InnovEd4TS

transferable Skills

Credits

A Repository to share our findings. The goal is to inspire innovative teachers to include the development of transferable skills in their teaching. InnovEd4TS brought together several higher education institutions focused on researching, describing, and explaining 12 transferable academic skills in innovative academic contexts, based on 9 flagship initiatives. In this context we have a Framework, which describes and explains the importance of teaching transferable skills in higher education alongside with disciplinary teaching; a Booklet designed to provide tools for analyzing and developing skills, as well as a Recommendations Report that states the challenges and opportunities on how to work with innovation on higher education. The Repository should also be used for inspiration and future guidance.

start here

recommendationSreport

flagshipiniTiatives

Framework

This Repository is part of the project InnovEd4Ts - Innovative Education For Transferable Skills that has received funding from the from the European Commission under the Programme Erasmus+, Key Action “Cooperation for innovation and the exchange of good practices, Strategic Partnerships for higher education” (Project Reference: 2019-1-DK01-KA203-060281). This Repository reflects the views only of the author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein. 2022 © Copyright - Innovative Education For Transferable Skills (InnovEd4Ts) Drawings by Benoît Raucent Design by Rita Rua This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

credits

Teamwork

Transferable Skills

Critical Thinking

Creativity

Booklet

written comunication

problem solving

oralcommunication

(inter)culturalunderstanding

interdisciplinarity

InformationLiteracy

Global Citizenchip

Entrepreneurship

digital literacy

InnovEd4TS

iniciatives

SUMMER UNIVERSITY

Problem-Based Learning in Health Education

HU-Q Programme for research-based learning

Liberal Arts

Corps et Esprit, Esprit de Corps

Case Competition Stay Relevant

Artiste en Résidence

IngénieuxSud

Computing in Science Education

InnovEd4TS

initiatives

creativity

competences

Creativity is the ability or attitude that enables individuals to develop ideas and opportunities, to create something new or create something in a new way, utilizing the knowledge she/he has already acquired.

Creativity

Research creation – UC Louvain

Artiste en Résidence

Aarhus University

Case Competition Stay Relevant

InnovEd4TS

creativity

competences

Creativity is the ability or attitude that enables individuals to develop ideas and opportunities, to create something new or create something in a new way, utilizing the knowledge she/he has already acquired.

Research creation – University of Oslo

Université Paris Cité

Computing in Science Education

Corps et Esprit, Esprit de Corps

Creativity

Critical thinking

InnovEd4TS

initiatives

competences

Critical thinking is the ability - to question norms, ideas, practices and opinions - to analyze, to question, to evaluate information, content or arguments before accepting or formulating an opinion or a conclusion - to question and evaluate solutions It requires a willingness to engage in reasoning.

Critical thinking

Aarhus University

Critical thinking

InnovEd4TS

competences

Critical thinking is the ability - to question norms, ideas, practices and opinions - to analyze, to question, to evaluate information, content or arguments before accepting or formulating an opinion or a conclusion - to question and evaluate solutions It requires a willingness to engage in reasoning.

Case Competition Stay Relevant

Humboldt University

UCLouvain

HU-Q Programme for research-based learning

IngénieuxSud

Aarhus University

Summer University

Critical thinking

Written communication

InnovEd4TS

initiatives

competences

Communication is a skill of presenting information in a clear, concise and meaningful way. Articulate thoughts, ideas or messages in order to inform, educate, influence, motivate or persuade. Written communication is the development and expression of ideas in writing. Written communication involves learning to work in many genres and styles. It can involve working with many different writing technologies, and mixing texts, data, and images.

Written communication

Written communication

InnovEd4TS

competences

Communication is a skill of presenting information in a clear, concise and meaningful way. Articulate thoughts, ideas or messages in order to inform, educate, influence, motivate or persuade. Written communication is the development and expression of ideas in writing. Written communication involves learning to work in many genres and styles. It can involve working with many different writing technologies, and mixing texts, data, and images.

