Course finder

Semester 2

Students as Change Agents (EFIE08003)

Subject

Edinburgh Futures Institute

College

CAHSS

Credits

20

Normal Year Taken

1

Delivery Session Year

2023/2024

Pre-requisites

Please see Additional Restrictions below.

Course Summary

Use your learning to make a difference! Working in collaboration with students from different disciplines, you will tackle 'real life' complex challenges as they are faced by local communities. This is an experiential learning course where you will get support and training to develop your skills in areas such as problem solving and critical data analysis and use these skills together with your understanding of academic theories and methods to propose a solution to the challenge.

Course Description

This is a highly practical course where you will work in small groups of students from different disciplines to learn and apply the skills of being a 'change agent'. You will get training in core skills such as team working, problem solving and data analysis, and develop an understanding of the mindsets that underpin successful challenge-led learning such as confidence, innovation, resilience and integrity. You will research the context of a complex problem which impacts on society, the economy or the environment and gain a deeper understanding of the interdependency of local and global challenges. You will apply this learning to a live project proposed by an external partner, working collaboratively to develop innovative ideas to tackle the challenge. The experience will help and require you to reflect on your personal development and gain greater clarity on your values, skills and vision for your future. The challenge questions and external partners change every year; they might cover complex issues such as 'How do we improve the mental health of children living in Scotland?', 'How do we reduce food waste in the university's cafeterias?', or 'How do we encourage sustainable tourism in Edinburgh?' **The course launches with a session where external partners outline the challenge. After that, students will spend the majority of their time working in groups to interrogate the data provided on the challenge they will be tackling, and to research the wider context from multidisciplinary angles, with the aim to develop and present innovative ideas to address the problem. Groups are supported by coaches who will be at hand to answer questions. Weekly sessions provide training in change agent skills, in a mix of presentations, videos and guided activities to help students develop confidence in basic data analysis, problem solving, communication and presentation of results. Groups will receive feedback on their projects from staff and peers throughout the course, and the external partners will also be available to answer questions. The final output will be a business style impact report outlining the group's thinking about the challenge project. This will be presented to the partner in an open forum where students will be encouraged to meet with representatives of the organisations that have provided the challenge topic. **The business style report will also form part of the course's assessment, together with an individual reflection on the learning journey and how each student's research and skills development has contributed to the group project. **In order to succeed on this course, students will need to be prepared to work in teams. This will include organising and allocating tasks to be completed by each team member, independently and reliably executing these tasks by set deadlines, and taking joint responsibility for dealing with problems within the team.**Please note: this is the credit-bearing version of a course that can also be taken as non-credit-bearing, extra-curricular activity through the 'Students as Change Agents' project offered by the Careers Service.

Assessment Information

Written Exam 0%, Coursework 100%, Practical Exam 0%

Additional Restrictions

This course must be taken on a Pass/Fail basis only, so students will not receive a specific mark or grade for this course. It is your responsibility to ensure this course is accepted by your home institution as Pass/Fail, and you must replace this course with another before the relevant Course Change Deadline if it is not.

view the timetable and further details for this course