Studying and researching Sustainability at Leuphana University of Lüneburg

Prof. Dr. Daniel J. Lang

Institute of Ethics and Transdisciplinary Sustainability Research

ICSS 2012, February 22nd

Policy & planning

Institutional arenas

Vision /final goal

1)

2)

3)

Campus & facilities manage-

ment/adminis-tration

Foundation for operational & cultural changes (history, key principles, master planning, etc.)

EducationColla-

boration/outreach

Enduringsustainable university

Research

Sustainability at Leuphana

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Foundation: Sustainability is one of the key principles for Leuphana University‘s development. Its core activities - research, teaching and transfer - are seen as basic academic action areas for the development of a sustainable society.

Leu

ph

ana

Un

iver

sity

of

Lü

neb

urg Humanistic university

Sustainable university

Education through scholarship.

Action-oriented university

Transformation competence for sustainable development.

Analysis, creativity and reflexivity with regard to practical problems.

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Research: Realizing “true” inter- and transdisciplinarity

Since Oct 2010

Faculty Sustainability

Re-

cons

truc

tion

Re-

construction

Anthropogenicsystem

Natural environment

Mitigation

Adaption Ecosystemservices

Material flowsin the

natural environment

Effects in and on theEcosystem,

spatial development

Indirect repercussions

Rational planningand

decision making

Management,EnvironmentalGovernance

Communication,participation,

discourse

Learning,orientation,

competence of action

Direct repercussions

Core research topics

Sustainabilityhuman sciences

Societal playersCommunication, education,

participation, new media

Public playersSustainability economics,

sustainability policy, sustainability governance

Corporate playersSustainability management, supply

chain management, social entrepreneurship

Individual players/ genderSustainability psychology, environmental psychology,

sustainability ethics

Legal playersSustainability law,

environmental and energy law, international law

Social &

environmental change

Trans-disciplinarity

in sustainability research:

Methods and projects

InternationalSustainable

Development

Sustainabilitynatural & technical sciences

Ecosystems & biodiversityBiology, ecology, ecosystems

functioning, land ecology

MattersEnvironmental chemistry,

material resources, environmental analysis

Industrial design & infrastructure

Industrial ecology, physics renewable energies, eco-design,

sustainable infrastructure development

InformationSustainable informatics, sust.

ambient computingsustainability modeling

IT Application

SpaceEnvironmental planning, landscape

development, traffic planning

4

Societally relevantproblem

Collaboration: Enabling mutual learning processes

Researcher

StudentsActors outside

academiaEducational institutions

and sustainable consumption

Innovation network sustainable SME

Sustainable community

development

Picture: DerHexer

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Campus development

Education: Higher Education for Sustainable Developmenthas been integrated in the form of a general studies mandatory component for all Bachelor students and different degree programmes.

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General studies for all Bachelor students:

(1) Leuphana Semester covers the first semester of all Bachelor study programmes and is mandatory for all first semester Bachelor students, independently from their major studies.

Module “Science bears Responsibility“ accounts for 1/3 ofthe Leuphana Semester and covers sustainability issues and illustrates ethical behaviour.

(2) Complementary studies accompany all Bachelor study programmes and cover several sustainability seminars.

Specialisation options:(1) Bachelor studies: Major in Evironmental Sciences

Minor in Sustainable Development

(2) Master studies: Sustainability Sciences

(3) MBA: Sustainability Management

(4) PhD: Sustainability Sciences

Leuphana Bachelor

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Leuphana Semester – Module „Science and its social responsibility“

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Leuphana Bachelor: Major Environmental Sciences

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Trans-disciplnary Project (and

Ethics)

Trans-disciplnary Project (and

Ethics)

MethodsMethods

FundamentalsFundamentals

SpecializationSpecialization

Thesis workThesis work

Master of Arts and Sciences, Sustainability Science

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Transdisciplnary Project20 ECTS (of 120 in total)

25-30 Stundents (compulsory)2-3 Lecturers (½ of the

average teaching load of one Professor in total)

Transdisciplnary Project20 ECTS (of 120 in total)

25-30 Stundents (compulsory)2-3 Lecturers (½ of the

average teaching load of one Professor in total)

Methods and skills

Methods and skills

Advanced disciplinary and interdisciplinary FundamentalsAdvanced disciplinary and interdisciplinary Fundamentals

SpecializationSpecialization

Thesis workThesis work

Insights into one Td-project first semester

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„Collaboration“ „Case encounter“

Workshop

Current state analysis

Theory

Insights into one Td-project second semester

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Actor analysis

Actor analysis

Analysis of documentsAnalysis of documents TheoryTheory

Expert InterviesExpert

Intervies

Organiz.analysisOrganiz.analysis

IndicatorsIndicators

Pictures: Mieg und Näf 2005, p. 5 Grundwald & Kopfmüller 2003OECD 2001, p. 134Students

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Global Classroom – Liberal Arts Education for the 21st century

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Thank you very much for your attention!

