Transitions in higher education circle
A Community of Practice to tackle the critical
transitions in Higher Education for planetary health
Co-Led by University Design Institute and Learning Planet Institute, The Transitions in Higher Education Circle is a community of practice, bringing together game-changers working actively to shape Higher Education to tackle the critical transitions required for planetary health.
Universities are THE ideal places to co-create new knowledge, to inspire young generations to equip us for the future, and to adapt to critical transitions towards a healthy, sustainable planet. We need evidence-based knowledge created by students, researchers and teachers to tackle, and to propose alternatives.
It aims to grow a powerful, collaborative community to transform Higher Education so that it best serves the students, staff, local communities, and the wider planet. Most importantly, participants are invited to help each other find their own solutions adapted to their local contexts.
It will build on an initial co-design phase bringing 20+ organisations together to collect their key insights, questions and recommendations for the transitions of Higher Education, across sustainability, interdisciplinarity, civic engagement and more.
Proposed Objectives of the Circle:
- To offer a regular forum for university game-changers to connect, share best practice, and identify further points for collaboration on the critical transitions of Higher Education for a healthy planet.
- To create an open ‘playbook’ of solutions for university decision-makers, showcasing case-studies of best practice for the development of universities that are engines of change in their local communities. This would be open and crowdsourced throughout multiple forms of interactions; through solutions-driven sessions, peer training, and collective writings.
- To use global summits for education transformation to disseminate information and inspire interest about the critical role of universities as transformative institutions. Addressing what this new social contract could be or should be in relation to universities and their roles as local community driver
About the Circle co-leads
LearningPlanet
The LearningPlanet is an open alliance with a cause, dedicated to learning stakeholders and communities. It is a long-term initiative with a mission to gather players from around the world in order to identify, celebrate, enhance and scale up innovative educational solutions towards sustainable futures that ensure the respect, well-being and fulfilment of oneself, others and the planet. LearningPlanet defines itself as a middle-ground: it connects institutions with grassroots movements and innovators to scale up their ideas, and provides platforms, places and digital tools to do so.
University Design Institute, Arizona State University
The University Design Institute (UDI) was established to move the needle in global higher education. UDI recognizes that traditional models are inadequate in the face of rapid and unprecedented social, technological, and economic changes. Successful 21st century higher education needs bold, new designs; leapfrogging ideas; systemic approaches; and a relentless focus on innovation.
Building on over 20 years of innovation experience at Arizona State University, UDI nurtures working relationships with design experts and innovators around the world to advance the mission. To date, UDI has worked with 90 institutions in 20 countries.
UDI’s guiding belief is that universities must become engines of social transformation and economic success. To drive sustainable change, UDI works holistically by bringing together policy makers, funders, community and institutional leaders in a co-design effort to ensure that all levels of need are addressed.
