Within the three LDE universities, there are several educational programmes in which students collaborate with social partners, under names such as “impact education”, “transdisciplinary education” or “challenge-based education”. If we want to educate students in a future-proof manner, it is crucial that they learn to collaborate with partners in the field and to integrate knowledge from different disciplines. After all, societal issues such as energy transition, migration or security – the so-called wicked problems – cannot be solved by a single discipline or sector.
How can this type of education be organised successfully? What does it require in terms of teaching methods, maintaining relationships with social partners, and collaborating with other educational institutions? Since 2021, a large number of initiatives within LDE have been exchanging knowledge on this subject. They do so within the LDE Community of Practice Transdisciplinary Education, which now has 30 members from the three universities.
The members are connected to successful initiatives including Impact at the Core and Hefhouse at Erasmus University; the Thesis Workshop The Hague Southwest and the thematic LDE Thesis Labs; Leiden Learning with the City and the Leiden Honours Academy; and WIJStad at Delft University of Technology. Coordinators and lecturers from progressive study programmes have also joined this Community. Within this Community, members share best practices, learn from each other and work together to find solutions to bottlenecks.
The group meets on average five times a year. Its members include lecturers, coordinators of degree programmes, minor programmes and thesis programmes, programme leaders, advisors and LDE trainees. Anyone involved in education with external partners within LDE can participate; please register with Marja Verstelle (m.verstelle@tudelft.nl). The group also has a LinkedIn group.