the need for graduate students with knowledge of sustainable energy technologies and, as well as, knowledge of the introduction of these technologies in society. Worldwide the energy from biomass and solar energy are seen as the most promising sustainable sources. Other promising sustainable energy sources differ from region to region. For the Netherlands, similar to several other countries, wind energy is definitely an important option. Hydrogen technologies are most promising in being carriers for sustainable energy in the future. In the transition from an energy system based on fossil fuels to a system based on sustainable sources, sustainable energy technologies have to be incorporated in conventional systems. Knowledge of existing energy conversion and electrical power engineering is therefore essential. Introduction of sustainable energy technologies in society and current developments in the energy sector make that future engineers require more than a profound technical knowledge. The liberalization and internationalization of energy markets require understanding of (institutional) economy. Therefore, future graduate students are expected to have knowledge of theoretical concepts and models that provide understanding in these kinds of innovation processes. Energy distribution companies have experienced that the introduction of ‘green energy’ or sustainable technologies in society require taking into account the consumers and their perception of green energy. This requires knowledge on consumer behaviour and psychology in order to achieve societal acceptance.

To evaluate the different energy options in their technological and social context and to test their practical feasibility, a system approach is needed combined with a fundamental understanding of the processes within these systems. This combination of skills and knowledge will enable the Master of Science in Sustainable Energy Technology to work on the energy supply of the future.

These requirements have been translated in specific exit qualifications in which also the academic level of the programme is indicated. The Master of Science in Sustainable Energy Technology:

−has the necessary disciplinary theoretical and technical knowledge to evaluate a broad range (e.g. biomass, solar energy, wind energy, hydrogen as an energy carrier) of existing and newly designed sustainable energy systems.

−is able to evaluate conventional and sustainable energy systems in an integrated electrical system context.

−Is able to evaluate conventional and sustainable energy systems is a heat and power context

−is able to design energy systems integrated in the built environment and is able to evaluate such designs.

−is able to “design” sustainability, in particular optimizing the use of energy (“from the cradle to the grave”)

−is able to evaluate existing and newly designed sustainable energy systems in the societal context taking into account both economic and consumer oriented issues.

−is able to analyze and understand the socio- technical nature of system innovations and the opportunities and barriers for the development of sustainable energy technologies.

−is an expert in at least one sub-area of Sustainable Energy Technology (e.g. biomass, solar energy, wind energy, hydrogen as an energy carrier, intelligent electrical networks, transitions and niche management).

−is able to form an opinion and contribute to discussions about complex technological matters related to sustainable energy taking also into account the complexity of related social, economic and ethical issues and take responsibility for these judgments.

2.2General and scientific requirements

The Master of Sustainable Energy Technology has both a scientific and an engineering orientation at an academic level.

The 3 technical universities have recently published an extensive set of academic criteria for bachelor and master curricula, based on the Dublin Descriptors (appendix C). The general and scientific requirements below are based on these criteria.

Regarding academic design the graduate has the following qualifications:

- Has a thorough scientific attitude (having the ability to work independently, to reflect, to critically analyze, to generate novel ideas, etc.).

−Is able to maintain and expand his expertise in the field (for instance, by consulting relevant literature).

−In his scientific attitude he does not restrict himself to the boundaries of the Sustainable Energy Technology domain, and is capable to cross these, where and when necessary.

−Has the ability to reflect on the complete scope of Sustainable Energy Technology issues.

−As an academic, the graduate understands the potential benefits of research and is able to understand and incorporate the results of research into his own work. He/she has the potential to contribute to or perform research himself.

−Knows the importance of oral and written communication, in particular in English, and can make effective use of these. He also adheres to existing academic traditions, like giving proper credits and references.

−Has the habit to reflect upon own work and continuously uses relevant information to improve his capabilities.

−Is able to operate in the context of a team and can act as a project leader.

−Is skilled in properly documenting and presenting results.

−Is able to communicate the results of scientific and design work including the underlying knowledge, choices and considerations to colleagues and to a broader public.

−

As a professional engineer he/she has the following capabilities in addition to the capabilities listed above:

−The engineer knows that compromises are unavoidable and can effectively deal with these.

−The engineer makes decisions based on calculated risk.

−The engineer knows that models only approximate reality, but can develop and use them adequately, whenever this is beneficial.

−The engineer knows the disadvantages of certain design decisions and can communicate these with the relevant parties (stakeholders). He can take the purpose of the design and its context into consideration.

−The engineer has the attitude and is able to implement the concept of life-long-learning both in and outside the field of expertise build-up in the M.Sc. programme.

- Has acquired the necessary engineering skills (is able to work systematically and methodically, is able to invent his own tools, theories and techniques if these are not available, is able to work in a multidisciplinary environment, be application oriented, etc.).

2.3Research oriented

The Master’s of Science in Sustainable Energy Technology is a scientific and engineering Master in higher education). It is a research driven programme with strong links between the educational programme and research done at the various collaborating departments. In paragraph 3.2 a more detailed look at the relation between the programme and the academic research will be presented.

2.4Pedagogical approach

To date, business and industry require an increasing number of employees who know how to handle the ever growing knowledge and information data bases. Staff members are expected to be independent (team players?), self-directing, and willing to be involved in long-life learning. The key competence for a modern student is to be able to navigate in a vast sea of information. This requires not only a shift in emphasis from teacher-guided knowledge transfer to student guided knowledge construction, but asks for new capabilities and attitudes. The universities are familiar with educational forms such as lectures, lab. Courses, programme-centred education with or without ICT support. These forms are more or less teacher dependent.

