MUA300 Urban Agriculture – Transdisciplinary Collaboration Groups

Credits (ECTS):15

Course responsible:Trine Hvoslef-Eide, Aasmund Bunkholt

Campus / Online:Taught campus Ås

Teaching language:Norsk

Limits of class size:30

Course frequency:Annually

Nominal workload:375 hours

Teaching and exam period:The course starts in the August Block, and has teaching/evaluation in both August block and Autumn parallel.

About this course

The course will give students insight into, and understanding of, the role that Urban Agriculture can play in relation to sustainable urban development in a broad sense - both socially, environmentally and economically. In this context, Urban Agriculture includes everything from the professional and industrial, neighborhood gardens to cultivation in balcony boxes and mini greenhouses on the windowsill. The course is case based and current issues will change from year to year.

The course is based on work in interdisciplinary groups that will also collaborate with "clients" outside the university and thus establish and develop transdisciplinary groups. These groups will jointly define, concretize and solve specific tasks/projects within Urban Agriculture

The course 's content will comprise of three integrated processes: project within Urban Agriculture, group processes/collaboration through use and development of a "toolbox". The project work will include the establishment and development of specific projects for Urban Agriculture in various contexts. Process work/collaboration will include reflection and learning, related to team work and what kind of prerequisites and challenges are associated with this. Use and development of a «toolbox» will include introduction to different «tools», that may be relevant in relation to different types of tasks. It will also be relevant to look at adaptation and further development of various "tools".

Learning outcome

Learning outcomes

KNOWLEDGE:

  • The student will be able to account for which subject areas are included in the concept of «Urban Agriculture» and circular economy, and be able to analyze the interaction between the subject areas in any project
  • The student will be able to explain basic group theory and prerequisites for good collaboration across subjects, and with external "clients"
  • The student will be aware of how their own and others' pattern of behavior affect interaction
  • The student will have acquired relevant concepts from other disciplines than their own

SKILLS

  • The student are able to use their own competence within a certain field of science, interact and communicate with other subject disciplines/fields/external partners and use their subject expression in a correct way
  • The student can reflect on their collaboration, and analyze how the group communicates, plans, decides, solves tasks, handles disagreements and relates to academic, social and personal challenges.
  • The student is able to set common goals to deliver/solve group tasks/exercises
  • The student can use suitable tools to solve the tasks
  • The student can present the assignments along the way and discuss with the external partners

GENERAL COMPETENCE

  • Students can cooperate with the other disciplines than their own fields of study
  • The student will have become aware of what their own competence can bring to a interdisciplinary group and in collaboration with external "clients"
  • The student can solve complex problems in interdisciplinary groups, which their own field would not be able to solve on their own
  • The student can use project management tools and lead projects
  • The student are able to make oral and written presentations of the assignments
  • The student are able to give constructive feedback to the individual team members, and to the team as a whole, and reflect on constructive feedback from the group
    • The students will be placed in interdisciplinary groups to ensure the widest possible spread of competence
    • The learning will generally happen through group work and linked to specific projects/assignments outside the university, in the public or private sector
    • Self-reflection and reflection in groups are key working methods in the course
    • The assignments will be presented by an external "client" (public or private) and further developed by the student groups in collaboration with the external partners
    • The work will be linked to visits to specific locations/presentations of the "case", where the "client" needs a problem solved (the task).
    • Review and discussion of relevant information, project reports, literature and research articles
    • Lecturers and external "clients" will be mentors, and contribute with core lectures and invite guest lecturers as needed
    • Selected lectures
    • Group work with and without a mentor
    • Interaction with external partners
    • Student-run seminars with or without mentor
    • Excusion(s)
    • Canvas
  • Bachelor degree
    • Written submission as group work and presentation in plenary - where the entire student group participates
    • Portfolio evaluation with oral and written feedback during the course
    • The course is evaluated with passed/not passed where the whole group gets the same evaluation
  • The external examiner will be used for the assessment.
    • Compulsory attendance and participation in transdisciplinary groups, which implies: Preparation of a collaboration agreement in the student group during the first two days and Submissions and oral presentations - it is a prerequisite that the entire student group participates
    • Message to teacher and your own group if you can not attend
  • If you wish to take this course (and are not a student at M-UA), a motivation letter must be sent to the course responsible at the same time as the registration in student web. We pick students based on this letter.
  • August block, every day 8-16 in 3 weeks

    Autumn semester, one and a half day each week the entire semester

  • M-UA students have first priority. Other students at NMBU are welcome to apply for this course (motivation letter is mandatory)
  • Passed / Not Passed
    • The course is open to all study programs at NMBU
    • Master in Urban Agriculture has priority - others will be assessed on the background of their own motivation letter (that must be e-mailed to course responsible when applying for the course)