Aalborg Universitet

Sustainable Innovation and Entrepreneurship Methodology

A manual for student project work in Innolabs

Smink, Carla Kornelia; Celik, Sine ; Joore, Peter ; Christodoulou, Panayiotis; Konnaris,Yiannis; Osis, Kaspars; Baranovska, Elina; Raukas, Inga; Moora, Harri ; Belmane, Nameda

Publication date:2016

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Citation for published version (APA):Smink, C. K. (Ed.), Celik, S., Joore, P., Christodoulou, P., Konnaris, Y., Osis, K., Baranovska, E., Raukas, I.,Moora, H., & Belmane, N. (2016). Sustainable Innovation and Entrepreneurship Methodology: A manual forstudent project work in Innolabs. Aalborg Universitet.

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05 Sustainable Innovation andEntrepreneurshipMethodologyAmanualforstudentprojectworkinInnolabs

CarlaK.Smink*(ed.)SineCelikPeterJoorePanaayiotisChristodoulouYiannisKonnarisKasparsOsisElinaBaranovskaIngaRaukasHarriMooraNamedaBelmaneAugust2016*Contact: Carla K. Smink. Aalborg University. Department of Development and Planning.Skibbrogade5.DK-9000Aalborg.Denmark.carla@plan.aau.dk.Phone(+45)99409805

Preface

ThisreporthasbeenwrittenonthebasisoftheworkthathascarriedoutintheInnolabs project (http://innolabsproject.com/). The EU has defined smart andsustainablegrowthasoneofthepriorities(EUStrategy2020).Anessentialpartforreachingtheseprioritiesisinnovation.TheprojectranfromSeptember2014untilAugust2016

The Innolabs project was implemented by the lead partner “Foundation forSociety” (Latvia) in cooperation with project partners Stichting NHL (TheNetherlands), Aalborg University (Denmark), Cyprus University of Technology(Cyprus), InterfusionServices(Cyprus),EstonianAcademyofArts(Estonia)andStockholm Environmental Institute Tallinn Centre (Estonia) and VidzemeUniversityofAppliedSciences(Latvia).

TheaimoftheInnolabsprojectwastosupporttransferofcreative,bottom-upinnovation approaches for fostering smart and sustainable growth based onmore experiencedpartners’ knowledge in theNetherlands andDenmark. Theprojectaimwastocreatestudentinnovationlaboratoriesintheprojectpartneruniversities.

Thefollowingactivitieshavebeencarriedoutintheproject:1)Studyvisits;2) Feasibility studies about innovation conditions in partner universities inLatvia,EstoniaandCyprus;3) Elaboration of development plans for innovation laboratories in Latvia,EstoniaandCypruspartneruniversities;4) Student co-creation projects in the newly established innovation labs inLatvia,EstoniaandCyprus;5)Developmentofmethodologiesandguidelinesforinnovationlabs;6)Differentdisseminationactivities

Discussing and planning student innovation laboratories have been animportantpartforpartnersintheInnolabsprojecttobecomeinnovative.Thisisa journey that is not yet completed and, as with all journeys, there will bemodificationstostudentinnovationlabsalongtheway.Thisisanessentialpartofalearningprocess.TheInnolabsprojectisnowcompleted,butallpartnersintheproject,aswellasotherinterestedpartiescancontinuetoworkonstudentinnovationlaboratories.

Aalborg,August2016

CarlaK.Smink

AalborgUniversityDepartmentofDevelopmentandPlanningwww.en.plan.aau.dk/

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Contents

1 Organisationalguidelines...........................................................................................................71.1 Introduction....................................................................................................................................71.2 Semesterthemeandprojectcatalogue..........................................................................................81.3 Groupformationprocess................................................................................................................91.3.1 Administrativelyformedgroups...................................................................................................91.3.2 Groupformationprocessesmanagedbystudents......................................................................91.4 Contracts.......................................................................................................................................101.5 Projectgroups&supervision........................................................................................................101.6 Evaluationofgroupwork..............................................................................................................12

2 Appendix:Projectproposal......................................................................................................152.1 Templateprojectproposal............................................................................................................152.2 Examplesprojectproposal:...........................................................................................................16

3 Appendix:SemesterdescriptionsofStudyProgrammes...........................................................233.1 Template–AalborgUniversity......................................................................................................233.2 Examplessemesterdescriptions...................................................................................................24

4 Appendix:LearningAgreement............................................................................................30

5 Appendix:Moduledescription.................................................................................................335.1 TemplatemoduledescriptionAalborgUniversity.........................................................................335.2 Examplesmoduledescription:......................................................................................................35

6 Literature.................................................................................................................................56

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ExecutiveSummaryTheobjectiveof the InnoLabsproject is to facilitatecross-sectoral,multidisciplinarysolutionstocomplexsocialproblemsinvariousEuropeansettings.InnoLabsareuniversity-drivenphysicaland/ororganizationalspaces that function as student innovation laboratories and operate as a local or regional “co-creationplatformforsustainablesolutions”topromotestructuralinnovation.Inthismanual,theSustainableInnovationandEntrepreneurshipMethodologywillbedescribed.TheorganisationalguidelinesmainlytakepointofdepartureinhowAalborgUniversity(AAU)inDenmarkhasorganisedthisindailypractice.InlinewiththeobjectivesoftheInnolabsproject(output05),partnersin the Innolabs project have reflected, evaluated and concluded the project experiences, which aredescribedinthisreport.TheInnoLabsprojectwasdevelopedforthe2014callofErasmus+fundsKA2-CooperationandInnovationforGoodPractices.

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1 Organisationalguidelines1.1 IntroductionThissectiondescribestheSustainableandEntrepreneurshipMethodologyfromanorganisationalpointofview.WetakepointofdepartureinhowAalborgUniversity(AAU)inDenmarkhasorganisedthisindailypractice, by taking point of departure in the implementation of large (Innolabs) student projects (10-15ECTS) inexistingcurricula. In linewiththeobjectivesof the Innolabsproject (output05),partners in theInnolabsprojecthavereflected,evaluatedandconcludedtheprojectexperiences,whicharedescribedinthis section. This guidancematerial, therefore, serves a purpose of exchanging experiences and sharingthemwith the rest of theworld for establishment, integration and running of innovation labs in highereducationorganisations.Inthefollowingsectionswefocusonthefollowingconditionsthatareimportantwhenimplementinglargestudentprojectsinexistingcurricula:

1. Semesterthemeandprojectcatalogue2. Groupformationprocess3. Projectgroupsandsupervision4. Groupexamination

Below, we describe these conditions in more detail and in the appendixes we have provided varioustemplatesaswellasconcreteexamplesoftheseconditions.ExperiencesfromVidzemeUniversityofAppliedSciences,LatviaAtVidzemeUniversityofAppliedSciences(ViA),projectsarenotyetintegratedinexistingcurricula.Studentinvolvementinactivitiesisvoluntaryandstudentsareinvolvedbypublishingtheinformationaboutplannedactivities andby talkingwith the students individually. This is an effectiveapproach forViA, since it is asmall university. In thisway,ViA–aswell as the regionand Latvia–will grow in theirwayof thinking,whichmakesiteasierinthefuturetointegrateprojectsinexistingcurricula.AtViAtheybelievethattheyfirstneedsomevoluntaryroundsofactivitiesinordertoprooftheimportanceofthesekindsofprojects.In2016,ViAtheylaunchedtheirfirstroundofactivities,calledI-LAB.Theypublishedcallforstudentswhoare ready toparticipateand they talkedwithactive students individually. Inorder tomakeparticipationmore interestinganduseful for students, the studentsgot someextraECTS-points in their existing studycourses or within the process of co-creation projects the students had started to prepare their diplomawork.ThebenefitsoftheInnolabsapproachweredifferentforeachteamandeachstudent.ExperiencesfromCyprusUniversityofTechnology(Cyprus)(CUT)*

AtCUTstudentsparticipateinafullyearteamprojectduringthe3rdyear.CUTinvitesvariousstakeholdersinmeetingswheretheuniversitypresentstothemhowthestudentsbymeansofprojectworkcanprovidesoftwareengineeringproductstoassisttheirbusiness.Interestedstakeholdersprovideasmalldescriptionof their company/business and their needs. Teachers decidewhich projects are best for the students towork with. The student teams are divided equally taking into account the student’s grades on specificcoursesfromprevioussemesters.

Students’teamworkisdividedbetweentwocourses:

1. The first semester (fall) is a more theoretical semester with seminars, presentations, lectures, etc.Studentshavealsomeetingswiththestakeholdersinordertocapturethestakeholder’srequirementsandspecificationsthatwillbeusedlatertodesignandbuildafullsoftwaresystem.

2. Thesecondsemester(spring) isamorepracticalsemesterasstudentsaredesigningandbuildingthesoftwaretakingintoconsiderationthestakeholder’srequirementsandspecificationsfromtheprevious

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semester.StudentshaveregularmeetingswithTeachers.*ExperiencesarefromComputerEngineeringandInformaticsDegree

ExperiencesfromEstonianAcademyofArts,Estonia(EAA)TheEAAsustainabledesigncourseorganisedbytheSustainableDesignLab(SDL)isaschool-wideelectivecourse for 1st yearMA students during the 2 semesters (12 ECTS). The course is designed first of all fordesign students but it is also available to other students from different faculties. The course will allowstudents to develop basic skills in creative problem solving, innovation and sustainability based designthinking. The course provides studentswith the necessary knowledgeandpractical skills to carry out anintegrateddesignthinkingandproductdevelopmentprocess.Itleadsstudentsthroughthemajorphasesofthecreativeproblemsolvingandsustainabledesignprocess,assupplementedbythemind-setandmethodsofdesignthinking.Thecoursealsoaimsatpreparingstudentsfortheprofessionalperformancethrougharealistic and coherent cooperation in various areas and with different partners in order to understandsustainabilityactionsandcreationsinthebackgroundoftheglobaleconomy,manufacturing,environment,legislation,societyandcommunities.Thelearningprocessisdividedintotwosemesters.

• Inthefirstsemester(fall),thestudiesaremainlyintheformoflecturesandseminars,providingthenecessarytheoreticalknowledgeofsustainableproductdesignanddevelopment.Anoverviewofthesocialandenvironmentalproblems,viableeconomicmodelswillbegivenandthevarioussystems,principlesandwaysofcalculationoftheenvironmentalimpactmethodswillbeanalysed.Furthermorestudentsaredividedintomultidisciplinaryteams,sothattheycanpreparefortheselectedproduct/servicedevelopmentprojects.Studentscantakethetheoreticalpartasaseparatecourse.

• During second semester (spring) the student teams are assigned supervisors/mentors based ontheir specific project theme andwill complete the specific product/service development project.Semesterprojectsareexecutedtogetherwithvariousorganizationsandenterprises.Individualandgroupmentoringwascomplementedbyanumberofseminarsandworkshopswithstakeholdersandmentors.

1.2 SemesterthemeandprojectcatalogueAtAAU,each semesterhasa theme,which isdescribed in the curriculum.Prior to thebeginningof thesemester, the semester coordinator has – together with the supervisors – formulated various projectproposals.Studentsarealsoinvitedtoformulateprojectproposals.Itistheresponsibilityofthesemestercoordinator, togetherwith the supervisors, to ensure that the project proposals relate to the semestertheme and follow the learning objectives as described in the curriculum. In addition, the semestercoordinatorandthesupervisorshavetoensurethattheprojectscanbecarriedoutinthetimeassignedtotheprojectaswellasthat–ifrelevant–equipmentandlaboratoriesareavailable.Theprojectproposalsarecollectedinaprojectcatalogue(seeappendix3).Theprojectcataloguewillbemadeavailabletothestudentsapproximately1-2weeksbeforethestartofthesemester.ExperiencesfromVidzemeUniversityofAppliedSciences,LatviaAtViAtheydidnotselectathemefortheprojects.Themainrequirementforthecompanieswastomakethestudentsworkwithareal-lifeproblem.Again,anindividualapproachwaschosen.ResearchersfromViAtalkedtocompaniesintheVidzemeregion.Onlythosecompanieswhereselectedthatcouldofferstudentsare real-life problem and that where able to work with students. In 2016 5 different problems from 4differentcompanieshadbeenselectedasprojectproposals.Basedonthis,ViAdevelopedaprojectproposal

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catalogue. Studentswhere able to select their priorities. The semester coordinator allocated the projectproposalsamongthestudentsbasedontheirchoiceaswellastheirskillsandexperiences.ExperiencesfromCyprusUniversityofTechnology(Cyprus)(CUT)AtCUT theydonotprovideaproject catalogue to the students. Theproject the studentswillworkon isdecideduponbetweenthestakeholdersandthegroupofstudentsworkingontheproblem.