Written communication

InnovEd4TS

initiatives

Teamwork

competences

Teamwork is being able to act as part of a group composed of individual team members who have different skill sets, personalities and work styles. It requires to operate and communicate smoothly and efficiently within a group, interacting with others on the team, monitoring or evaluating progress, urging the team on when needed, contributing innovative new ideas in order to deliver efficient and effective results.

Teamwork

Aarhus University

InnovEd4TS

Teamwork

competences

Teamwork is being able to act as part of a group composed of individual team members who have different skill sets, personalities and work styles. It requires to operate and communicate smoothly and efficiently within a group, interacting with others on the team, monitoring or evaluating progress, urging the team on when needed, contributing innovative new ideas in order to deliver efficient and effective results.

Case Competition Stay Relevant

Humboldt University

HU-Q Programme for research-based learning

Aarhus University

Summer University

Teamwork

Problem solving

InnovEd4TS

initiatives

competences

Problem solving is the process of designing, evaluating and implementing a strategy to answer an open-ended question or achieve a desired goal. This requires knowledge, facts, and data to effectively • solve problems, • analyze issues • or make decisions.

Problem solving

Problem solving

InnovEd4TS

competences

Université Paris Cité

Research creation – University of Oslo

Computing in Science Education

Problem-Based Learning in Health Education

Problem solving is the process of designing, evaluating and implementing a strategy to answer an open-ended question or achieve a desired goal. This requires knowledge, facts, and data to effectively • solve problems, • analyze issues • or make decisions.

Problem solving

InnovEd4TS

initiatives

creativity

competences

Communication is a skill of presenting information in a clear, concise and meaningful way. Articulate thoughts, ideas or messages in order to inform, educate, influence, motivate or persuade. Oral communication is a prepared, purposeful presentation designed to increase knowledge, to foster understanding, or to promote change in the listeners’ attitude, values, beliefs or behaviors. It requires an ability to choose an appropriate content to the situation and to interact with various interlocutors on less familiar subjects in varied circumstances.

Oral communication

InnovEd4TS

creativity

competences

Université Paris Cité

Problem-Based Learning in Health Education

Communication is a skill of presenting information in a clear, concise and meaningful way. Articulate thoughts, ideas or messages in order to inform, educate, influence, motivate or persuade. Oral communication is a prepared, purposeful presentation designed to increase knowledge, to foster understanding, or to promote change in the listeners’ attitude, values, beliefs or behaviors. It requires an ability to choose an appropriate content to the situation and to interact with various interlocutors on less familiar subjects in varied circumstances.

Oral communication

(Inter)Cultural understanding

InnovEd4TS

initiatives

competences

Intercultural understanding is the knowledge and understanding of intercultural interactions and sociocultural difference by individuals or groups within a society. It involves knowledge about one’s own culture, other cultures, and the similarities and differences between cultures. Acquiring intercultural understanding means recognizing that one’s own perspective is shaped by multiple influences and supports effective and appropriate interaction in a variety of cultural contexts.

(Inter)Cultural understanding

(Inter)Cultural understanding

InnovEd4TS

competences

Universidade de Lisboa

Research creation – UC Louvain

UCLouvain

Artiste en Résidence

Liberal Arts

IngénieuxSud

Aarhus University

Summer University

Intercultural understanding is the knowledge and understanding of intercultural interactions and sociocultural difference by individuals or groups within a society. It involves knowledge about one’s own culture, other cultures, and the similarities and differences between cultures. Acquiring intercultural understanding means recognizing that one’s own perspective is shaped by multiple influences and supports effective and appropriate interaction in a variety of cultural contexts.

(Inter)Cultural understanding

Interdisciplinarity

InnovEd4TS

initiatives

competences

Interdisciplinarity is the interaction of two or more existing disciplines. It is a process of answering a question, solving a problem, or addressing a topic that is too broad or complex to be dealt adequately by a single discipline.

Interdisciplinarity

Interdisciplinarity

InnovEd4TS

competences

Universidade de Lisboa

Research creation – UC Louvain

UCLouvain

Artiste en Résidence

Liberal Arts

IngénieuxSud

Interdisciplinarity is the interaction of two or more existing disciplines. It is a process of answering a question, solving a problem, or addressing a topic that is too broad or complex to be dealt adequately by a single discipline.

