Study Guide

Learning outcomes

Overarching learning goal is being able to mitigate and solve sustainability problems. It comprises of five key competencies to be developed and assessed during the course:

1. Systems thinking competence:
- Having completed the course, the student is able to understand structure and dynamics of complex systems related to solving sustainability challenges in a real-life project.
-He/she can describe given sustainability challenges from multiple perspectives.

2. Anticipatory competence:
-After the course, the student is able to anticipate possible and/or sustainable futures related to solving practical sustainability challenges.
- He/she can apply his/her knowledge in order to predict possible outcomes of sustainability projects and compare those with alternative scenarios.
- He/she is able to manage expectations and anticipated results of projects.

3. Normative competence:
- Having completed the course the student is able to differentiate, justify, and apply values and goals for sustainability.
- He/she can approach sustainability challenges from a normative perspective and recognize the different values guiding the project at hand.

4. Strategic competence:
- Having completed the course, the student is able to create transition and intervention strategies to enact change.
- He/she understands the basic principles of project management and can plan and lead a project from beginning to end.
- He/she feels comfortable using different project management tools and understands the basics of working with companies and other stakeholders.
- He/she is able to reflect on, and deal with, possible risks.

5. Interpersonal competence:
- After the course, the student has developed his/her communicative and collaborative skills.
- He/she is able to organize and manage working in a multi-disciplinary team of individuals.
- He/she understands the basics of projects’ internal and external communications.
- He/she can apply collaborative working methods in his/her work.

Implementation and methods of teaching

The course is in collaboration with Turku UAS, Tampere UAS, Lapland UAS and LAB UAS.The course has teachers and students from all of am. universities and from Master level. The course is fully virtual project course, where the project assignments are from the working life. The students will solve sustainability challenges from the working life commissioners.

Timing and attendance

Course in action 19.3.-14.5.2024 for students.
Online sessions
Tue 19.3. at 17-20
Tue 2.4. at 17-20
Tue 16.4. at 17-20
Tue 7.5. at 17-20
Tue 14.5. at 17-20

Learning material and recommended literature

All material needed for the course can be found on the course online platform.

Alternative completion methods

No alternative ways of study.

Working life cooperation

Collaboration course with working life in project form.

Exam retakes

The course has no exam.

Learning environment

Virtual course platform in www.digicampus.fi platform. Project work in virtually in student teams. Live remote and recorded lecturers. Tutoring sessions conducted by tutor teachers in virtual meeting channels

Contents

Climate change, depleting natural resources, pollution and urbanization pose some of the greatest challenges in the history of humankind. Good solutions are needed now! These so-called wicked problems are so complex that they need actors from all levels of our society working together. Wicked problems are turned into wicked solutions only by strong collaboration between companies, universities, cities and non-governmental organizations (NGOs). This means that future problem-solvers need to know how to work in the middle ground between the business, research and decision-making sectors. On Solutions.now course it is time to put the knowledge learned from books into practice by solving real life challenges related to sustainability issues. The challenges on the course are given by real companies, who want to make a positive impact with their business.

Much of today’s work consists of working in and leading multidisciplinary projects. However, practical project management courses and company collaborations are non-existent in many university studies. Solutions.now course combines problem- and project-based learning methods with sustainability issues, to let students learn the most critical project management skills while gaining valuable working-life experience. At the same time students learn valuable future skills such as tolerating uncertainties and conflicts and balancing with the knowledge learned from the literature and the frame given by the company.

This course is ideally taken after other sustainability courses so that the students already have some basic knowledge of the complexity of sustainability issues. This course offers a practical way to use that knowledge in real life as well as learn new skills in planning and executing sustainability projects. Students work in multi-disciplinary teams, each team dedicated to one sustainability project. They get to experience how it feels like to use their knowledge to make a positive impact on the world.

Additional information for students: previous knowledge etc.

A student has one or more of the following:

Degree student position in Master in Sustainability programme
Degree student in Regenerative Leadership program
Degree student in Business Administration Master program
Studies on climate issues, sustainability, corporate responsibility
Open LAB University student with interest of sustainability implementation

Assessment criteria

student self-assessment and peer assessment in the working group
teacher's assessment
challenge provider's assessment from the working life

Assessment scale

1-5

Failed (0)

Not completed task(s) belonging to the course program.

