The BSc course "Seminar Environmental Systems" aims to develop students' competencies in formulating interdisciplinary research questions, answering them in teams on the basis of current literature and communicating the results to a broad audience using appropriate media formats. Students groups first co-create a fact sheet on an interdisciplinary aspect of a given topic, then use that develop a story idea and, supported by media experts, convert it into a blog, infographic or video animation.
Part I: Working out the facts
During the first seven weeks and guided by PhD students from the department, students:
1) Develop an interdisciplinary research question on a given topic using the Problem Based Learning 7-step Method in groups of 6 students from different specialisations (BSc Majors)
2) Conduct individual literature research on an aspect of the research question related to their specialisation and add the relevant publications to their group literature list in Mendeley including personal comments;
3) Create a summary with 5 key papers, making use of Mendeley for correct citation;
4) Compile the text elements during a group meeting into a scientific factsheet with an abstract and a bibliography of 20-30 references;
5) Check two abstracts from other groups to see whether abstract title and text aligns with the research question and if the key statements made are backed by the cited literature
6) Discuss results in 2×30-minute live feedback sessions and finalize factsheets including inputs from colleagues and PhD students.
Part II: Telling the story
In the second half of the semester the students – in groups of 3 or 6 – create a media product (blog, infographics or short video animation) which summarises the found facts for a self-chosen target audience (e.g. news consumers, K12 students, special consumer groups, politicians, ..). This media production phase begins with workshops where media experts introduce the students to the workflows and necessary tools, and the groups produce prototypes. The student groups then produce first versions within 4 weeks, feedbacked on their way by the media experts. Those products are then critically assessed by their student colleagues in another live feedback event, both for factual accuracy and suitability for the target audience. The revised media products are then completed and presented on the web for the final event, a Pecha-Kucha tournament in which the groups advertise their products in a very condensed form.
Didactic reasoning
Our course format (editorial meetings, feedback rounds) ensures that participants have to delve deeper into the writings of both their group members and that of other groups, a key success factor when publishing across disciplines. By concentrating on the factsheets first and working on the media products afterwards, the students can present the media experts with a solid scientific basis to help them start the translation of scientific information.
The 2020 edition of the course profited largely from the switch to the online format: it was possible to run feedback sessions with various combinations of students (group-puzzles) in breakout-sessions without the necessity to move almost 100 students across rooms. Those parts of the course will thus remain online even after getting “back to normal”.
- Interviewer:
- You have bachelor seminars for each of the 5 BSc Minors - so why do you need another seminar on environmental systems?
- UB:
- At D-USYS we have found that we often cite and are cited in quite clearly defined research areas, even though we are an interdisciplinary department. This gave us the idea to give our students at least some experience with interdisciplinary writing
- Interviewer:
- Who defines the topic of the next seminar?
- UB:
- Representatives of all institutes agree in autumn on a subject that is relevant to their current research. This year, proposals were also made by the group of supervising doctoral students.
- Interviewer:
- How do you find enough doctoral students with expertise if the topics are to be interdisciplinary?
- UB:
- It does indeed take some persuasion at first. However, the doctoral students primarily help the students to summarize the information they find without modifying the content. For this verification of factual accuracy, in-depth thematic knowledge is not absolutely necessary. The PhD students come from different institutes and can exchange information with each other in case of doubt.
- Interviewer:
- And how did you come up with media professionals for the second phase?
- UB:
- We regularly host the exhibition "Design for Sustainable Development" featuring diploma projects from ZHdK. So for infographics and animation we could fall back on these contacts. For the blogs we have highly qualified experts in our own communications group.
- Interviewer:
- Students are required to submit interim reports and feedback on a regular basis. Why don't you leave more personal responsibility to them?
- UB:
- In the feedback rounds, students practice challenging and processing input from others - a core concept in interdisciplinary publishing. However, this only makes sense if all participants come prepared. Experience has shown that regular subsmissions are needed to ensure that this works for an ungraded performance with 100 students - otherwise the priorities are set for (graded) tasks in other courses.
- Interviewer:
- What do students like about the course?
- UB:
- The cooperation with media representatives is very well received. Many have also experienced for the first time the advantages of a joint literature collection (in Mendeley) and appreciate it accordingly. Group work is rather unpopular, so it will take some time to see which aspects of the collaboration are perceived positively in retrospect.
