Green Gown Awards 2016 - Learning and Skills - University of Gloucestershire - Finalist

Regeneration for the Future: collaborative academic innovation for
the next generation of design change-makers

The designers of the future will help to remake the world and bring global sustainability visions alive – provided we enable them to work, think and act with a new blend of technique, imagination and collaboration, across professions and social groups.

To support students to become sustainability-conscious design professionals, the Design subject group at UoG has taken action using collaboration across 4 teams: Product Design, Landscape Architecture, Fashion Design and Commercial Interior Design.

These pioneers have introduced Education for Sustainability through inter-disciplinary teaching and researched the impact of EfS on learning, taking views from students, staff and industry professionals. Their impact spans curriculum design, research development, industry partnerships and outreach, launching the new Regeneration community repair cafe.

This initiative has generated interest with local partners, other course teams and research groups overseas, actively involving students in Regeneration, working on live site projects, delivering internship projects and collaborating with staff on research.

Top 3 learnings

1. Working collaboratively is a great way to enhance impact and build capacity for sustainability, particularly in developing  learning-based initiatives. The peer- to -peer dialogues raise team energy and commitment, maximise partnership opportunities and deepen the professional learning of colleagues, whether newcomers or more experienced.

2. Student interest increases with initiatives that have practical  application, including engagement with other courses and  professional viewpoints, site-based learning and live project  initiation, providing tangible experiences that enhance their employability.

3. Creating multi-level collaborative initiatives of this sort tends to germinate many new ideas and it is important to stick to just a select few ideas and see them through effectively.

Videos

• Regeneration for the Future: collaborative academic innovation for the next generation of design change-makers (click to hide)