Region: the Netherlands
Description: As part of the strategic collaboration ambitions between the Vrije Universiteit (VU) Amsterdam and the UT this project explored the options for joint education on the topic of spatial sustainability. The Institute for Environmental Studies (IVM) of the VU and UT-ITC have strong research programmes on the social and environmental dimensions of land systems and their sustainability challenges. We however identified a gap in our education programmes. Students at the VU get limited training in technical skills to map, model, and monitor land systems in space and time, while students at the UT get limited exposure to social, economic and policy aspects that steer and shape land systems. In order to 1) Improve visibility of the sustainability MSc programmes at the VU and UT for BSc students leading to increased student mobility, 2) Stronger education to address pressing real-life sustainability challenges society faces with respect to land use, and as such 3) increased employability and impact of students aiming to work on these sustainability challenges, we explored the options of setting up a joint BSc minor, exchange MSc course materials, and facilitate joint MSc thesis supervision. The team organized student workshops at the VU and UT, spoke with teaching staff, reviewed education materials and the many administrative documents relevant for the organization and implementation of education. The project findings, SWOT analyses, and recommendations and requirements to move forward will be presented to the two universities soon.
Sponsor: VU-UT Collaboration Fund
Partner: Institute for Environmental Studies (IVM) Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam
People involved: Wieteke Willemen, Thomas Groen, Julia Borgman
Contact: