Special seminars

ARDRE non-research oriented transferable skills

Specific courses in 2021

Scientific project management, part II

December 6, 2021; 09.00 – 12.00 hrs and 13.00 – 16.00 hrs 

Content: Definition of project management (pm), pm at the University of Innsbruck, EU project management, project initialization, project planning, formulation of goals, aims, hypothesis and research questions, budget calculation, time planning and time management, work packages and milestones, work breakdown structure and Gantt chart, risk management, reporting. The participants should first be instructed theoretically in these mentioned points and then implement these points using their own examples.

 Lecturers: Robert Rebitsch / David Lederbauer, project.service.office/University of Innsbruck

VERSA - Video gamEs for Skills trAining

eLecture - online: detailed information about dates and booking can be found on LFU-online.

These are the VERSA courses for the upcoming winter semester: The participants will learn to use logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions or approaches to problems.

Participants will have time until November 30 to play the game for a minimum of 12 hours and to reach certain in game achievements. In a coaching session (October) we will discuss various aspects of the skill, experiences and improvements. During this entire period students will have support to solve technical and game problems. Progress will be evaluated by standardized tests which will be answered pre- and post-training. In addition achievements within the video game are tracked and analyzed. All participants will receive a a softskill map visualizing their skills.   

• 800911 Video gamEs foR Skills trAining (VERSA) - Critical Thinking, VU 2: Participants play the action-strategy tower offense/defense game Anomaly2. The game offers a lot of elements and requires the ability to filter and prioritize. The players need to use critical thinking and tactical planning to accomplish the objectives.
• 800912 Video gamEs foR Skills trAining (VERSA) - Complex Problem Solving, VU 2: Participants play the action-strategy tower offense/defense game Anomaly2. The game offers a lot of elements and requires the ability to filter and prioritize. The players need to use critical thinking and tactical planning to accomplish the objectives.
• 800913  Video gamEs foR Skills trAining (VERSA) - Team Management Course, VU 2: Participants play the action-strategy tower offense/defense game Anomaly2. The game offers a lot of elements and requires the ability to filter and prioritize. The players need to use critical thinking and tactical planning to accomplish the objectives.  

The VERSA project is a collaboration among the Universities of Innsbruck, Rovira i Virgili (Tarragona, Spain), VU Amsterdam, and the GECON foundation (Spain) which has developed the Soft Skills Games methodology. Until WS 2022/2023 a total of 8 courses for soft skill training will be offered (Cognitive Flexibility, Creativity, Critical Thinking, Complex Problem Solving, People/Team Management, Time Management, Judgement and Decision Making, Goal Setting). Each course can be attended individually and without prerequisites.

Lecturers: Barile C., Egger A., Engele P., Thedieck K., Zhang Y.  

Effective presentation in class and at conferences

July 8/9, 2021; 10:00 am - 05:00 pm; 10:00 am - 06:00 pm, Innsbruck, SOWI building, lecture hall 3

Content: Thou shalt not bore was Billie Wilder's secret for shooting a good film, and much the same rule applies to speeches and presentations! This training course will enable you to present your content in a clear and lively way so as to arouse audience interest and participation.

• Preparing and delivering lectures, presentations and speeches - Using different visual aids, vocal techniques and body language
• Focusing on the audience, dealing with disruptions
• Impromptu speaking: responding to questions, leading discussions
• Dealing with nervousness and "stage fright"
• Improvisation exercises to warm up
  

VERSA - Video gamEs for Skills trAining

PhD training focuses in the training of research abilities. Nevertheless, the job market also demand other skills like, teamwork, communication skills, leadership, problem solving, innovation... These skills are a key factor for your employability and work performance. Three universities of the AURORA network (University of Innsbruck, University Rovira i Virgili, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam) together with the Iberoamerican Knowledge Foundation (GECON) have started a new project for soft skills development with a total duration of 24 months. This project, entitled Video gamEs foR Skills trAining or VERSA uses innovative training for soft skills of PhDs via an online and video game training methodology developed by GECON called soft skills games.

The idea behind this methodology is that elements in the video games stimulate players to use and train their skills. To avoid boring games popular commercial games, like Portal 2, Cities: Skylines, or Fallout Shelter, available on Steam are used. The softskills.games platform developed by GECON in connection with the Steam API analyzes the performance of each user based on the obtained achievements. These achievements are indicators of a set of actions carried out with an objective and each of these actions is associated with certain soft skills. For example, cognitive flexibility is effectively trained through a puzzle game like Portal 2 with different rules and elements and a high cognitive demand.

The training will provide eight soft skills in total: Creativity, Critical Thinking, Complex Problem Solving, Cognitive Flexibility, People/Team Management, Time Management, Judgement and Decision Making and Goal Setting.

• VERSA Project KICK-OFF-Meeting: March 23, 09:30 a.m - 01:00 p.m. 
• Course 1: April 16, 2021, 12:00 - 4:00 p.m., briefing part 1
• Course 2: May 7, 2021, 12:00 - 4:00 p.m., briefing part 2

followed by free selectable time to play

• Course 3: May 28, 2021, 1:00 p.m.- 2:00 p.m., debriefing part 1
• Course 4: June 18, 2021, 1:00 p.m.- 2:00 p.m., debriefing part 2

The project will last for 24 months. However, you do not have to take all soft skill modules the minimum number to pass the training is two. Each module consist of a short online coaching session, after which you have time for about 2 - 3 months to play the game for at least 12 hours. At the end of the project, you will receive a certificate for the completed training. 

Courses can be taken individually or together. Further courses will be offered in the upcoming three semesters. More information:
https://softskills.games/en/ 
Video about the Methodology: https://youtu.be/N0zznbRPPfI 

Performing under pressure

February 15/16, 2021; 09:00 am - 05:00 pm - Female academics only

This two-day workshop is designed to reach the target aims through meaningful practice, individual and group activities, theater-based exercises and exercises informed by the work of Amy Cuddy. After the workshop, participants will...

• Utilize strategies for reframing criticism and the inner-critic.
• Have techniques to help them stay in the moment and increase presence.
• Project confidence and competence in presentation situations.
• Be aware of the roles they have chosen and be able to craft the role they desire.
• Use tools to help them transform stress and pressure into energy and motivation 

The Roles Women Play

• Identification of the roles and narratives people subscribe to
• Alignment of values with self-image
• Re-writing one's personal and professional narrative
• Imposter syndrome

Transforming the inner critic

• Identifying what triggers our inner-critic
• Reframing criticism and negative energy
• Techniques to overcome stage fright and performance pressure

Pitching oneself

• How to create an elevator pitch
• How to adapt it to different situations (networking, conferences, etc)

Presence work

• Body language
• Power posing
• Discovering and cultivating one¿s unique presence
• Voicework
• Being in the moment

Presenting

• Techniques for projecting confidence
• Tips and tricks actors use
• Practice and assessment

Lecturer: Francesca Carlin, Communication trainer and personal coach. http:///www.francescacarlin.com 

Specific courses in 2020

Scientific project management, part I

December 1, 2020; 09:00 am - 01:00 pm

Content: In this course the basics of scientific project management and instruments of project management like work breakdown structure, Gantt chart, milestone plans, etc. will be introduced. 

• Administrative conditions
• Processes in project management
• Tools and methods of project management
• Management structures in consortiums
• project controlling and time management
• Contract design from the point of view of a researcher

 Lecturers: Robert Rebitsch / David Lederbauer, project.service.office/University of Innsbruck

Funding

This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie grant agreement No 847681.