Assessment criteria: level 1 (assessment scale 1–5)

1.Creativity competence:
Not really able to combine knowledge from different fields to come up with novel solutions to sustainability problems.
Poorly familiar with different creative problem-solving tools.
2. Initiative competence:
Not really able to work towards goals and to take responsibility of own work and learning.
3. Systems thinking competence:
Not really able to understand structure and dynamics of complex systems related to solving sustainability challenges in a real-life project.
Not really able to describe given sustainability challenges from multiple perspectives.
No so good in critical thinking.
4. Strategic competence:
Not able to create transition and intervention strategies to enact change.
Does not really understands the basic principles of project management and cannot plan and lead a project from beginning to end.
Student feels uncomfortable using different project management tools and does not understand the basics of working with companies and other stakeholders.
Student is not able to reflect on, and deal with, possible risks.
Student is not able to manage expectations and anticipated results of projects.
5. Interpersonal competence:
Poor communicative and collaborative skills.
Student is not so able to organize and manage working in a multi-disciplinary team of individuals.
Student does not really understand the basics of projects’ internal and external communications.
Student cannot really apply collaborative working methods in his/her work.

Assessment criteria: level 3 (assessment scale 1–5)

1.Creativity competence:
Able to combine knowledge from different fields to come up with novel solutions to sustainability problems.
Familiar with different creative problem-solving tools.
2. Initiative competence:
Able to work towards goals and to take responsibility of own work and learning.
3. Systems thinking competence:
Able to understand structure and dynamics of complex systems related to solving sustainability challenges in a real-life project.
Able to describe given sustainability challenges from multiple perspectives.
Good in critical thinking.
4. Strategic competence:
Able to create transition and intervention strategies to enact change.
Does understands the basic principles of project management and can plan and lead a project from beginning to end.
Student feels comfortable using different project management tools and does understand the basics of working with companies and other stakeholders.
Student is able to reflect on, and deal with, possible risks.
Student is able to manage expectations and anticipated results of projects.
5. Interpersonal competence:
Good communicative and collaborative skills.
Student is able to organize and manage working in a multi-disciplinary team of individuals.
Student does understand the basics of projects’ internal and external communications.
Student can apply collaborative working methods in his/her work.

Assessment criteria: level 5 (assessment scale 1–5)

1.Creativity competence:
Able to combine really well knowledge from different fields to come up with novel solutions to sustainability problems.
Very familiar with different creative problem-solving tools and is able to use them well.
2. Initiative competence:
Excellent in working towards goals and taking responsibility of own work and learning.
3. Systems thinking competence:
Able to understand very well the structure and dynamics of complex systems related to solving sustainability challenges in a real-life project.
Able to solve given sustainability challenges from multiple perspectives.
Excellent in critical thinking.
4. Strategic competence:
Very good in creating transition and intervention strategies to enact change.
Does understands the principles of project management very well and can plan and lead a project from beginning to end.
Student feels very comfortable using different project management tools and does understand the basics of working with companies and other stakeholders.
Student is very capable to reflect on, and deal with, possible risks.
Student is very capable to manage expectations and anticipated results of projects.
5. Interpersonal competence:
Very good communicative and collaborative skills.
Student is very capable to organize and manage working in a multi-disciplinary team of individuals.
Student is very good in projects’ internal and external communications.
Student can very well apply collaborative working methods in his/her work.

Learning outcomes

Knowledge
• use professional concepts consistently and to be capable to discuss and communicate professional issues in interdisciplinary and international group
• take account the nature and urban environment as a resource of health and wellbeing

Skills
• analyze the initial situation and the needs of a client or a business partner
• present alternative solutions and adapt the professional skills to the service design of the work life partner
• choose suitable methods and explain the reasons for these solutions
• Present the results in a written article by collaborating with international student team

Team work
• act with situational awareness
• plan and arrange the activities with the ethical principles of one’s own professional field
• organize interdisciplinary and international team work according to team’s professional goals

Suitable for Bachelor and Master degree students interested in working in international and multidisciplinary teams, which co-design in urban living and wellbeing settings.