Interdisciplinarity

Information literacy

InnovEd4TS

initiatives

competences

Set of skills, attitudes and knowledge necessary to: - know when information is needed to help solve a problem or make a decision - identify, articulate, evaluate, understand, interpret and use that information.

Information literacy

Information literacy

InnovEd4TS

competences

Set of skills, attitudes and knowledge necessary to: - know when information is needed to help solve a problem or make a decision - identify, articulate, evaluate, understand, interpret and use that information.

Information literacy

Global citizenship

InnovEd4TS

initiatives

competences

Global citizenship is thinking like global citizens, considering global issues based on a deep understanding of diverse values. Promoting wellbeing not only of the self but also contributing to the welfare of others. Knowing to exercise the rights and obligations of citizenship at local, state and national level.

Global citizenship

Global citizenship

InnovEd4TS

competences

Aarhus University

Summer University

Global citizenship is thinking like global citizens, considering global issues based on a deep understanding of diverse values. Promoting wellbeing not only of the self but also contributing to the welfare of others. Knowing to exercise the rights and obligations of citizenship at local, state and national level.

Global citizenship

Entrepreneurship

InnovEd4TS

initiatives

competences

Entrepreneurship is a series of skills enabling an individual to: - enhance a concept, idea or product - recognize and act on opportunities - be willing to embrace risk and responsibility - initiate and lead a project in order to create social, economic and cultural value.

Entrepreneurship

Entrepreneurship

InnovEd4TS

competences

Humboldt University

HU-Q Programme for research-based learning

Entrepreneurship is a series of skills enabling an individual to: - enhance a concept, idea or product - recognize and act on opportunities - be willing to embrace risk and responsibility - initiate and lead a project in order to create social, economic and cultural value.

Entrepreneurship

Digital literacy

InnovEd4TS

initiatives

competences

Digital literacy is the ability to use digital methods, technologies and media, both discipline specific and generic, in a disciplined, safe and secure manner in educational as well as professional and civic context.

Digital literacy

Digital literacy

InnovEd4TS

competences

Research creation – University of Oslo

Computing in Science Education

Digital literacy is the ability to use digital methods, technologies and media, both discipline specific and generic, in a disciplined, safe and secure manner in educational as well as professional and civic context.

Digital literacy

Aarhus University

Resources /Learn more (links to videos, websites etc.)

Katrine Solvang Larsen Chief Consultant katrinesolvang@au.dk

Strengths and Opportunities

The Case Competition has a good format, which could be expanded. Going from local to global would create more motivation for the students to join. And will also give some students a chance and motivation to go abroad.

How, teaching methods and tools

The students will be introduced to the working method “Design Thinking” and get the chance to develop their skills in relation to working with design processes. The students will work on real world problems giving them a better understanding of business life and the labor market. Finally, the students learn how to pitch and get the chance to meet future employers.

Aim, learning outcomes

Students will get a better understanding of small and medium sized companies and what kind of challenges they are facing. Participation in the Stay Relevant Case Competition will enable students to: • Demonstrate understanding of the ways in which theoretical knowledge from their degree programs can be communicated and used in relation to a relevant labor market • Give presentations by making pitches. Independently communicate the relevance of academic theories and methods in relation to the labor market. Use their own academic expertise to solve problems which are relevant for the labor market • Independently adapt their academic skills for use in society as a whole. Take part in development work in a constructive manner. Develop skills in relation to working with design processes

teamwork

critical thinking

creativity

Description

160 language students participate in the case-competition arranged in collaboration with Aarhus Municipality and Business Aarhus. Business Aarhus locates the 8 different cases the students will be working on solving. Firstly, the students will be introduced to a working method called “design thinking”. Secondly, the students will be given the chance to work on a specific problem. Thirdly, the students will pitch their solution in groups to a panel of judges. The initiative is for BA language students on their last semester. The initiative is part of a programme, and the students do not have normal lectures while they participate. This allows the students to concentrate fully on the project because they do not have other engagements. In theory the initiative is mandatory, but voluntary in practice. It is not part of an exam, and there are no requirements. A number of students choose not to participate. The initiative is using the municipality as a moderator for the selection of the companies. They focus on small companies. They reach out to companies, who do not normally look for graduates, and that the students do not normally see as potential workplaces (match-making).

