Study location	Netherlands, Maastricht
Type	Summer Courses, Full-time
Nominal duration	1 week (2 ECTS)
Study language	English
Course code	MSS1024

Tuition fee	€399 one-time

Entry qualification

Enrolled as an Undergraduate student or Undergraduate diploma The course is accessible to under-graduates at any level as well as professionals engaged in life-long learning. You do not need to have followed specific prerequisite courses, though it helps if you bring course material and work projects that you would like to incorporate into your knowledgebase. We assume that you are bringing a computer (Windows, MacOS or Linux recommended, Chromebook possible) and are familiar with installing software and managing files on your computer. The entry qualification documents are accepted in the following languages: English. Often you can get a suitable transcript from your school. If this is not the case, you will need official translations along with verified copies of the original.

Language requirements	English The language of the course is English, so we expect a fluent level and the ability to follow and participate in class.

More information	maastrichtsummerschool.nl

Overview

Course Description
Managing your own knowledge has been a key success factor in many different disciplines. Two recent developments make careful knowledge management even more important for you as a young professional: the amount of available information has increased vastly over the past 25 years, while generative AI as a widely accessible tool has added competitive pressure on knowledge workers. Personal knowledge management can support you in addressing both: over the course of your studies and work, you collect and generate knowledge and insights. Keeping high-quality or “known good” information accessible to you can help you act on this knowledge even when it is no longer fresh in your mind, and can help you draw additional insights that are only available if you can zoom out and perceive the whole tapestry of knowledge. At the same time, personal knowledge management should cost little time on a daily basis: the goal is not to add work to your life, but instead to make it easy for you to retain insights. In five days of guided tutorials and exercises, this course will help you build a knowledge repository for yourself that you can start using immediately. Each day features a combination of informative presentations and an opportunity to work on your own knowledge base with the advice of an experienced knowledge manager.

Goals
By the end of the course, students are expected to:
• Understand the key principles of knowledge management.
• Assess your personal needs: what support would you like to obtain from a personal knowledge manager.
• Set up a personal knowledge base (vault) using Obsidian.
• Learn key features of Obsidian, such as markdown script for taking notes, using categories, tags, internal and external links to connect notes.
• Import existing information into your vault.
• Setting up notes through the use of templates for common note-taking scenarios and quick capture on the go.
• Use graph view to discover patterns in your knowledge.
• Explore the plug-in eco-system to meet your needs identified in step 2.
• Decide on synchronization and backup strategies so you can use your vault when you need to.
• Complete the set-up of your vault so that you can use it as soon as the course is complete.

Recommended Literature
This is a practical course, and all material you will need in order to get started with Obsidian and set up your personal knowledge base will be provided to you as part of the course package. If you want to get started early, you can download a free copy of Obsidian here: obsidian.md

Teaching Methods
Interactive Class, Presentations, PBL Tutorials

Assessment Methods
Assignment

Course Coordinator
Mindel van de Laar & Lutz F. Krebs via UNU-MERIT

Programme structure

• Monday: Key principles of knowledge management, introduction to Obsidian, and setting up your own knowledge base.
• Tuesday: Creating and connecting notes, using categories, tags and links to help with knowledge retrieval, and importing existing material into your knowledge base.
• Wednesday: Exploring information to include in your knowledgebase, including personal notes (mind mapping, outlining, journaling, relationship management) and future material you encounter during your regular work and study.
• Thursday: Expanding the capabilities of your personal knowledge repository using plug-ins, synchronizing your knowledge base across devices for ease of access, and ensuring longevity of your knowledge base with backups.
• Friday: Finishing the design of your personal knowledge base, and personal advice on next steps and continued learning.
We will be using Obsidian as a freely-available personal knowledge manager that works across many devices including Android and iOS phones as well as computers running Windows, MacOS and Linux. You will receive installation instructions ahead of the course, and the foundation for a personal knowledge base to customize and make your own at the start. You are encouraged to bring material that you would like to incorporate into your knowledge base!