In our EWUU alliance, we offer CBL courses to a variety of learners: students from our institutes, students from universities of applied science, people in employment and life-long learners. We refer to these people as CBL learners.
CBL learners play a key role in the Communities of Practice (CoP) of every CBL course. Learners from various disciplines and institutes collaborate with each other and with societal partners in a transdisciplinary setting.
Characteristics
- Eager to learn from a wide variety of disciplines.
- Ready to contribute their own expertise and skills within a diverse team.
- Driven to make an impact on the given, real-world challenge.
- Be(come) self-aware and take responsibility for their learning process.
- Open to new perspectives and not afraid to think outside the box.
Tasks & responsibilities
As part of a course, learners collaborate in mixed teams, bringing expertise from different disciplines. Challenged to explore the limits of their comfort zones, learners also have the chance to meet new people and benefit from diverse perspectives. This encourages boundary crossing, fostering the integration of various academic and non-academic viewpoints to create new knowledge and work towards a common goal (Tress et al. , 2005).
Through a collaborative approach, learners gain an in-depth understanding of the complexity of their challenge and the idea of possible trade-offs, while receiving valuable input from both external stakeholders and researchers. By incorporating their expertise and perspectives, learners can enhance their solutions and increase their impact. Results obtained via the collaborative approach exceed the limitations of single-discipline boundaries.
Each learner takes responsibility for their contribution to both the group work and their individual track. During the process, learners are encouraged to develop personal learning goals and to reflect on their progress towards these. This allows them to understand how their own knowledge, expertise, skills, perspectives, and cultural backgrounds influence both the approach and the outcome.
In short, our CBL courses offer a unique opportunity for learners to collaborate in a rich diverse setting and contribute to sustainable solutions. By engaging with external stakeholders and extending the limits of their own institution, learners gain valuable competencies that will serve them well as they continue their academic and professional journeys.
For more information check out our resources on learning.
