The Reorganization of Teaching at Bulgarian Universities
in Technical Engineering Fields
Survey
The Joint TEMPUS Project is planned for three years, and
it is now in its final year. It is one of the big projects in Europe. The
project is now being coordinated from Kassel/Germany with a total financial
volume of some 500,000 DM/p.a. From the European Union it is the University
of Kassel and Reading University that are participating. For the Bulgarian
side four Technical Universities and four Companies are involved.
The project has the following main objectives:
1. Development of curriculae and advanced courses of study in the
field ol Control Engineering;
2. Design of new state-of-the-art teaching materials in the form
of 16 modern text books, some of which shall be written in English to provide
for use in other Eastern European Countries as well;
3.
Setting up industrial links for students training and creation of practically
oriented exercises;
4. Establishment of a Contact and Consulting Centre called Centre
of Advanced Control Engineering (CACE).
Management: Concerning further future tasks of CACE Centre a mangement
strukture has been agreed upon, which includes the representatives of the
participating industrial companies as well.
The following Universities and Companies participate in the Project:
- Kassel University GhK (D)
- University of Reading (UK)
- Sofia Technological University STU (BG)
- Technological University Sofia TUS (BG)
- Technological University Plovdiv TUP (BG)
- Technological University Varna TUV (BG)
- HIMCO Company Vratzka (BG)
- Antibiotic-Razgard, Razgard (BG)
- Kremikovci, Sofia (BG)
- Energocybernetica, Sofia ( BG)
Main Results
All detailed results of the joint project have been presented in proccedings
and minutes to four one-day seminars and four Managment Boad Meetings held
in Sofia, Varna, Kassel and Reading. Beside our annual meeting held at Varna
we offered an informational performance in which the coordinator informed
about further possibilities for financial funding from the EU, and presented
the main achievements of our joint project. With regard to the scale of
the financial means going to Bulgaria through this project, the Bulgarian
TV was also present, and some of the details given in my report were then
televised on Bulgarian TV.
The main outstanding achievements of our temporary Joint
Project will be:
1. Having well equipped 4 Laboratories in 4 Bulgarian Universities
by a funding of more than 150,000 ECU.
2. Having worked out the materials for 16 new courses in the field
of advanced control engineering including books, lecture notes, and laboratory
experiments.
3. Having installed a library with more than 100 modern scientific
books and proceedings in the mentioned field at the Technical University
of Sofia.
4. Having installed good contacts and a network between 6 Bulgarian
industrial partners, 4 BG universities, one English and one German university.
In addition, industrial-contacts to German and English companies have been
established.
5. More than 40 BG staff members and students have been trained in
D and UK by a Mobility programme of more than 300,000.- ECU.
Mobility Programme
Exchange of Scientific Staff:
During the three phases of our TEMPUS-Project each year a total of about
20 members of scientific staff from Bulgaria are scheduled to go to Germany
and England for two to three months each for cooperation, know-how-transfer,
and training purposes. Two of the professors involved in this programme
are Rectors of Bulgarian universities. The Rector of Varna University, Professor
Nedev, is also a member of the governmental commission engaged in the restructuring
of Bulgarian Universities. In this context, the integrated Joint Study Model
established at Kassel University should be mentioned. This model is oriented
at the English Bachelor- and Master-Degree, and thus provides for the closeness
to practical applications, so essential to the study of electrical engineering.
It is therefore much supported and advocated by the industrial companies
involved in theTEMPUS-Project.
Student exchange: In the course of student exchange a total of about
8 to 10 Ph.D. - and diploma-students are scheduled each year to go to Kassel
and Reading for a period of 6 months (in the mean). They are to conduct
their work in our labs under the surveillance of their scientific supervisiors.
In parallel they are following language training courses and lessons they
are free to choose.
Long Term Structural Influences and
Perspectives
The course materials developed in this project is shown in tolal in Fig.
1. The materials shown are divided into the following categories: Text books,
lecture notes, laboratory scripts, and manuals. Most of them are now available
in, the Bulgarian language, some of the text books and lecture notes are
written in English, respectively are planned to be translated into English.
This course material includes modern technology aspects and is not only
of purely theoretical academic nature but also takes practical and industrial
applicability inlo account.
Most of the new courses are now scheduled to be integrated into the curriculae
of faculties for electrical engineering and informatics. The author can
give you a detailed overview of the integration of new and updated courses
offered now to students in the Technical University of Sofia and in the
Plovdiv Branch on request. The new and restructured or updated courses developed
by this TEMPUS Project are marked by shades in the table. Similar changes
of the curriculum are to be performed in the other participating universities
respectively.
In addition to tbe mentioned course material some more specialised courses
for retraining of industrial engineers and employees interested have been
developed. Some of these practically oriented retraining seminars have been
held already.
Although the project focusses on teaching modalities, we have planned from
the beginning to establish an Expert Centre at Sofia. This Centre is meant
to concentrate on scientific know-how in the field of "Control Engineering":
a library of modern scientific books has been installed in, Sofia, computer
systems as well as laboratory rigs have been installed in 4 different places.
As they will be interconnected by data-networks they shall he available
for mutual use. We also plan, that other programmes for promotion of research
projects be prepared there with the support of the respective participants
on the Bulgarian side. The future institution of CACE is suggested to act
internationally as
1. Coordinating Centre Bulgaria, Germany and England in the Field
of Control Engineering, i.e. to apply for new European projects;
2. Consulting Centre for Industry and Universities that will also
offer taining courses for partners and all those interested (self-financed);
3. Centre for Contacts concerning R&D-Projects or paid joint
venture tasks to be gained, to be carried out with partners from Bulgaria
and Germany, respectively England.
Mutual Interests
Although the project in its first phases may be called a pure aid-programme
for Bulgaria, there is no doubt about it, that in the long term there are
mutual interests to be fulfilled with the installation of the CACE-Centre
at Sofia. Mutual interests exist in the following fields of work:
1. Restructuring of Courses of Study. The European Joint Study Model
agreed upon by Kassel and Reading University seems to be of interest for
further TEMPUS cooperations, and it seems possible to realise similar structures
on the Bachelor and Master level incorporating industrial training for Bulgarian
students.
2. Mutual student exchanges could be envisaged on the basis of a
similar Joint Study Model yet to be agreed upon with Bulgaria as well.
3. Joint venture research project: The established network between
the partner universities does not only allow direct personal connection
but also computer connections with the labs. This helps to carry out joint
tasks and to use expert knowledge in both directions.
4. Relevance as to Inherent Reforms: Particularly in Germany the
reformation of studies and the shortening of study durations are important
issues. Thus, the TEMPUS-project offers us an interesting forum for mutual
discussions, which are also most welcome to our partners. Our TEMPUS-seminars
have been a platform for mutual discussions on the issue of reforms of courses
of study in the countries involved.
Critical Comments and Recommendations
Projects of this size require a steady administrative assistance. Common
staff fluctuations disturb the performance very much; the combination of
university internal rules and TEMPUS regulations requires a training on
the job of new assisting staff for a minimum of 3 months. But fluctuation
of the best secretaries happens as a consequence of the incompatability
of yearly proofed and renewed project contracts with the German employment
rules: chain contracts for the staff are not allowed. Therefore bigger projects
should be provided with a continuation guarantee for excellent secretaries
or administrators should make 3-year contracts possible in Germany.
The highest quality of university education is based on the famous unity
of teaching and reseach stipulated by Humboldt. But joint research projects
with eligible countries are not at all supported by TEMPUS,- to avoid high
quality of teaching? In the second and/or in the last phase of a TEMPUS-JEP,
when the laboratories in the universities of the eligible countries are
going to be very well equipped, joint research projects being related with
teaching materials should be eligible for funding, as well.
The intention of TEMPUS is to give benefits only to the eligible members.
Most of the steering and organisational expenditures of EU partners are
covered but rooms and equipment have to be provided for by the hosting universities.
Therefore, such projects are not so welcome at many an EU university or
faculty and do sometimes lead to a slighly too demanding behaviour from
the other side. The upper most goal of getting partners is not so easy to
fulfill. Thus, in order to continue the cooperation in small joint projects
and to compensate for the free use of labs, in reasonable cases also the
purchase of equipment used by guests should be allowed and it should be
permitted that some of it stay in the hosting university.
