Teaching and Learning in a Social Context — The Pforzheim HOTSPOT concept

Tobias Viere, Pforzheim University

Presentation, November 10, 2016

Complex decision settings have become a common part of business school graduates‘ work environment and require problem-oriented, team-based, and interdisciplinary methods and solutions. Beyond disciplinary knowledge and excellence, social compentencies and interdisciplinary skills are of increasing importance. This is particularly true within sustainability settings where companies aim at tackling societal challenges by improving the sustainability performance of their products and processes, by developing innovative business models for sustainability and by collaborating with their stakeholders. To achieve such skills and competencies, conventional “lecturing-oriented” teaching approaches need to be complemented by new learning and teaching concepts, including service and social learning. Involving external partners and working on actual solutions in an interdisciplinary context increases students’ motivation and strengthens the before mentioned competencies and skills. At the same time such learning and teaching approaches leads to awareness for sustainability challenges and contribute to critical thinking.

To move towards this direction, Pforzheim University has developed a concept (and a related project proposal for additional funding) called „House of Transdisciplinary Studies for practice-oriented teaching and learning” (HOTSPOT). The concept comprises several important measures, including:

• Transdisciplinary “semester topics”: All faculties and study programs of Pforzheim University identify a topic that is of societal relevance and serves as the main theme for one semester, e.g. the integration of refugees in the Pforzheim region or the improvement of public transport in the city/region.
• Transdisciplinary seminars for students from different programs/faculties using social and service learning approaches. Interested professors and lecturers from all faculties and study programs develop seminars within the semester topic. They involve students and external stakeholders in identifying the problems to be solved and developing solutions.
• Public workshops to present and discuss results.
• Scientific and didactic review and assessment of the progress.
• A project team that supports teachers and students, takes care of administrative issues, and coordinates all activities.
• A shared curricular time-slot in all study programs to enable the inter- and transdisciplinary courses.

The presentation will explore the concept further. It aims at inspiring other business schools, receiving valuable feedback on the concept, and initiating a broader discussion on how to best support and enable responsible management education in teaching and learning.

Lead Presenter
Prof. Dr. Tobias Viere is researcher at the Institute for Industrial Ecology at Pforzheim University. He is the University’s sustainability representative and teaches in the business school’s study programs on resource efficiency management (B.Sc.) and life cycle & sustainability (M.Sc.). He has produced a number of publications and case studies in the areas of energy and resource efficiency, environmental management and cost accounting, corporate environmental information systems, sustainability management and production-integrated environmental protection.