praxiSDG

The idea of praxiSDG is to activate knowledge, skills and intuition of participants in a target-oriented way of committing themselves to efforts for sustainability of institutions or corporations in the non-profit/civil-society sector (community-based learning). In doing so, participants learn to act as change agents in programme design, strategy or operative activities within their preferred partner organization (service learning). Based on the respective needs of the partner organizations, participants will design their individual projects in a collaborative way, including a precisely formulated aim for self-determined, sustainability-related action. This enables participants not only to learn about the significance of volunteerism, but also to evaluate and reflect its opportunities and risks vis-à-vis their individual study contexts. praxiSDG…

• intends to attract participants with a strong sustainability agenda across disciplines and study semesters;
• engages participants in a proactive, self-determined and exploratory way with partner-organization projects in a predefined scope;
• provides innovative term-based e-learning/blended-learning opportunities, including four classroom-learning sessions and optional e-tutoring/consultation;
• is promoted by a coaching tandem to support interdisciplinary learning;
• concludes with credit points and optional certificate.

Course profile

• participants/target group: students in BA and MA programmes of all disciplines and study semesters, with a strong sustainability agenda
• number of participants: 30 max.
• ECTS-Credit Points: 5 (corresponding to 150 hours work load)
• learning methods: group work, seminar, case study, self-study, presentation
• facilitators: Dr. Sylvia Maus, LL.M. & Dr. Martin Gerner, MBA
• course language: English
• course design: e-learning/blended

The winter 2024 edition of praxiSDG is conjointly supported by

• TU Dresden, i.e. the Chair of Political Science with a focus on International Politics, the Chair of Business Administration, esp. Sustainability Management and Operational Environmental Economics, the Chair of Business Management, esp. Environmental Management, the Chair of Tropical and International Forestry, the Chair of Geography Education and Environmental Communication, the Chair of Building Energy Systems and Heat Supply, Internationalization@Home, the Green Office, and ZLSB;
• TU Chemnitz, i.e. the Chair of Corporate Environmental Management and Sustainability, the Chair of Machine Elements and Product Development;
• TU Bergakademie Freiberg, i.e. the Chair of International Business and Resources in Emerging Markets;
• Leipzig University, i.e. ZLS;
• University of Bonn, i.e. Service Learning & Sustainability; and
• SDG Campus.

Prospective participants are explicitly encouraged to promote their own, already existing, non-profit and sustainability-driven partner-organization projects!

Contents

praxiSDG is a service learning course. Service learning aims at creating and fostering transfer between the academia and civil society (third mission). Participants are invited to apply scientific knowledge in specific contexts of societal interest and to reflect this process both systematically and continuingly. Concerted societally-relevant action (commitment) driven and reflected by scholars both induces experiential knowledge by doing (learning) and responds to assignments/demands in a socially beneficial/promising way (service) (cf. Backhaus-Maul, Holger; Roth, Christiane, 2013).

The main learning contents of praxiSDG are:

• providing theoretical-conceptual background in the areas of volunteerism/civic engagement (e.g. urban commons, co-creation), common public interest, service learning and sustainability-related terminology (e.g. SDGs);
• enabling insights into different opportunities for sustainability-oriented commitment in institutionally structured, non-profit fields of activity;
• facilitating a specifically contextualized commitment determined by the need of the partner organization;
• offering an analysis of individual, discipline-specific and professional strategies of engagement;
• reflecting of experiences in a structured and systematically guided way;
• preparing a professional presentation of one's genuine service-learning experiences; and
• practicing project-based, interdisciplinary team work in teams with heterogeneous needs and prerequisites.

Facilitators

Dr. Sylvia Maus, LL.M. & Dr. Martin Gerner, MBA

Requirements

1. wiki, work journal or learning log
2. e-portfolio or approved equivalent (video-/audio-clip, app, poster etc.)
3. presentation

Criteria of assessment (corresponding to 5 ECTS-Credit Points and individual grade) are:

• actively participating in four obligatory classroom-learning sessions (kick-off, issue pitch, teaser pitch, presentations);
• getting involved in a specific, institutionally structured, non-profit field of activity with strong sustainability bias (partner organization);
• successive recording of results and experiences through a wiki (team-based) or work journal/learning log (individual);
• preparing/compiling a reflexive e-portfolio (or approved equivalent);
• participating in the closing session of presenting learning experiences; and
• making use of e-tutoring and consultations (optional).

Sessions

1. kick-off (obligatory): 21 October 2024, 16:30-19:45, in person (Dresden)
2. issue pitch (obligatory): 11 November 2024, 16:30-19:45, in person (Dresden)
3. consultation (optional): 02 December 2024, 16:30-19:45, digital (BBB) 
4. teaser pitch (obligatory): 13 January 2025, 16:30-19:45, digital (BBB)
5. presentations (obligatory): 03 February 2025, 16:30-19:45, in person (tbd)
6. upload/submission e-portfolio: 02 March 2025