Solutions.now (5 cr)

Evaluation scale

H-5

Content scheduling

Solutions.now is an e-course (online study course). Course starts on Monday 10.3.2025. The course lasts for 8 weeks so it finalized by 5.5.2025.

Monday, 10.3., 9-11 kick-off and introduction of challenges
Thursday, 13.3., 9-12 mentoring
Thursday, 20.3., 9-12 mentoring
Monday, 24.3., 9-11 workshop with companies
Thursday, 3.4., 9-12 mentoring
Monday, 7.4. 9-11 mid-seminar
Thursday, 10.4., 9-12 mentoring
Thursday, 24.4., 9-12 mentoring
Monday, 28.4., 9-12 final seminar
Monday, 5.5., 9-11 feedback session

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

There is no exam on this course. The grading is based on tasks/assignments.

All of the assignments have to be returned by deadline. If you do not meet the deadline, you will get one grade lower grade from that task that you would otherwise.

All assignments have to be returned by the end of the course, unless otherwise agreed with the teacher before the end of the implementation. If you want to ask for this, contact the main responsible teacher (Piia Nurmi) before the end of the course. In this kind of a case your course grade will be one number lower than otherwise. If you do not take contact before the end of the course, you cannot pass the course.

In rare cases you can retake a failed assignment. If you want to ask about this, you need to contact the main responsible teacher. Also, in this case your course grade will be one number lower than otherwise.

An accepted study attainment cannot be improved.

Pedagogic approaches and sustainable development

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.

The course is about sustainable development.

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.

Evaluation methods and criteria

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

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.
Englanniksi

Qualifications

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

Further information

main Turku AMK contact person
Piia Nurmi and you can reach her by email.