There are great challenges in current times such as climate change and energy transition. To prepare our future professionals to deal with these wicked problems (Marshall, 2008; Rittel & Webber, 1973) and be changemakers, education should move through a pathway from mono-disciplinary teaching to a more transdisciplinary approach of learning (Montesano-Montessori et al., 2019; Tijsma et al., 2023) which goes beyond academia (Augsburg, 2014). In transdisciplinary education, students, teachers, stakeholders from the work field and researchers come together to combine their knowledge and collaborate to solve wicked challenges of the future (Steam+, 2024).
Today, we notice that there are multiple pioneering educational projects involving transdisciplinary collaboration. However, these initiatives are little interwoven with regular education programs and there are still little overarching initiatives who support the pioneering projects (Horn et al., 2022). Because these pioneering projects pursue the development of transdisciplinary education without much structural knowledge exchange and guiding frameworks, similar findings, mistakes and questions can arise (Tijsma, Urias & Zweekhorst, 2023). In addition, the development of education in/around transdisciplinary collaboration is not always addressed collectively from all perspectives. Different stakeholders go through this process individually, with their own interest, expectations, and approaches, rather than working collectively towards embedding transdisciplinary education (Budwig & Alexander, 2020).
This gap was addressed in a large-scale European project called STEAM+ consisting of 18 partners from 9 countries. The consortium developed the STEAM-TRAIL map (TRAnsdisciplinary Innovation lab): an online instrument that encapsulates insights from existing transdisciplinary labs and three newly established ones, emphasizing the necessity for closer collaboration, clear examples, and actionable steps for implementation. The map serves as a repository of knowledge, guiding universities across Europe in initiating their own labs, thereby facilitating structured knowledge exchange and experience sharing. The map itself is envisioned as a metro map, guiding users through different stages of implementing labs. It addresses the needs of diverse stakeholders by providing role-specific lines and stops, offering general information and practical advice at each stage. The map reflects the project's iterative approach to improving education through transdisciplinary methods and the importance of stakeholder collaboration (Steam+, 2024).
The uniqueness of the tool is grounded in an innovative approach to shaping educational developments through a transdisciplinary lens involving all stakeholders. Therefore, the Avans UAS Research Group on Transdisciplinary Collaboration in Education is developing this STEAM-TRAIL map further into a new online tool called the TRAILtool (Transdisciplinary Innovative Learning) in which the focus shifted from transdisciplinary labs to all educational learning environments and focused on the Netherlands. In collaboration with the University of Twente, the TRAILtool will be enhanced by a physical tool, presented in the proposed workshop.
A new TRAILtool
The new online TRAILtool (www.trailtool.org) symbolizes a more nature-oriented journey, illustrated by the metaphor of a mountain trail in which different stakeholders collaborate to reach the top of the mountain. During this expedition, participants gather information, interesting practices and questions to take into account to create, perform and evaluate transdisciplinary education. During the exploration, the participants learn about the advantages of transdisciplinary collaboration in education, how they can design it, what to consider while running it and how to reflect on it. On the journey to the top, every participant brings their unique perspectives (“backpack”). In camps along the route, data is gathered about the participants, to continue the research about the pains and gains of transdisciplinary education. Furthermore, they can apply reflection tools to reflect on the steps they have taken already.
The content of this instrument is created based on analyzed data gathered through interviews with experts on transdisciplinary education, focus groups with teachers, students, researchers, and policy makers in which the pains and gains on transdisciplinary education were mapped. A major part of the content is also based on existing literature, including the content of the STEAM-TRAILmap developed during STEAM+.
A physical game: the workshop
Based on and contributing to the TRAILtool, a physical game is created that we will play at the conference with participants. The participants are invited to embark on a transdisciplinary journey together to reach the summit. The goal of the game is to collectively determine the type of education needed on a particular wicked problem stated by the workshop leaders. An example used in previous workshops was a wicked problem proposed by a centre of expertise of Avans University of Applied Sciences on the subversion of Youth Criminality. The municipality of Gorinchem requested a transdisciplinary learning community, including students to tackle the problem.
The participants receive a persona based on the four different stakeholders, namely researchers, students, teachers and non-academic partners. To help participants empathize with their given role, the persona's motivations, characteristics, and professional information are provided. From this role and perspective, participants collaboratively explore a metaphorical mountain path, in which they discuss the common goal, which stakeholders should be involved, and which collaborative activities they could embed. Before they start the dialogue, they write down their individual perspective. In this way individual reflection precedes inclusive dialogues with diverse voices.
This physical game explicitly ensures that all interests are heard and more importantly creates a common language to collectively develop education. In this way, a new educational approach is envisioned. The expected outcome of this workshop is to gain insights and inspiration around establishing transdisciplinary education by engaging relevant stakeholders. After the workshop, all participants have access to a website which guides them through similar steps of the workshop to implement this within their own institution.
Collaboration to reach the top
The tool is both original and innovative since it uses a transdisciplinary approach for the development of transdisciplinary education. The key lies in bringing together all relevant stakeholders, enabling them to collaboratively cross boundaries and construct transdisciplinary education that provides all stakeholders with an optimal learning experience. Through the workshop around the TRAILtool, all stakeholders are learning from each other and are challenged to cross boundaries, focusing on the co-creation of a new learning experience. Ultimately, we aim to build transdisciplinary education to educate changemakers of the future through gathering different disciplines and perspectives.
Practicalities
The workshop is scheduled to last 1,5 hours in which there will be time to explain the STEAM-TRAILmap, presented by an international team of collaborators of STEAM+ and the further developments of the new TRAILtool, presented by researchers from Avans University of Applied sciences (20 minutes). Afterwards, the workshop itself (60 minutes) will take place with a reflection moment on the workshop (10 minutes). We intend to invite various participants from academia such as researchers, teachers, policy makers and preferably also students. Moreover, if societal or industry partners could join, it would be even more interesting. Depending on the number of tables, we intend to have 20 participants (more is negotiable).
Augsburg, T. (2014). Becoming Transdisciplinary: The Emergence of the Transdisciplinary Individual. World Futures, 70(3–4), 233–247.
Budwig, N., & Alexander, A. J. (2020). A transdisciplinary approach to student learning and development in university settings. Frontiers in Psychology, 11.
Horn, A., Scheffelaar, A., Urias, E., & Zweekhorst, M. (2022a). Training Students for Complex Sustainability Issues: A Literature review on the design of inter- and transdisciplinary Higher education. International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education, 24(1), 1–27.
Marshall, T. (2008). Wicked Problems. In M. Erlhoff & T. Marshall (Eds.), Design Dictionary: Perspectives on Design Terminology (pp. 447-447). Basel: Birkhäuser Basel.
Montesano-Montessori, N., Schipper, M., Andriessen, D., & Greven, K. (2019). Bewegen in complexiteit : Voorbeelden voor onderwijs, onderzoek en praktijk.
Rittel, H. W. J., & Webber, M. M. (1973). Dilemmas in a general theory of planning. Policy Sciences, 4(2), 155-169.
Steam+. (2024). TRAIL map. Steam Plus. Consulted on 15 january 2024, van https://steam-plus.vercel.app/trail
Tijsma, G., Urias E., & Zweekhorst M.(2023). Embedding engaged education through community service learning in HEI: a review. Educational Research,65(2), 143-169.