However, a cognitivist approach of the learning process asks for more student-oriented education and is characterized by forms like: writing of papers, literature reviews, making of computer simulations and research assignments. In the past years more and more student-oriented didactical models have been introduced in the programmes of the three technical universities, such as project-led or problem oriented education

Construction of knowledge also asks for abilities. Therefore it is necessary to interconnect the process of information assimilation to the process of cognition and learning behaviour. It is necessary to create formats in which students learn how to learn. The educational programme is more and more directed towards competences. During the programmes students are mastering academic skills amongst which the most important for our research driven M.Sc. programme is doing research.

In this M.Sc. programme a balance is sought between lectures and lab. courses on the one side and project-led or problem oriented education and research assignments on the other. All core lectures will have a laboratory part to develop the empirical or modelling abilities of the students. Part of the lectures will be based on reviews of research papers to be made and presented by the students themselves. In the lectures teachers will be able to place their subject and the related research in the larger context, to motivate the students, to efficiently transfer the basic knowledge necessary for effectively start the own construction of knowledge, and to give guidelines for the construction process. In the laboratory parts students will start their own process of construction of knowledge. The first integration project is problem oriented and modelled conform the idea of Design Based Learning (DBL). The key to DBL is working on realistic problems (case studies) in project groups. These case studies stimulate a whole range of joint and individual study activities. In project groups, students analyze problems, formulate sub-tasks, and report their findings from literature studies and other educational tools. The educational approach demands a great deal of individual initiative. In the second project students will gain more individual hands-on experience in the design, analysis or application of an energy system or in the exploration of new research questions. The second project is also problem oriented but has the form of a research assignment.

Competence learning is thus interwoven in all parts of the curriculum. Consecutive course tracks are followed where each part of the programme builds upon the earlier ones, thus contributing to the students’ competences.

The link between each part of the programme and the goals of the programme, including the competences to be developed, is presented in paragraph 3.3 below.

3Master’s programme

3.1Overview of the Master’s programme

The Master’s programme is subdivided in two years. During the first year, students acquire knowledge by taking courses. In most cases these courses include a practical part in which the acquired knowledge is applied. The courses in the first semester deal with the homologation of knowledge of students with different backgrounds and provide an introduction in system thinking, while the courses in the second and third semester are more concerned with in-depth knowledge. In addition, students will be taught to apply the knowledge in projects, which are partly organized by the industry. In these projects both the system approach and the beta– and gamma- approach come back. In the first group project interdisciplinary cooperation is one of the major goals. The second project should prepare on the implementation of research and is, therefore, done individually. The second year of the programme is concentrated on research and/or design. Elective courses make it possible to acquire further in-depth knowledge that is necessary to effectively carry out the research or design project. Students can choose their M Sc.-project in one of the six theme areas: Solar Energy, Wind energy, Biomass, Hydrogen, Intelligent electricity networks and Transition policy.

The detailed structure of the programme is given in the tables below for the three different locations:

N.B. Although the three universities are working with the semester-system, the duration of the different periods within a semester differ. It is the intention that, in the near future convergence will take place.

Table 1a: Detailed structure of the SET master programme in Eindhoven

* Depending on the knowledge acquired in the B.Sc.-programme these courses may be replaced by elective courses.

A detailed description of these courses is given in Appendix D

Table 1b: Detailed structure of the SET master program in Twente

* 1. Depending on the knowledge acquired in the B.Sc.-program these courses may be replaced by elective courses.

2. Depending on the amount of projects in the BsC program, the system integration projects may be replaced by an internship.

A detailed description of these courses is given in Appendix D.

Table 1c: Detailed structure of the SET master programme in Delft

* Depending on the knowledge acquired in the B.Sc.-programme these courses may be replaced by elective courses.

A detailed description of these courses is given in Appendix D.

Elective courses are chosen by the student in consultation with the supervisor for the graduation project and have to be approved by the Examination Board. The Examination Board provides a list of approved courses that are considered to have the required academic level. This list is presented in Appendix E. Other courses are possible as well; these courses need approval in advance from the Examination Board. More information on the graduation projects is presented in appendix F.

For the six courses connected to these theme areas, representing in total 19 ECTS the three universities have decided to use the same course material. Only slight differences are representing some local flavor at the different locations. Also the System Integration Projects I and II (15 ECTS) will be similar. This means that 34 ECTS of the first year are common. The programme of the second year at the three locations is identical as well.

3.2Master’s programme cohesion

The programme cohesion is provided by a structure of different blocks of courses, in which each block performs its own specific function as described below. Indicated is also de relation between the blocks and the way in which each block fits in the programme.

•introductory courses:

‘Technology for sustainable development’ and ‘Renewable energy sources’ (TU/e)

Technology and sustainable development (UT)

These courses introduce the students into the programme and give a bird's eye view on the courses which will follow in the M.Sc.-programme.

•courses to reach adequate basic levels in mathematics and physics:

‘Physical transport phenomena’ and ‘Energy conversion’ (TU/e)

‘Transport phenomena’, ‘Energy systems’ and ‘Reactor Technology’(UT)

The levels in mathematics and physics of the students from the different B.Sc.-programmes who may enter the programme can differ a lot. These courses will bring all students at the mathematical/physics level to follow the core courses. Students who already meet the requirements upon entrance will be able to follow extra elective courses.

•courses to reach adequate basic levels in social sciences:

‘Energy and economy’ (TUD) ‘Energy and consumer’ (TU/e)

‘Institutional economics of energy’ (UT)

provide the necessary disciplinary knowledge in economic and psychology for the system integration course on the introduction of sustainable energy technologies into society.

•core courses:

‘Energy from biomass’, ‘Solar energy’, ‘Hydrogen technology’ and ‘Wind energy’ provide the disciplinary knowledge in the different sustainable energy technology areas. Technologies in the area of energy from biomass, the sun and the wind are considered as the basic pillars for an energy system based on sustainable resources. Solar and wind energy require electrical energy storage in rechargeable batteries.

