The University of Gdańsk has been placed second among the laureates of NAWA SPINAKER - Intensive International Education Programmes. The University will receive PLN 799,911.80 for the project entitled 'International Summer School - Pollution in Coastal Areas' (POLCA). The project leader is dr Ilona Kamińska from the Department of Oceanography and Geography.

The project 'International Summer School - Pollution in Coastal Areas' responds to the need to broaden the educational offer of the University of Gdańsk for foreign students with an international programme in Earth and environmental sciences. The aim of the project will be realised by creating and holding two editions of the Summer School - Pollution in Coastal Areas (POLCA) at the Faculty of Oceanography and Geography in 2022 and 2023. The target group will be 60 international undergraduate and postgraduate students, and recruitment will include students from universities of the European University of the Seas (SEA-EU) consortium and other universities with which UG cooperates.

The summer school will consist of four thematically and methodically related Modules:

1. 'Introduction, Theory and Integration' - A large dose of intensive learning, integration and preparation for practical classes;
2. 'Practical classes' in three environments in the field and laboratories: on the Gdańsk Bay (cruises on one of the most modern research vessels in the Baltic Sea - Oceanograf ship), on the coastal rivers and in the coastal zone;
3. 'Culture and heritage of the region' in the form of a field trip to the Słowiński National Park with workshops in the field and a guided tour of the Park;
4. 'Problem-based learning' - working in groups, elaboration of results and conclusions, preparation of presentations for a mini-conference.

The planned intensive and international educational programme is characterised by an innovative approach and the use of innovative technologies, including immersive XR (cross reality) and the combination of virtual reality (VR virtual reality) with augmented reality (AR augmented reality) and mixed reality (MR mixed reality). Faculty teaching staff involved in the creation and implementation of the Summer School will be prepared in effective interaction with students in a virtual environment and intercultural communication, inclusivity and diversity in teaching.

If the pandemic situation permits, the Summer School will take place at the Professor Krzysztof Skóra Marine Station in Hel. However, its programme will be able to be delivered in both blended-learning and fully remote formats.

Thanks to the innovative character of the school, the presence, recognisability and attractiveness of UG on the educational market of physical and virtual mobility in Europe and worldwide will increase. Summer schools are internationally recognised forms of university promotion among potential foreign students and are willingly included in internationalization strategies and university brand promotion. Intensive, short-term study programmes allow potential students to get to know the university - its teaching style, resources and offerings, and to get to know individual countries as possible destinations for further development. We hope that the implementation of the project will increase interest in the University's educational offer among foreign students and that the graduates of the Summer School, encouraged by the innovative form of education, will consider the University as a place to study at the next level - II or III.