How do we train our students to be change agents?

The future generation will soon have the task of providing solutions to major complex social transition issues. As an example, the energy crisis, climate change, and demographic changes (due to migration, refugee movements, and an aging population). Do they have the right knowledge, skills, and attitude to manage these transitions? In this training, you will learn more about the transition cycle, a methodology that provides students with tools for shaping transitions.

During this multi-day training course in shaping transitions, you will go through the transition cycle as a teacher, a methodology developed by the Institute for Interdisciplinary Studies at the University of Amsterdam. This cycle consists of several phases; imagine, connect, act and assess. The methodology helps create a vision for the future, map the system, determine opportunities for change, implement an intervention to realise change and monitor the learning and change process. We then make the link to your teaching; how can you apply this methodology in your own course?  

Learning objectives of the training

After completing this training, teachers will be able to: 

• Use imagination and creativity to create a vision; 
• Critically analyse your vision by creating a systems and stakeholder map; 
• Develop a strategy to address a transition challenge and implement an intervention; 
• Monitor the intervention and critically reflect on both the outcome and the process of the transition cycle and;
• Guide student projects applying the transition cycle. 

The first training will start February 2023. See here for more information and registration.

This workshop is for teachers who want to encourage interdisciplinary approaches and ways of thinking of students at Bachelor's and Master's level. 
We increasingly realise that, partly due to technological development and globalisation, problems have become so complex that they can only be solved through close collaboration across different disciplines.  Thus, students must learn how to integrate and apply knowledge, methods and skills from different fields. Interdisciplinary skills are a valuable addition to disciplinary thinking and acting.

What will you learn in this workshop?

The first part of the workshop examines the skills that students need to address. Then we look at practical approaches, and you will investigate which teaching methods you can use with students to develop these skills. The book 'Interdisciplinary Learning Activities' provides an overview of teaching methods that have been used successfully within interdisciplinary study programmes at the UvA and elsewhere. The expertise and experiences generated in the workshop will be used in the next edition of the book.

This workshop is for teachers who are involved in education aimed at interdisciplinary research by students, or for those with an interest in interdisciplinary research and who want to use it in their teaching.

What will you learn in this workshop?

The workshop focuses on a model for interdisciplinary research. The book "An Introduction to Interdisciplinary Research" is introduced with examples from educational practice. It briefly describes how academic disciplines have developed into what they are today and what characterises these disciplines. It then explains what interdisciplinarity is and what the "drivers" are for interdisciplinary research. Interdisciplinary integration is also considered.

The second part of the workshop introduces a model that guides students through the interdisciplinary research process. Examples are used to make each step clear and tangible. The workshop provides an overview of the contents of the book, with a special focus on the model. Lecturers can then start working with the method themselves. A handbook for lecturers is also provided, with pointers and suggestions for educators to use 'An Introduction to Interdisciplinary Research’ in a course.

This workshop is for education directors, programme directors and lecturers with coordinating roles who wish to strengthen the interdisciplinary component in a Bachelor's and/or Master's programme.

What will you learn in this workshop?W

You will learn to identify distinctive features of interdisciplinary programmes and to analyse the strengths and weaknesses of the interdisciplinary programme of your field. By sharing knowledge about questions that are important in designing or strengthening interdisciplinarity in a study programme, you will improve your ability to link the interdisciplinary learning objectives to the development of the programme.

Workshop outline

The workshop starts with a presentation on definitions of interdisciplinarity. We then translate these into the design of the programme based on 7 questions which can help find a good match between the programme and required interdisciplinary educational objectives. As part of an exercise, you will analyse the study programme based on questions such as:

• how much disciplinary knowledge do students need before they can start the integration process?
• how can the different courses in the programme be connected?
• which part of the programme organises courses aimed at integrating disciplines?

The workshop is an opportunity for you to share knowledge and experiences with colleagues who also work on interdisciplinary study programmes.

As a university teacher, you are faced with the challenge of student assessment on a daily basis. Developing a good assessment method that stimulates the learning process of students can be a time consuming and puzzling task, possibly even more so with more complex or skills-oriented learning outcomes that are common in interdisciplinary programmes.

Workshop outline

In the first part of this workshop, we demonstrate inspiring assessment practices that cover some of the most important skills that foster interdisciplinary understanding such as integration, collaboration, critical thinking and reflection & meta-cognition. Many of the practices use feedback to students in a meaningful and powerful way. For example, we show an authentic assessment method to help you give feedback on the students’ ability to integrate new knowledge and cooperate with various stakeholders and an example of an assessment form where students develop a grading rubric. As such, students are encouraged to take ownership over their own learning.

In the second part of this workshop, we will use a brainwriting exercise to find opportunities to assess skills as integration, collaboration, critical thinking and reflection in your own teaching practice. This workshop will serve as a foothold to empower students to be independent self-assessors.

The workshop will be hosted by Linda de Greef and Debby Gerritsen.

We want to stay in touch and grow as a community of inter- and transdisciplinarians, and continue to share our best practices and ideas. Therefore, since 2020, instead of an annual National Interdisciplinary Education conference, an online edition is organised every three months. Read more about the NIE conference here.

Education is always evolving and, therefore, people working in education do so as well. With Educators invites ‘educators’ - lecturers, educational developers, tutors and trainers - to share and discuss their ideas. We aim to find common ground on interesting subjects and teaching methods, enabling you to both gain insights and contribute to new insights. To read more about and sign up for the upcoming With Educators edition, please visit our events page.