Contact: daniel.lang@leuphana .de

Course results

„Products“Draft of a scientific paper

Discussion paper for the city administration

Research report

„Process results“Raised awarenes in the city administration

Results will be presented to the city council Implementation of concept?

Follow up project for the next semester

Inputs for ongoing research project

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Course evaluatoin

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Societally relevantproblem

Researcher/Lecturer

StudentsActors outside

academia

•Not totally “satisfied” by results of first semester

•Uncertain about scient. quality of final results

•Quite enthusiastic about the project

•Interested in continuing collaboration

•Different success in meeting learning targets

•Students self evaluation of the learning success mixed

•Evaluation with regards to capacity building difficult

Challenges and critical factors for course success

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Students’ learning success

Degree of structure defined by the instructors vs. freedom of the students

Time and method for reflecting learning process

(Lack of) complementary courses preparing for / facilitating PBL (e.g. method seminar etc.)

Project

Engagement/commitment of the external partners

Relation of the project to ongoing research activities within the faculty

Type of problem

Institutional barriers and coping strategies

“Didactical competences” in PBL of faculty members Seminars in PBL / Professional development

Ambitious goals to implement/restructure several PBL courses simultaneously Understand and communicate course development as learning experience itself

Supervision time allocated to PBL courses (“Project oriented courses do not need the same intensity of supervision as other course types”)

Taking concept/vision of program seriously

Time schedule of courses during the semester (only two fixed time slots) ? because of conflict with other goals such as student mobility

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Principles for rethinking undergraduate curricula for the 21st century (http://curriculumreform.org/curriculum-reform-manifesto/)

As a central guideline teach disciplines rigorously in introductory courses together with a set of parallel seminars devoted to complex real life problems that transcend disciplinary boundaries.

Teach knowledge in its social, cultural and political contexts. Teach not just the factual subject matter, but highlight the challenges, open questions and uncertainties of each discipline.

Create awareness of the great problems humanity is facing (hunger, poverty, public health, sustainability, climate change, water resources, security, etc.) and show that no single discipline can adequately address any of them.

Use these challenges to demonstrate and rigorously practice interdisciplinarity, avoiding the dangers of interdisciplinary dilettantism.

Treat knowledge historically and examine critically how it is generated, acquired, and used. Emphasize that different cultures have their own traditions and different ways of knowing. Do not treat knowledge as static and embedded in a fixed canon.

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Principles for rethinking undergraduate curricula for the 21st century (http://curriculumreform.org/curriculum-reform-manifesto/)

Provide all students with a fundamental understanding of the basics of the natural and the social sciences, as well as the humanities. Emphasize and illustrate the connections between these traditions of knowledge.

Engage with the world’s complexity and messiness. This applies to the sciences as much as to the social, political and cultural dimensions of the world. Such an engagement will contribute to the education of concerned citizens.

Emphasize a broad and inclusive evolutionary mode of thinking in all areas of the curriculum.

Familiarize students with non-linear phenomena in all areas of knowledge.

Fuse theory and analytic rigor with practice and the application of knowledge to real-world problems.

Rethink the implications of modern communication and information technologies for education and the architecture of the university.

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Concluding remarks

Diversity of PBL/project oriented learning approaches crucial and relevant though we should learn from experiences of others

• Reflection and Evaluation of learning success with regards to competence building is crucial but difficult

• Two open questions (besides many others)

– What is the role of the problem and its transformation in relation to the learning targets? (and how do we measure success in this respect?)

– In how far does project oriented learning in sustainability science depend on a paradigm shift in the way we do research?

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Learning goals

Minor SDLeuphana

Ability to deal with complex problems and uncertainty

Ability to collaborate inter- and transdisciplinary

Ability to plan and realize sustainability related projects

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TdCS ETH

Content: knowledge about the case investigated

Method: use and adapt embedded case study methods

Transdisciplinarity: integrate knowledge and values from both university and people outside the university

Skills: such as group processes, cross cultural communication…

Prerequisites of HESD

Dealing with complexity

Inter- and transdisciplinary problem solving

Self directed collaborative

learning

Competence development

Initial comparison with regards to some crucial aspects

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Minor SDLeuphana

TdCSETH Zurich

General education (Bildung) vs. Research

Stronger focus on Bildung -> freedom to experiment, less learning to research ID/TDProblem based learning

Stronger focus research -> partly decreases degree of freedom for studentsProject oriented learning

Learning with/from actors o.U.