The labs included in each of the courses provide some basic experimental skills which will be used in the second integration project and the M.Sc.-research project.

•system integration courses:

‘Electrical power engineering and system integration’, ‘Design methodology’ and ‘System innovation and strategic niche management’ form the basis of the integration of sustainable energy technologies in, respectively, the electrical power system, the (system of the) build environment and the society (societal system). Also in these courses labs are included to provide or improve basic experimental and research skills.

•system integration projects:

‘System integration projects 1 and 2’. In these projects the knowledge and skills acquired in the courses are integrated and brought into practice. In the first project in-depth technological knowledge and knowledge on system integration are used to solve real life cases through a thorough multidisciplinary approach. The second project concentrates more on in-depth research into a specific area but placed within the broad context of system integration. As such this project is a preparation on the final year M.Sc.-project.

•elective courses:

Elective courses give the students the possibility to acquire the necessary in-depth knowledge to effectively implement a graduation project in one of the theme groups.

•graduation project:

During the graduation phase a student uses his competences (knowledge/skills and attitude), acquired during the programme with a view on the graduation project at hand, to carry out a research or design project of a scientific nature.

3.3Relation between the Master’s programme and academic research

The Master’s programme Sustainable Energy Technology is a research driven programme. AT all three locations research in this field is at a high level and of high importance. In the recent research plans of the 3TU Institute of Science and Technology the research area “Technologies for sustainable energy” is chosen as one of the five area’s for the formation of a Centre of Excellence. This will increase the importance of this research area and its visibility for potential students. The research groups that will be involved in this Centre of Excellence also contribute to this Master’s programme.

The interaction between parts of the programme and research can be found on three levels:

1.Research is used as example in the course;

2.Papers reflecting the research are part of the course material;

3.Research and/or design tasks in the course are based on the academic research of the group whereby the level of supervision decreases during the programme.

Based on this definition the relation between the different parts of the M.Sc. programme and research is listed in the table below.

Table 2: Relation between course parts and research

In the description of the courses in appendix E details can be found on the topical scientific theories that are explicitly discussed, the actual research projects on which examples and cases are based and the scientific skills which are dealt with.

3.4Relation between final attainment level and the Master’s programme

Table 3 below gives an overview of the relation between the final attainment level (programme objectives) regarding domain specific requirements and the different parts of the programme. Table 4 gives an overview of the relation between the general and scientific requirements and parts of the programme. The column titles in tables 3 and 4 refer to the programme objectives listed in sections 2.1. and 2.2 respectively. In the tables only objectives to which special attention is being paid are ticked. This does not mean that in the other courses these objectives are not dealt with. For instance: in each course attention is given to the necessary scientific attitude.

The introductory courses give an introduction into the areas of sustainability and renewable energy. These courses reflect on the broad scope of the SET-domain and place this domain in its broader context. They give the students the opportunity to orient themselves on the programme, give an indication of the contribution of each of the subsequent courses to the programme and build up the motivation to follow the different parts of the programme. Students are given insight into the possible contribution of fundamental and applied science and the resulting technologies on the transition of a society with an energy system based on fossil fuels towards a society with an energy system based on sustainable energy sources. It is also shown that compromises on the way towards sustainability are unavoidable. Technology designs will solve problems but can create others at the same time. The future cannot be moulded nor is it predictable. Decisions, therefore, will always be based on risks. The task of researchers and engineers is to reduce these risks as much as possible.

The courses “Physical transport phenomena/Transport phenomena/Advanced flow and transport phenomena” and “Energy conversion/Energy systems” are basic courses, which provide the students, having a different B.Sc. level, with the required academic mathematics and physics level, in particular with a focus on transport phenomena and thermodynamics. The latter course emphasizes in particular the present energy economy, which is mainly based on fossil fuels. In the transition to sustainable energy sources, the route is “fossil fuels-clean fossil fuels-most probably also nuclear energy-and sustainable

energy”. This means that carbon dioxide capture and sequestration needs attention in the course. In addition, efficient utilization of fossil and clean fossil fuels is an important theme.

The fundamental basics of sustainable energy technologies are presented in the courses “Energy from biomass, Solar energy, Hydrogen technology, Sustainable hydrogen and electrical energy storage, and wind energy” and provide the students with the right expertise and the research and engineering skills, to be expected from SET engineers. An academic attitude, obtained by developing a curiosity-oriented and open mind for experimental and theoretical reasoning, requires high-level academic teachers with a research-oriented attitude. Here, the education in the second year of the Master curriculum requires to confront the students with developments at the frontiers of fundamental scientific and technological research developments. While the courses will focus on specific skills, the aim is also to create a scientific attitude towards understanding a broad spectrum of problem-solving techniques and analyses of research results. In addition to theoretical aspects, part of the courses will be focused on experimental aspects in order for the students to practice their acquired knowledge.

The courses “Electrical power engineering and system integration, Electrical power engineering, Design methodology, and System innovation and strategic niche management” provide the basis for the integration of sustainable energy technologies in, respectively, the electrical power system, the (system of the) built environment and the society (societal system). Also in these courses the academically trained and research-oriented teachers pay ample attention to the necessary academic attitudes.

The courses ‘Energy and economy/Institutional economics of energy’, and ‘Energy and consumer’ provide the necessary disciplinary knowledge in the social sciences for the introduction and societal acceptance of sustainable energy technologies.

This orientation of the course on social sciences gives an important contribution to the broadening of the scope of SET engineers necessary to evaluate and analyze energy systems in the societal context.

