Circular Case Studies: Food systems transformation through transdisciplinarity and cooperation (2CS)

January - December 2023

Project description

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).

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)

More information

IRO FTZ Petra Chaloupková: chaloupkova@ftz.czu.cz

Tereza Slámová: slamovat@ftz.czu.cz