Future Planet Project

Owner	Bachelor Future Planet Studies
Coordinator	J.V. Rothuizen
Part of	Bachelor Future Planet Studies, year 3

Course manual 2023/2024

Course content

The aim of the Future Planet Project is to you to experience the process and dynamics of executing an interdisciplinary project - in addition to the individual research you do in your Bachelor Project.

The topics that students can choose to work on are all topics that are formulated in close collaboration with FPS alumni, i.e. with people who are working in one of the professional fields that you may come to work in yourself.

 

After forming teams, you jointly develop a Project Plan. Together, as a team, you decide on the goal of your Future Planet Project. The project can take on various forms, e.g. developing a scenario, model or roadmap, working out recommendations by designing an impactful intervention (e.g. writing a policy paper, setting up an awareness campaign, organizing a public event), or writing a proposal in answer to a particular fund call. You are encouraged to make a selection out of the variety of methods that you have become acquainted with before the final semester, and build upon each other’s skills. So it is recommended that your team exists of students from both the Future Earth and the Future Society track, to enable you to make it a truly interdisciplinary endeavor.

 

After deciding on the goal of your Future Planet Project, the team divides the tasks and sets up an action plan for which you jointly take responsibility. Individually, each team member delivers a contribution that is congruent with their personal motivations, drives, capacities and specialization. To enhance a good match between group’s needs and individual drives, it is recommended to reflect once more on what contribution you would like to pay to society in the (near) future. You can use the What’s Next?-exercises to do this.   

 

The Future Planet Project is completed by jointly presenting the final results during a concluding symposium, which is open to family and friends.

Study materials

Literature

• • Menken, S. & Keestra, M. (eds.) (2016) Ch6 Interdisciplinary integration from (ibid.) Introduction to Interdisciplinary Research, Amsterdam: Amsterdam University Press, p. 41-49.
• • Menken, S. & Keestra, M. (eds.) (2016) Ch9 Integrative techniques from (ibid.) Introduction to Interdisciplinary Research, Amsterdam: Amsterdam University Press, p. 78-88.
• • Nekkers, J. (2016) Developing Scenarios, in: Duin, P. van der (ed.), Foresight in Organisations Methods and Tools, London: Routledge, Ch1 p. 11-39 (except 28-29).
• • Tromp, C. (2018) Par. 3.3 Beyond the oppositions from (ibid.) Wicked Philosophy. Philosophy of Science and vision development for the study of complex problems, Amsterdam: Amsterdam University Press, p. 78-82.
• • Separate compulsory and recommended literature for each of the topics of the Future Planet Project.

Objectives

• Mutual development of an interdisciplinary project goal and action plan to realise that goal.
• Gaining experience with the creation of interdisciplinary knowledge by combining and integrating input from various disciplines.
• Reflect on their personal strengths and weaknesses, drives and motives, and bear responsibility for bringing in the necessary knowledge and skills acquired in one‘s own field of expertise to the project.
• Identifying differences in disciplinary perspectives that can form barriers for inter- or transdisciplinary collaboration.
• Learning how to overcome barriers within inter- or transdisciplinary projects by making use of adequate integrative techniques.
• Analysing the potential impact of both intended and desirable effects and possible unintended and undesirable consequences of well-intended recommendations and/or solutions.
• Reflecting on the attained goals and the impact of the project for the primary target group.
• Working together in an interdisciplinary team to execute the action plan and work on the intended goals.

Teaching methods

• Lecture
• Seminar
• Presentation/symposium
• Self-study
• Working independently on e.g. a project or thesis
• Supervision/feedback meeting

Learning activities

Attendance

Programme's requirements concerning attendance (OER-B):

• Participation in fieldwork is compulsory and cannot be replaced by assignments or other courses.
• In case of practical sessions, the student is obliged to attend at least of 90% of the sessions and to prepare himself adequately, unless indicated otherwise in the course manual. In case the student attends less than 90%, the practical sessions should be redone entirely.
• In case of tutorials/seminars with assignments, the student is obliged to attend at least 7 out of 8 seminars and to prepare thoroughly for these meetings, unless indicated otherwise in the course manual. If the course has more than 8 seminars, the student can miss up to 1 extra meeting for every (part of) 8 tutorials/seminars. If the students attends less than the mandatory tutorials/seminars, the course cannot be completed.

