Inter-University Sustainability Challenge

In this course, BSc students from several study programmes at Utrecht University, Wageningen University and Eindhoven University will collaborate, each with their own expertise, to work towards out-of-the-box, scientifically sound solutions for the U.N. Sustainable Development Goals (SDG’s). The course contains of a series of lectures using the Virtual Classroom, offering insights on the SDG’s from several science fields and on methodological approaches towards interdisciplinary work. Then the students will form groups to work on a topic defined by societal partners and related to at least 3 SDG3. In the proposal phase, the project will be defined and the work distributed. The final result will be a visualisation, which will be visually presented in the form of a physical or digital design and substantiated by a written report.

The students will meet the lecturers and fellow students using innovative synchronous online learning tools, like the Virtual Classroom. The purpose of the inter-university collaboration is to meet people outside of the students’ habitat and to benefit from the expertise and perspectives those other people offer. At the same time, this collaboration will help reveal to the students from which knowledge, expertise, skills, perspectives and cultural aspects they approach the project themselves.

The students take responsibility for the project themselves. This means they come up with ideas, and they have a positive attitude towards taking advantage from inter-disciplinary collaboration.

Please note: the information in the course manual is binding.
After successful completion of the course, the student is able to:

• Describe the SDG’s from an inter-disciplinary perspective
• Use individual knowledge and expertise in an inter-disciplinary team to develop an innovative and scientifically sound solution for a topic related to the SDGs and the city of the future.
• Present the results visually and discuss the rationale, the results, as well as strengths and weaknesses in a written report
• Describe the benefits from working in an inter-disciplinary team
• Individually explain how they can contribute with their own expertise and what the limitations are if the problem was approached mono-disciplinary

Do you study at Eindhoven University of Technology (TU/e) or Wageningen University and Research (WUR)? You can enrol via eduXchange.nl

Max.16 students. In case more students are enrolled for the course the rules of the Teaching and Examination Regulations will be followed to appoint the students.