The Da Vinci Project

Transdisciplinary learning for a more sustainable society 

Current world challenges regarding sustainability and circular economies require an integrated and interwoven collaboration of society, science and technology. There is a need for a new generation of transdisciplinary connectors with strong disciplinary knowledge, by teaching them skills to build bridges, think outside the box, create, philosophize and practically act, so they can create innovative solutions with different stakeholders.  

The transition towards a more sustainable society requires combining and integrating theoretical and practical insights from multiple scientific disciplines to create innovative solutions. Moreover, only input from all relevant stakeholders will ensure that solutions are practically feasible and will be steadily implemented in our society. The students of today will be crucial to realizing this inevitable transition. However, students who currently leave university are often ill-prepared for this role. They rarely venture outside of their own faculty. Students agree that they do not interact enough with the world outside universities (ISO, 2015), Interstedelijk Studenten Overleg. (2015). Blik op de toekomst. Een onderzoek naar de taak van opleidingen voor een goede aansluiting van het hoger onderwijs op de arbeidsmarkt/maatschappij. Utrecht: ISO.
 moreover, they are only moderately satisfied with their preparation for the labor market.  

Da Vinci Project: creating innovative solutions 

The Da Vinci Project was developed to train a new generation of true connectors. Third-year Bachelor students are challenged to work on real-life sustainability-related challenges provided by stakeholders in a transdisciplinary manner. Via an active learning-by-doing approach, students collaborate transdisciplinary, thereby broadening their horizon and teaching them connecting skills hard to acquire in a normal academic environment. The students, in six groups of five students, solve specific sustainable development-related challenges of external parties through an integral design process, thereby educating them to make broader connections and have real impact on change. Based on their strong disciplinary knowledge, students can create innovative solutions with (multiple) stakeholders, combining different disciplines. The Da Vinci Project is named after one of the best-known innovative thinkers and master of a variety of disciplines. This challenges 3rd-year Bachelor students to experiment with crossing the boundaries between science, society and technology.  

The project offers an active learning-by-doing approach (Baepler et al., 2016) Baepler, P., Walker, J.D., Brooks, D., Saichaie, K., & Petersen, C.I. (2016). A Guide to Teaching in the Active Learning Classroom. Sterling, VA: Stylus Publishing.
 through which students learn:  

• about specific sustainability challenges from different theoretical and practical perspectives;
• how to solve problems with external parties, in co-creation with those parties (i.e., working on authentic assignments; e.g., Brown et al., 1989); Brown, J. S., Collins, A., & Duguid, P. (1989). Situated cognition and the culture of learning. 1989, 18(1), 32-42.
   
• how to combine insights from different scientific disciplines and theory and practice, doing justice to each of these perspectives and combining them (i.e., interdisciplinary education, e.g., Repko, 2008); Repko, A.F. (2008). Interdisciplinary research: Process and theory. Los Angeles: Sage Publications.
   
• about Design Thinking as an approach to create innovative solutions to complex problems (e.g., Liedtka et al., 2017). Liedtka, J., Salzman, R., & Azer, D. (2017). Design thinking for the greater good: Innovation in the social sector. New York: Columbia University Press.
    

Through this project, we aim to strengthen the students’ social responsibility, effective communication and problem-solving skills. The learning goals additionally amplify each other and boost the learning outcomes of students. 

Succesful first editions; the project will be continued 

Four editions have now taken place at Utrecht University and the fifth edition is currently running. Spread over five editions, 115 students from 35 different Bachelor courses and 30 nationalities have participated. The impact of the Da Vinci Project on the quality of education of the students is evaluated in several ways: interviews with students, mentors and (non-academic) stakeholders, student evaluation surveys and student reflection vlogs. 

The first four editions are regarded as successful. Da Vinci’s pedagogical framework of transdisciplinary challenged-based learning in combination with design thinking offers students opportunities to develop essential competencies of a sustainability change-maker. Students develop skills, such as collaboration in an interdisciplinary team and a multistakeholder context. Moreover, this project stimulates students to develop qualities that increase their complex problem-solving capacities, such as openness, resilience, and the ability to deal with ambiguity. Therefore, the Da Vinci Project will be continued in the future, under continuous improvement and development based on past results. The scope of the Da Vinci Project has been extended to a master’s program of which the pilot is running this academic year. Additionally, a PhD trajectory is currently being developed.  

A scientific paper is currently being written on the results of educational research on the Da Vinci Project. The results have been presented on the Interdisciplinary Teaching and Learning Conference (Chelmsford, UK) in April 2023. Additionally, the conference will publish a book in which one chapter is dedicated to the Da Vinci Project. The Vinci Project were also presented at the National Interdisciplinary Education Conference (Wageningen, the Netherlands) in November 2023. 

Relevante publicaties  

• Baepler, P., Walker, J.D., Brooks, D., Saichaie, K., & Petersen, C.I. (2016). A Guide to Teaching in the Active Learning Classroom. Sterling, VA: Stylus Publishing.
• Brown, J. S., Collins, A., & Duguid, P. (1989). Situated cognition and the culture of learning. Educational Researcher, 18, 32-42.
• Interstedelijk Studenten Overleg. (2015). Blik op de toekomst. Een onderzoek naar de taak van opleidingen voor een goede aansluiting van het hoger onderwijs op de arbeidsmarkt/maatschappij. Utrecht: ISO.
• Liedtka, J., Salzman, R., & Azer, D. (2017). Design thinking for the greater good: Innovation in the social sector. New York: Columbia University Press.
• Repko, A.F. (2008). Interdisciplinary research: Process and theory. Los Angeles: Sage Publications.
• Romijn, S., Schellens, M.J.J., Stemerdink, E.L.E., & Voets, E.S. (2017). Interdisciplinariteit in de bachelorfase: Een verbredende invulling van de profileringsruimte. Utrecht: Stichting Onderwijs Evaluatie Rapport. 

Producten of presentaties over dit project

• 'Dare to fail', an interview published at the Utrecht University website
• Information for students at the Utrecht University website