Integrating stakeholders in project-based transdisciplinary teaching and learning – the case of ‘Tackling Environmental Problems‘
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.16906/lt-eth.v5i1.252Abstract
In this reflection on a teaching practice, we present how we implement project-based transdisciplinary teaching and learning in the Bachelor of Environmental Science (hereafter BSc) course ‘Tackling Environmental Problems’ (‘Umweltproblemlösen’ in German, abbreviated as UPL hereafter) at ETH Zurich. First, we focus on the question of how stakeholders are involved in transdisciplinary higher education courses. Then, we present which stakeholders we involve in UPL and which roles they take. A (non-exhaustive) literature review of transdisciplinary courses in other institutions has shown that it is often not explicitly described which stakeholders, and especially in which roles, they are involved in a project-based transdisciplinary course. In UPL, we distinguish between stakeholders at the course level of the case study and stakeholders at the project level who are approached by the students for development of their sustainability projects. Finally, we discuss why we integrate stakeholders in our course and link this to the development of transdisciplinary competences. We conclude with a reflection on the challenges and opportunities of the stakeholders, lecturers and students, as well as experiences, reflections, and feedback from eight years of running this course.
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