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Bringing together social enterprise, scientific research, and the arts.
In a world of ‘wicked problems’ and complex challenges, co-creation between disciplines is an essential step to finding solutions for all society. Key to addressing these challenges is bringing diverse groups of differently knowledgeable people together and developing their creativity skills and mindset to implement positive change in their own communities.
The SciCultureD consortium aims at addressing these “wicked problems” with a multidisciplinary approach, by using Design Thinking and creative pedagogies to teach participants to listen, communicate and collaborate in a multi-cultural and multi-skilled environment. The project nurtures a culture of transdisciplinarity and co-creation that we believe is essential for a democratic society.
We also want to spread transdisciplinary practice by providing a footprint on how this can be done for tertiary level education.
The transdisciplinary approach
Glossary
An approach to curriculum integration which dissolves the boundaries between the conventional disciplines and organizes teaching and learning around the construction of meaning in the context of real-world problems or themes.
Creative pedagogy is a branch of pedagogy that emphasizes the leading role of creativity for successful learning. In its essence, creative pedagogy teaches learners how to learn creatively and become creators of themselves and creators of their future. Dr. Andrei Aleinikov, founder of Creative Pedagogy
Based on recent academic research, seven interrelated features characterise creative pedagogical practice, namely:
- generating and exploring ideas;
- encouraging autonomy and agency;
- playfulness;
- problem-solving;
- risk-taking;
- co-constructing
and collaborating; - teacher creativity.
Design thinking is a non-linear, iterative process that teams use to understand users, challenge assumptions, redefine problems and create innovative solutions to prototype and test. Involving five phases—Empathize, Define, Ideate, Prototype and Test—it is most useful to tackle problems that are ill-defined or unknown. Interaction Design Foundation
Co-creation is the practice of collaborating with other stakeholders to guide the design process. Participants with different roles align and offer diverse insights, usually in facilitated workshops. Interaction Design Foundation
Wicked problems are problems with many interdependent factors making them seem impossible to solve. Because the factors are often incomplete, in flux, and difficult to define, solving wicked problems requires a deep understanding of the stakeholders involved, and an innovative approach provided by design thinking. Complex issues such as social inclusion, climate change, healthcare and education are examples of wicked problems.
Addressing societal and environmental challenges through transdisciplinary education for a wide-ranging impact and empowerment on all levels.
- To develop a student-centred, innovative, intensive science, arts and humanities EU-wide course for HEI students and other stakeholders. The course will be both a real world and collaborative online international learning course.
- To build upon existing networks (such as RESEO & EUSEA) in order to increase the transdisciplinarity of artist and scientist networks to include educators and entrepreneurs for them to collaborate on innovative projects and research initiatives that improve the health, well-being and cohesiveness of EU society & its environment.
- To encourage the concepts of design and systems thinking, co-creative approaches, entrepreneurship, the creative economy, and innovation amongst educators, professionals, HEI students and academics to impact the wider community and environment.
- To build a culture of transdisciplinarity that highlights the benefits of cooperation between different fields, which is reflective of inclusive and sustainable societies.
- To embed inclusivity and diversity mechanisms, active citizenship, citizen science and participatory research approaches, European Green Deal values, and SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals, especially 3–5, 11, 13, 16–17) in SciCultureD partners and their wider networks.
From SciCulture to SciCultureD
SciCultureD is a new project created through the expertise of its partners. Yet it wouldn’t be possible without the lessons learnt throughout the 4 years of its parent project, SciCulture (2018-2021).
Dr Edward Duca and Dr Kerry Chappell, partners in both projects, explain how SciCulture’s mission evolved into SciCultureD. What did they learn from the first project? What has changed? And what has been most surprising in this journey?