Study Guide

Objective

Course learning goals:
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. 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.

Key competences: Learning to learn, Sustainable development, Working in working life, Anticipatory development, Internationality and multiculturalism

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 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 have a positive impact with their business.

Much of today’s work consists of working in and leading multi-disciplinary 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.

It is preferred to have the understanding of sustainable development basics when attending the course. 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 using their knowledge to have a positive impact on the world.

Location and time

Solutions.now is an e-course (online study course). Course starts on 19.3.2024. The course lasts for 9 weeks so it finalized by 14.5.2024.

Dates, Online sessions
19.3. klo 17-20 kick-off and introduction of challenges
2.4. klo 17-20 workshop with companies
16.4. klo 17-20 mentoring and working as a team
7.5. klo 17-20 mentoring and working as a team
14.5. klo 17-20 final seminar

Materials

Available at Digicampus platform

Teaching methods

Blended learning (online, support from virtual lessons).

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.

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.

Employer connections

Students will work with the assignments provided by companies in small groups.

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

Course will have students from Finnish and international educational programs and therefore working language will be English.

Completion alternatives

None

Content scheduling

19.3. klo 17-20 kick-off and introduction of challenges
2.4. klo 17-20 workshop with companies
16.4. klo 17-20 mentoring and working as a team
7.5. klo 17-20 mentoring and working as a team
14.5. klo 17-20 final seminar

Evaluation scale

H-5

Assessment criteria, satisfactory (1)

Grade 1-2:

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.

Initiative competence:
- Not really able to work towards goals and to take responsibility of own work and learning.

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.

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.

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)

Grade 3-4:

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.

Initiative competence:
- Able to work towards goals and to take responsibility of own work and learning.

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.

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.

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)

Grade 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

Assessment methods and criteria

Assessment scale 0 - 5

Assessment basis
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.