Study Guide

Objective

The overarching learning goal is being able to mitigate and solve sustainability problems. Learning takes place in a variety of ways: by self-study but also by learning from peers.

The course comprises of five key competencies to be developed and assessed during the course. These key competences are also part of the CDIO-framework that is guiding the studies at Turku University of Applied Sciences. Additionally the students will learn more about sustainable development.
Key competences developed on the course:
1.Creativity competence: Having completed the course, the student is able to combine knowledge from different fields to come up with novel solutions to sustainability problems. Student is familiar with different creative problem-solving tools.
2. Initiative competence: This project course is a flexible model for learning that does not offer straightforward answers but motivates the students to work towards goals and take responsibility of their work and learning.
3. Systems thinking competence: Having completed the course, the student is able to understand structure and dynamics of complex systems related to solving sustainability challenges in a real-life project. Student can describe given sustainability challenges from multiple perspectives. Students have improved their critical thinking.
4. Strategic competence: Having completed the course, the student is able to create transition and intervention strategies to enact change. Student understands the basic principles of project management and can plan and lead a project from beginning to end. Student feels comfortable using different project management tools and understands the basics of working with companies and other stakeholders. Student is able to reflect on, and deal with, possible risks. Student is able to manage expectations and anticipated results of projects.
5. Interpersonal competence: After the course, the student has developed his/her communicative and collaborative skills. Student is able to organize and manage working in a multi-disciplinary team of individuals. Student understands the basics of projects’ internal and external communications. Student can apply collaborative working methods in his/her work.

Content

Climate change, depleting natural resources, pollution and urbanization pose some of the greatest challenges in the history of humankind. Good solutions are needed now! These so-called wicked problems are so complex that they need actors from all levels of our society working together. Wicked problems are turned into wicked solutions only by strong collaboration between companies, universities, cities and non-governmental organizations (NGOs). This means that future problem-solvers need to know how to work in the middle ground between the business, research and decision-making sectors. On Solutions.now course it is time to put the knowledge learned from books into practice by solving real life challenges related to sustainability issues. The challenges on the course are given by real companies, who want to make a positive impact with their business.

Much of today’s work consists of working in and leading multidisciplinary projects. However, practical project management courses and company collaborations are non-existent in many university studies. Solutions.now course combines problem- and project-based learning methods with sustainability issues, to let students learn the most critical project management skills while gaining valuable working-life experience. At the same time students learn valuable future skills such as tolerating uncertainties and conflicts and balancing with the knowledge learned from the literature and the frame given by the company.

This course is ideally taken after other sustainability courses so that the students already have some basic knowledge of the complexity of sustainability issues. This course offers a practical way to use that knowledge in real life as well as learn new skills in planning and executing sustainability projects. Students work in multi-disciplinary teams, each team dedicated to one sustainability project. They get to experience how it feels like to use their knowledge to make a positive impact on the world.

Materials

Available at Digicampus platform

Teaching methods

Students work in multi-disciplinary teams, each team dedicated to one sustainability project. They get to experience how it feels like to use their knowledge to make a positive impact on the world. Additionally, there are articles to read, videos to watch etc. online. There will be online meetings with the teachers during the study weeks as well as online meetings with the team.

Exam schedules

No exam.
As this is an online course based on tasks:
- You don't have the possibility to raise your final grade or a grade for an individual task.

International connections

Innovation pedagogy. This means that the learning takes place in a variety of ways: by self-study but also by learning from peers. This is a flexible model for learning that does not offer straightforward answers but motivates the students to work towards goals and take responsibility of their work and learning.

Completion alternatives

No alternative ways to do the course.

Student workload

Tasks informed on the Digicampus platform

The course is of 5 ECTS so the workload is 135 hours all together.

Content scheduling

Solutions.now is an e-course (online study course). Course starts on Monday 13.3.2022. The course lasts for 8 weeks so it finalized by 2.5.2022.

There will be online lectures and course work on Mondays and Thursdays during that 8 week period (93 hours).
Other work (42 hours) on the course will also be online but you can do those in your own time.

Study days are Mondays and Thursdays. Mondays are lecturing and seminar days, except 1.5.203 is transferred to Tuesday 2.5. Thursdays are for mentoring sessions.

