The overall objective of the project is to enhance innovative teaching methods, international cooperation, and a transdisciplinary approach at the selected ELLS universities to improve the soft skills, science communication, critical thinking, teamwork and problem-solving skills of the students. The specific objectives are the following:
1) to give an incentive for innovative teaching method implementation
2) to stimulate the multilateral joint activity within ELLS university partners
3) to further develop and support the activities and student involvement within the transdisciplinary innovative teaching methods
4) transferable methodical approach
This project focuses on a transdisciplinary approach to problem-solving via the project-based learning (PBL) teaching method. The project activities will be implemented within various courses at three partner universities at the selected ELLS Universities, namely BOKU (University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Austria), CZU (Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, the Czech Republic) and SLU (Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Sweden). Its objective is to deepen the Master’s degree students’ knowledge and experience in the subject by using a transdisciplinary approach and innovative teaching methods based on real-time case studies from selected regions worldwide (Cambodia, Bosnia and Hercegovina, Ethiopia and Peru).
The prepared case studies will be circulated among the partner’s institutions, ensuring that the study problem will be addressed from different angles depending on the expertise of each university (e.g. Plant Biology for Breeding and Protection, Project monitoring and evaluation, Applied development research). Within the selected courses, the students will cooperate in groups under the supervision of their mentors. At the end of the course, each group will fill in a case study template and prepare a summary (2-3 pages of a written proposal) supplied by a short oral presentation. While designing their problem solutions, the students will improve their teamwork as well as networking, communication, and problem-solving skills. They will learn how to creatively address current research topics in a way that is understandable to the broader audience.
Students will be divided into groups and work on their projects within the study area under the surveillance of their tutors/guarantors of the course. The courses will run separately at each partner university in the summer or winter semester of 2023 according to their scheduled academic year. At the end of the course, each group will fill in the case study template and provide a written summary of their proposed solution together with an oral presentation. The case study template will be shared with the next institution in the cycle to build on what was already done and provide a different topic perspective. After the completion of the cycle, the best case study will be selected.
All the student groups involved in the winning case study will be invited to collectively present their outcomes in the form of joint poster during the ELLS conference 2023 in Hohenheim (at a special workshop session)
Graphic 1. Rotation system of the case studies within the project.
Project timeline:
Implementation time: January 2023 – December 2023
Kick-off meeting – January 2023 (online meeting of the project team)
Introduction seminar and students group identification – starting according to the time schedule of the partner universities
Launch and continuation of the project – coordinated by each partner university during the Summer and Winter Semesters
Project presentation to the evaluators from the respective universities
Wrap-up meeting – October 2023
ELLS conference – November 2023 (physical meeting of the teams)
2CS - Circular Case Studies: Food systems transformation through transdisciplinarity and cooperation – Launch of the project activities
During the month of February, two partner institutions started their activities as part of the courses "Plant Biology for Breeding and Protection" at SLU and "Project Monitoring and Evaluation" at CZU (FTA). At both partner institutions, students were introduced to the project structure and aim followed by the presentation of case studies. The case studies provided to the students a baseline of four selected countries and their food system challenges; namely Bosna and Hercegovina, Cambodia, Ethiopia and Peru. Based on the Case studies, students answered leading questions, assesed the food system and proposed a resilient future solution. The results of their work were handed over to students at BOKU University. Attendants of the Applied Development Research course addes their expertise to each country and finish the whole lap of the circular case studies.The project was launched successfully and students accepted this innovative approach in their respective courses positively. A jointly developed poster with suggested food system transformation will be presented during the annual student ELLS (Euroleague of Lifescience universities) conference in November 2023 hosted at the University of Hoheinheim, Germany. This will be an excellent opportunity for students to meet each other and share their knowledge, experience, and perspectives on the courses and case studies!
Photos under the article: Presentation of case study results by student teams at CZU
The Green Plate Forum
The Green plate forum was a sustainable international cooking event organized on 20th June, which is World Refugee Day, in the Tüwi student Restaurant, BOKU, Vienna. It was a student-led initiative that was a part of the activities of the project Circular Case Studies: Food Systems Transformation through Transdisciplinarity and Cooperation (2CS). Students of the course Applied Development Research II (BOKU Vienna, course led by Prof. Andreas Melcher) presented posters and presentations on five country case studies (Bosnia and Hercegovina, Cambodia, Colombia, Ethiopia, and Peru) accompanied by a topic of refugees that came to Austria from various countries of the world: Flavours from afar: refugee cuisine in Austria.
Students were supposed to compile a degustation menu composed of one dish per country, prepare the recipe, focus on the sustainability of the production of the selected dish, and discuss the aspects of sustainable consumption with the audience. This is relevant to the Sustainable Development Goals, above all, Goal Nr. 2 Zero Hunger: End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition, and promote sustainable agriculture.
The attendees of the event were international students of the course Applied Development Research?II, academic staff of BOKU and CZU (Petra Chaloupková and Olga Leuner) and guests, such as the head of BOKU-International Relations or the representative of the Mongolian Embassy in Austria.
Students of FTA won applause at the ELLS conference
The 15th Scientific Student Conference of the Euroleague for Life Sciences with the theme “The Power of Science - Many Perspectives on our World” was held on 17 -18 November 2023 at the University of Hohenheim, Stuttgart, Germany. During the final plenary session, there was a special workshop session when the students from the Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Faculty of Tropical AgriSciences, course Tropical Products Marketing presented the results of the project Circular Case Studies: Food systems transformation through transdisciplinarity and cooperation (2CS). Each of the four teams presented the overall result of cooperation of students from three different ELLS universities (Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences - SLU, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna - BOKU and Czech University of Life Sciences Prague - CZU) on four country case studies:
- Bosnia and Herzegovina: Pulses – nutritious seeds for a sustainable future
- Cambodia: Aquatic products from central Cambodia
- Ethiopia: Moringa and local herbs/spices in southern Ethiopia
- Perú: Quinoa - the majestic superfood of Perú
The presented results of the 2CS projects were posters; nevertheless, the presenting students summarized the concluding remarks from all three teams (SLU, BOKU, CZU). After the presentation of each of the country case studies, there was a short discussion with the members of the audience.
This special workshop session was a unique opportunity to share the outline of the project (funded by the ELLS Fund for Incentives 2023), to receive a feedback from broader audience on the collaborative results created by master students at three universities (SLU, BOKU, CZU) and for the presenting students of marketing to prepare and present a products (the posters) that were partially prepared by other students. The project's collaborative format came as a suggestion from students who had been through a previous ELLS-funded project-based learning project and was highly valued by this year's participants. It can be expected that the newly acquired knowledge and experience will contribute significantly to capacity building among the 2CS project participants.
More info: IRO FTZ Petra Chaloupková chaloupkova@ftz.czu.cz, Tereza Slámová slamovat@ftz.czu.cz
