How do technology, vehicles, and people’s own choices affect interactions in traffic? That was the central question when students from all across Europe gathered at Chalmers for the IDEA League Summer School Analysis and Modelling Road User Behavior 2025. During an intensive week, lectures, group projects, practical exercises, and unique test activities were combined to deepen students’ understanding of road user behavior.
Marco Dozza and Jonas Bärgman from the Department of Mechanics and Maritime Sciences organized the summer school, and they emphasize the importance of including a wide variety of learning activities.
"What students appreciate most about our summer school is the combination of different pedagogical and networking activities - a mix that makes them feel more engaged," says Marco Dozza.
Lectures were complemented by exercises where participants analyzed data from driving simulators and real traffic environments. In addition, they worked in groups on projects where theory was put into practice. One of the most popular activities was test-driving different micromobility vehicles, including e-scooters, Segways, and e-skates.
"This activity helps students understand how different vehicles can influence behavior and the importance of training," says Marco Dozza. "Students performed various maneuvers, rated them in an app, and then saw the results visualized in the classroom."
Lively discussions
Discussions on how technical solutions influence human behavior were both lively and instructive, and at times the students’ engagement even surprised the instructors. For Marco Dozza, it became clear that the summer school participants formed a unique group.
"They were extremely motivated, active, and well prepared," he says. "Teaching in such an environment is exciting and requires some adjustments for our teaching compared to our usual courses. For instance, good questions come all the time and getting to the end of a lecture requires the teacher to answer the students’ questions while also making connections to the next topic."
Jonas Bärgman agrees and adds:
"The fact that the participants have such diverse backgrounds also pushed lectures in new and unexpected directions. Of the participants, 80 percent were master’s students and 20 percent PhD students, which in itself raised the level - especially in the group projects. All groups immediately took off with their projects, pushing them forward with enthusiasm and a genuine interest in learning and developing. The final presentations reflected this, with unusually high levels of questions and engagement."
Valuable feedback
The summer school also offered opportunities for reflection and development for the organizers themselves.
"It feels like it gives us a chance to benchmark our teaching across Europe without having to reach out to other countries," says Marco Dozza.
They regularly asked students from other universities to compare the teaching with that at their home institutions, and the feedback provided valuable insights into both strengths and areas for improvement.
"By combining different elements - lectures, exercises, group work, and demonstrations - and by keeping the level challenging but not overwhelming despite students’ varied backgrounds, we create a learning environment where everyone can keep up. That challenge is exactly what makes them gain so much from the teaching," says Jonas Bärgman. "It makes our summer school both inspiring and meaningful, and gives participants a real understanding of the field."
They also highlight the importance of the social activities outside of the classroom - demonstrations and testing of vehicles, a visit to World of Volvo, and informal lunch discussions with students.
"The conversations during lunch were the most revealing for me - not only because I received valuable feedback on my teaching, but also because I got a sense of what international students are looking for in their future careers," says Marco Dozza.
"Many participants also greatly appreciated our thoughts and reflections on education, differences between universities and countries, and career opportunities - for instance related to doctoral studies," Jonas Bärgman adds.
Chalmers’ president also took part in one of the visits and personally tried the micromobility vehicles, which was much appreciated by both students and teachers.
Overall, the week became a successful arena for new ideas, exchange of experiences, and international networking. For the students, it was a step forward in understanding traffic analysis and human behavior in road environments, and for Chalmers, an opportunity to inspire future researchers.
"The course gave students insights into the importance of Human Factors Engineering - the need to reflect on the human role in the bigger picture when working as engineers," says Jonas Bärgman. "And this applies far beyond traffic safety. About 20 percent of participants had a background in traffic safety, the rest were simply curious. Yet the insights they gained will follow them into their own fields of interest."
About IDEA League Summer School 2025
The summer school Analysis and Modelling Road User Behavior gathered international students from TU Delft, ETH Zürich, RWTH Aachen, Politecnico di Milano, and Chalmers. Over one week, lectures, group work, and practical micromobility tests were combined to analyze and understand road user behavior.
More info: Analysis and Modelling of Road-User Behaviour – IDEA League
Contact
- Full Professor, Vehicle Safety, Mechanics and Maritime Sciences
- Professor, Vehicle Safety, Mechanics and Maritime Sciences