Final Statements
The final seminar and meeting for this project has taken place at Kassel
University for three days and was opened officially by Mrs Vice President
Professor R. Gildemeister: she welcomed Professor P.K. Sinha from Reading
University as the founder and contractor for the first year of the project
Professor M. Hadjisky from Sofia Technological University as the local coordinator
and Professor A. Nedev as the Rector of the Technical University of Varna
and project participant. The Vice President pointed out that this project
is not only one of the biggest TEMPUS projects in Europe but also its scientific
results will be of great importance for Bulgarian universities, results
that have been performed with a huge amount of work that is being documented
by the course materials for 16 new and updated courses, most of them worked
out by the Bulgarian collegues in print-ready quality in text books and
lecture notes. She declared that Kassel University is happy to cooperate
with the Bulgarian Partners of this well running project and that it has
been a pleasure to host the guests working in such motivated manner. The
activities run at Kassel in cooperation with Eastern Countries are also
documented by the foundation of the East-West Scientific Centre in Kassel
that already runs a lot of other joint projects. Professor M. Hadjisky expressed
his deep thanks to Kassel University for the excellent working conditions
and the kind atmosphere. Without this and the help from Reading University
it would have been impossible for the BG Scientists to achieve the technological
standard of the western world in their lessons. The now well equipped laboratories
give them the possibility to become partners for further cooperations and
student exchanges - also from Germany to Bulgaria. Professor Sinha expressed
his gratitude to Kassel University and the excellent cooperative administration
and to Professor S. Hentschke
for successfully having taken over the coordination of the well structured
project after the first year during a critical situation. Professor Gildemeister
expressed her good wishes and willingness to support the ideas of founding
a new joint institution (ICASE) for further collaborations in joint projects.
The chairman, Professor Hentschke, thanked all BG collegues, especialIy
all staff members and students for their well prepared oral and written
contributions to the final seminar and for the meeting documents that provide
for best results and future joint perspectives.
LIST OF COURSE MATERIALS | |||
Course No. |
Title | Type of material | Leading author |
1 |
Core material Signals and Systems Introduction to MATLAB Digital Signal Processing |
Lab. scripts Manual Lab. scripts |
I. Kalaykov I. Kalaykov G. Roujekov |
2 |
Continuous Control Theory Automatic Control Theory Nonlinear Control Systems A Course Guide in Automatic Control |
Lab. scripts Lab. scripts |
K. Ishtev M. Ivanova A. Nedev |
3 |
Digital Control Theory Digital Control Theory Discrete-Time Control Systems |
Textbook Lab. scripts |
K. Velev E. Haralanova |
4 |
Computer Control Systems Software for Real-Time Control |
Lecture notes Lecture notes Lecture notes |
Ch. Angelov K. Filipova |
5 |
Computer Aided Design Techniques Analysis and Synthesis of Linear Control Systems Using SYSLAB Optimisation Methods |
Textbook Lab. scripis |
P. Petkov I. Tzenov |
6 |
Computer-Based Process Control Computer-Based Process Control |
Textbook |
M. Hadjiyski |
7 |
System Identification System Identification |
Lecture notes Lab. scripts |
E. Garipov E. Garipov |
8 |
Control Instrumentation Control Instrumentation |
Lecture notes | G. Nikolov |
9 |
Discrete Event Systems Discrete Event Systems |
Lecture notes |
R. Patrashkov |
10 |
Algorithms for Real-Time-Control Algorithms for Real-Time-Control |
Textbook | E. Garipov |
11 |
Fault Detection and Analysis Pattern Recognition Presented in |
Textbook Textbook |
A. Nedev A. Nedev |
12 |
Intelligent Control of Autonomous Systems |
Textbook | A. Nedev |
13 |
Parallel Computing in Control Parallel Computing in Control |
Textbook | K. Arabadjiyski |
14 |
Intelligent Control Systems Intelligent Control Systems |
Lecture notes Lab. scripts |
I. Kalaykov I. Kalaykov |
15 |
Mathematical Modelling of Others: |
Textbook
Dictionary |
A. Manolov
A. Manolov |
List of Courses and Availabel Documentation