Implementation and methods of teaching

Interdisciplinary team work student brings the know-how from own study field and implements it in the case study in international student team using out of the box thinking.
Student learns how to look and do ideation process of design of new service or product from the new perspective.
In the end the teams prepare a presentation of the project results.
This is a perfect way to experience the strength and effectiveness of international, interdisciplinary, and from the first Bachelor year to the last Master year students' teams.
The group of international teachers coach and teach the teams.

Timing and attendance

Before the intensive period a written preliminary assignment. Compulsory online session will be held in May and informed separately to the enrolled students.
International intensive program May 27 – June 7, 2024 on site in Lahti.
Both weeks from Monday till Friday full day program. Presence required every day.

Learning material and recommended literature

Introduced in Moodle and in intensive period.

Alternative completion methods

Not available.

Working life cooperation

International and interdisciplinary student teams work with real work life cases or projects introduced by different clients..

Learning environment

Contact lectures and team work is arranged in the campus. Site visits are included to the programme. Learning materials and courseworks are available in Moodle.

Student time use and work load

The course requires full time participation during the intensive course.

Contents

Themes:
- Main theme in 2024: Planetary health
- Interdisciplinary and international team work
- Urban living Environment - resource for health and wellbeing
- Urban development
- Ecosystem services
- Co-Design
- Developmental project work
- Participatory methods
- Nature empowerment
Lectures, workshops, site visits
Project work supervised by teachers and clients
Time together in the Finnish nature

Additional information for students: previous knowledge etc.

The prerequisite for participating in the course is that the mandatory preliminary assignment has been submitted and the preliminary information event has been attended on May 6, 2024. A maximum of 20 LUt students can be admitted to the course.

Assessment criteria

100% attendance requirement
Active participation in lectures, workshops and project assignment.

Assessment scale

Approved/Failed

Failed (0)

Requirements not fulfilled.

Learning outcomes

Knowledge
• use professional concepts consistently and to be capable to discuss and communicate professional issues in interdisciplinary and international group
• take account the nature and urban environment as a resource of health and wellbeing

Skills
• analyze the initial situation and the needs of a client or a business partner
• present alternative solutions and adapt the professional skills to the service design of the work life partner
• choose suitable methods and explain the reasons for these solutions
• Present the results in a written article by collaborating with international student team

Team work
• act with situational awareness
• plan and arrange the activities with the ethical principles of one’s own professional field
• organize interdisciplinary and international team work according to team’s professional goals

Suitable for Bachelor and Master degree students interested in working in international and multidisciplinary teams, which co-design in urban living and wellbeing settings.

Implementation and methods of teaching

Interdisciplinary team work student brings the know-how from own study field and implements it in the case study in international student team using out of the box thinking.
Student learns how to look and do ideation process of design of new service or product from the new perspective.
In the end the teams prepare a presentation of the project results.
This is a perfect way to experience the strength and effectiveness of international, interdisciplinary, and from the first Bachelor year to the last Master year students' teams.
The group of international teachers coach and teach the teams.

Timing and attendance

Before the intensive period a written preliminary assignment. Compulsory online session will be held in May and informed separately to the enrolled students.
International intensive program May 27 – June 7, 2024 on site in Lahti.
Both weeks from Monday till Friday full day program. Presence required every day.

Learning material and recommended literature

Introduced in Moodle and in intensive period.

Alternative completion methods

Not available.

Working life cooperation

International and interdisciplinary student teams work with real work life cases or projects introduced by different clients..

Learning environment

Contact lectures and team work is arranged in the campus. Site visits are included to the programme. Learning materials and courseworks are available in Moodle.

Student time use and work load

The course requires full time participation during the intensive course.

Contents

Themes:
- Main theme in 2024: Planetary health
- Interdisciplinary and international team work
- Urban living Environment - resource for health and wellbeing
- Urban development
- Ecosystem services
- Co-Design
- Developmental project work
- Participatory methods
- Nature empowerment
Lectures, workshops, site visits
Project work supervised by teachers and clients
Time together in the Finnish nature

Additional information for students: previous knowledge etc.