Theidentificationandengagementofrelevantstakeholders, isataskmainlyfulfilledbythemanagementstaff of CUT and according to the needs and problems that could be potentially solvable through thecompetencesandskillsof thestudentsand theiracademicsupervisors (teachers,PhDassociates).Duringthis particular stage is quite crucial to indicate the different perspectives on what can be consideredpotentially credible evidence of outcomes and impacts whilst gaining an in-depth understanding on acommunityofinterest,mostlythroughagatheringprocessforrelevantinformationaboutsocialdiversity,history,existingnetworks,andoverallsocio-economiccharacteristics.ExperiencesfromEstonianAcademyofArts,Estonia(EAA)AtEAAthemanagementstaffofSustainableDesignLab (SDL)usuallyselects the themesof theprojects.TheSDLactivelycommunicateswithdifferentcompaniesandorganisations toselectappropriatestudentprojectideas.AlsootherdepartmentsofEAAareinvolvedtofind(e.g.designandarchitecturefaculty)anddevelopreal-lifeprojectideasandproblemstobeusedasstudentprojects.Projectideasarepresentedtoregisteredstudentswhocouldselecttheprojecttheyprefer.1.3 GroupformationprocessThegroupformationprocessisanimportantpartoftheprojectbasedlearningapproach.Groupscanbeformeddifferently.Eithertheuniversitydividesstudentsintogroups(i.e.entirelyadministrativelyformedgroups)orstudentsrunthegroupformationprocessthemselves.Bothprocesseswillbedescribedbelow.1.3.1 AdministrativelyformedgroupsAtthefirstsemester(bachelor)atAAUthegroupsareformedadministratively.Whenthestudentsarriveattheuniversity,theyareclassifiedinagroup.Fromthesecondsemesteronwards,studentsrunthegroupformationprocessthemselves(seealsonextsection).At semesters with international students groups can be formed administratively in order to make adistributionofnationalities inthedifferentgroups.Thesameisvalidforsemesterswitha largedisparitybetweengenders.Atsomeeducations,onlyfewwomen/menstudy.Inthatcase,itisdesirablethateachgrouphasatleast2women/men.1.3.2 GroupformationprocessesmanagedbystudentsEventhoughthestudentsmanagethegroupformationprocessthemselves,thesemestercoordinatorandthesupervisorswillparticipateaswell.Normally,thesemestercoordinatorstartswithashortintroduction,inwhichhe/shepresentsthethemeofthesemesteraswellastheothercoursestaughtatthesemester.Thesemestercoordinatoralsodefinestheconditionsforthegroupformation(e.g.thenumberofgroups,thenumberofstudentsineachgroupetc.)andsupervisestheprocess.AtAAU,thegroupformationprocessisnotcloseduntilallstudentshavebeenassignedtoagroup.ExperiencesfromVidzemeUniversityofAppliedSciences,LatviaAtViAtwoapproacheshasbeenusedtodividestudentsintogroups:

1) Groupformationprocessmanagedbystudents2) Thecoordinatorsformedthegroups–thisapproachwasusedincasestudentswherenotableto

find a group during the opening event. Two criteria had been used to form the groups: 1. Thegroup should be multidisciplinary and consisting of male and female students and 2. The

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coordinatorstookintoaccounttheprojectstudentswantedtoparticipatein.Based on ViAs experiences, groups that had been formed by students themselves were much moresuccessful.ExperiencesfromCyprusUniversityofTechnology(Cyprus)(CUT)Studentsaredividedintosmallgroupstodevelop(analyse,specify,design,program,anddocument)areal-world software application with a client organization coming from the local area. The aim is to gainexperience in the various phases of software development and in different aspects of group working.Special attention is given to Project Management activities, such as scheduling, time and resourcemanagement,productionofreportsanddeliverables,etc.Thegroupdevelopsabilitiesto"pickup"andusenewdevelopmenttoolsandenvironmentswithoutformaltraining.Thefinalproduct isafullyoperationalsoftware system that is installedat the client sitewithexecutionofprofessionaluseracceptance testingandappropriatetraining.Experiences from Estonian Academy of Arts (Estonia) (EAA) and Stockholm Environment Institute(Estonia)(SEI)At EAA the students firstmanaged the group formation process. This leaded to the situationwhere thegroupswerenotequalintermsofsizeandcapacity/knowledge.Thereforecoordinatorshadtore-organisesomeofthegroupsinthelaterstage.BasedonEAAexperienceinthecaseofcoursewherestudentscomefromdifferentfaculties(notfamiliartoeachother)thecoordinatorsofthecourseshouldformteamsratherthanallowingstudentstoself-select.For universitywide courses it is also recommended to form teams based on students background (mainsubject) so thatgroupmembersarediverse in knowledge/ability levelsbutat the same time taking intoaccountwhoalsohavecommonblocksoftimetomeetoutsidethecourse/class.Also,itisgoodtosetoutaclear set of guidelines for team functioning and have the group members formulate theroles/responsibilities of the teamand a common set of expectations of one another to turn the studentgroupsintoeffectiveteams.The experiences of EAA and SEI that have included group work in their courses agree that groups ofbetween4and6studentsseemtoworkbest,thoughdependingonthetaskornatureoftheproject,largergroups(8-10students)canfunctionalsosuccessfully.Determininghowthegroupswillbe formedcanbemorecomplicated, since ideally thegroupsshouldbediverseenoughto includestudentswitharangeof intellectualabilities,academic interests,andcognitivestyles.Allowingstudentstoselecttheirowngroupmemberscanworkwellinthesituationswhenstudentsknoweach other, but this method always runs the risk of further isolating some students or creating cliqueswithinthestudentgroupasawhole1.4 ContractsInsomeprojects,especiallyatthe9thsemester,whenstudentsdotheirtraineeship,acontract(“learningagreement”) will be signed by the student, the sending university and the receiving institution (Seeappendix5).1.5 Projectgroups&supervisionWorking in groupswith 4-5 students on a 10-15 ECTSproject is not about rote learning. Students learnmorethantheobligatoryacademicskills(curricula).Projectworkalsoaddsasocialdimensionandequipsstudentswithimportantskillsforthelabourmarket.

The groupwork based student projects also require on-going supervision of group andwork processes.Whiletheamountofsupervisionnecessarywilldependonthenatureanddurationoftheproject,aswell

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as students’ prior experience with group work it is important to supervise and monitor groups sosupervisorscanredirect,giveadvice,orinterveneifnecessary.

AtAAU,eachgroupisappointedasupervisor(academicstaffmember).However,thegrouphastheoverallresponsibility for defining and writing the project. That means that the group has the responsibility toarrangesupervisionmeetingswiththeirsupervisor.Itisimportanttostressthatthegroupsdonothaveanunlimited number of supervision hours available. It is also the responsibility of the group to define aproblemthattheywanttoinvestigate(theycantakepointofdepartureintheprojectproposal).

Theprojectworkiscompletedwithanexam(seesection2.6).

The projectwork togetherwith lectures, literature and cooperationwith the corporate sectorwill helpstudentsgainadeeperinsightintothesubjecttheyareexaminingthaniftheyhadbeenworkingontheirown.

Seehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OSqv7Gv0yxk(YouTube2013a)

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ExperiencesfromViA(Latvia),EEA(Estonia)andSEI(Estonia)Problem-basedprojectworkatViAisorganisedasfollows:1) 4-7students/group2) Projectperiod:3-3,5months(1studysemester)3) Oneacademicstaffmemberisassignedassupervisor.Atleast2meetings/month4) Onerepresentativeofthecompanyisassignedasconsultantandmeetswiththestudentsatleastonce

amonth5) 4-5 workshops are organised for all student groups (design thinking, creativity workshops, team

building,presentationskillsetc.)6) Otherevents:

a. Openingevent(groupformationprocess)b. Mid-termevent(studentspresentcurrentstatusoftheirprojects)c. Finalevent(openeventattendedbycompaniesrepresentativesandotherinterestedparties.