In virtually all courses attention is given to proper academic referencing and documenting. In many of the courses attention is paid to opinion forming, presentation and communication. But in the ‘System integration projects 1 and 2’ the main focus is on these skills. In both projects students will bring into practice theory from the other courses. They will work on a multidisciplinary real life problem, which is an issue on the level of system integration in the field of (sustainable) energy technology. The projects are oriented at designing, or will contain practical elements. The first project is an example of so-called design-based learning and focuses on getting experience in design. In this form of education, ample room is given to the acquisition of academic skills, such as reflecting on one’s own actions, performing critical analyses of design problems, interpreting design requirements broadly and integrating contemporary scientific knowledge and insights.

A range of elective courses (see appendix F) provides students with a broad spectrum of possibilities to specialize in one of the SET sub-areas. But there are also courses aiming at broadening the horizon of the students into the direction of sustainable energy technologies and system integration. In any case the optional courses are intended to adequately introduce the students into their research and/or design tasks of the graduation project. Therefore, the courses are selected by the students in consultation with the graduation supervisor (see below).

The graduation project will be performed in one of the six theme-groups selected for SET:

Solar Energy, Wind energy, Biomass, Hydrogen, Intelligent electricity networks and Transition policy.

Graduation is carried out in one of the research laboratories of the cooperating departments under supervision of a professor from one of the participating groups in the M.Sc.-programme. Graduation projects can be carried out in one of the fields mentioned in appendix G. Graduation projects in industry may also be possible.

The graduation project in one of the theme groups and the accompanying Master’s thesis is primarily meant to gain in-depth experience in research and/or design. Students will learn to explore and formulate new research questions regarding sustainable energy technologies or closely related fundamental issues. Students will learn the pitfalls of exploring unknown territories and develop skills to circumvent these, while gaining the understanding that abstraction and simplification are their important tools for success.

Table 3 Relation between course parts and domain specific requirements

Table 4: Relation between course parts and general and scientific requirements

3.5Master’s programme study load

The study load of the Master’s programme is 120 EC (European Credit Transfer System) divided equally over the six semester terms. Most of the compulsory courses are finished using a regular written exam that can be done twice a year. In about one third of the courses one or more assignments are made that contribute to the final grade. The working load of the students is being monitored on a regular base. Twice each term students will have the opportunity to evaluate and comment on the courses followed.

In the Master’s thesis project supervisors will make use of a strict monitoring system to detect whether students are able to finish their Master’s project in time. This allows intervention in a timely and appropriate fashion.

On the basis of experience with other comparable programmes of the 3 universities and of programmes abroad, the ambition is that about 75% of the students will finish this Master’s programme in the time planned.

3.6Academic support facilities

A study progress registration system (SVR) will register the number of credits obtained by students in every semester. Twice a year all students will receive a review of their study progress and in addition all students can access their situation with respect to progress at any time via their notebooks. If, for one reason or the other, information is not available electronically, students can receive information from the information desk of the Educational Office. All outputs of the SVR will be published once a year and serve policymaking and remedial actions.

In all phases of the programmes the student counsellor will coach students with their planning and assist in solving study related problems. The student counsellor operates within a university-wide network of advisors and can also redirect students to the university psychologists. The student counsellor will convey important course and programme information to the students.

Students who lag behind or are in danger of lagging behind will be contacted for a discussion of their situation in which the counsellor will evaluate the situation and advise on possible measures. At the end of the first year, a written individual study advice will be given to each student. Of course students are also welcome to visit the student counsellor on their own initiative to discuss, among others, their study progress and planning.

At the institutional level the Student Service Centre will provide additional academic support services to the students.

3.7Admission

Sustainable Energy Technology is intended to be an interdisciplinary and interdepartmental master programme. Therefore, a choice has to be made between giving students of certain bachelor programmes unconditional entrance to the programme (Doorstroommaster) or to develop an admission procedure for all students regardless their prior education (Selective master). The choice has been made for the first option since the participating departments believe the students with a bachelor degree in Mechanical Engineering, Chemical Engineering and Chemistry, Electrical Engineering, Applied Physics and Advanced Technology all qualify directly for the M.Sc. Sustainable Energy Technology.

Students with a bachelor degree in Technology and Society (with energy specialization) or related studies will also be admitted directly, provided that they have successfully completed a relevant Minor-programme.

There are three target groups for the programme:

1.Bachelor students from technical and related science programmes at Dutch universities;

2.Bachelor students from polytechnic colleges for higher education (in particular energy technology);

3.Bachelor students from technical and related science programmes at foreign universities.

People with professional experience may participate in the programme as well, provided they have the proper basic knowledge (minimum level: polytechnic college for higher education). Furthermore, a modular-based approach offers this group the opportunity to participate in the programme on a part-time basis.

Admission for these groups is based on the following criteria:

Ad 1. Students of the B.Sc.-programmes of Mechanical Engineering, Applied Physics, Advanced Technology, Chemical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Installation Technology and Technology Management (+ relevant Minor) of TU/e, TUD and UT, can join the programme without additional requirements. Students from other technical B.Sc.-programmes of Dutch universities can get admission after following a pre-master programme which is decided by the admission committee based on the contents of the B.Sc.-programme followed by the student.

Ad 2. Bachelor students from polytechnic colleges for higher education in areas comparable to those mentioned ad. 1. are admitted to the programme after successfully completing a standard pre-master programme which can be followed at the department which is closest to the B.Sc.-programme in question.

Ad 3 Applicants with a bachelor diploma from foreign universities will have to submit their credentials to the admission office of the TU/e, UT or TUDelft. The office will check the level of education, the ability to follow the programme in the English language and some requirements with regard to the ability of the student to be able to acquire a visa. The admission office will give an indication of the education level to the admission committee of the master programme. The committee will decide on admission.

