Information on individual educational components (ECTS-Course descriptions) per semester

Participating students are expected to show scientific interest, as well as the impulse and the ability to work independently and to pose questions. Therefore, students are selected on the basis of an application and an optional interview.

An advantage for the assignment of this course is the willingness to sign up for another module with travelling experience. This would allow to test the protoype in real world conditions abroad (cf. module "Sustainability Development - Experiencing the Implications").

It is possible to further continue the research project in the scope of a master thesis.

Due to these prerequisites, students are not entitled to claim an admission to this course.

We are approaching global challenges with disruptive or integrative innovations in the area of climate change, distribution of wealth, mobility, financing instruments or power supply.

The students are designing in various dimensions prototypical solutions in the areas of technology, communication, economy and social relations.

Students create innovative prototypes in the vast research field of sustainability, resilience and ecology. Some members of the team should take the chance to test them when going abroad. A relevant research question is being investigated, answered and documented. 

Through these projects students acquire

• an overview of research questions and current activities and fields of application in the area of sustainability research
• deepened methodological knowledge, which is not standard in core curricula
• knowledge for later scientific activities (e.g., PhD studies)
• an understanding of various roles in a scrum based project management setting.

In this innovation class, the students deepen their knowledge with current research questions, which are pursued at FH Vorarlberg in the context of demanding research projects or within its relation to partners to India, Africa or other countries of the Global South. Experiences and insights from the research process are recorded in a blog.

After the finding phase for the project to work on the team is working in an agile setting with scrum methodology. Sprints and milestones are being defined and worked along and tasks are documented and put forward in an issue tracker. 

As learners, students have the time to work not only on technical solutions, but also create a social design and create suitable communication media. Students learn to accept and give criticism as part of an esteeming culture.

Achievement of objectives specified at the beginning of the project in relationship to the students previous knowledge. Documentation of learning outcomes and project results.

Public presentation, together with the other students in this innovation call or in other research projects.

None.

Reis, Dalcacio; Wiedmann, Ed. Julius (2010): Produktdesign im Zeitalter der Nachhaltigkeit. Köln: TASCHEN.

Standage, Tom (2010): Der Mensch ist, was er isst. Wie unser Essen die Welt verändert. Mannheim: Artemis & Winkler.

Manzini, Ezio (2015): Design, When Everybody Designs: An Introduction to Design for Social Innovation. Cambridge: MIT Pr.

Papanek, Victor (2009): Design für die reale Welt. Anleitungen für eine humane Ökologie und sozialen Wandel. Wien: Springer Verlag.

Brand, Ulrich; Wissen, Markus (2017): Imperiale Lebensweise. München: oekom Verlag.

Liberti, Stefano (2012): Landraub: Reisen ins Reich des neuen Kolonialismus.

... and other project related literature and Internet sources.

In this innovation class, the students deepen their knowledge with current research questions, which are pursued at FH Vorarlberg in the context of demanding research projects or within its relation to partners to India, Africa or other countries of the Global South.

Supervision by researchers of the University of Applied Sciences FH Vorarlberg is provided by coaching, instruction, participation in discussions and seminars, as well as by guided self-studies.