Case Competition Stay Relevant

Resources /Learn more (links to videos, websites etc.)

Viktoria Nagy PBL-Project Coordinator, Université Paris Cité viktoria.nagy@u-paris.fr

Strengths and Opportunities

- Great team of skilled educators - Great and really valuable addition to the curriculum - Great potential for comparative research on traditional and PBL learning formats (large cohort, small PBL cohort within)

How, teaching methods and tools

- Students are asked to swap roles throughout the semester to experience the position of a team member, of a team leader and of a secretary – and reflect on their performance - Student autonomy is reinforced because of the reinforced self-reflective process (“learning how to learn”). They are asked to self-assess and evaluate team dynamics (soft skills) and performance (know-how and knowledge acquisition) cooperatively in each session and then individually with their tutors minimum twice each semester. - The pilot training model aims to “teach the teachers” (tutors) how to evolve from the neutral knowledge transmitter position into that of a facilitator of the learning process and that of a mentor able to provide customized feedback on students personal and professional development - Besides feedback sessions, students and tutors fill in quantitative and qualitative questionnaires – this way they directly contribute to the scientific evaluation and co-design of the program.

Aim, learning outcomes

The main goal of the program is to allow students to learn medical knowledge cooperatively in a contextualized setting while solving clinical cases, and at the same time, to acquire competences (know-how and soft skills) that are easily transferable to the clinical practice. Hence, they learn: - How to identify a clinical problem as a team (teamwork, problem-solving) - How to negotiate and set learning goals cooperatively to understand the problem (teamwork, problem-solving, oral communication) - How to share tasks (teamwork, oral communication) - Conduct research in the literature individually (information literacy, problem-solving) - Share and apply research results to solve the clinical problem cooperatively (teamwork, problem-solving, oral communication, digital literacy) A secondary goal of the program is to train conscious, life-long learners. To do so, regular feedback sessions and a complete training module have been attached to the program during which students can reflect on their own learning methodology, more than that, they can contribute to the co-design of the program as it evolves.

teamwork

Problem Solving

Oral Communication

Description

The PBL project for elective undergraduate tutorials was introduced at the Medical Faculty in cooperation with Maastricht University in 2019 to mitigate the lack of a student- and skill-centred interdisciplinary approach, as French higher education and in particular medical education tends to rely on teacher-centred, content-based and monodisciplinary teaching models. The programme has been upscaled recently, in 2021-2022, both in terms of the number of students and teachers/tutors involved but also in terms of its stakes, as the new PBL track involves all small class tutorials of the 2nd year core curriculum. The main goal of the program is to allow students to learn medical knowledge cooperatively in a contextualized setting while solving clinical cases, and at the same time, to acquire competences (know-how and soft skills) that are easily transferable to the clinical practice. Among those competences, we find all 12 transferable skills (at a certain extent) as defined by the InnovEd4TS programme, however, problem-solving, teamwork and oral communication stand out, the latter even more so, as the curriculum is bilingual (French or English). Another objective of the program is to reinforce student autonomy (learning how to learn) and staff training (teaching the teachers) with the help of a pilot training module.

Université Paris Cité

Problem-Based Learning in Health Education

Resources /Learn more (links to videos, websites etc.)

Head of bologna.lab Wolfgang Deicke Tel.: 030 2093 70818 wolfgang.deicke@hu-berlin.de

Strengths and Opportunities

- Training the students to act in "the real world" and having great collaboration skills, which makes them attractive for employment. - The student centred approach is the strength of this programme - Opportunity is to develop the concept to an international programme

How, teaching methods and tools

-The programme‘s common framework is the didactical training programme „Research-based learning“. Here, staff are encouraged to reflect, redesign and develop their planned courses in ways that take facilitate the greatest possible degree of student initiative, participation and co-ownership of the project. They are encouraged to change roles over the course of the project (from initiator/teacher to coach/facilitator/manager). How this is implemented varies depending on the nature of the research topic and the academic subject/discipline‘s curricular requirements, the individual HU-Q lead and the participants.