3.8Duration

The Master programme Sustainable Energy Technology consists of 120 ects. From an educational point of view, it requires a full-time student 2 years to realize the required competencies finish.

The Master programme Sustainable Energy Technology has a strong focus on

teaching Research skills and on further orientation on social sciences.

Programme’s exit qualifications are such that they guarantee the programmes

interdisciplinary character.

The master to be delivered should reflect this interdisciplinary nature both in the level of

knowledge and in the ability to integrate systems.

Technical universities abroad that offer a comparable range of technological and social sciences regarding sustainable energy all assume a study load of more than 60 ECTS.

In connection with the exit levels that are internationally desired, it is therefore demonstrably necessary to have a study load of more than 60 ECTS.

This is also in agreement with the general acceptance in The Netherlands of the graduation level of a technical master.

4Human resources efforts

The master programme Sustainable Energy Technologies is an interdepartmental programme. Teaching staff from different departments contributes to the teaching programme (see table 5).

Table 5a: TU/e staff involved in teaching the M.Sc. programme

Table 5b: UT staff involved in teaching the M.Sc. program

Table 5c: TUD staff involved in teaching the M.Sc. programme

(Right from the beginning experts from outside of the university will be involved in the course programme. Staff members from the Wind Energy, Electrical Power Systems and Energy Technology units of TUD and the section Thermal Engineering of the department of Mechanical Engineering of UT will be involved as supervisors of M.Sc.-research projects)

Although most of the courses are designed specifically for this programme, they fit very well into the current educational and research activities of the lecturers concerned. Many of the programme staff holds a full professorate. Almost all staff has a PhD degree. In the System Integration Project I qualified and experienced lecturers supervise the groups and the disciplinary expertise is provided by experts from university or industry. All staff members involved are amply qualified to ensure the proper supervision of the programme and to develop and implement processes for the evaluation, assessment, and continuing improvement of the programme, its educational objectives and outcomes.

4.1WO requirements

The staff has been recruited from the best researchers available at the different departments (see appendix H). Many of the participating staff members have a full professorate. For the other staff members responsible for a disciplinary course a minimal requirement is a PhD degree, sufficient publications, educational experience and preferably international experience. The full and associate professors and several of the assistant professors involved in the programme are leading in their fields. The staff has 40% of their time available for research and personal development. This guarantees a continuous refreshment and enhancement of knowledge and skills.

4.2Staff quantity

Staff quantity can be derived from tables 5 and 6 in the preceding paragraph. Teaching staff available for the course work is adequate – both qualitatively and quantitatively – now and in the foreseeable future. In the different participating departments there are sufficiently qualified researchers who can supervise M.Sc. research projects in their own disciplinary areas. In the theme groups the approaches of the different disciplines meet each other. In order to build-up expertise and research experience on these interfaces TU/e has made funds available to stimulate the appointment of three SET fellows (mentioned before in the introduction). These are researchers who are employed for a period of 5 years. The departments have committed themselves to make this position of a SET-fellow a permanent one after these initial five years. The SET-fellows are assigned to those theme-groups where their efforts are most needed. One will strengthen the biomass theme since here the contribution comes from many different departments and integration is very difficult. The second fellow is assigned to the hydrogen theme-group since here the research cooperation is still in a build-up-phase. The third fellow still has to be assigned to one of the remaining theme groups.

The input of the supporting staff will have to increase with growing students numbers. The department of Mechanical Engineering will assume responsibility for this issue.

4.3Staff quality

The staff requirements are already indicated in paragraph 4.1. The quality can be derived from the short curricula vita as presented in appendix G.

There is an extended quality assurance mechanism in place as is explained in chapter 6.

5Facilities

There is not any doubt that the three technical universities can accommodate the M.Sc. programme Sustainable Energy Technology. All three universities are very well equipped for this type of technical programme. In that respect this programme does not differ from other master programmes like Mechanical Engineering or Civil Engineering. For the first year of the programme use can be made of the available lecture rooms, rooms for project groups, libraries etc. In their final year the students will have their domicile in one of the research groups under the guidance of a full professor. Here he or she will be accommodated with an office and full access to all the available facilities, like desk with telephone and internet access.

5.1General services

At the TU/e the master programme will be accommodated by the department of Mechanical Engineering.

Figure 5.1.1 Main building of the Mechanical Engineering Department

At the UT the accommodation will be provided by the faculty of Engineering Technology. At TUDelft the faculty of Applied Sciences is responsible for this Master’s programme. All facilities present at these departments will be made available for this M.Sc. programme.

5.2Library facilities and other learning resources

The three universities have very advanced library facilities with documentation centres open for all students. The catalogues of these libraries are connected to each other and it is possible for the students to search for material at another location. Several bibliographic files are available for searching for scientific literature. The library facilities of the three universities are very advanced in this respect.

All kind of other learning resources will be made available by the Electronic Learning Environment. The regular shops will be used for selling course materials.

5.3ICT facilities

Nowadays, Information and Communication Technology (ICT) plays a crucial role in our education.

The three universities have a very powerful network infrastructure connected to the Worldwide Internet. Network connections are widely available in the university buildings. Since most student is provided with a notebook computer (In Eindhoven all b.Sc. and M.Sc.students are provided with a laptop, in UT all B.Sc. students are provided with a laptop) the provision of workstations and PCs has become less relevant. However for many tasks, more powerful or dedicated hardware and software are still required. So, in addition to the distributed notebook computer power, the SET students can make use of a variety of dedicated, up-to-date facilities in the labs of the different departments. Finally, they have the possibility of using supercomputer facilities elsewhere in the Netherlands. For a good and efficient exchange of course material an ELO will be used. This provides optimal communication possibilities between students and lecturers using the Internet. This is important especially for the courses for which students and lecturers are not at the same location

5.4Video conferencing room

SET-students can make use of the video conferencing facilities. Students from one location can follow lectures at other universities. Groups of students are also able to use these facilities, for example, in a project, in which they co-operate in a team with students of another (foreign) University.