Dates, Online sessions

Monday, 13.3., 9-11 kick-off and introduction of challenges

Thursday, 16.3., 9-12 mentoring

Thursday, 23.3., 9-12 mentoring

Monday, 27.3., 9-11 workshop with companies

Thursday, 30.3., 9-12 mentoring

Thursday, 6.4., 9-12 mentoring

Monday, 3.4. 9.11 mid-seminar

Easter holidays 8.-11.4.2023

Thursday, 13.4., 9-12 mentoring

Thursday, 20.4., 9-12 mentoring

Thursday, 27.4., 9-12 mentoring

Tuesday, 2.5., 9-13 final seminar

Thursday, 4.5., 9-11 feedback session

Evaluation scale

H-5

Assessment methods and criteria

Self and peer assessment 30%
Teacher assessment 40%
Client assessment 30%

Assessment criteria, fail (0)

Not taking part or not taking part actively enough

Assessment criteria, satisfactory (1-2)

1.Creativity competence:
Not really able to combine knowledge from different fields to come up with novel solutions to sustainability problems.
Poorly familiar with different creative problem-solving tools.
2. Initiative competence:
Not really able to work towards goals and to take responsibility of own work and learning.
3. Systems thinking competence:
Not really able to understand structure and dynamics of complex systems related to solving sustainability challenges in a real-life project.
Not really able to describe given sustainability challenges from multiple perspectives.
No so good in critical thinking.
4. Strategic competence:
Not able to create transition and intervention strategies to enact change.
Does not really understands the basic principles of project management and cannot plan and lead a project from beginning to end.
Student feels uncomfortable using different project management tools and does not understand the basics of working with companies and other stakeholders.
Student is not able to reflect on, and deal with, possible risks.
Student is not able to manage expectations and anticipated results of projects.
5. Interpersonal competence:
Poor communicative and collaborative skills.
Student is not so able to organize and manage working in a multi-disciplinary team of individuals.
Student does not really understand the basics of projects’ internal and external communications.
Student cannot really apply collaborative working methods in his/her work.

Assessment criteria, good (3-4)

1.Creativity competence:
Able to combine knowledge from different fields to come up with novel solutions to sustainability problems.
Familiar with different creative problem-solving tools.
2. Initiative competence:
Able to work towards goals and to take responsibility of own work and learning.
3. Systems thinking competence:
Able to understand structure and dynamics of complex systems related to solving sustainability challenges in a real-life project.
Able to describe given sustainability challenges from multiple perspectives.
Good in critical thinking.
4. Strategic competence:
Able to create transition and intervention strategies to enact change.
Does understands the basic principles of project management and can plan and lead a project from beginning to end.
Student feels comfortable using different project management tools and does understand the basics of working with companies and other stakeholders.
Student is able to reflect on, and deal with, possible risks.
Student is able to manage expectations and anticipated results of projects.
5. Interpersonal competence:
Good communicative and collaborative skills.
Student is able to organize and manage working in a multi-disciplinary team of individuals.
Student does understand the basics of projects’ internal and external communications.
Student can apply collaborative working methods in his/her work.

Assessment criteria, excellent (5)

1.Creativity competence:
Able to combine really well knowledge from different fields to come up with novel solutions to sustainability problems.
Very familiar with different creative problem-solving tools and is able to use them well.
2. Initiative competence:
Excellent in working towards goals and taking responsibility of own work and learning.
3. Systems thinking competence:
Able to understand very well the structure and dynamics of complex systems related to solving sustainability challenges in a real-life project.
Able to solve given sustainability challenges from multiple perspectives.
Excellent in critical thinking.
4. Strategic competence:
Very good in creating transition and intervention strategies to enact change.
Does understands the principles of project management very well and can plan and lead a project from beginning to end.
Student feels very comfortable using different project management tools and does understand the basics of working with companies and other stakeholders.
Student is very capable to reflect on, and deal with, possible risks.
Student is very capable to manage expectations and anticipated results of projects.
5. Interpersonal competence:
Very good communicative and collaborative skills.
Student is very capable to organize and manage working in a multi-disciplinary team of individuals.
Student is very good in projects’ internal and external communications.
Student can very well apply collaborative working methods in his/her work.

Qualifications

Studies on climate issues (like the Climate.now basics) or similar studies.