30 January 2024 | Münster
As part of the Change Lab project funded by the Münster School of Business, a semester project called Change Lab 3.0 was developed last semester under the direction of Judith Helmer, research associate at S2BMRC. This project is a cooperation between the FH Münster, the climate community Saerbeck, and the Maximilian-Kolbe-Gesamtschule (MKG), a comprehensive school in Saerbeck. Change Lab started as an initiative dedicated to the impact of research on social and environmental change. Through engaging with communities, opening up science, and creating collaborative projects, it reaches beyond the traditional university boundaries and creates impactful change in society. This resonates with the development plan of FH Münster regarding "openness" - including endeavors to facilitate open science, open innovation, and collaboration at FH Münster and beyond.
The project team of Change Lab 3.0 consisted of Judith Helmer and Bianca Krischik from the S2BMRC team as well as four Master's students of the International Marketing and Sales program at FH Münster - Theresa Gleich, Inez Rosenkranz, Elena Krawinkel, and Karin Hoffmann. Together, the team developed a seminar concept and materials to guide the pupils of a level 12 course at the MKG school in Saerbeck in their research projects on sustainability topics. The guiding question of the joint project was: How can we enable the pupils to create impactful research projects that tackle pressing societal issues in their surrounding?
To this end, the project team developed a seminar concept as well as rich materials using an agile approach to enable the pupils to work on a wide variety of research projects in the community. The seminar concept is based on a Design Thinking approach combined with principles of the research process to develop engaging and impact-driven materials. In three joint practical workshops on-site at the FH Münster and the MKG in Saerbeck, the pupils had the chance to engage in the materials to explore their research problem, develop their research question, and conceptualize the key elements of their research project to start the actual research and collect data independently in the upcoming semester. The FH Münster students acted as research mentors during this time and guided the pupils through the activities.
The seminar was planned under the motto 'learning to conduct research in a design-oriented way': For this, the project team used the common research process as the underlying method and combined it with individual tools from Design Thinking for practical implementation. With the help of Design Thinking, a societal problem was to be addressed and research was used as a means of finding a solution and creating impact in the Saerbeck community.
The semester project is an example of how education can go beyond the boundaries of the classroom. To this end, it brings together a wide range of stakeholders: FH Münster students, pupils, and the climate community benefit equally from this cooperation. In particular, the pupils' direct interaction with the 'real world' through their research opens new horizons and highlights the importance of science and research for our society. Their independent project work not only sharpens skills but also generates innovative ideas. The playful elements of Design Thinking encourage creativity and out-of-the-box thinking.
On January 19, an open day at the MKG took place, where the pupils presented the current status of their research projects to the public. The project was a huge success and received very positive feedback from all stakeholders. The students from FH Münster were able to build on established connections to citizens, the school, and other stakeholders in Saerbeck and, thus, created visible and impactful outputs.
One participating student concluded the project as follows:
'I particularly liked the composition and organization of the team. I could always rely on the other team members. We divided up tasks and responsibilities well. I also liked the personal visits to the school. It was a change from the typical university routine and an opportunity to work in direct contact with the pupils. I also enjoyed creating the materials, especially the templates.'
Two other students stated:
"Thank you very much for the project! I really appreciated being part of changelab and hope that many more projects will follow. Giving something to a younger generation and accompanying them on their way was the first time I had done something like this and it really enriched me."
"A big THANK YOU! As I said in the last call, the project was really fun, it stood out from the other university projects, somehow you got something back, both from you and from the students and teachers, and it gives me the feeling of having achieved something. Keep up the good work!"
It is clear to see that this project is setting sustainable change in motion. With long-term cooperation with the school and other educational institutions, there are endless opportunities to expand and deepen the impact of this pioneering approach.
Special thanks to everyone contributing to this project and for the great collaboration!