Aim, learning outcomes

The programme‘s main aim is to develop students‘ research interest and competencies. For the purpose of this exercise, the following aspects appear particularly relevant: - Experience the research process with all its ups and downs (occasions for critical thinking and self-reflection) - Take charge of - and responsibility for – significant parts of the research process both individually and as a team (critical thinking, decision-making, teamwork) - Apply and develop their research skills individually and as teams (critical thinking, teamwork)

teamwork

Entrepreneurship

Critical thinking

Description

The HU-Q Programme for research-based learning was introduced at HU in 2012 to create opportunities for students (especially undergraduates) to gain first research experiences, develop their research competencies and pursue their own research interests. It was designed to re-establish the link between research and teaching that had been „lost“ with the introduction of the bachelor degree under Bologna. As a side effect, the HU-Q Programme – in helping student tutors and research staff to translate their research ideas into learning projects – also contributes to developing the quality of teaching. Transferable skills in the sense of InnovEd4TS are not an explicit focus of the HU-Q programme. It is assumed that students have acquired a basic sense of what critical thinking might mean in their subject/discipline and that they have some teamwork skills already before they embark on their (first) research experience. In that sense, these skills are rarely „taught“ in the HU-Q programme, but put in use and developed further by the students as independent learners.

Humboldt University

HU-Q Programme for research-based learning

Resources /Learn more (links to videos, websites etc.)

Anne Vanet Vice-Rector for Digitalisation, Université Paris Cité anne.vanet@u-paris.fr

Strengths and Opportunities

- The programme is unique in that it develops a broad range of skills - A clear strength is that the course introduces a new kind of relationship between the students and the professors; the approach of the professors evolves towards more facilitation and interaction. - Students involved are from various disciplines. Students gain self-reflection and self-awareness and experience in teamwork - The annual theme allows students to connect to research in another discipline - Final theatrical performance allows public visibility and fosters students’ engagement

How, teaching methods and tools

- Combining courses in Science, Health and Social Sciences around a common theme, with a variety of speakers within and outside academia - Mixing audiences from the three major sectors of the university - Articulating academic courses, bodywork and theatre courses.

Aim, learning outcomes

- Acquire knowledge and a multidisciplinary approach to the major issues of our world, by following courses of a very different nature from those of the Bachelor's degree specialties in which the students are registered - Meet students from other departments and set up a project together - Create a multidisciplinary network - Develop collective and individual creative skills

teamwork

Interdisciplinary

Creativity

Description

Open to undergraduate students (first year) regardless of their discipline. This multidisciplinary course aims to make students aware of a multidisciplinary approach on several levels: - by combining courses in Science, Health and Social Sciences - by mixing audiences from these three major sectors of the university - by articulating academic courses, bodywork and theatre courses. The aim is not only to make students aware of the interest of a multidisciplinary approach providing them with exact sciences’ and humanities’ approaches on common themes, but also to initiate them into bodywork and focus, and finally to make them grasp problems in a collective way, thus developing their ability to collaborative work. The academic and theatrical parts of the course are directly linked to a major theme (e.g. “Bet”, “Covid”, …). This theme is renewed every year and taught by professors in Health, Social Sciences, and Science.

Université Paris Cité

Corps et Esprit, Esprit de Corps

Resources /Learn more (links to videos, websites etc.)

