How do you change the status quo of universities and the world of academia, in order to transform them into sustainable, transdisciplinary, and inspiring institutions? At this year’s DIT Day we will learn the skills needed, meet new people and initiatives, as well as inspire each other to enact the change we would like to see in universities.
From Imaginations to Reality
At last year’s DIT Day conference, participants and speakers imagined how the university of the future could look like. This year we’re looking at how to make transformations happen, to reach this dream university. Drawing on the experiences of real-life transformative organizations like the Design Impact and Transition (DIT) platform, we will explore how to organize transformative initiatives and transformative research.
Workshops, networking, and showcases
Prepare for a day full of interactive and unconventional sessions. You will get to explore a gallery showcasing transformative academic initiatives at Erasmus University Rotterdam and beyond, participate in workshop sessions and networking activities, and see an artistic expression of a transformative university. More details about the program and the individual workshop sessions can be found below.
If you have any questions or contributions, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us at dit@eur.nl
EUR Sustainability Summit 2024 workshops
As the first day of the EUR Sustainability Summit on 16th of May was canceled (due to the closing of the campus), some of the planned workshops will likely be moved to this event. Updates are coming soon.
Program
It is possible to join for the whole day or only part(s) of the day. If you know you will not attend the lunch, please let us know so we can avoid food waste.
Morning sessions: roundtables and presentations
- When is justice transformative?
- Ethics for collaborative research – the challenges for researchers and ethical review boards
- Reparations, Abolition and Transformative Education: A Dialogic Approach to the Futures of Universities
- Sustainable fashion transition (see the full program for the fashion transition seminar here)
- Sustainability in Education: sustainability course for all EUR students and Sustainability Teachers Training
Afternoon sessions: interactive workshops
- Trying to visualize the invisible - a method for reflecting on your university-practice cooperations
- Consulting as an academic practice: Shaping transformation through academic insight
- Martial arts as a holistic educational approach
- How to repair a university? KICKSTARTING the EUR Academic Repair Café
- Re-imagining operations: towards a transformative and future-proof campu
- Radical imagination in societal transitions. How will the future Erasmus University look like? How will it sound?
- Escaperoom on Open & Responsible Science Principles
| 09:15 | Arrival with tea and coffee (ground floor in Q building) |
| 09:30 | Opening plenary |
| 10:00 | Morning sessions: roundtables and presentations |
| 12:00 | Lunch (at Erasmus Paviljoen) |
| 13:30 | Afternoon sessions: interactive workshops |
| 15:00 | Explore the gallery and networking |
| 16:00 | Closing plenary with a panel and Q&A |
| 17:00 | Drinks in the gallery |
See a detailed description of the workshops below the sign-up form.
Sign Up for the DIT Day 2024
Detailed Descriptions of the Workshops
Reparations, Abolition and Transformative Education: A Dialogic Approach to the Futures of Universities
With Dr. Callum Philbin, Lecturer and Research in International Education with ITE, NHL Stenden University of Applied Sciences
Reflective dialogue on understanding the landscape, envisioning transformative futures and enacting change in universities through three conceptual frameworks.
When is justice transformative?
With Prof. dr. Agni Kalfagianni and Dr. Ana Vasques (ESSB Faculty)
Intersecting social and environmental challenges are affecting and endangering the human and non-human realms on earth. This has intensified demands for transformative political responses, with justice taking centre stage. However, not all justice imaginaries can lead to equally transformative political responses. For example, libertarian justice imaginaries tend to uphold the current world order, egalitarian justice imaginaries aim to reform it, and multispecies justice imaginaries aim to fundamentally change it. This roundtable aims to explore what a transformative research justice agenda looks like, which societal actors are likely to support it, and how to organize transformative justice initiatives in practice.
Speakers:
- Dr. Cristina Yumie Aoki Inoue, Department of Geography, Planning and Environment/Radboud Centre for Sustainability Challenges, Radboud University and senior researcher Centre for Global Studies/IREL, University of Brasília
- Dr. Isabel Award, Erasmus School of History, Culture and Communication
- Prof. Alessandra Arcuri, Department of Law and Markets, Erasmus School of Law
- Dr. Daphina Misiedjan, International Institute of Social Studies, Erasmus University Rotterdam
- Danny Vader and Hélène van Engelen, Firekeeper Academy
Ethics for collaborative research – the challenges for researchers and ethical review boards
With Ying-Syuan (Elaine) Huang, Julia Wittmayer
With growing needs for action- and impact-oriented research, ethical dilemmas become more prominent – especially since institutional ethical review processes are insufficient in guiding researchers collaborating with a wide range of societal actors. This session hopes to open a constructive dialogue around what constitutes ethical research collaborations, how institutional ethical review processes can support emerging forms science-policy-society interfaces, and how to deal with ethical dilemmas practically. In terms of format, the session has two parts, the first part is a classic panel discussion followed by a Q&A. The second part is a collective workshop setting, where researchers discuss ethical dilemmas and their own takes on these following a structured framework. The goal is to co-create a set of recommendations for the adaptation of institutionalised ethical review processes.
