Laura Vetter and Katerina Brandes co-created transformative learning journeys that were offered under the title “Embodied Systems Understanding for Holistic Action-Oriented Sustainability Transformations”.
During the second and third semesters, the master students at ITT can choose from a range of mandatory elective project modules one that suits their interest. The following page gives insights into those projects that used Theory U as a didactic framework, methodology, teaching content and pedagogical attitude. In the projects, students addressed the research question “How can the U process (Theory U framework and methods) be implemented as a strategy for promoting transformational processes that address the root causes of today’s (environmental) challenges in the context of NRM, IWRM and REM” by experiencing some Theory U methods firsthand.
The modules were based on Theory U as a social technology for learning, leading, innovating, and systems-level renewal, growing out of the MIT Center for Organizational Learning. The aim of the course was to train future sustainability leaders, fostering leadership mindsets and skills for collective ecosystem consciousness and system transformation. The facilitators blended the Theory U approach with other mindfulness and arts-based methods, fostering a strong sense of community to enable collaborative and creative learning experiences.