Maria de Fátima Reis Professora fatimareis@letras.ulisboa.pt

Strengths and Opportunities

The Liberal Arts program allows students to take classes from eight different schools in the University: Arts and Humanities, Sciences, Fine Arts, Economics and Business, Law, Psychology, Social Sciences and Human Kinetics. The program comprises a 60 ECTS mandatory core curriculum and a 120 ECTS free quota. It is structured as a major/minor degree. The core curriculum includes a Language requirement (12 to 18 ECTS), a Great Books three-unit sequence (18 ECTS), a one- or two-course Tools requirement (6 to 12 ECTS) and a two-course Great Questions requirement (12 ECTS). Students can choose from between eighteen foreign Languages (e.g. , German, Arabic, Hindi, Italian, Russian, Turkish, English); three Great Books (e.g., Antiquity and Middle Ages, from Romanticism to the Present) ten different Tools units (e.g., Critical Thinking, Language and Communication, Calculation and differential calculation, Probabilities and Statistics or Programming and IT) and Great Questions units (e.g. in science Astronomy and Astrophysics; Ethics in economics and international business; Energy sustainability; Earth environment and climate or in Arts and Humanities, Art study, Study of cultures or Literature study ). The free quota allows students to choose from a great number of areas of concentration whose combination does not usually fit into traditional European higher-education single-track programs. Students can graduate with a double major, one major and up to two minors, up to four minors, or with no declared majors or minors. There are no field constraints to possible combinations. Liberal Arts Students are assigned individual tutors, designed to guide them through their various course choices, especially during the initial year.

How, teaching methods and tools

Practical work of guided readings.

Aim, learning outcomes

Acquiring an ecumenical sense of the relationship between the arts, philosophical discussions and scientific discussions for the relevant period, as well as becoming acquainted with a corpus of major texts in those fields.

Interdisciplinary

Intercultural understanding

Description

This course aims to familiarize students with a set of literary, scientific, historical, philosophical, political, etc., that form the core of Western culture, and give students the possibility of critically discussing arguments and theories, of analyzing texts, in most of the arduous cases, and to implicitly recognize the centrality of the readings that make up the course. The course consists of a set of expert conferences on subject texts and diverse genres that have decisively shaped the way people think and act. Every short cycle of monographic conferences, a discussion class follows in which all students participate.

Universidade de Lisboa

Liberal Arts

Resources /Learn more (links to videos, websites etc.)

ralph.dekoninck@uclouvain.be frederic.blondeau@uclouvain.be

Strengths and Opportunities

How, teaching methods and tools

- Approximately 20 to 30 students from UCLouvain participate each year - One semester - 30 hours of classes

Aim, learning outcomes

Artiste en Résidence - Aims to enable students to integrate a cultural and creative dimension into their bachelor's program - At the end of the seminar, students present to the general public the fruit of their creative work Research Creation - Aim to integrate art into research

(Inter)cultural understanding

interdisciplinarity

Creativity

Description

Artiste en Résidence - Integrating a cultural and creative dimension into the student’s program. - Launched in 2005 - Artists in fields as varied as cinema, literature, music, plastic arts, theatre, dance... - The artist shares his/her experience with the students and introduces them to an artistic practice. - Opened up for wider Research Creation dynamic within the whole institution Research Creation - Focuses on the link between arts and sciences. - Instill a different way of thinking and innovation in a co-creative dynamic - Support teachers through funding to invite an artist to one of their courses or seminars for a period ranging from one day to one month - Fund approaches that combine creative and academic research practices and develop artist residencies.

Research creation – UC Louvain

Artiste en Résidence

Computational essays are ideal, since students do… • Coding • Modeling • Investigation • Presentation

Resources /Learn more (links to videos, websites etc.)

https://www.mn.uio.no/fysikk/personer/vit/malthe/index.html

Strengths and Opportunities

How, teaching methods and tools

Epistemic agency: the ways in which students take control and ownership over their own scientifically-authentic processes of learning and inquiry Students engage in… • Authentic scientific practices • Authentic cycles of inquiry • Shared knowledge creation

Aim, learning outcomes

In physics for example computing provides us with robust mathematical methods that allow us to solve practically any physics problem. Thus we are no longer limited by traditional mathematics. Students can learn robust, powerful and adaptable solution methods - computing methods - in which they write computer programs to solve problems using workflows similar to that of research or industry. Contents and approaches can be chosen for pedagogical or motivational reasons instead of mathematical limitations. Examples can be based on real data, and realistic and research-inspired problems can be introduced from day one, opening for more exploration, creativity and project-based learning approaches.

problem solving

Digital literacy

Creativity

Description

From 2017 all bachelor programs within the sciences at UiO has been redesigned to integrate programming from the first day. All programs have a course in context-specific programming in the first semester. Thus, physics and mathematics solve mathematical problem in their scientific programming course, chemistry students have applications to chemistry, and biology students learn programming in a biology course where programming is motivated by and integrated in a biological context.