At this event students present their solutions. An independent jury gives comments to thestudentsanddeterminesthebestgroup/project)

7) Individual meeting with companies are organised after the final event. The students transfer fullsolutiontothecompany

Basically the same approachwas used in Estoniawith the difference that the group formation and firststepswerealreadydone in theendof the firstsemester.Sothetotal lengthofprojectwork inEstonia isapproximately1,5semester.However,themainprojectworkisdoneinthesecondsemester.1.6 EvaluationofgroupworkGroup work can be evaluated in different ways, either individually or group-based. At AAU we haveexperiencewithbothtypesofevaluations.Since1974,whenAAUwasestablished,projectswereassessedingroupbasedprojectexams.However,in2006theDanishgovernmentbannedtheuseofgroupexamsinthewhole education sector. AAUhad to change its assessments of theprojects to an individual projectexamwhere each individual student sat alonewith the examiners, one ofwhichwas the supervisor. In2012anewgovernmentliftedthebanofgroupexamswhereforeAAUreintroducedgroupbasedprojectexams from January 2013 (Dahl& Kolmos, 2013). Several studies have been carried out on assessmentmethods.Basedonthesestudies,Dahl&Kolmos(2013)statethatbothstudentsandsupervisorspreferredthe group based project exams. In addition, Dahl and Kolmos (203) highlight some other interestingacknowledgements:

• Studentswhohadtriedtheindividualprojectexamweremorepositivetowardsitthanstudentswhohadnot,buteventhisgrouppreferredthegroupbasedprojectexam.

• Individual exams were seen to be in contradiction to the intentions behind Problem-BasedLearning(PBL).

• Intheindividualprojectexam,therewasalackofassessmentofcorePBLcompetencesaswellasalackoftheoverallresponsetostudents’projectreportsandresults.

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Experiences from Estonian Academy of Arts (Estonia) (EAA) and Stockholm Environment Institute(Estonia)(SEI)Sinceaccountabilityisessentialinensuringsuccessfulprojectwork,supervisorsneedtodeterminehowbestto grade, taking both individual and group effort into consideration. It is recommended to assess theindividualaccomplishment in thegroupworkaswell, so thatmembers feel that theircontributionto thegrouphasbeenevaluatedadequately.It is also recommended that thegroupachievement shouldbebasedbothon theevaluationof the finalproduct(projectoutcome)andthegroupsassessmentofitsoperations.Mostoftenthegroupeffortsresultsinareport(paper)and/orpresentationofthesolutiontoaspecificproblemstudies.EAAexperiencealsoshowsthatwhenexplainingtheevaluationandgradingproceduresearlyinthecourse,before thegroupworkbegins, studentsprobablyexpress lessdiscomfortwith the ideaofagroupgrade,and will feel peer pressure to contribute and work toward the common goal. Sometimes students areconcernedthattheynotappearfoolishorirresponsibletotheirclassmatesAsmentioned before, at AAU, students do have a group examination, inwhich they are tested in theirprojectwork.Duringtheexamination,allstudents inthegroupwilleachmakeasmallpresentation,andthestudentswilleachbetestedindividually(seealsoYouTubemoviebelow).

Thepointofdeparture for theexamination is theproject report and theexamination consistsof a jointpresentation,ajointdiscussionandindividuallyorientedquestions.Participantsintheexamare(FacultyofEngineeringandScienceandTheFacultyofMedicine2013):

• Thestudent(s)• Examiners(supervisor(s))• External1orinternal2examiner

Timeallocationsareasfollows(FacultyofEngineeringandScienceandTheFacultyofMedicine2013):

• Forprojectsof15ECTSormore,45minutesperstudent forexaminationandgradingprocesseswithamaximumof5hoursintotalforthetotalprojectgroup.

• Forprojectsoflessthan15ECTS,35minutesperstudentwithamaximumof4hoursintotalfortheentireprojectgroup.

• For professional bachelor’s projects, bachelor’s projects, master’s thesis, master projects, 60minutesperstudent

Theassessmentismadeoftheindividualstudentbasedonanoverallevaluationoftheprojectreport3,thepresentation,thejointdiscussionandtheindividuallyorientedquestions.Inorderforthestudenttopassthe exam, all these aspectsmust be satisfactory (Faculty of Engineering and Science and The Faculty ofMedicine2013).

1AnexternalexaminerisappointedbytheDanishAgencyforHigherEducation.Thesecanforexamplebepeoplefromotheruniversities,municipalitiesorcompanies.2Ateacher(examiner)designatedbythestudyboardfromamongtheteachersattheuniversity.3Theprojectreportispartoftheoverallbasisfortheassessment,butisnotgivenanindependentgrade.

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See:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-uhQMY07Cw8(YouTube2013b).AtAAU,onsomesemesters,studentsareaskedtomakeaposterorapressreleaseasasupplementtothereport.Bymeansofaposter/pressreleasestudentshavetoshowtheirabilitytopresenttheirprojectworkinapopularscientificway.ExperiencesfromEstonianAcademyofArts(Estonia)(EAA)AtEAAstudentshadpass/failassessmentandcredittestaccordingtotheirparticipation inseminarsandgroupwork.PostersorslidespresentationsarealwaysmandatoryintheendofeachsemesteratEAA.

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2 Appendix:Projectproposal2.1 TemplateprojectproposalTemplateprojectproposalsTheme:Briefdescriptionofprojectidea:Examplesofresearchquestions:Examplesofrelevantmethodsortheories/theoreticalapproaches:Collaborationwithotherorganisations(ifany):Ideasfordatacollection/fieldstudies(pleasealsoindicateiffinancialsupporthasbeenobtained): Examplesofrelevantliterature:Projectproposedby:

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2.2 Examplesprojectproposal:

In this SECTION, you can find examples of project proposals, as used in the educational programme“Environmental Management and Sustainability Science”, 1st semester master Aalborg University(Denmark).Thethemeofthissemesterwas“Business&SustainabilityManagement”Allprojectproposalstogetherformtheprojectcatalogue. EXAMPLE1:Theme:SustainabilityAssessmentofRawMaterialsBriefdescriptionofprojectidea:Sustainability Assessment of Raw Materials and suggestion to strategy and plan for improvements inDanisco.Examplesofresearchquestions:WhatdoessustainabilitymeaninrelationtoDanisco'skeyrawmaterialsandhowcanDaniscodevelopastrategy and methodology to assess and improve the sustainability performance of their upstreamsuppliers.Keyrawmaterialsaree.g.palmoil,rapeseedoil,seaweeds,LBG,andGuar.IdeallythestrategyandapproachshouldbepracticalandscientificallyrelevantandtakeintoaccounttheperceptionsamongDanisco'sstakeholders.Examplesofrelevantmethodsortheories/theoreticalapproaches:CSR,LCM,Ecosystemanalysis,waterfootprintetc.Collaborationwithotherorganisations(ifany):SustainableAgriculturePlatform,TheSustainabilityConsortium,WBCSDetc.Ideasfordatacollection/fieldstudies(pleasealsoindicateiffinancialsupporthasbeenobtained): InterviewswithpurchasingteaminDanisco,interviewswithsustainabilityteamsinothercompaniesthatfacethesamechallengesetc.Examplesofrelevantliterature:http://publications.danisco.com/epub/39/Projectproposedby:M.T.

