Project

CONNECTS - Transdisciplinary learning for societal transformation

To address grand societal challenges joint transdisciplinary efforts of scientists, engineers, governments, companies, and citizens are required. However, fruitful collaboration between these groups is challenging, because of differences in background, interests and values or conflicting perspectives. Higher education can play a key role in the development of transdisciplinary competencies, but transdisciplinary learning finds its way into curricula only with difficulty. How to successfully design and implement transdisciplinary education is uncharted territory, although some initiatives are promising.

Research challenges

There are at least three major challenges in realizing transdisciplinary educational configurations, related to:

  1. enabling co-learning among students, teachers, and stakeholders in a levelled learning space,
  2. scaffolding transdisciplinary learning, and
  3. embedding transdisciplinary education sustainably at curricular and organizational level.

Method

Focusing on these three challenges, a consortium of ten Dutch higher education institutions studies the overall research question: What are principles for designing and implementing sustainable educational configurations that enable and scaffold transdisciplinary co-learning of students, teachers, and stakeholders, aiming to contribute to societal transformations?

An educational design research approach is applied, aimed at formulating design principles, starting from state-of-the-art knowledge on transdisciplinary education. Multiple cycles of design, implementation, and evaluation of educational configurations in different contexts will result in nuanced, validated design principles and a deepened understanding of underlying mechanisms in different educational contexts, and established transdisciplinary educational practices.

(Expected) results and conclusions

Development of a framework: Based on a review study of literature on transdisciplinary education and an empirical inventory of experiences with existing transdisciplinary initiatives in the Netherlands and abroad, we will develop a framework with design principles for transdisciplinary learning, targeting different elements of educational configurations. This framework is the basis for the case studies.

Analysis, design and evaluation: Existing educational configurations are analyzed and adapted, or new configurations are created, based on the design principles and taking into account the specific characteristics and context of the case. The evaluation of the interventions, for which qualitative and quantitative data are collected will also be conducted.

Adaptation of the framework: The different cases are used to corroborate, adapt, elaborate, and specify the general design principles, which need to be contextualized for different situations. For instance, some interventions may work better with master students than with bachelor students. Improved design principles feed next cycles of analysis, design, and evaluation in cases.

Consolidation of the framework: Through different cycles of design and adaptation, and through cross-case analysis, the robustness of the framework with design principles increases. The analysis could result in a thorough understanding of, for instance, what is needed to stimulate reciprocal, respectful, and equal interactions, and which organizational conditions should be in place for this. To consolidate the framework, validation sessions with consortium partners, experts and stakeholders are organized. The result is an elaborate framework with validated, contextualized design principles for educational configurations, and for embedding these sustainably in curricula and organizations.