PINS9550 Educational perspectives on innovation for sustainability Course description

This course addresses educational perspectives on innovation for sustainability. Education has the potential to change current practices and contribute to the transformation of ideas, attitudes, habits and values in societies. Formal education, from kindergarten and general education through professional studies and the PhD degree, offers unique arenas for development of knowledge, skills and competencies, that is, literacies, needed to create a more sustainable future. Learning is a lifelong project and involves the transfer and use of knowledge and skills in different problem-solving situations. This course discusses the effect of education and invites reflection on changes within and across cultures and societies. It also addresses changes in the creative industries due to innovation, digitalisation, technology and globalism, and sustainable perspectives on learning and education.

The focus will be on enhancement of critical reflection, literacies and democratic participation in innovation and design for sustainability. The course invites questioning of why we act as we do and how education can contribute to critical consumption and consciousness. The course addresses the reflective citizen and invites reflection on how sustainability as part of education can change behaviour and actions, and pave the way for innovative cooperation between citizens and professionals on community environmental challenges. The course introduces perspectives on new materialism and practises of making as well as on the social lives with materials and products and their implications for cultural identities. It emphasises the exploration of future scenarios, and the candidates are invited to identify future-oriented research needs. The focus in the course may be adjusted to fit the interest of the participants of the course, in cooperation with their supervisors.

Completed Master’s degree (120 ECTS credits) or equivalent education level.

Upon completing the course, the candidates are expected to have gained the following learning outcomes.

Knowledge

The candidate:

• has advanced knowledge on concepts within critical reflection, literacy and democracy related to education, design and innovation for sustainability.
• has advanced knowledge on perspectives concerning the influence of education on innovation, design, consumption culture and societal changes for sustainability.
• has advanced knowledge on perspectives concerning new materialism, materials and their implications for cultural identities, practices, innovation and sustainability.

Skills

The candidate:

• can handle complex analysis of theory and practice, and contribute to new knowledge and insights within educational perspectives on innovation for sustainability.
• can reflect on and combine different theoretical perspectives on critical reflection, literacy and democracy to identify future research needs on consumption culture and innovative cooperation between citizens and professionals.
• can reflect on the interdisciplinary aspects of research within education in innovation and design for sustainability.

General competence

The candidate:

• can identify, reflect on and handle ethical issues in the field.
• can formulate research questions based on advanced analysis of existing theories and can contribute to the development of the field, both nationally and internationally.
• can communicate with scholarly integrity and contribute to the national and international debate on education and innovation for sustainability.

Lectures and workshops, both theoretical and practical.

Active participation in the seminars is necessary to adequately understand the course material and themes. Participation is therefore mandatory, and candidates are expected to attend all days of teaching and required to attend at least 80 percent of teaching days. In special cases of documented illness, the course leader may accept exceptions to this requirement. In these cases, lack of participation can be substituted with alternative arrangements such as writing a reflection note. Course requirements are assessed as confirmed or not confirmed. The course requirement must be completed and confirmed within the given deadline in order to have the right to submit the final exam.

The course requirements are:

• Each candidate will arrange a practical workshop relevant to the PhD project, alone or in collaboration with other candidates. In addition, participation in a number of the other workshops is mandatory.
• 80 % attendance is required.

Confirmed participation in the course and accepted exam.

Portfolio exam:

• Documentation of the development and execution of a practical workshop arranged by the candidate, alone or in collaboration with other candidates.
• An individual reflection note (3000-4000 words) discussing experiences and reflections drawn from the workshop and the syllabus, relevant to the PhD project. Cover page, illustrations, and list of references come in addition.

All examination support material is allowed as long as source reference and quotation technique requirements are applied.

Assessment is pass/ fail. If an essay is graded fail, the candidate has one opportunity resubmit a revised essay within a given time-period.

The final exam is assessed by the course lecturer and one other examinator. External examinators will be used regularly. The assessment is based on the learning outcomes for the course.

Ingvill Gjerdrum Maus