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EXAMPLE2:

Theme:SustainableConsumptionandProductionEnvironmentalregulationandcradle-to-cradle:amarket-drivendevelopment?Briefdescriptionofprojectidea:Mostindustrialisedcountrieshaveenvironmentalregulationsprescribingtheresponsibilitiesofcompanies.In themid-1980s this was generally known as “cradle-to-grave” resourcemanagement. Today, focus inenvironmentalregulationisonpreventionofwasteandresponsiblecareoftheearth'snaturalresources.The focuson recoveryof resources, recyclingand reuse canbedescribedas “cradle-to-cradle” resourcemanagement.Examplesofresearchquestions:

• Whatinterestdocompanieshaveinimplementingcradle-to-cradleprinciples?• Whatarethemaindrivingforcesforcompaniestoimplementcradle-to-cradle

principles?• Implementingcradle-to-cradle:isitregulatorypushoramarket-drivendevelopment?• Towhatextentcanecologicalmodernisationexplaindevelopmentsinthe

implementationofcradle-to-cradleprinciplesincompanies?• Towhatextentcanregulationtheoryexplaindevelopmentsintheimplementationof

cradle-to-cradleprinciplesincompanies?• Whatroledomunicipalitiesplayinencouragingcompaniestoworkwithcradle-to-cradle

Examplesofrelevantmethodsortheories/theoreticalapproaches:• Analysingamoreforesightedandpreventivetypeofenvironmentalregulationbyusingecological

modernisationtheory• Regulationtheory• QualitativeinterviewswithcompaniesthatworkwithCradle-to-Cradleprinciples;whyhavethey

chosentodoso?Whatexperiencesdotheyhave?Whatadvantagesanddisadvantagesdotheyseewiththisrelativelynewapproach?

• Quantitativeanalysis;• Literaturestudy• Casestudy

Collaborationwithotherorganisations(ifany):• PartnersintheCradle-to-CradleIslandsproject(www.c2cisland.org)• TheEnvironmentalProtectionandEncouragementAgency(EPEA)(http://epea-hamburg.org)and

theDanishCradle-to-Cradleorganisation(http://vuggetilvugge.dk/)• DanishcompaniesthatareC2C-certified• Partners/companiesintheCarbon20project

Ideasfordatacollection/fieldstudies(pleasealsoindicateiffinancialsupporthasbeenobtained): DanishcompaniesthatworkwithCradle-to-CradleMunicipalitiesthathavecradle-to-cradlehighontheiragendaExamplesofrelevantliterature:

• A.P.J.MolandD.A.Sonnenfeld(ed.)(2000),Ecologicalmodernisationaroundtheworld.Perspectivesandcriticaldebates.FrankCass.

• Smink,C.K.(2002),ModernisationofEnvironmentalRegulation.AalborgUniversity.DepartmentofDevelopmentandPlanning.

• M.JänickeandK.Jacob(2001),Ecologicalmodernisationandthecreationofleadmarkets.FFU,Berlin.

Projectproposedby:C.S.

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EXAMPLE3:

Theme:SustainableConsumptionandProductionImprovingEnvironmentalPerformanceatErgonomicSolutionsBriefdescriptionofprojectidea:ErgonomicSolutionsisEurope’sleadingmanufacturerindevelopingandmanufacturingEPOSandin-storetechnologymountingsolutionsfortheglobalretailmarkets. OurHeadquartersarelocatedinEpsom,UKand our manufacturing base and factory in Aalborg, Denmark. We also have sales companies anddistributorslocatedaroundEuropeandinNorthAmerica.Weconsiderourselvesaprofessionalandenvironmentallyconsciousorganizationthatacknowledgestheimpactouractivitiesmaypotentiallyhaveontheenvironment.Itisforthisreasonthatintheremainderofthis yearwewill be setting up an environmental, cross departmental 'Green Team' to pursue strategicenvironmentalefforts.Weaimtopositionourcompanyat the forefrontofenvironmental innovationbybeingproactiveandgoingthat littlebit furtherthanothercompaniestoensurenotonlyourcompliancebutsethighstandardsandbeseenasinnovatorsandleadersinthisfieldwhereverpossible.Inadditionwearestillabusinessandwishtoinvestigateanyrelevantbusinessefficiencies,economicbenefitsorschemesforourbusinessprocessesandourproducts.Weseekassistanceinthefollowingareas:

• Movingfromareactivetoproactivelongtermenvironmentalstrategy.• Evaluationofourcurrentenvironmentalperformancewithregardstorelevantlegislationand

regulationsatnational,EuropeanandInternationallevels.• Improvingenvironmentalcommunications,identifyingappropriatereportingmechanismsand

methodsofcorporatedisclosuree.gpolicystatements,nationalandinternationalregulationcompliancestatements.

• ImplementationofanISO14001environmentalmanagementsystem.Examplesofresearchquestions:Canbebasedoff theassistanceareapointsdescribedbyErgonomicSolutions in theprevious.Researchquestionsmaybe formulatedat the strategic level (e.g. focusingonhow the companymay support theshifttoamoreproactiveandlong-termenvironmentalstrategy)totheoperationallevel(e.g.whatisthecurrentcompany’senvironmentalperformanceatthelegislativelevelandwhatconcretemeasuresmaybetakeninimprovingenvironmentalcommunication)Examplesofrelevantmethodsortheories/theoreticalapproaches:• Corporateenvironmentalmanagementapproaches(seethebookToolsforSustainableDevelopment)• Stakeholdertheory,especiallyconcerningenvironmentalcommunication• Organizationaltheory,idealforsupportinganISO14001implementationplan• Communicationstheory,mergedwithoneorbothofthetheoriesaboveCollaborationwithotherorganisations(ifany):ErgonomicSolutionsiswillingtoactivelycollaboratewithstudentsonthisprojectproposal.AngelaBuddisthedesignatedcontactpoint, and the studentsmaybeexpected toenter intoanactivedialogwith thecross-departmental‘GreenTeam’thatisbeingestablishedatthecompany.Note:KnowledgeofDanishisNOTaprerequisiteforcollaboratingwiththecompany,astheworkinglanguageisEnglish.Ideasfordatacollection/fieldstudies(pleasealsoindicateiffinancialsupporthasbeenobtained): Asstatedinthecompanydescription,thecompanyhasitsmanufacturingbaseinAalborgitselfprovidingeasyreachdatacollectionopportunitiese.g.interviewswithcompanystaffatthislocation.Examplesofrelevantliterature:AgreatplacetostartisthebookToolsforSustainableDevelopmentProjectproposedby:A.BandD.C.

