PERCCOM: A Master Program in Pervasive Computing and COMmunications for Sustainable Development

📝 Abstract

This paper presents the Erasmus Mundus Joint Master Degree in Pervasive Computing and Communications for Sustainable Development (PERCCOM). This program brings together 11 academic partners and 8 industry partners to combine advanced Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) with environmental awareness to enable world-class education and unique competences for ICT professionals who can build cleaner, greener, more resource and energy efficient cyber-physical systems. First, this paper describes the rationale and motivations for ICT education for sustainability challenges. It then details the structure and contents of the programs including the courses offered at the three teaching locations (Nancy France, Lappeenranta Finland, and Lulea Sweden). The ways that the program has been running as well as students selection, their thesis works, involvement of industry, are also discussed. The program was built and managed using a solid academic standards and strategies student-centered learning.

💡 Analysis

This paper presents the Erasmus Mundus Joint Master Degree in Pervasive Computing and Communications for Sustainable Development (PERCCOM). This program brings together 11 academic partners and 8 industry partners to combine advanced Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) with environmental awareness to enable world-class education and unique competences for ICT professionals who can build cleaner, greener, more resource and energy efficient cyber-physical systems. First, this paper describes the rationale and motivations for ICT education for sustainability challenges. It then details the structure and contents of the programs including the courses offered at the three teaching locations (Nancy France, Lappeenranta Finland, and Lulea Sweden). The ways that the program has been running as well as students selection, their thesis works, involvement of industry, are also discussed. The program was built and managed using a solid academic standards and strategies student-centered learning.

📄 Content

See discussions, stats, and author profiles for this publication at: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/299860557 PERCCOM: A Master Program in Pervasive Computing and COMmunications for Sustainable Development CONFERENCE PAPER · APRIL 2016 READS 13 5 AUTHORS, INCLUDING: Jari Porras Lappeenranta University of Technology 117 PUBLICATIONS 211 CITATIONS
SEE PROFILE Eric Rondeau University of Lorraine 139 PUBLICATIONS 457 CITATIONS
SEE PROFILE Karl Andersson Luleå University of Technology 56 PUBLICATIONS 184 CITATIONS
SEE PROFILE All in-text references underlined in blue are linked to publications on ResearchGate, letting you access and read them immediately. Available from: Jari Porras Retrieved on: 10 April 2016 PERCCOM: A Master Program in Pervasive Computing and COMmunications for Sustainable Development

Jari Porras, Ahmed Seffah Lappeenranta University of Technology Lappeenranta, Finland Jari.Porras@lut.fi, Ahmed.Seffah@lut.fi Eric Rondeau University of Lorraine Nancy, France eric.rondeau@univ-lorraine.fr

Karl Andersson Lulea University of Technology Lulea, Sweden karl.andersson@ltu.se Alexandra Klimova ITMO University St. Petersburg, Russia alexandra.kgsu@gmail.com

Abstract— This paper presents the Erasmus Mundus Joint Master Degree in Pervasive Computing and Communications for Sustainable Development (PERCCOM). This program brings together 11 academic partners and 8 industry partners to combine advanced Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) with environmental awareness to enable world-class education and unique competences for ICT professionals who can build cleaner, greener, more resource and energy efficient cyber-physical systems. First, this paper describes the rationale and motivations for ICT education for sustainability challenges. It then details the structure and contents of the programs including the courses offered at the three teaching locations (Nancy France, Lappeenranta Finland, and Lulea Sweden). The ways that the program has been running as well as students selection, their thesis works, involvement of industry, are also discussed. The program was built and managed using a solid academic standards and strategies student-centered learning. Keywords- ICT in Sustainable Development; Education; Curriculum development I. SUSTAINABILITY DEVELOPMENT AND ICT: EDUCATION NEEDS AND CHALLENGES Sustainability and sustainable development have been defined in different ways by diverse communities. Perhaps the most know definition for sustainability is given in the so- called Bruntland report [1] to refer “a development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs”. The key issue here is the limits we should consider while developing our business, technology, society, etc. This old definition is later supported by the UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon with his statement: “We hold the future in our hands, together, we must ensure that our grandchildren will not have to ask why we failed to do the right thing, and let them suffer the consequences.” (Sustainable development at http://www.unesco.org , 2007). Sustainable development is usually divided into three perspectives; economical, ecological and social [1]. Depending on the perspective taken to the sustainable development different aspects are emphasized. If looking the natural ecosystems and their limits the sustainability takes the ecological perspective. Sustainability is defined in that context as the environment’s capability to sustain the population and to adjust to changes. Business sector looks at the sustainability from the economical perspective while following the same principles; environment needs to be able to sustain the business population. While businesses change their visions the business sector changes, some companies flourish and other may suffer. The social perspective of the sustainability has not been analyzed and discussed as much as the two other perspectives although people will, in the end, be in the key role of achieving the sustainability. Too often people are more linked to the economical sector than ecological and decisions are mostly made with economy in mind As Joseph Tainter states in his article [2] “People sustain what they value, which can only be derived from what they know”. In order to achieve sustainability within ecological and economical limits, we need to change the people and their habits.
In addition to the three most cited perspectives, technical and individual perspectives have recently been added to the definition [3; 4]. Penzenstadler defines in [3] the technical perspective as “longevity of systems and infrastructure and their adequate evolution with changing surrounding conditions”. In this definition technical perspective could be seen mainly as a target for sustainability rather than a possible tool. This typ

This content is AI-processed based on ArXiv data.