5.5Academic support facilities

In addition to one education director the SET-programme for the total M.Sc. programme, at every location a Master’s programme coordinator, a student counsellor and supporting staff assigned to support the students will be available.

The student counsellor gives personal support to all students with questions about the programme and their individual study environment. The student counsellor schedules a number of evaluation interviews with each student.

For the international students additional arrangements will be made. The programme coordinator is also the international relations coordinator and provides the special guidance most international students need.

At the institutional level the Student Service Centres and the International Offices in Eindhoven, Delft and Twente provide academic support services to the graduate (international) student. The International Offices (IO) have a permanent task force within the Staff Group of the Student Service Centre and are responsible for policy making and implementation in the domains of international scientific collaboration, student exchange, Bachelor’s and Master’s students advice. The IO’s are responsible for many support tasks to create conditions to make international exchange for students possible. Issues such as insurance, support and information on exchange programme’s; funding, admission and visa application, English courses and introduction and so on all belong to the responsibilities of the IO.

5.6Office facilities

In the final year of their study the students will be facilitated one of the research groups. Here they will do their final assignments in one of the available laboratories, like the biomass lab. or the solar lab. in Eindhoven, or the lab. of Thermal Engineering in Twente.

Figure 5.6.1. laboratory of Thermal Engineering

6Methods of assessment and system of quality control

As indicated before, the master programme Sustainable Energy Technology will be hosted by the department of Mechanical Engineering at the TU/e, the faculty of Engineering Technology at the UT and faculty of Applied Sciences at TUD. The methods of assessment and the quality control system of these departments, therefore also apply to this programme. In the ABET accreditation of the Mechanical Engineering programme at TU/e of 2002 the quality system and assessment were judged as being more than adequate.

6.1Methods of assessment

The master’s programme comprises specialization courses, a multidisciplinary integration project based on mixture of didactical models (project-led education and/or design based learning (DBL) (see before), a traineeship and the final graduation assignment.

For the courses the traditional written examination is still widely used. Some courses are concluded with an oral examination or by carrying out an individual task. In general the written examinations are based on open-ended problems. A substantial part of them are so-called open-book examinations and for a growing number the use of a notebook with some specific software programme is necessary. Most courses have a practical part in which the knowledge acquired during the lectures is brought into practice. These labs do not directly give the staff member information about the progress of an individual student but it gives very important information about the processing of the lectures and the bottleneck’s in the application skills for the group of students.

For each of the DBL cases the project coordinator defines a number of specific educational goals. This project coordinator in combination with the group’s tutor assesses to what extent the work of the group and the contribution of the individual team member meet the specific objectives. The assessment of DBL has two components, namely a group component and an individual component. The group component relates to the group product, which is assessed by the case study coordinator. In this assessment, in addition to aspects pertaining to content, aspects of style also play a role. The individual component concerns the functioning of each individual student within the group. The tutor assesses this. For this assessment, he takes account of both the aspects relating to content and the group aspects.

Through the traineeship, students can gear themselves to or acquaint themselves with the graduation field. Compared with the final project, the traineeships are smaller, are often sub-projects and often offer less scope for creativity. In the final project, the student works independently on the solution of a problem. Using the skills and knowledge acquired in the B.Sc. and the first curriculum year, the student exercises and demonstrates the ability to work at the level of an engineer. In many cases the work is carried out in research teams around PhD projects and will contribute to one of the department’s research programmes or it takes place in industry under more or less the same conditions. The assessment of the traineeship is based on the analyzing capacity, self-reliance, experimental abilities, a written report and mostly an oral presentation.

During this final part of the study the student gets involved in the ongoing fundamental or applied research in the department. In this context, students take part in department colloquia, progress meetings, consultation with researchers and designers from outside the department. The assessment of the final project is based on the analyzing capacity, creativity, self-reliance, written report, the oral presentation and discussion for a broad audience and the separate, final defense for the examination committee.

6.2System of quality control

The system of quality assurance is considered a vital system to ensure the quality of the Sustainable Energy Technology programme. Essential is that all the relevant stakeholders involved are approached in the process (external contacts, alumni, staff, students).

The system to be used can be summarized in a few general statements:

-The system of quality control is aimed at the improvement of the programme

-The system of quality control is aimed at controlling the following elements:

oQualifications of the graduates (objectives and goals of the programme)

oStructure and contents of the programme

oEfficiency of the programme (intake and flow of the students and quality of the staff)

oOrganization of the education (quality of staff and adequacy of the facilities)

oThe quality system itself

-The quality assurance system is also focused on realizing the requirements of the accreditation legislation

-For quality control of the SET programme the quality control system at place in the Mechanical Engineering department (TU/e), Engineering Technology (UT) and the faculty of Applied sciences (TUD) will be used

-The Education (programme) director is responsible for implementing the measures to improve the programme

-The outcomes of the quality assurance system will be systematically introduced and discussed in the committee that is responsible for the programme. The education director is heading this team

-The qualifications and the structure of the programme are evaluated in a 3-year cycle. In this process at least the external contacts and the benchmark partners are consulted.

-Every six year an external review is carried out as part of the mandatory accreditation cycle. Well before the external review takes place an internal review is carried out based on the guidelines for the external review procedures (of NVAO). External contacts are invited to be part of the panel that evaluates the internal review.

An overview of the Quality Control System is given in table 8 on the next page. Some important elements of the system are further explained below.

