Well connected - nationally and internationally
IÖB is active in Germany and internationally, working collaboratively in a range of research and development projects, which is reflected in joint conferences, joint projects and publications, etc. The institute is well connected to the Deutschen Gesellschaft für Ökonomische Bildung (DEGÖB) [German Society of Economic Education] and there are also close collaborative ties with colleagues from educational sciences as well as specialised scientific disciplines in academia.
Outside of academia, IÖB collaborates with many institutions from the world of politics, the economy and society. Alongside its cooperation with national bodies in Germany (e.g. membership of the German Alliance for Economic Education [BÖB]) and work with international partners (e.g. the Goethe Institute in Amman, Jordan), regional sponsors from Oldenburg and the surrounding area have played a vital role in supporting IÖB’s work from the outset.
There are currently six partners with whom IÖB has formal partnership agreements, and whose importance for IÖB goes well beyond the context of project work:
A natural synergy and close cooperation connect IÖB with IfÖB, the same-named institute of Faculty II at the University of Oldenburg. Ever since the establishment of IÖB as a spin-off from the University department, a cooperation agreement has been in place between the University and the affiliated institute. This agreement envisages cooperation in teaching and research. Both institutes are also tied together in Human Resources with joint appointments of academic staff, particularly of professors, to both institutes. Many long-standing members of staff have worked at both sites in Oldenburg. In teaching, IÖB’s learning content management system ECEDON is used by IfÖB, and IÖB staff are regularly called upon to teach degree-level course at IfÖB. In research, projects are partly conducted across the institutions in teams. Many research projects are only made possible by the complimentary partnership that exist between both institutions.
Given the similarities of the institutional research profile and numerous common research interests, there have been close ties between the Institute for Business Education in Vienna and the IÖB, e.g. common collaborative projects and doctoral colloquia. From the beginning of 2015, this partnership was formalised with an agreement, one that underpins the joint activities in teaching and research (e.g. joint conferences, publications, project proposals and guest lectures as well as staff workshops).
ZöBiS carries out cutting-edge subject-specific didactic research, continually conceiving and developing provisions that can be used in practice (e.g. teaching materials, continued professional development for teachers). There are a range of areas where ZöBiS research interests align with IÖB’s. After years of collaboration, the two institutes formalised the partnership at the end of 2015 with a formal cooperation agreement. Both institutes jointly publish the peer-review journal Zeitschrift für ökonomische Bildung (ZföB) [Journal for Economics Education], one that undergoes double blind review before publication.
From the outset, there has been a close cooperation with C3L. It supports IÖB, in particular, in further developing the learning content management system ECEDON as well as with the administration and modification of database systems underpinning each digital activity as well as technical support with research and development matters in digital teaching and learning.
In the context of the “Wirtschafts.Forscher!” (Eng: Economic Researcher) programme of the PwC-Stiftung (PwC Foundation), IÖB has a multi-year cooperation agreement with Dusseldorf education provider Education Y (LINK) and the Berlin agency Freiwerk B. Educational programmes (workshops, continued professional development for teachers, economic youth summits, etc.) and a modern virtual learning environment are developed jointly with IÖB and trialled in schools across Germany. The contents of this programme deal with the dynamic space where economics, ethics and digitalization meet.
Dating back decades, close ties with the State University of Novosibirsk, particularly in the context of the DÖBIS-NSK education programme (originally called ECO-DIGITAL), were institutionalised in December 2016 with a formal cooperation agreement. Through this joint initiative, both partners seek to introduce Economic Education using digital formats and technologies in Engineering classes in the region of Novosibirsk.
Entrepreneurship Education is increasingly playing a significant role in countries with developing economies. When transferring educational concepts into different national school systems, it is necessary to take local country-specific characteristics into account. Alongside the Goethe Institute in Amman and the QRTA, an established educational provider in Jordan, IÖB developed concepts for lessons in Economics and also qualifications for teaching staff in the “Entrepreneurship in Everyday Schooling in Jordan” (EISAJ) project, which was funded by the German Foreign Ministry. These concepts were tried and tested in Jordan.
An increase in school dropout rates and the increased trend towards studying are two developments putting pressure on the traditional German dual apprenticeship system in companies and schools. This is the reason why the different chambers of commerce headquartered in Oldenburg signed a cooperation agreement in 2016. The Chamber of Trade (HWK), Chamber of Agriculture in Niedersachsen (LWK) as well as Oldenburg Chamber of Industry and Trade intend to develop initiatives with IÖB, coordinating in a targeted way to improve the quality of the apprenticeship and the career guidance of young people in our specific region.
Close ties have existed since 2011 with the Methods Centre (WOM) in Gorzów (Poland). This is a public institute specializing in the organization and delivery of teachers’ continued professional development. In the context of the project to provide cross-border career guidance in the Euroregion Pro Europa Viadrina (2018-2021), WOM and IÖB are continuing with our longstanding and effective cooperation. Educational products (teaching and learning materials, teachers’ continued professional development courses, etc.) and information materials are being jointly developed as well as being trialled and tested in schools involved in the project.