"Trying to visualize the invisible" - a method for reflecting on your university-practice cooperations”
With Ilka Roose and Christine Hobelsberger
Universities are increasingly expected to contribute to the solution of societal challenges. However, while there are plenty of university-practice cooperations, these activities often tend to lack visibility. In this interactive workshop, we first introduce a method to arrive at a low threshold, intuitive and non-judging snapshot of your sustainability-oriented university-practice cooperations (what we refer to as “sustainability transfer”). In a collective workshop atmosphere, we then start mapping your sustainability transfer activities and provide a space to exchange experiences, ideas, and inspirations on this topic.
Consulting as an academic practice: Shaping transformation through academic insight
With Verena Schmid, Julia Wittmayer, and Monika Gonser
In the landscape of academia, consultancy has emerged as a vital practice that combines academic insight with practical application. This workshop invites participants to explore the core question: What is consulting as an academic practice? It will critically examine the role of academic consultancy and its transformative potential in relation to other forms of consulting and knowledge exchange.
The session will begin with a brief theoretical exploration of academic consulting, followed by case presentations of different types of consulting. These examples will highlight the unique challenges and applications of consultancy. Interactive world café discussions will deepen the dialogue and encourage a lively exchange of ideas.
Designed for those interested in the intersection of research and consultancy, this workshop provides a platform to discuss, reflect and innovate on how academic practices can effectively transform real-world challenges.
Martial arts as a holistic educational approach
With Dr. Guy Shpak
Description: martial arts practice goes way beyond developing our body, and practitioners learn to develop discipline, focus, and self-awareness, as well as engage in a stimulating social connection. As we demonstrated in our paper, martial arts principles can be integrated into the classroom to allow a transformative learning experience. This workshop will provide you with a few of the core aspects of martial arts practice in educational settings.
How to repair a university? KICKSTARTING the EUR Academic Repair Café
With Dr. Sanne Koevoets (DIT; EUC) and others [TBA]
The success of Repair Cafés are popping up all around the city, the country, and the world lies in their dual role of on the one hand offering an accessible and sustainable alternative to buying (or making) new things, and on the other hand of functioning as lively and supportive communities where people come together to share their knowledge and learn new skills. The Academic Repair Café at the EUR aims to mobilize this energy and foster a repair community at this university. During this kickstart event you won’t learn how to fix a broken toaster or how to mend a hole in your backpack. Instead, you’ll be invited to expand your understanding of the meaning of “repair” in an academic setting, followed by a conversation with experts on repair in educational settings, on organizing and maintaining Repair Café’s, and on repair as gateway practice to inter- or transdisciplinary and transformative collaborations.
Radical imagination in societal transitions. How will the future Erasmus University look like? How will it sound?
With sound-designer Colette Aliman, Julia de Koning and Steve Elbers
Radical imagination is the ability to imagine the world, life, and social institutions not as they are but as they could be. Imagination is crucial in the search for approaches to complex social issues. DIT’s research project “Radical Imagination in Transition” seeks to create a bridge between arts and societal transition practices. In this ‘hands & ears on’ workshop Colette Aliman will explore with us how arts & sound-design practices can support research on societal challenges with radical imagination, for transforming the university. If the weather is fine, the workshop will be performed outside, in the Campus Garden.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
The event is open to the EUR community – both students and staff – as well as interested parties from other universities or organizations.
In the Q building and Erasmus Paviljoen at Erasmus University Rotterdam’s Woudestein Campus.
Address: Burgemeester Oudlaan 50
3062 PA Rotterdam
Yes, there will be a lunch for participants as well as snacks, coffee, tea, and drinks throughout the day.
Please don’t hesitate to reach out to us at dit@eur.nl
- More information
About the Design Impact Transition (DIT) platform
The Design Impact Transition (DIT) platform is a strategic initiative that creates infrastructures for transformative academic work at Erasmus University Rotterdam (EUR). If you want to learn more about similar initiatives organised by the Design Impact Transition Platform, or if you would like to get involved in transforming education and academia, please send an email to dit@eur.nl.