The prerequisite for participating in the course is that the mandatory preliminary assignment has been submitted and the preliminary information event has been attended on May 6, 2024. A maximum of 20 LUt students can be admitted to the course.

Assessment criteria

100% attendance requirement
Active participation in lectures, workshops and project assignment.

Assessment scale

Approved/Failed

Failed (0)

Requirements not fulfilled.

Learning outcomes

Overarching learning goal is being able to mitigate and solve sustainability problems. It comprises of five key competencies to be developed and assessed during the course:

1. Systems thinking competence:
- Having completed the course, the student is able to understand structure and dynamics of complex systems related to solving sustainability challenges in a real-life project.
-He/she can describe given sustainability challenges from multiple perspectives.

2. Anticipatory competence:
-After the course, the student is able to anticipate possible and/or sustainable futures related to solving practical sustainability challenges.
- He/she can apply his/her knowledge in order to predict possible outcomes of sustainability projects and compare those with alternative scenarios.
- He/she is able to manage expectations and anticipated results of projects.

3. Normative competence:
- Having completed the course the student is able to differentiate, justify, and apply values and goals for sustainability.
- He/she can approach sustainability challenges from a normative perspective and recognize the different values guiding the project at hand.

4. Strategic competence:
- Having completed the course, the student is able to create transition and intervention strategies to enact change.
- He/she understands the basic principles of project management and can plan and lead a project from beginning to end.
- He/she feels comfortable using different project management tools and understands the basics of working with companies and other stakeholders.
- He/she is able to reflect on, and deal with, possible risks.

5. Interpersonal competence:
- After the course, the student has developed his/her communicative and collaborative skills.
- He/she is able to organize and manage working in a multi-disciplinary team of individuals.
- He/she understands the basics of projects’ internal and external communications.
- He/she can apply collaborative working methods in his/her work.

Implementation and methods of teaching

The course is in collaboration with Turku UAS, Tampere UAS, Lapland UAS and LAB UAS.The course has teachers and students from all of am. universities and from Master level. The course is fully virtual project course, where the project assignments are from the working life. The students will solve sustainability challenges from the working life commissioners.

Timing and attendance

Course in action 19.3.-14.5.2024 for students.
Online sessions
Tue 19.3. at 17-20
Tue 2.4. at 17-20
Tue 16.4. at 17-20
Tue 7.5. at 17-20
Tue 14.5. at 17-20

Learning material and recommended literature

All material needed for the course can be found on the course online platform.

Alternative completion methods

No alternative ways of study.

Working life cooperation

Collaboration course with working life in project form.

Exam retakes

The course has no exam.

Learning environment

Virtual course platform in www.digicampus.fi platform. Project work in virtually in student teams. Live remote and recorded lecturers. Tutoring sessions conducted by tutor teachers in virtual meeting channels

Contents

Climate change, depleting natural resources, pollution and urbanization pose some of the greatest challenges in the history of humankind. Good solutions are needed now! These so-called wicked problems are so complex that they need actors from all levels of our society working together. Wicked problems are turned into wicked solutions only by strong collaboration between companies, universities, cities and non-governmental organizations (NGOs). This means that future problem-solvers need to know how to work in the middle ground between the business, research and decision-making sectors. On Solutions.now course it is time to put the knowledge learned from books into practice by solving real life challenges related to sustainability issues. The challenges on the course are given by real companies, who want to make a positive impact with their business.

Much of today’s work consists of working in and leading multidisciplinary projects. However, practical project management courses and company collaborations are non-existent in many university studies. Solutions.now course combines problem- and project-based learning methods with sustainability issues, to let students learn the most critical project management skills while gaining valuable working-life experience. At the same time students learn valuable future skills such as tolerating uncertainties and conflicts and balancing with the knowledge learned from the literature and the frame given by the company.

