Future Planet Project

Studiewijzer 2020/2021

Globale inhoud

The aim of the Future Planet Project is to enable students to experience the process and dynamics of executing an interdisciplinary project - in addition to the individual research they did in their Bachelor Project. And to let students catch a glimpse of the potential impact of their Bachelor Projects as regards finding solutions for the Grand Challenges that we face in trying to maintain the planet a habitable place for human kind.

The topics that students can choose to work on will be selected from the Bachelor Projects, preconditions being that the topic explicitly calls for continuation in an interdisciplinary project group.

After forming groups, students jointly develop a project plan. Together, as a team, students decide on the goal of their Future Planet Project. The project can take on various forms, e.g. working out the findings of a Bachelor Project in an overall model, scenario 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 implementing the recommendations regarding follow-up research in the form of a proposal in answer to a particular fund call.

After deciding on the goal of their Future Planet Project, the group divides the tasks and sets up an action plan for which they jointly take responsibility. Individually, students deliver 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, students are stimulated to reflect on what contribution they would like to pay to society in the (near) future. More generally, they are asked to think about what individual developmental path seems most fruitful and beneficial for them, be it an academic path or a different type of career they might want to pursue.  

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

Studiemateriaal

Literatuur

• • Menken, S. & Keestra, M. (eds.) (2016) Introduction to Interdisciplinary Research, Amsterdam: Amsterdam University Press. (Chapter 6 Interdisciplinary integration, p. 41-49.)
  • Tromp, C. (2018). Wicked Philosophy. Amsterdam: Amsterdam University Press. (Concluding paragraph 6.3 in order to help students reflect on the contribution they want to pay to a transition towards a more sustainable society and support them in Assignment 2).

Leerdoelen

• Mutual development of an interdisciplinary project goal and action plan to realise that goal, bearing responsibility for bringing in the necessary knowledge and skills acquired in one‘s own field of expertise.
• Gaining experience with the creation of interdisciplinary knowledge by combining and integrating input from various disciplines.
• Identifying differences in disciplinary perspectives that can form barriers for interdisciplinary cooperation.
• Learning how to overcome barriers within interdisciplinary 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.
• Reflected on their personal strengths and weaknesses, drives and motives.
• Gained more insight in potential work fields after completion of their studies.
• Developed a view on what would be a good, worthwhile continuation of their personal developmental path.

Onderwijsvormen

• Werkcollege
• Hoorcollege
• Presentatie/symposium
• Zelfstudie
• Zelfstandig werken aan bijv. project/scriptie
• Begeleiding/feedbackmoment

• Weekly lectures and workshops about interdisciplinary working and transformational leadership in order to enable students to get a clearer view on their own personal development path,and their contribution in project teams
• Two working groups per week to discuss the progress of the project execution, to receive feedback and to reflect upon the project and the role of each student in the project
• Presentation and a fair at the end of period 6 to show the end products
• Group work

Verdeling leeractiviteiten

Aanwezigheid

Aanwezigheidseisen opleiding (OER-B):

• Deelname aan veldwerk is verplicht en niet vervangbaar door opdrachten of andere cursussen.
• In geval van een practicum is de student verplicht ten minste 90% van de practicumbijeenkomsten bij te wonen en zich op deze bijeenkomsten terdege voor te bereiden, tenzij anders aangegeven in de studiewijzer van het vak. Indien de student minder dan 90% heeft bijgewoond dient het practicum opnieuw te worden gevolgd.
• In geval van werkgroepbijeenkomsten is de student verplicht tenminste 7 van elke 8 werkgroepbijeenkomsten bij te wonen en zich op deze bijeenkomsten terdege voor te bereiden, tenzij anders aangegeven in de studiewijzer. Bij meer dan 8 werkgroepbijeenkomsten geldt dat de student steeds per (deel van) 8 bijeenkomsten maximaal 1 bijeenkomst mag missen. Indien de student minder dan het verplichte aantal heeft bijgewoond, kan het vak niet worden afgerond.
  

Aanvullende eisen voor dit vak:

Afwezigheid dient te worden gemeld bij de werkgroepdocent.

Toetsing

* 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, the group grade will be corrected to reflect the real contribution made by individual members according to 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.

Toetsmatrijs (studentenversie)

Inzage toetsing

Students will receive their assessment form online (Canvas or e-mail). The working groups are used to discuss the results.

Opdrachten

Students work in groups of 5-10 students on their project. Each group should preferably have at least one Future Earth and one Future Society student.

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.

On Canvas, 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 three 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 *).

On Canvas, 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 culminates in the Presentation of the End Product and the Project Results. The End Product 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. Besides the Presentation of your End Product, you are also asked to give a Presentation of the Results of your Project, so as to enable your teacher to properly assess the execution of the project. Further guidelines for the final Presentation can be found on Canvas.

To determine the grade for the Execution of the Future Planet 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 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). In an oral assessment, the teacher will talk with each team separately about the Future Planet Project, and what members did and learned during the whole process. The rubrics for Assignment 3 (see Canvas), 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.

General notes

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.

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.

Fraude en plagiaat

Dit vak hanteert de algemene 'Fraude- en plagiaatregeling' van de UvA. Hier wordt nauwkeurig op gecontroleerd. Bij verdenking van fraude of plagiaat wordt de examencommissie van de opleiding ingeschakeld. Zie de Fraude- en plagiaatregeling van de UvA: http://student.uva.nl

Weekplanning

Rooster

Het rooster van dit vak is in te zien op DataNose.

Vakevaluatie afgelopen jaar

Niet van toepassing: vak wordt voor het eerst gegegeven.

Contactinformatie

Coördinator

• dr. Jannes Willems