Sustainability

Top Tips for Developing a Cross-Disciplinary Minor

If you are thinking about leading or participating in the development of a cross-disciplinary minor (or major!), the following tips are sure to support the process. The list below has been curated from interviews with core team members of the new Aalto-wide sustainability minor, 'Luonnonvarojen kestävä käyttö/ Sustainable Use of Natural Resources.'
Teachers collaborating on project
  • Plan for long-term success and resources: Recognize the long-term commitment required for the success of the minor project and involve key stakeholders such as department heads to secure ongoing resources and support.
  • Consider student input: Incorporate feedback from students who may enrol in the minor. Conduct surveys, focus groups, or interviews to understand their needs and preferences.
  • Create a structured timeline and schedule all meetings: Develop and share a clear and realistic timeline for the minor development process including milestones and deadlines to keep it on track. Schedule all meeting dates at the beginning of the development process and encourage full participant commitment.
  • Establish a support team: If you’re leading the project alone, utilize an intimate support structure, such as the Aalto Co-Educator team, to reflect with after meetings, clarify ideas and help make decisions.
  • Secure engagement of stakeholders: At the outset of the process, arrange separate workshops for all contributing fields. This ensures a sense of ownership by participants and keeps the process transparent.   
  • Gather a core group: Create a core group to drive the process but also keep the meetings open for people who wish to drop in. 
  • Book introductory meetings: At the beginning of the process, initiate short meetings with core participants to ensure all voices and angles are understood and considered. 
  • Facilitate small expert groups: During development meetings, divide the larger group into smaller expert clusters, led by specified moderators. Subgroups can have more focused discussions. 
  • Promote cross-disciplinary collaboration and shared understanding: Encourage collaboration across different schools or departments. Create opportunities for interdisciplinary discussions and course teaching.
  • Utilize digital note collection tools: Leverage collaborative digital tools, such as Miro, for efficient and collaborative note collection, group discussion, and later, easy-to-access shared insights. 

Wondering how to integrate sustainability into your teaching?

The Aalto Co-Educator team warmly invites you to our upcoming event or workshops for teachers!

Image of four key speakers at the event: Jukka Suomela, Kirsi Yliniemi, Jaan Praks, Heidi Peltonen

Preparing Aalto Graduates to be Responsible and Influential Experts

Join us for breakfast, short talks and discussions with fellow teachers about an urgent topic – sustainability in teaching and how it affects graduate responsibility and influence in the workforce.

– Events
Three teachers discussing how easy including sustainability into courses has been

Anxiety be gone! Learn simple practices for including sustainability in your courses.

Aalto teachers are warmly welcome to an interactive workshop focused on meaningfully integrating sustainability into your course.

– Events
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