In order to know how the programme objectives relate to the instructional goals and how the measurements demonstrate the desired results all forms of education will be evaluated periodically.

Besides the evaluation of curriculum parts clusters of courses, semesters, years and the whole curriculum will be evaluated. Not only the quality of the courses, but also the validity of the assessment will be involved in the evaluation. Additionally the connection between the curriculum and the research schools and research institutes will be evaluated periodically. The graduates and postgraduates will be asked to give an assessment of the value of their education for industry in order to improve the connection between the university study and the demands of modern trade and industry.

Table 6 Overview of quality control system

* FB (FaculteitsBestuur): Departmental Board; OC (OpleidingsCommissie): Curriculum Committee

A distinction will be made between a reactive and pro-active component in the system for internal quality assessment. The reactive component consists of identification, analysis, improvement and feedback. Systematic education assessment is an instrument in pointing out bottlenecks in the field of the ability to complete -parts of- the programme in the given time and to evaluate the educational quality. Recording study progress data is a similar identification instrument. The next step consists of further analyzing possible bottlenecks. This will result in specific actions to eliminate or prevent these bottlenecks in order to actually improve the educational quality. Finally, data and actions concerning the ability to complete -parts of- the programme in the given time and educational quality become visible by announcing them to staff members and students (feedback).

The pro-active component will mainly focus on improving the educational and pedagogic competences of the staff. Because of the fact that the courses in the programme are given in English also attention will be given to the abilities of teaching in English and the pedagogic competences to teach a group of students with a different cultural background.

In Eindhoven the Educational Service Centre (ESC) and the Centre for Communication Language and Technique (CTT) are partners in this. The CTT will evaluate each staff member that is involved in English teaching for the first time. If necessary, CTT will discuss a plan of action with the staff member. This plan can contain language courses provided by CTT and/or pedagogic courses provided by ESC. The ESC is a university institution that provides educational services to the departments. The ESC has a permanent staff member to support the department of Mechanical Engineering, including the SET programme in the quality care of the DBL component. It is organizing (together with the ME department) the introductory tutor training for each new staff member. For the purpose of the general educational and improvement of the didactical part of the profession, the quality assessment staff member and the head of the personnel department will keep in close contact with the ESC. For each new staff member a three year, extensive Education Training Plan is defined in which the individual courses, workshops and plans are formulated. This also has to be a trigger for the new-staff member for an active approach of his or her portfolio.

There are different ways in which a threshold level for the didactical quality of the tutors in DBL will be guaranteed. Firstly, every staff member will take the initial tutor course before doing his first tutorship. In the past, this training course, that was already offered to staff of the Mechanical Engineering department, was optimized on the basis of evaluations: the emphasis is now more on simulating practical situations. This training is also extended with three new parts: assessing individual students, observing a real DBL group with a full evaluation of the observations and coaching-on-the-job by the ESC staff member.

Almost the same as mentioned above, applies to the UT (Twente), where the Educational Service Centre of ITBE (Information Technology, Library and Education) focuses on bundling those activities, aimed at further improving the training provided by the UT, and making it more flexible and efficient. Amongst these activities are providing the introductory tutor training and to provide support to various target groups in the area of communication in English & other modern foreign languages and in working with international groups by means of the TCP (Taal Coördinatie Punt)

At TU Delft, The Institute of Technology & Communication (part of the Faculty of Technology, Policy and Management)is responsible for initial and advanced staff training. Courses and workshops are given on various topics such as Active and collaborative learning, Spoken English for lecturers, Working with groups of international students, Designing e-learning environments, Assessment, Project-oriented learning and
individual coaching.
There is also a 200 hours route to a Certificate "Teaching Qualification
for Higher Education", based on courses and a portfolio.

6.3Student involvement in quality control

Student involvement in quality management will for instance be evident in their participation in the Curriculum Committee: OC (Opleidingscommissie). Members of the OC are appointed by the department board. The OC comprises of six members. Of these six members, three must be students. The other three are staff members. The programme director and the student advisor are, in an advisory capacity, present in the meetings of the OC.

The tasks of the OC are:

−To advise the programme director and the department board on all issues relevant to the academic programme.

−To advise the programme director and the department board on the contents of the Educational and Exam Regulation: OER (Onderwijs- en ExamenReglement);

−To annually evaluate the implementation of the OER;

At the end of the period there is an official evaluation of all new parts of the curriculum and those that for any reason need specific attention (see also section 6.2). The more general results of these assessments are discussed with the students in the OC.

In the first years student involvement in the quality process will also be arranged through their involvement in an assessment group. Twice every period students will be asked to comment in a more informal way on the courses and other parts of the curriculum in the past period and to comment at an early stage on the courses and projects started in the actual period. The course director and student counsellor will take action where necessary.

7Continuity conditions

From the strategic choice made by the Boards of Directors of TU/e, UT and TUD to establish and support the M.Sc. programme Sustainable Energy Technology and from the commitment and support of the Departmental Boards of all participating departments it is clear that there is a strong will to create continuity conditions for the programme.

7.1Guaranteed completion

It is a normal procedure at the three universities, laid down in the Educational and Exam Regulation (OER), that students that start a study programme are guaranteed that the study programme will always be arranged in such a way that these students will have the opportunity to complete the programme. Of course it depends on the abilities and performance of the students themselves whether they will indeed complete the programme. The experience in other programmes is that all students starting the programme have ample opportunities for completion. Courses and exams are offered with sufficient frequency (at least twice a year) for students to complete the programme in time.

7.2Financial Analysis

Cost-effectiveness is crucial for the long-term viability of the proposed programme. Cost-effectiveness is primarily dependent on the number of students following the programme. Table 7 gives a prediction of the students which will be in the programme for the first four years.

