Slovak - Czech Conference
on Geometry and Graphics

 SCG
Short project description The project aims to - facilitate meeting of researchers and teachers from different European universities, secondary schools, and research institutions who are invited to discuss development, current situation, and new trends in Geometry and Graphics in research and education at the International Conference on Geometry and Graphics held in September 2015 in the Slovak Republic - formulate two strategic documents GEOMETRY CURRICULA FRAMEWORK, and CORE LEARNING OUTCOMES
Detailed project description The project aims to continue in long term tradition of organizing common Czechoslovak conferences on Mathematics education at universities of technology, economics and agriculture which was interrupted due to economic crisis and shortage of money. It joins two annual international conferences: the 24th Symposium on Computer Geometry held in Slovakia and the 35th Conference on Geometry and Graphics organized in Czech Republic providing the common platform, place and time for deep mutual discussions and looking for solutions on wide basis, covering the presentation of latest results in research and up to date techniques in teaching, learning and assessing. The conference main topics will deal with geometry and its applications, geometric modelling and computer graphics, and role of geometry in the context of mathematical education at university and secondary school level. Concerning the latter, the project will particularly focus on revelation of insufficiencies in the basic skills and conceptual understanding of basic geometric terms, spatial visualization abilities and practical experience with application and transfer of the theoretical knowledge from geometry to other fields. The intensive specifically focused discussions of invited researchers and scientists in the field will be held at a special rainstorming workshop resulting in formulation of strategic document GEOMETRY CURRICULA FRAMEWORK. Document CORE LEARNING OUTCOMES will be developed as output of the general plenary discussions; based on practical experience of participating university teachers and researchers acquired in the various courses with geometric topics held at their universities and faculties. The project will enhance close scientific collaboration on an international level.
“Visegrad feature” of your project Central European countries bound by common space of territory, history and culture face similar problems in education and research. The project joining partners from V4 region aims to provide a common platform for meeting experts in the field of geometry and computer graphics to exchange their best practices. The participants will discuss the alarming situation at tertiary education widely recorded in all central European countries - university applicants come to study with poor readiness and low interest to study technical and natural sciences programs. The output documents will extend the work of SEFI Mathematics Working Group operating at the European level in the field of mathematical education of engineering students - A Framework for Mathematics Curricula in Engineering Education.
Target groups and
groups benefiting from the project		 The proposed project primarily targets researchers, university and secondary school teachers working in the field of computer as well as traditional geometry, graphics, and associated disciplines. Exchange of achieved scientific, expert and pedagogy results is expected, as well as, close scientific collaboration. In the field of pedagogy, the exchange of the best practices and the discussions outputs, collected in two documents dealing with core learning outcomes and geometry curricula framework, will subsequently influence the other main benefitting group - the wide group of students at technical, natural sciences or pedagogy oriented universities, as well as, students at secondary schools resulting in enhancing their geometry competencies.
Events Slovak - Czech Conference on Geometry and Graphics Terchová, Slovakia, 14.9.2015-18.9.2015
Expected outputs - Meeting, best practice exchange, and discussions of experts in the field of geometry and computer graphics - Document CORE LEARNING OUTCOMES delivered in the form of a list of necessary background skills and levels of understandings fundamental characteristic properties of basic geometric concepts leading to steady applicable knowledge. - Strategic content based document GEOMETRY CURRICULA FRAMEWORK serving for development of competency based curricula structure for geometry courses at university level, supporting enhancement of basic mathematical competencies. Both documents will be published within the project webpage and conference proceedings with expected number of pages 300, number of copies 100.
Planned public relations/
promotional activities		 The project will be promoted mainly at its website. Webpages of participating organisations, national Societies for Geometry and Graphics and other interested parties will contain a link to the project website. Invitation to conference and cooperation on creation of two strategic materials will be provided on webpages directly and also by targeted addressing in person and organization. Leaflets will be distributed inside university buildings and research centres, and publicised in local media. Besides the project website, the results will be disseminated generally by posters, contributions at other following conferences, and by papers in scientific and professional journals, and in particular by targeted addressing to all interested parties.
Previous experience in the field The applicant and the partners of the project are very experienced in organizing of international conferences. The participants of conference are the experts in Geometry and Graphics who intensively work in the field of education and science on national and transnational level.
Continuation of the project The project is expected to continue in organizing mutual conferences each two years or with respect to current needs of research and education in the field of geometry and computer graphics at transnational level of central European region. The documents created as the output of conference discussions and workshop will be freely accessible at the project page and webpages of participating partners. GEOMETRY CURRICULA FRAMEWORK will serve as a framework for development of competency based curricula structure for geometry courses at university level, technical universities in particular. It will be disseminated to relevant higher education institutions and proposed as a mainstream for curricula transformation towards the development of a content based curricula for Geometry university courses. The CORE LEARNING OUTCOMES focussing on necessary geometry skills and understandings would become a source for teaching methodology leading to steady applicable knowledge of students.
Implementation period
 From 20/08/2015 to 14/02/2016
Expected results and potential risks Best practice exchange and discussions of experts in the field of geometry and computer graphics with continuing cooperation, and production of two pedagogic documents leading to improvement of graduates’ geometric competences is expected. Lower responsiveness of ordinary teachers to use the documents in preparation of courses could pose a risk possibly overcome by methodological guidance.