Transdisciplinarity in the class room? Simulating the co-production of sustainability knowledge

Abstract

Abstract. Despite its many advantages, teaching transdisciplinary is a costly enterprise. Transferring diverse theoretical, methodological, and practical skills may require several teaching staff; developing meaningful stakeholder interaction is time-intensive; and managing the research process demands significant efforts in logistics and coordination. This article seeks to make two distinct contributions. Conceptually, it introduces a framework for distinguishing between soft, inclusive, reflexive, and hard transdisciplinarity, based on the notion that there are diminishing returns to all features of the practice. Empirically, it examines a classroom simulation -the Sustainable Development Indicator Exercise (SDIE) -as an example of soft transdisciplinarity. In the SDIE interdisciplinary student groups play the role of policy advisers. Building on a concrete transdisciplinary research project, they explore their understanding of sustainability, develop a multi-criteria decision making method for assessing sustainability criteria and indicators, elaborate and present their results, and reflect on their experience. All aspects of the exercise follow the logic of role playing: organizing group interaction, distributing responsibilities, interacting with their political principal, presenting their findings, and evaluating their progress. Experience from the simulation reveals insights into ways students address and express concerns with objectivity, transparency, deliberation, and balancing sustainability; it also points to ways for moving beyond soft transdisciplinarity.

Transdisciplinarity in higher education for sustainability: How discourses are approached in engineering education

“…On the other hand, as suggested by Balsiger (2014) with the varieties of Td matrix, some forms of Td are appropriate in some contexts but not others. In the same way, each higher engineering institution has to find its own way to achieve the goals it is pursuing.…”

“…In his work, Jörg Balsiger (2014) mentions that Td has focused much more on research than on teaching, where could be better incorporated by mean of recognizing its varieties and limits, highlighted by the practical constraints imposed by a classroom context, what however, leaves room to possible improvements.…”

“…The authors also explored how practical constraints imposed by a classroom context, highlight limitations to transdisciplinarity, based on the four varieties of transdisciplinarity (soft, hard, inclusive and reflexive) proposed by Balsiger (2014), in an attempt to identify ways for moving from one type to another as circumstances change, in terms of stakeholder's collaboration and knowledge integration possibilities. Next sections briefly present the discourses on and the varieties of transdisciplinarity.…”

“…They also explored how practical constraints imposed by a classroom context, highlighted the limits of transdisciplinarity, and offered suggestions on improvements, which could be implemented. Balsiger (2014) proposes four varieties of transdisciplinarity (soft, hard, inclusive and reflexive) to identify ways for moving from one type to another as circumstances change, in terms of stakeholder's collaboration and knowledge integration possibilities.…”

Prompting transdisciplinary research: Promising futures for using the performance metaphor in research

“…This includes, but is by no means limited to, adaptable heuristics to help researchers visualise and discuss what it means to do transdisciplinary research (Carew and Wickson, 2010;Huutoniemi and Tapio, 2014), evaluation frameworks that provide researchers with a guide to critically reflect on their attempts to enhance transdisciplinarity in their work (Author et al, 2014), 'interdisciplinary encounters' to provide researchers with exposure to different disciplinary perspectives and an opportunity to create research networks across disciplines (Bridle et al, 2014), problem based learning via case studies and exercises that simulate the co-production of knowledge (Stauffacher et al, 2006;Balsiger, 2014), professional development programs that support researchers to improve their 'transdisciplinary work ' (de Nooy-van Tol, 2003) and mentoring and masterclasses for researchers on how to explicitly reflect on their research practice (Lyall and Meagher, 2012).…”