Great examples

There are many different forms in which teachers collaborate with external organisations, such as Challenge Based Learning and Community Engaged Learning (CEL).

Below is a selection of the collaborative initiatives within Utrecht University's education sector with external partners.

  • Action learning with impact

    Neighbourhood partners often find it interesting to work with students and teachers because of the fresh perspective brought in from outside. This often gives them a different perspective on an issue they have been dealing with for some time.

  • Applied Data Science

    During the final research of the Master of Applied Data Science, students work in teams on a data project.

  • Covid challenge

    In the covid challenge, students work on ideas to improve the quality of life of the inhabitants of the municipality of Utrecht despite the corona measures.

  • Dutch Dairy Challenge

    Students get the chance to think along with dairy farmers about the future of dairy farming in the Netherlands.

  • Food4Health and Safety challenge

    In this challenge, students designed solutions for a new mobile satellite kitchen for soldiers on mission.

  • Heritage Storytelling

    In the in-depth course "Migrazioni al plurale", students worked on making videos to let the older generation of Italian migrants express their migration history with the images and languages with which they identify.

  • Human capital challenges in healthcare

    Countless companies are currently looking for new staff, but the need is perhaps felt most acutely in healthcare, where professionals are struggling with high workloads, dropouts and a shortage of new colleagues.

  • Learn from each other for a sustainable future

    Society faces a host of complex sustainability challenges that require new ways of thinking and acting.

  • Living Lab: P-Olympos Bio-receptivity

    80 students helped design a study that examines ecosystem services (such as mosses) on rock walls around car parks and explores ecosystem synergies with surrounding vegetation.

  • Meet the Makers

    The Meet the Makers program aims to facilitate meetings and conversations between academic researchers and students, and makers – i.e. artists, curators, dramaturges, designers or other creative practitioners and professionals within the wider field of arts & culture.

  • Replacing animal testing challenge

    Students worked within a course on ideas to find alternatives to animal testing in research and education. 

  • Social Change Approaches

    Societies face multiple and interrelated social issues, such as climate change and sustainability, inequalities in health and well-being, reconciling work and care, and social cohesion and diversity. Effective approaches are needed to parry these challenges.

  • Urban Futures Studio: Mixed Classroom

    Every year, the Urban Futures Studio organises a 'Mixed Classroom'. In this Mixed Classroom, students from different disciplines meet with national and local policymakers. Here, they learn from and with each other.

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For more examples of transdisciplinarity, please see the Teaching and Learning Collection.

To the Teaching and Learning collection