Additional requirements for this course:

 Attending all scheduled education activities is strongly advised. By doing so, you actively
contribute to a lively learning community and significantly improve your chances of successfully
completing the course. The designated mandatory activities play a crucial role in achieving the
course objectives and are essential for your overall progress. By registering for this course, you are
complying with the rules regarding attendance and agreeing to actively prepare for and participate
in the mandatory activities.

Assessment

Item and weight	Details
Final grade

 

Table 1: Assessment Future Planet Project

Component	Deadline	Weight	Minimum grade	Compen-sable?	Resit
Assignment 1: Writing a Future Planet Project Plan including: 1) Problem Statement (incl. System Map or Causal Loop Diagram), 2) Project Goals, 3) Action Plan & 4) Estimated Impact	Wednesday 21 feb 2024 9.00	25%		Yes	No, only in special circumstances, in consultancy with the teacher (see *)
Assignment 2:            2A. Self-Reflection 2B. Interim Reflection on Group Process 2C. Final Reflection on Group Process	Friday 1 March 2024 23.59 Friday 1 March 2024 23.59 Monday 11 March 2024 23.59	-   -   -	Pass/Fail   Pass/Fail   Pass/Fail	-   -   -	No, only in special circumstances, in consultancy with the teacher (see *)
Assignment 3:            3A. Report of the Project Results, i.e. realisation of Project Goals via Action Plan, integration of knowledge, skills, methods and/or results of the project, Impact of the project  as regards the primary target group 3B Oral assessment of the Execution of the Future Planet Project, based on all Assignments and including conducting at least one Expert Interview 3C Presentation of the End Product	Monday 11 March 2024 23.59       Tuesday 12 March 2024     Wednesday 13 March 2024	65% (3A & 3B)         10% (3C)	>5.5         (3A & 3B)         Pass/Fail	No             (3A & 3B)         Yes       (3C)	Yes, teams in consultancy with the teacher; individuals only in special circumstances, (see *)

* While all assignments are group assignments, various final grades can be rewarded to individual group members. The individual grade partly depends on the quality of the deliverable for the Self-Reflection that is part of Assignment 2. Moreover, if necessary the assessor will correct the group grade for individual members to reflect the actual contribution made by that particular individual member, taking into account the values appointed via the Self and Peer Assessment. In case this correction diminishes the total score of an individual team member to < 5.5, the final grade will not be sufficient to pass the course. If, and only if there are convincing reasons or special personal circumstances an individual student will be given a second chance, i.e. an opportunity to do additional work to try and pass the course after all. In that case, student and teacher will consult with each other and the course coordinator to see what type of re-sit can be organized.

When personal circumstances give cause, you can approach your work group teacher and ask for delay of a deadline. In view of the deadline for the grading, postponement can never be more than one or maximally two weeks.

Assessment diagram

 

Table 2: Assessment Matrix – Constructive Alignment between Objectives & Assessment

Intended learning outcomes	Blooms cognitive skills						Assignment(s) + weight (%)
	Know-ledge	compre-hension	appli-cation	analysis	eva-luation	synthesis/ ­­­creation
1	X	X	X				Assignment 1: Writing a Future Planet Project proposal with a clear Deliverable (25%)
1+2+3+4+5+ 6+7+1	X	X	X	X	X		Assignment 2: Self-Reflection & Reflection on Group Process
1+2+3+4+5+ 6+7+8	X	X	X	X	X	X	Assignment 3: Execution of the Future Planet Project (65%), including a Presentation of the End Product & Project Results (10%)

 

Assignments

Assignment 1: Project Plan

Writing a Project Plan, including: 1) Problem Statement (including a description of the system trap that seems to be involved and a visualization in the form of a System Map or Causal Loop Diagram), 2) Project Goals, 3) Action Plan (conducting at least one Expert Interview is mandatory within the Future Planet Project and should thus be part of this Action Plan) and 4) Estimated Impact.
 

In the separate description and the rubrics for Assignment 1 you can find further guidelines and criteria for working out the various parts of the Project Plan.

