Learning by doing. Case study: education for sustainable development at the University of Latvia

Abstract

Junction of possibilities offered by European research programmes in the tertiary education and technology enhanced learning open up new borders for students and young researchers; especially for the ones from institutions with less strong collaboration links to Western-Europe and overseas.

University of Latvia has undertaken the challenge of designing master’s programme on education for sustainable development called ‘Natural Sciences, Global Change and Technologies for Sustainable Development’ combined with application of digital learning tools. Teaching staff was formed form several faculties of the University of Latvia, other universities, respective companies as well as foreign partner institutions to ensure transdisciplinarity and broad application of different learning tools. Along with the tuition, also international conferences and summer schools were organised. Open discussions among foreign professors and youngsters facilitate more rapid promotion of the latter. Now our students demonstrate recognised success, e.g., have joined research community in Max Planck Society, and have won the Energy Globe Award in the field of education for sustainable development.

The paper describes a case study of transforming the master’s programme curriculum by employing various methods and tools.