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EXAMPLE4:Theme:SustainableBusinessDevelopmentBriefdescriptionofprojectidea:TheNetworkforSustainableBusinessDevelopment isaforumwherecorporatesustainabilityeffortscanbe developed to benefit the companies' internal organizational activities as well as their relations tocustomers and suppliers.Networkingwill helpmeetboth the companies’ own sustainability targets andworktowardsmeetingthegoalssetforthintheAalborgMunicipalitySustainabilityStrategy.Network for Sustainable Business Development will work to strengthen the participating companies'competitivenessthroughtargetedeffortstowardsenvironmentalandenergysustainability.Withintheproject,differentobjectivesandopportunitiescanbedefined.Youmayworkatanetworklevelandresearchinwhichwaysanetworksuchasthiscontributetowardssustainabledevelopment,howitisorganizedandhowdiverse,individualgoalsbecomeinstitutionalizedasNetworkgoals.Youmay also teamupwith oneormore of themember organisations andworkwith themondefinedprojects that may include but is not limited to Carbon Footprints, Product Life Cycle Assessment,implementationofCSR/EnvironmentalManagement,etc.Examplesofresearchquestions:Examplesofrelevantmethodsortheories/theoreticalapproaches:CSRandenvironmentalmanagement;StakeholderTheory;ImpactAssessment;Triple-HelixCollaborationwithotherorganisations(ifany):NetworkforSustainableBusinessDevelopment,AalborgMunicipalityNetworkmembersincludebesidesthemunicipalitiesofAalborgandHjørring,companieslikeSiemens,Portof Aalborg, Barsmark, Fibertex, Royal Greenland, Gabriel. Collaboration with all organisations is apossibility.Ideasfordatacollection/fieldstudies(pleasealsoindicateiffinancialsupporthasbeenobtained): Quantitativeandqualitativedatacollectioncanbeforeseenbutdependonconcreteproject.Examplesofrelevantliterature:Facilitating Sustainable Innovation through Collaboration: A Multi-Stakeholder Approach(http://www.springerlink.com/content/978-90-481-3159-4#section=692304&page=1; online access); Seealsocompendium…Projectproposedby:M.D,M.B.,M.L.,H.R.ANDA.R.

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EXAMPLE5:Theme:ClimateChangeTheoretical approaches to the understanding of Climate Change adaptation by local communities.Interactionsorganizationsandinstitutionsinresponsetoclimatechange.Briefdescriptionofprojectidea:The Danish Institute for International Studies (DIIS) will start the project Rural Institutions and ClimateChange.Theprojectwillruninbetween2012and2016.Thefocusisonthe“Meso-level”institutions.Thestudents could either look into these, or they could examine how communities interact with them inrelation toclimatechange.Studentscanundertakea revisionondifferentconcepts referringonClimateChange in reference to the issue of how institutions change and “act” – it will be valuable if studentsundertakeacasestudytoanalyzeon.(fullresearchproposalattached)Examplesofresearchquestions:RefertobroadresearchproposalpreparedbyDIIS

- -Whataretheprocessesanddriversofmeso-levelinstitutionalchange/lackofchangeinresponsetoCC?

- Whataretheimpactsofmeso-levelinstitutionalchange(orlackthereof)onruraladaptation?Examplesofrelevantmethodsortheories/theoreticalapproaches:OrganizationalchangeStakeholderanalysisCollaborationwithotherorganisations(ifany):DanishInstituteforInternationalStudies/NaturalResourcesandPovertyUnitContactperson:MikkelFunderhttp://www.diis.dk/sw37225.asp;mfu@diis.dk;tel.32698697Ideasfordatacollection/fieldstudies(pleasealsoindicateiffinancialsupporthasbeenobtained): Examplesofrelevantliterature:MikkelFunder,JacobFjalland,HelleMunkRavnborgandHenrikEgelyng.2009.LowCarbonDevelopmentand Poverty Alleviation; Options for development cooperation in energy, agriculture and forestry. DIISReport 2009:20. Copenhagen: Danish institute for International Studies. Available at:http://www.diis.dk/graphics/Publications/Reports2009/DIIS_Report_2009-20_Low_Carbon_Development_and_Poverty_Alleviation.pdfProjectproposedby:R.R.H.

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EXAMPLE6:

Theme:ClimateChangeOrganisationofaClimateChangeplanningprocessBriefdescriptionofprojectidea:MunicpalitiesinDenmark,andalsoelsewhereintheworld,conductclimatechangeplansinordertoeitherdiminish carbon emissions or adapt to the changing climate. They do this without any nationalrequirementsorguidelines.Inordertoimplementtheseplansinpracticeinvolvementofavariousnumberofdifferentsectorsisneeded.These sectors might involve people from sewer supply department, heat department, nature andenvironmentdepartment, urbanplanningdepartment, business department etc.However, also externalforthemunicipality, involvingprivatebusinesses,energycompanies,citizensingeneral,andalsofundingpossibilitiestocarryoutcertainprojects.Thisprocessiscross-sectorialinthewidestextentandaprocessthemunicipalitiesarenotaccustomedto.Itisahugechallengeforthem,howeveralsoagreatopportunityforthemunicipalitiestocoordinatetheirdifferentplansandeffortsingeneral.Thechallengelieswithintheorganizationalstructurewithdivisionof laborandtasks,butalso inexistingnorms and cultural understanding of how things should be done, which often are different from onedepartmenttoanother.It is also possible to broaden the scope and include the institutional setting; Ministry of Climate andEnergy,andtheEU.Examplesofresearchquestions:

- Whydothemunicipalitiesthinkitisimportanttoconductclimatechangeplans?- Howdothemunicipalitiesperceiveclimatechangeasaplanningarea?- Howdomunicipalitiestrytosolvethechallengeofcross-cuttingcoordinationwithininclimate

changeplanning?- Whataretheorganisationalneedstomeetthedemandsforcarryingoutclimatechangeplansin

practice?Examplesofrelevantmethodsortheories/theoreticalapproaches:Casestudybasedoninterviewsistheobviousmethodheretogainindepthknowledgeoftheirchallengesandhowtheytrytosolvethem.IfyouchooseacaseoutsideDenmark,itispossible,justcarryinmindhowyouwouldliketocollectdata.Theoretical aspects might be: organisational theory, leadership management, multi-level governance,actingininstitutionalvoidYour theoretical approach can be how strategic planning in a very broad extent is challenged in oldbureaucraticorganisationsandhowitmightbepossibletousethischallengetodeveloptheorganisationpositivelyandinitiategrowthinthemunicipalregion.Collaborationwithotherorganisations(ifany):ContactscanbemadetoAalborgandÅrhusMunicipality,howeverseveralmunicipalitieswillbewillingtoworkwithyou.Ideasfordatacollection/fieldstudies(pleasealsoindicateiffinancialsupporthasbeenobtained): Semi-structuredinterviews,focusgroupinterviews,telephoneinterviewsExamplesofrelevantliterature:“Thepoliticsofclimatechange”AnthonyGiddens“Planningforclimatechange”Davoudi,CrawfordandMehmood“Institutionalenvironmentsandorganisations”ScottandMeyer“Theriseandfallofstrategicplanning”MintzbergProjectproposedby:A.W.

