Images of the Future in a Participatory Online Course – Empowering Student-Driven Projects for Higher Education Sustainability Transformation

Abstract

To empower student-driven projects for sustainability transformation in higher education structures, the project ‘Students create sustainable universities in Northrhine-Westphalia’ by German NGO netzwerk n e. V. has developed an innovative digital program (https://kurs.netzwerk-n.org/) using transdisciplinary and transformative learning elements in Education for Sustainable Development (ESD). Core objective of the 8-week massive open online course is to encourage and connect student promoters for sustainable university transformation. Its transdisciplinary learning methods encourage creation and reflexive discourse about alternative images of the future of sustainable institutions, processes and education, as well as human-nature-interaction and more-than-human futures. The integrated digital future workshop based on the participatory workshop method explores a novel approach to assess images of the future individually and collectively in digital space. This paper presents the conceptual background and methodological premises used for design and implementation of the online course as innovative method for student project development. Participants’ structured critique, utopia envisioning and specific project development provide valuable insights into the use of images of the future for higher education sustainability discourse and transformative action in student-driven sustainability projects.