This week we met with Judith Waller, lecturer at Mid-Sweden University, to listen to her experience of testing the sustainability competence mindset map tool with students on a new master program in Additive Manufacturing. The work she is doing to incorporate sustainability into the material is being designed on a student-centred basis for the present group. Judith reflected over how the outome of the sustainability competence mindset map tool has helped her to recognise where the students need support and inspired her to adapt the material and activities to the students’ needs. The assignments Judith creates develop as the course progresses, allowing Judith to work with the students and cover all expected learning outcomes.
We had a feedback chat to listen to Judith’s experience and plans and brainstorm new ideas for the final activity that the students will participate in before the end of term. The freedom Judith has, to learn what the present student group needs and adapt the course on a continuous manner, helps the students build their capacity for sustainability competencies from a whole student approach. Judith can teach the disciplinary knowledge and provide space for the sustainability competencies to flourish.
Judith shared with us an experience she had testing out a card game called Climate Fresk that can develop systems thinking and implementation thinking competencies through the sustainability perspective. The students use the gaming cards, where actions and consequences are explored through the chain of events that occur on each card. Judith reflected that gaming creates great energy in the classroom and discussions can be more insightful due to the stimulation effect of the different stages of the game.
We also listened to Judith’s plans for the next task the students will undertake about a role play between students that take on different perspectives of a hypothetical situation in the subject. The students will be able to build on their interpersonal thinking competency as well as reflect on their intrapersonal thinking competency through the experiential method of role-play. Judith reflected on her experience and revealed that although designing activities for a new course and using the ongoing student-centred approach can feel a little stressful at times, it has also been fun for her to experiment with new activities and experience the great feedback she has received form the students.
We look forward for the continued cooperation we have with Judith Waller and the work that she and her colleagues are doing at Mid-Sweden University. We hope to meet in real life soon, at the sustainability competence symposium that we will be hosting in February 2024. This week we would like you to reflect on the plans you have made for this semester: What new activities have you been testing in the course you teach? Have you been able to create a space for student engagement activities in sustainability? How flexible is your education system to be able to adapt to the students’ needs?
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