Research creation – University of Oslo

Computing in Science Education

Global citizenship

(Inter)cultural understanding

teamwork

Critical thinking

Resources /Learn more (links to videos, websites etc.)

International Center at Aarhus University, IC@au.dk

Strengths and Opportunities

• Good and varied methods in teaching • The students coming from different educational backgrounds • Fostering friendships and strengthening intercultural understanding • Potential to discover more diverse perspectives

How, teaching methods and tools

The form of instruction varies for each Summer University Course, but they mainly contain of lectures and group work. The students’ learning before and during the course will often be supported by online self-study material.

Aim, learning outcomes

The aim and learning outcome differs for each course. But the general purpose of the internationalisation electives is to provide students with the opportunity to use a foreign language in an academic setting, and to work with an academic theme. The purpose is also to teach the students to operate in a cross-disciplinary teaching context, thereby gaining a cross-disciplinary perspective on their own subject area. The course contributes to the international dimension of the degree programme and improves the students’ understanding of the academic profile of their degree programme.

Description

The Summer University program at Aarhus consists of a portfolio of courses taught in English at Bachelor's or Master's level within the fields of Culture and Society, Media and Communication, Business, Management and Economics, Psychology, Political Science, Law, Health, Natural Science and Technology. All teaching at AU Summer University is based on current research and has a strong international perspective. The close link between research and education ensures the quality and depth of the courses. Class sizes range from 20-50 students. Summer University is different than normal classes. It is a shorter time period, and the atmosphere is different. People are more motivated. The interactions between internationals and Danish students are important to create intercultural understanding. The students are from different institutions and from different educational backgrounds. It offers a change of perspective.

Aarhus University

Summer University

Resources /Learn more (links to videos, websites etc.)

jean-pierre.raskin@uclouvain.be smerle@louvaincooperation.org

Strengths and Opportunities

• Interesting initiative and successful way to integrate SDG's into education • Jean-Pierre is essential to the success. How can UCLouvain secure the institutionalisation of the course? This is important to transfer to other universities. • Possible to improve the programme by applying learning objectives to Southern Students as well. This would also make credit transfer possible.

How, teaching methods and tools

• An elective course of 5ECTS open to students from both BA and Master level from the SST sector. • Approximately 150 students from UCLouvain and in the South participate each year. •Takes place all year around with students travelling to the Southern countries where their project is implemented during one month. • All tasks done in teams composed of students from UCLouvain and from the partners university in the South (Africa, South America, South-East Asia).

Aim, learning outcomes

• Learn about the interdependence between technical and non-technical parameters (economics, environmental, social, …). • Realize that any technical solution is NOT universal and NOT neutral. • Think globally and act locally. • Accept and embrace the complexity of societal challenges. • Adopt a systemic approach. • Work collectively, build bridges between disciplines and actors.

(Inter)cultural understanding

interdisciplinarity

Critical thinking

Description

• Work on technical projects/challenges (water, agro-ecology, energy...) and propose sustainable solutions for the environment, economically and socially • Identification of a technical issue in a Southern country by associations, cooperatives, NGOs,… which are in direct contact with the local population • Formation of groups: 4 Belgian students + 4 Southern local students • Collaborative work via emails, Skype, Whatsapp, etc. during one full academic year to figure out an appropriable and sustainable solution • Students are supervised by scientists and experts of Northern and Southern institutions • They attend lectures/practical labs about sustainable development and build prototypes • They present their technical solution in front of a transdisciplinary panel • They all meet on the field to implement the technical solution, one month in Summer

UCLouvain

IngénieuxSud