 

Assignment 2: Self-Reflection and Reflection on the Group Process

Assignment 2 consists of several parts:

1. A Self-Reflection.
2. An interim Reflection on the Group Process so far, including a Self- and Peer Assessment.
3. A final Reflection on the overall Group Process, including a Self- and Peer Assessment.

If the results of the interim Self- and Peer Assessment in week 2 show that the contribution from some team members is disproportional compared to others, the team will jointly discuss this and take action to correct this. If it turns out from the results of the final Self- and Peer Assessment that things haven’t substantially changed during the remainder of the project, this can have repercussions for the grading of individual members (see *).

In the separate description and the Assessment Form for Assignment 2 you can find further guidelines and criteria for working out the various parts of this Reflection Assignment.

 

Assignment 3: Execution of the Future Planet Project, Presentation of the End Product & Project Results

The last graded Assignment pertains to the execution of the Future Planet Project and also consists of several parts:

A. Before presenting your End Product during the final fair, you will hand in a concise report of the results of your Project, so as to enable your teacher to properly assess the execution of the project. This report may take the form of a slide desk (PPT), which can also serve as point of departure for your final Presentation of the End Product. It must include:

• How the Action Plan was executed.
• Which Project Goals were realised and which were not, and why not.
• How the team managed to integrate the knowledge, skills, methods and/or results of the project.
• The impact of the project (or the lack of it).
• Whether the primary target group has been reached and if not, why not. 

B. An oral assessment in which the teacher will talk with each team separately about the execution of the Future Planet Project, about the role of individual members and the collaboration within the team, and what members learned during the whole process. To determine the grade for the execution of the project, the teacher will rely on all the deliverables of the project, i.e. not only on the Presentation of the End Product & Project Results (which are the other deliverables for Assignment 3), but also on the original Project Plan (the deliverable for Assignment 1), and the Self & Peer Reflection of the team members (the deliverables for Assignment 2). The rubrics for Assignment 3, which provide find the criteria on the basis of which the execution of the Future Planet Project is assessed, will form the guideline for this oral assessment.

C. A Presentation of the End Product, which can be a physical product, for instance a video clip, a model, a report or a website. But it can also be a non-physical product, such as an idea for a service, a show or a future scenario. Of course, we are very curious what End Product you will come up with and in what way you are going to present it to the world. You are free to choose whichever form you think suits the purpose of your Future Planet Project best. The criteria for the final Presentation of your End Product and Project Results, can be found in the separate rubrics for Assignment 3.

On Canvas, you can find further instructions, including the rubrics with clear assessment criteria to indicate what is exactly expected for each Assignment. Read the instructions and rubrics for the Assignments carefully, as deviation of the requirements can cost you valuable points.

Fraud and plagiarism

The 'Regulations governing fraud and plagiarism for UvA students' applies to this course. This will be monitored carefully. Upon suspicion of fraud or plagiarism the Examinations Board of the programme will be informed. For the 'Regulations governing fraud and plagiarism for UvA students' see: www.student.uva.nl

Course structure

Additional information

We vinden het belangrijk dat je je op de UvA en bij Future Planet Studies veilig voelt. Krijg je onverhoopt te maken met ongewenst gedrag of voel je je onveilig, dan kun je terecht bij verschillende personen. Je melding wordt altijd vertrouwelijk behandeld. Kijk op onze website voor meer informatie over waar en bij wie je terecht kunt.

It is important that everyone feels safe at the UvA and Future Planet Studies. We are committed to provide social safety and we offer various forms of support for people experiencing inappropriate or unsafe situations. Consult the UvA website or Future Planet Studies Canvas page for more information and contact info.

Last year's student feedback

Vanaf 2013-2014 hebben we ervoor gekozen om d.m.v. onderstaande tabel de studenten meer inzicht te geven in de kwaliteitszorg. Daarom nemen we een korte weergave van de studentenevaluatie op en de daaruit voortvloeiende acties ter verbetering van het vak.

Vaknaam (#EC)	N
Sterke punten	Suggesties ter verbetering
Reactie docent:

Contact information

Coordinator

• J.V. Rothuizen

• Completion of all first-year courses of Future Planet Studies.
• Completion of the second-year course Reflexive Design Project.

Staff

• J.V. Rothuizen
• Anne Uilhoorn
• Max Keijzer