Thematic Interdisciplinary Challenge (TIC)
In today’s world we face several complex societal problems. These problems require action and input from a broad range of actors, working together across sectors and disciplines. In the TIC course, students and professionals will be challenged and trained to become interdisciplinary and innovative problem solvers that contribute to solutions to real-world problems in collaboration with societal partner organizations.
Are you ready to be part of the solution?
Check out the course website for more information.
The course consists of three phases to guide students and professionals to engage with the different challenges and develop their solutions.
ENGAGE: translating the societal partner’s broadly presented problem to a well-defined challenge. (week 1) We start with a broad concept that can be explored in multiple ways – the ‘big idea’. The aim is to narrow down and personalize the big idea, into a call for action, making it an immediate, actionable, and exciting challenge.
INVESTIGATE: look at the challenge from different perspectives (weeks 2-5). In this phase, you will conduct content- and concept-based research to create a foundation for actionable and sustainable solutions.
ACT: develop and test solutions (week 6-10) In this last phase, you will develop grounded solutions and implement them in authentic settings, receive and handle feedback, and learn from successes and failures.
The TIC course is a 10-week course. To navigate the TIC process, participants are assigned to a team of 4-5 other students and lifelong learners working together on a specific societal problem. The TIC course incorporates a variety of different learning components including workshops, expert lectures, scientific and societal research, group work as well as reflection and personal development opportunities, amongst others.
Meetings are scheduled on Wednesdays, but there are only a few mandatory on site convenings. Teams have considerable amounts of freedom to organize the frequency and location of their meetings (online or on site) according to their preferences.
Some convenings are on site, but depending on the activity; there are meetings that can also be attended online. Teams will have room to organize their mode of collaboration.
- Anne Margit Reitsema
- Heleen van Ravenswaaij
- Maria van der Harst
- Salvatore Nicolosi
The course will run in period three of the current academic year starting in February, 2024.
Register now
Please contact us at tic@uu.nl if you have any questions.