Case Study Competition 2022

Sustainable development, the role of society to challenges of the future

04 July 2022 - 10 July 2022

Organised by

Warsaw University of Life Sciences, Sokoły, Poland

Venue

Krzyżewo 30, 18-218 Krzyżewo, Poland / Sokoły, Podlaskie region

Background of Summer School / Introduction

The idea of the Case Study Competition 2022 (CSC 2022) raised by the SA Bioeconomy can be a unique opportunity to join forces from various fields of expertise provided by ELLS universities. It is challenging, as different disciplines use different concepts, research and teaching methods.

The basic idea of the CSC 2021 is to provide interdisciplinary lectures and workshops in order to take advantage of the synergy of diversified topics represented by ELLS Subject Areas. Joining a broad range of disciplines gives a possibility to attract a considerable group of students participating in the CSC 2022. In that way, this project will contribute to targeting a large number of ELLS students, increase student and teacher exchange. It also contributes to promotion of ELLS and of ELLS activities as well as increase in use of e-learning in ELLS courses.

This year CSC focuses on local contribution to sustainable development, stressing the role of contribution of the society to challenges of the future. A detailed schedule for the content of the specific talks and exercises will be provided soon.

Maximum number of participants

20

Pre-requisites

The course is aimed at MSc and PhD students.

E-learning – introduction to local environment. Students will be organized into interdisciplinary groups and they get basic characteristic of the municipality and information about their tasks. Getting to know information about the Podlaskie region, with particular emphasis on the Sokoły commune.

Application

Application is closed.

Application Deadline

08 May 2022

Course Content

This year CSC focuses on local contribution to sustainable development, stressing the role of contribution of the society to challenges of the future. The task of the students is to analyse the circumstances and dynamics facing by rural community on their way towards sustainable development.

Sokoły rural commune was selected as a case study. It is located in the Western Functional Area of the Podlaskie Region (north-eastern part of Poland). The eastern border of the region is also the Polish border with Lithuania and Belarus. Population density of the region is 59 people / km2, making up less than half of the national average. Podlaskie region is characterized by the highest share of national parks and the second in terms of NATURA 2000 areas in the total area. Legally protected areas occupy 32% of its territory. This region is well-known in the country and Europe be-cause of its unique natural and landscape values, making it very attractive in terms of tourism. The entire region is located in the functional area of the Green Lungs of Poland. The Sokoły commune is situated in its central part. It consists of 48 villages and covers 156 km2. The region is characterized by a low degree of industrialization. The basic branch of the region's economy is agriculture and agro-food processing, with the dominance of the dairy industry. On the one hand, it determines high efficiency as a result of specialization, on the other contributes to some environmental issues.

The basic idea of the CSC 2021 is to attract teachers (experts) and students of various fields (specializations). The main purpose is to cover topics of sustainable development in selected commune. This requires the participation and support from the various universities with different types of expertise involved in the ELLS. Students’ field of specialization will be determined during the application process so attendees with different background can be selected to form interdisciplinary groups. Back-ground information and activities will be provided during the E-learning phase and it is expected that students will begin to work within their teams from this phase. An E-learning phase (planned for 5 working days) and 5 days of onsite meetings are planned. Teachers will serve as moderators and facilitators of the process

Intended Learning Outcomes (ILO)

After completing the course, the participants should be able to

a) Understand and describe fundamental determinants of sustainable development at the local level.

b) Identify and understand relations between different stakeholders of sustainable local development (local society).

c) Produce a report on diagnosis as well as project ideas possible for implementation by the local community. Instructions how to implement the project ideas will be prepared for stakeholders.

ELLS partners: participating students and staff will develop working relationships that strengthen relations between partner universities; a border interest in ELLS activities will be raised by cooperation with local stakeholders, who then will use their experience of cooperation with ELLS for their further activities.

Course Schedule

Second half of May 2022: selection of students and establishment of student teams.

June - July 2022: E-learning

July 2022: field visit in Sokoły

September – October 2022: elaboration of students projects and finalization of their work

November 2022: presentation, rating and selection of the winner team. Awarding during the ELLS Student Conference

December 2022: Final Report and submission to stakeholders

Course Language

 English

Course Format

The CSC 2022 has the following basic parts:

1. E-learning – introduction to local environment. Students will be organized into interdisciplinary groups and they got basic characteristic of the municipality and information about their tasks.SGGW will set up a Moodle platform. Team building and group works including work on the case study will be implemented.

2. Field visit in Sokoły – 5 full days of stay in Sokoły, in July 2021. SGGW will organize key stakeholders and experts to meet and cooperate with students. Assistance of teachers will be organized. At the end of the week students should be able to present a preliminary draft of the analysis and projects to stakeholders and get the feedback on their ideas.

3. Elaboration, reporting and presentation at the ELLS Scientific Student Conference (SSC). After the visit onsite, students will have time to work out the ideas based on the feedback and also consultation at their home universities. They will present the results during the ELLS SSC 2021 (oral presentation). The winning team will be selected by the audience of the conference by voting and awarded by a prize of 1500 euro.

Type of Assessment

Certificate

Number of Credits (ECTS)

6 ECTS

Cultural Activities / Social Program

Detailed information is coming soon

Costs

Accommodation and main meal are free of charge during the time of the course. Accommodation in Warsaw one night before and one after is also free of charge. No tuition fee. Students are required to cover their own costs for traveling to and from Warsaw as well as for private and touristic excursions, insurance, visa and personal needs.

Accommodation

Tourist and Rehabilitation Centre in Krzyżew, 18-218 Sokoły, Krzyżewo 30, Warsaw – dormitories of Warsaw University of Life Sciences

Health Insurance

Obligatory. Students must arrange their own health and travel insurance.

Visa

Handled by participants (if needed)

Contact persons for scientific questions

Wioleta Sobczak

Warsaw University of Life Sciences - SGGW

Institute of Economics and Finance

e-mail: wioleta_sobczak@sggw.edu.pl