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EXAMPLE7:

Theme:BiodiversityPlanetRanders–abiodiversityprojectinacorporateandexperienceeconomysettingBriefdescriptionofprojectidea:PlanetRandersisaDKK12milliondevelopmentprojectwithanoverallbudgetofDKK1.6billion.ThetwomostrelevantaspectsofPlanetRandersare:

• The750hectareNatureParkGudenå:enablingthevisitortotravelthroughprehistorictimetoapossiblefuturetoexperiencethefloraandfaunaofDenmarkinalivinggene-bankcontainingwildDanishanimals,originalcropsandlivestockthreatenedbyextinction.

• EcologicalInnovation:Promotingbiodiversitythroughtheestablishmentofindustrialpartnershipsbetweenresearchinstitutions,industry,publicinstitutionsandprofessionalorganisations,scienceand business clusters make for platforms for sustainable innovation within sectors of food-industry as well as experience economy (tourism). The project involves several multinationalsfromtheprimarysector.

Examplesofresearchquestions:

• Whatcouldatriple-helixmodeladdtothesustainableuseofbiodiversityandgeneticresources?• ApproachestotheOvercomingtheBiodiversitySqueeze:IsanExperience-Economicalapproach

thewayforward?• Businessactionsforbiodiversity–howcanbusinessmakesenseofcomplexityandstrengthenits

sustainability(CSR)profile?Examplesofrelevantmethodsortheories/theoreticalapproaches:CSR,stakeholdertheory,ecosystemanalysis,biodiversityindicatorsetc.Collaborationwithotherorganisations(ifany):RandersMunicipality,industriesandbusinessassociationsinprimarysectorIdeasfordatacollection/fieldstudies(pleasealsoindicateiffinancialsupporthasbeenobtained):Interviewswithstakeholderscoveringbothbusiness,authorityandNGOperspectivesExamplesofrelevantliterature:http://projekter.aau.dk/projekter/da/studentthesis/is-biodiversity-business-of-business(f25f12bd-9a9e-4267-8d36-af658f1f6ee6).htmlhttp://www.teebweb.org/ForBusiness/TEEBforBusinessDraftChapters/tabid/29434/Default.aspxhttp://www.wbcsd.org/templates/TemplateWBCSD5/layout.asp?type=p&MenuId=MTc3Ng&doOpen=1&ClickMenu=LeftMenuhttp://di.dk/Marked/CSR/csrnyheder/Pages/Erhvervslivogbiodiversitet.aspx(inDanish)compendium.Projectproposedby:K.K.,H.R.ANDM.L.

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3 Appendix:SemesterdescriptionsofStudyProgrammes3.1 Template–AalborgUniversity4SemesterdescriptionSemesterdetailsSchool:Studyboard:Studyregulations:

SemesterframeworkthemeThis should include an elaborated description in a prose form of the focus of the semester, activitiesimplementedtofulfilthecompetenceobjectivesandthethematic(s)ofthesemester.Inotherwords,thesemester description includes the “framework theme” that the students will be exposed to during thesemester.Theroleofthesemesteranditscontributiontostudents’academicprogressionshouldalsobedescribed.

SemesterorganisationandtimescheduleThismustbeashortdescriptionofthedifferentactivitiesofthesemester, theirmutualconnectionsandthewayinwhichtheysupporteachotherandalsosupportstudentsinreachingtheirgoals;suchactivitiesmay be study trips, internship periods, projectmodules, coursemodules, including laboratory activities,cooperation with external stakeholders, possible cross-disciplinary cooperation relations, and guestlecturesandotherevents.

SemestercoordinatorandsecretariatassistanceNamesof anchor-person (teaching staff), course coordinator, semester coordinator (or similar title) andsecretariatassistanceprovider(s)

4 http://www.kvalitetssikring.aau.dk/digitalAssets/95/95117_skabelon-semesterbeskrivelser---engelsk-udgave.pdf

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3.2 ExamplessemesterdescriptionsInthissection,youcanfindexamplesofsemesterdescriptions,asusedat,AalborgUniversity(Denmark)Example1“UrbanManagementandPlanning,3rdsemester

SemesterdetailsSchool:SchoolofArchitecture,DesignandPlanningStudyboard:PlanningandGeographyStudy regulations: Curriculum for the Master’s Programme in Urban, Energy and EnvironmentalPlanningSemestercodeandstudyregulationscode:IOU990001/IOU70103Semesterframeworktheme:Internship·Project·StayAbroad·LongThesisThe subject of the semester is optional, and there are several possibilities for the student at thissemester.Thestudentcanchooseamongthefollowingpossibilities:• InternshipSemester(ProjectInternship)Thestudentscanapply toget into internshipeitherabroador inhisnativecountry.Foreach internindividuallearninggoalshavetobedrawnup,whichclearlyreflectboththeprofessionalproblemtobe pursued and the organisational and cultural context in which it is exercised. The internshipsemesterisreportedthroughanarticledealingwithasubjectthatthestudenthasbeenworkingwithand that is part of the above-mentioned learning goals. It should be noted that the programmenormally is unable to facilitate contacts with employers but it can be a good idea to read theevaluationofpreviousstudents’internshipatthewebpageoftheinternationaloffice.• StayAbroad(InternationalorNationalcrediting)AfterpriorapprovalbytheStudyBoardthe3rdsemestercanbeundertakenatanothereducationalinstitution. It shall be possible to credit teaching and stay entirely or partially in relation to theplanning education at Aalborg University. It is preferred that the stay abroad takes place throughestablished Erasmus programmes, Nordregio co-operation or other mutual exchange agreements.Studentsarerequestedtoprepareanevaluationforthe internationalofficeprovidingmiscellaneouspracticalinformationforthebenefitofotherstudents.• NormalCourse(ProjectSemester)The students can choose to follow the 3rd semester project unit followed by a 4th semester finalthesis. Studentswhowish to enhance further theirmethodical and theoretical skills are advised toutilizethismode.• LongThesisThe students can choose to undertake the 3rd and 4th semesters as one long thesis/dissertationproject,cf.thecommonregulationsfortheeducationsinengineering.Thisoptionisespeciallyfeasiblewhenstudentsworkwithtopicswhichrequireextraordinarydatacollection.Inlightofthehighextentoffreedomofchoiceatthesemester,itisthegoalofthesemesterthatthestudentsharestheresponsibilityforhisownprofessionallearningthroughhisprojectchoiceandtheundertaking of the semester, thus contributing to the development of his personal professionalprofile.Itisrecommendedtochooseaprofessionalfocuscomplementingtheprojectsandresultsachievedatthe 1st and 2nd semesters. The 3rd semester project in this way contributes to completing anindependenttechnicalandprofessionalprofilefortheindividualstudent.The late semester sets the stage for working with in-depth assessments of the consequences of