This course is ideally taken after other sustainability courses so that the students already have some basic knowledge of the complexity of sustainability issues. This course offers a practical way to use that knowledge in real life as well as learn new skills in planning and executing sustainability projects. Students work in multi-disciplinary teams, each team dedicated to one sustainability project. They get to experience how it feels like to use their knowledge to make a positive impact on the world.

Additional information for students: previous knowledge etc.

A student has one or more of the following:

Degree student position in Master in Sustainability programme
Degree student in Regenerative Leadership program
Degree student in Business Administration Master program
Studies on climate issues, sustainability, corporate responsibility
Open LAB University student with interest of sustainability implementation

Assessment criteria

student self-assessment and peer assessment in the working group
teacher's assessment
challenge provider's assessment from the working life

Assessment scale

1-5

Failed (0)

Not completed task(s) belonging to the course program.

Assessment criteria: level 1 (assessment scale 1–5)

1.Creativity competence:
Not really able to combine knowledge from different fields to come up with novel solutions to sustainability problems.
Poorly familiar with different creative problem-solving tools.
2. Initiative competence:
Not really able to work towards goals and to take responsibility of own work and learning.
3. Systems thinking competence:
Not really able to understand structure and dynamics of complex systems related to solving sustainability challenges in a real-life project.
Not really able to describe given sustainability challenges from multiple perspectives.
No so good in critical thinking.
4. Strategic competence:
Not able to create transition and intervention strategies to enact change.
Does not really understands the basic principles of project management and cannot plan and lead a project from beginning to end.
Student feels uncomfortable using different project management tools and does not understand the basics of working with companies and other stakeholders.
Student is not able to reflect on, and deal with, possible risks.
Student is not able to manage expectations and anticipated results of projects.
5. Interpersonal competence:
Poor communicative and collaborative skills.
Student is not so able to organize and manage working in a multi-disciplinary team of individuals.
Student does not really understand the basics of projects’ internal and external communications.
Student cannot really apply collaborative working methods in his/her work.

Assessment criteria: level 3 (assessment scale 1–5)

1.Creativity competence:
Able to combine knowledge from different fields to come up with novel solutions to sustainability problems.
Familiar with different creative problem-solving tools.
2. Initiative competence:
Able to work towards goals and to take responsibility of own work and learning.
3. Systems thinking competence:
Able to understand structure and dynamics of complex systems related to solving sustainability challenges in a real-life project.
Able to describe given sustainability challenges from multiple perspectives.
Good in critical thinking.
4. Strategic competence:
Able to create transition and intervention strategies to enact change.
Does understands the basic principles of project management and can plan and lead a project from beginning to end.
Student feels comfortable using different project management tools and does understand the basics of working with companies and other stakeholders.
Student is able to reflect on, and deal with, possible risks.
Student is able to manage expectations and anticipated results of projects.
5. Interpersonal competence:
Good communicative and collaborative skills.
Student is able to organize and manage working in a multi-disciplinary team of individuals.
Student does understand the basics of projects’ internal and external communications.
Student can apply collaborative working methods in his/her work.

Assessment criteria: level 5 (assessment scale 1–5)

1.Creativity competence:
Able to combine really well knowledge from different fields to come up with novel solutions to sustainability problems.
Very familiar with different creative problem-solving tools and is able to use them well.
2. Initiative competence:
Excellent in working towards goals and taking responsibility of own work and learning.
3. Systems thinking competence:
Able to understand very well the structure and dynamics of complex systems related to solving sustainability challenges in a real-life project.
Able to solve given sustainability challenges from multiple perspectives.
Excellent in critical thinking.
4. Strategic competence:
Very good in creating transition and intervention strategies to enact change.
Does understands the principles of project management very well and can plan and lead a project from beginning to end.
Student feels very comfortable using different project management tools and does understand the basics of working with companies and other stakeholders.
Student is very capable to reflect on, and deal with, possible risks.
Student is very capable to manage expectations and anticipated results of projects.
5. Interpersonal competence:
Very good communicative and collaborative skills.
Student is very capable to organize and manage working in a multi-disciplinary team of individuals.
Student is very good in projects’ internal and external communications.
Student can very well apply collaborative working methods in his/her work.