Table 7 Expected students in the master programme Sustainable Energy Technology (for the three universities)

Except for the costs of the development of the programme, that are largely covered by the “Impulsgelden”, the more structural costs for exploitation of the programme are embodied in the financial model of the universities.

7.3Investments

The investments necessary to start and run the programme are very modest. This is the case because existing facilities are used. There are some start-up cost with regard to furnishing offices and starting a PR campaign. It is estimated that k€ 100 is to cover these costs in the first two years.

Appendix D:

Course descriptions of the UTwente courses (Core curriculum)

Technology and sustainable development

Teaching staff: Dr Joy Clancy or colleague (CSTM / TSD); Ir Rianne de Leeuw (CSTM / Cartesius Instituut), ir. M. Toxopeus, (CTW)

Content:

§Basics of sustainability

owhat is sustainability, how does it relate to production and consumption patterns, how is it achieved.

omain environmental problems, some figures, and their causes

owhy active involvement is needed: market imperfection: not always a price needs to be paid for scarce resources, leading to inefficiencies

ocan development be sustainable?

§Sustainability in North-south perspective

§Technology and sustainability: what can technology contribute?

oDecoupling of economy and resource use , renewable and non-renewable resources

othe role of technology in addressing / solving environmental problems (several approaches / initiatives e.g. industrial ecology, green products,/..)

ostrategies and starting points for improving production processes and products, sustainable design

§Tools to assess the contribution of technology and financial aspects of technological changes

otechnical tools: LCA (e.g. using excel model that I made for a project on magnesium’s production, which involves much energy use), flow sheets, mass and energy balances, ecological footprint. Energy analyses .

ofinancial tools (making decisions about investments in cleaner products and / or production processes): at firm level (Net Present Value, Pay back, cost benefit analysis) and national levels (cost benefit analysis, alternatives for Gross National Product)

omethods for valuing scarce resources (contingent valuation, travel cost pricing, etc.)

§society and sustainability

ohuman behaviour and sustainability; changing human behaviour.

owhat government can do (legal instruments, financial incentives, collaborative approaches)

oTransition management (as being the approach taken by Dutch Government)

Transport phenomena

Energy systems

Electrical power engineering and system integration

This course will not be given in Twente. The course from Eindhoven will be made suitable for e-learning. See for a description of this course the Eindhoven description

Design methodology

The number of available courses on this subject in Twente is numerous. It is proposed to reconsider the contents of the Eindhoven course and to have this course be given by Twente University. For the time being see the contents of the Eindhoven course. It is aimed to converge to a new content a.s.a.p.

Energy from biomass

For this course see the description of Eindhoven. It has been agreed by the lecturers at the three locations to change the contents of the Eindhoven course into:

•7 lectures from the present Eindhoven course (without the practicum, the exercises and the part on combustion, gasification and pyrolysis.

•5 lectures on combustion, gasification and pyrolysis from material available at Twente university

•1 lecture with a local flavour (Delft: Thermal power plants, Eindhoven: 1D flame propagation, Twente: bio refinery

Solar energy

See the description of the Eindhoven course, which will be given at Twente by A. Reinders

System integration project I (group)

System integration project II (individual)

Similar description as Eindhoven

Hydrogen technology

Similar description as Eindhoven, with contributions from prof. Kuipers on integrated reactor technology

Wind energy

Similar description as Eindhoven, with contributions from prof. Hoeijmakers on CFD from wind turbines.

Institutional economics of energy

Teaching staff: Dr Maarten Arentsen (CSTM), Dr Joy Clancy (CSTM/TSD)

The following topics will be covered:

§The relevance of institutional economics for understanding the economics of electricity and gas supply/provision

§Basic economic institutional models for gas and electricity supply (from full hierarchy to full free market)

oInstitutions and transaction costs

oInstitutions and regulation

oInstitutions and the value chain of gas and electricity supply

oThe institutional featuring of the liberalized gas and electricity market (types of contracts, power exchange, hub etc.)

§Institutions and energy technology

oInstitutional organisation and type of technology

oInstitutional change and technology

oInstitutional and technological path dependency

§Standards for evaluating performance of institutional economic models (static and dynamic efficiency, technological innovation, public interest, etc)

§Sustainable energy provision

oThe challenge and the expectations

oInstitutional economics of support of renewables

§Market and non-market based support of sustainable based energy technology

oOverview of current support schemes and their (assumed) impact on technological innovation

§Tradable Green Certificates

§Feed-in systems

§Emission trading schemes

§.................

Achtergrond:

Het idee achter deze opzet is om de technisch geörienteerde studenten gevoeliger te maken voor a) het feit dat er niet zoiets als de energiemarkt bestaat, b) dat de economische organisatie en werking van de markt redelijk gecompliceerd is en c) er een duidelijke samenhang bestaat tussen de institutionele en technische organisatie van de gas en electriciteitsvoorziening.

Course descriptions of the TUD courses (Core curriculum)

Appendix E: Elective subjects

110201 Life-cycle strategy

110203 Product design 

114142 Transport in turbulent chemically reacting flows

114143 Gas technology

114150 Thermal Engineering - Capita Selecta 

114171 Thermal conversion of fuel, biomass and waste

114531 Life cycle orientated design

115472 Fluid mechanics of turbo machines 1

115475 Technische stromingsleer - Capita Selecta 

115771 Numerical methods in mechanical engineering 

134506 Kinetics and Catalysis

137004 Chemical Reaction Engineering

137508 Flow sheeting 

138501 Process Equipment Design

147017 Advanced Physical Fluid Dynamics

147020 Measure methods in de stromingsleer 

155010 Theory of partial differential equations

155115 Numerical techniques for partial differential equation

544090 Sustainable building