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The soon-to-be nuclear energy specialists take exams by debating on case studies under the new course of study
Technical College – Sofia with the Technical University – Sofia, which has a material basis for education in the town of Kozloduy, has introduced the course of study ‘Radioactive Waste Management’ as mandatory for third-year students majoring in ‘Technology of Nuclear Energy Facilities’. This is the result of a curriculum reform carried out several years ago, when the major subject was renamed and specialized with elective courses to meet the needs of the nuclear sector in the Kozloduy region.
The first graduating class, currently studying the course of study, is already facing an innovative form of exams – case study debates. The topic is set 24 hours in advance, and the students in teams of two defend a thesis and antithesis in front of an audience. An interesting element is the open survey of the attitudes of the entire group before the debate and the reporting of the change after it.
Denitsa Sgureva-Filipova, director of Technical College – Sofia, talks about the change in students’ attitudes:
“In the first hours of the course of study, the students were rather sceptical, with representatives of the local community expressing specific opinions. However, in the process of training, they changed significantly – currently, what drives them is the desire to learn more and curiosity about the activities.”
She further highlighted the importance of this knowledge:
“The goal is to show them that decommissioning and radioactive waste management are an extremely important element of management – both during operation of the facilities and afterwards. In terms of time, these processes represent approximately one third of the nuclear power plant life cycle. In addition, we strive to show them the diversity that lies behind these activities—they are innovative areas not only for Bulgaria, but on a global scale.”
By the introduction of the course of study and innovative forms of training, Technical College – Sofia meets the Bulgarian nuclear industry’s real needs of trained personnel in the field of radioactive waste management—a topic growing more urgent both in our country and in Europe.