„Transfer“ in a collaborative process in last term

Focuse on mutual learning right from the beginning

“HESD-strategy”

Complement disciplinary expertise

SD competencies as core expertise

Teacher qualifications

Tutor/Coach with process/method expertise

Same but also research expertise required „Ideal of team teaching“

Einblicke

1. Td als Forschungspraxis • Eher Haltung und Herangehensweise

1. Ziele/Fragestellungen einer Td-Accademy• Strukturierung von problemrientierter Forschung• Reflexion normativer Grundannahmen (Gemeinwohl)• Generalisierbarkeit vs.? Fallstudienforschung• Wirkung von Td-Forschung (socially robust knowledge?) -> Kriterien

2. Organisation• Unabhängiger Beirat -> Definiert Themen• Offene Bewerbungen von Fellows

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Further PBL opportunities (Undergraduate level)

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Further PBL opportunities (Undergraduate level)

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1. Choose a society relevant Problem field

2. Syndrome Approach / Analyze the System

3. Defining Interactions and driving forces

4. Case Study as concrete Example

5. Evolve relevant, collaborative Knowledge

6. Development of Scenarios

7. Formulating of specific projects

8. Define and select concrete actions

Choose a society relevant

Problem field

Analyze the System by using

the syndrome approach

Make it concrete

using a case study

Develop possible scenarios

Formulating of

specific projects

Synthesis of thematic threads

Minor Sustainable Development: Methodological Framework (guiding the learning process)

System analysis and concretication using syndrome approach

Scenario Analysis

Concrete Project with Partners from Practice

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Spezifische Zugänge zum Thema nachhaltige Entwicklung

Mi05 Mi06

Mi03 Mi04

Mi02

Mi01

Working with complex problemsAnalysing Unsustainability with

the Syndrom Approach

Developing Sustainable Scenarios:

Methods of Scenario Management

Shaping the future:Transdisciplinary project work II

Inter- and Transdiscipinary Cooperation

Introducing the fieldIssues of Sustainable Development

Shaping the future:Transdisciplinary project work I

Minor Sustainable Development: Structure of modules

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Learning objectives

• Students should acquire basic knowledge in and abilities to:– identify and structure societal relevant problems– design, realize and evaluate transdisciplinary research in close collaboration with actors outside

academia – Critically reflect transdisciplinary research projects

• Targeted methodological competences– Problem structuring– Selection, adaptation and integration of theories and methods adequate for approaching the

problem– Structuring, management and moderation of working processes (individually and in the group)– Identification and integration of relevant disciplines and stakeholders

• Targeted (inter-) personal competences– Project and group management (including conflict management, division of labor etc.)– Presentation of results to different target groups – Collaboration with various actors– Reflexive research and project work

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The comprehensive studies program offers students a global and multi-layered outlook on interdisciplinary subjects – several sustainability topics in different perspectives

LEUPHANA BACHELORLEUPHANA BACHELOR

COMPREHENSIVE STUDIES

“Understanding & Changing”(Humanities, Social and Cultural Sciences)

“Projects & Praxis”(Project Perspective)

Each perspective can be taken a max. of three times (15 CP); a course in the perspective „Language & Culture“ is required

A minimum of three out of the six perspectives have to be taken

30 CP total in the Leuphana Bachelor

Gender and Diversity runs as a theme in all six perspectives

“Art & Aesthetics”(creative, reflexive, discursive)

“Technology & Culture”(Natural Science and Engineering)

“Language & Culture”(Socio-Linguistics, Intercultural Studies)

“Methods & Models”(interdisciplinary, focus on application)

As of the second semester

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Structure: Transdisciplinary Research Process

Scientific problems uncertainty

lack of methods disciplinary specialisation

generalisation

Results useful for societal praxis

strategies concepts

measures prototypes

Actor specific societal discourse

administration institutions NGO’s corporations

politics media

New transferable knowledge

actor oriented interdisciplinary

Transdisciplinaryintegration

Scientific discourse institutions of higher education

non-university research industrial research

Societal problems everyday life relevant

actor specific

Common research object

team building

Results relevant for scientific praxis

methodical and theoretical innovations

new research questions

Quelle: Keil, F. (2009). Reflexive Transdisciplinarity. Producing Knowledge for Sustainable Development. Presentation at the Conference “Towards a knowledge democracy”. Leiden 25-27. Aug. 2009

Problem -identification, -definition and –framing1st Semester

Analysis / collaborative research 2nd Semester (ideally start already at the End of Semester 1)

Re-Integration of the results2nd Semester (ongoing)

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2010/11 Project: Sustainable community developmentHow can city administrations contribute to sustainable community/city development? Relevance and potential design of an internal coordination office for sustainability

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