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planningwithinphysical planning andurbandevelopment and/or in connectionwithenvironmentalurbandevelopmentproblems-either inabroad, interdisciplinarysenseor inamore limited“urbanplanning and management” context. It is recommended to develop the ability of synthesizing,formulation of alternative possibilities of action and/or assessment of consequences based onempirical analyses, or to undertake examination of assessment and evaluation results within thechosenproblematic.SemesterorganisationandtimescheduleThesemesterisorganisedaroundindividual-basedinternship,projectwork,courses,orlongthesis.Asthe scope of the 3rd semester is quite broad, the students should declare their interests andprofessionalfocustothesemestercoordinatorwellbeforethesummervacation.Inthiswayoptimumprofessional supervision will be sought ensured in relation to the wishes of the students. It isrecommended that the supervisorsare involved systematically already from the startof theprojectworkandfurtherthroughproblem identification,choiceofmethodsaswellas in thepreparationofworkandtimeschedules.Importantdates:Semesterstart:xxx(Nostartingseminarwillbearranged)Allocationofsupervisor:Nolaterthan1stofJulyassumingyouhaveaplacementandanideaofyour

worktasksatthispoint. Itcouldbeofgreatusetomeetyoursupervisorbeforeyourdeparturetofacilitatesubsequentcommunication.

Individual Framework Agreement: Two weeks after your internship starts you have to make an

IndividualFrameworkAgreement togetherwithyourcontactperson at the site and your AAU supervisor (only apply forinterns).

FinalThesisNotification:xxx.Projectsubmission:xxx.Evaluation:xxxSemestercoordinatorandsecretariatassistanceSemestercoordinator:E.L.xxx@plan.aau.dk,Studysecretary:D.Hyyy@plan.aau.dk,StudyBoardsecretary:A.H.zzz@plan.aau.dk,

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Example2:CitiesandSustainability,1stsemesterAalborgUniversity(Denmark)

SemesterdetailsSchool:SchoolofArchitecture,DesignandPlanningStudyboard:PlanningandGeographyStudyregulations:CurriculumfortheMaster'sProgrammeinJointEuropeanMasterinEnvironmentalStudies–CitiesandSustainabilitySemestercodeandstudyregulationscode:IOK770001/IOK70141Semesterframeworktheme:CitiesandSustainabilityinaManagementPerspectiveThestudyprojectaddressesthetheme“CitiesandSustainabilityinaManagementPerspective”,withaprofessional focus on ‘Smart Cities & Communities’, and thereby preparation of suggestions tosustainablemanagement,planningimprovementsandtransitionsinthe‘smartcity’context.Citiesplayavitalroleinthesocialandeconomicdevelopmentofregionsandcountries.Dynamicallyefficientandproductivecitiesareessentialforeconomicgrowthandstrongurbaneconomiesarevitalfor generating the resources needed for public andprivate investments in infrastructure, educationandhealth,improvedlivingconditions,andpovertyalleviation.However,especially,urbansocialandenvironmentalproblemsrelatedtocitygrowthareseriousthreatstothefullrealisationofthesocio-economiccontribution,whichcitiescanmake.Sincemore thanhalfof theworldpopulation lives inurban areas and an increasing part of them in cities, the problem of sustainable development isaccentuated in the process of city growth. The question if sustainable development is possiblewilllargelybeansweredincities.ChallengesMostoftheexistingsystemsandprocessestoreachforexamplelow-orpost-carboncitiesaresector-based, and previous efforts to scale up from the building level to the district/city level have facedsignificant barriers that are technical, social, institutional, behavioural, political, and economic innature. Additionally, the lack of an integrated and open architecture inhibits rapid spread ofsuccessful solutions. In the energy sector, 100% renewable power systems are technically feasibletoday. The main barriers for realisation are institutional and political in nature. Similarly, in themobility sector it is clear that significantchanges inbehaviourandurbanstructurearenecessary torealize zero-carbon transport systems, but existing political, economic, and spatial structures inhibitleapchangesinefficiencyandcarbonintensity.Residential,commercial,andindustrialfirmlocationdecisions,alongwiththeexistingurbanstructure,havestrongeffectsontransportmodechoice,whichinturneffectscarbonemissions.Energysystemsand transport systems exhibit path dependent characteristics,making them resistant to short-termchangesintechnology,prices,andchangesinconsumer/producerbehaviour.Fuelsubstitutioninthetransportsector(biofuels,electricity,hydrogen,etc.)willnothavethedesiredeffectsunlesstheyareaccompaniedbysignificantreductionsinthetotalsizeoftheurbanizedarea.IntherealmofICT,mostmunicipalandregionaldatabasesarecurrentlynotabletohandlethesurgeof data that is flowing in from all structured and unstructured data streams (energy flows, WiFi,Bluetooth,mobiledevices,trafficcountingstations,NearFieldCommunication,videocameras,etc.).Systemintegration,datasecurity,dataprivacy,storage,andreal-timeanalyticsaremassivechallenges,andonethatmostexistingmunicipalitieshaveonlybeguntoaddress.Finally,knowledgetransferandpolicy learning (in the formofbestpractices, forexample)hasbeenshowntobeoneoftheworstwaysofencouragingrapiduptakeofsuccessfulpractices.Learningfromfailures is far better, but cities are understandably reluctant to highlight where things go wrong.Therefore,manycitiesaroundtheworldkeepmakingthesamemistakesoverandover.Response

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“Smart cities should be regardedas systems of people interactingwith andusing flows of energy,materials,servicesandfinancingtocatalysesustainableeconomicdevelopment,resilience,andhighquality of life; these flows and interactions become smart through making strategic use ofinformation and communication infrastructure and services in a process of transparent urbanplanning and management that is responsive to the social and economic needs of society.” (EIP,2013:5)Theaimofthissemesteristointroducestudentstothecomplexityofurbandevelopment,andtothetoolsandmethodsavailabletoaddressits(un)sustainability.Providingtheknowledgebasenecessaryto take conscious steps towardsa smarturban future requires the integrationof knowledge fromanumberoffields.Theprojectworkandcoursesonthesemesteraredesignedtofacilitatestudentstounderstandthecomplexityandscaleofthechallenges,andtocontributetothedevelopmentofskillsandcompetencesnecessaryforfuturerealisationofSmartCities.Specifically,thesemesteraimsto(1)Contributetotheunderstandingofandskillstousemodelsandtoolsfortheearlyphaseplanningprocessthatmaycontributetosecurethefulfilmentofambitiousgoals;(2) Contribute to knowledge about concepts for buildings, energy supply, infrastructure and urbanfabric,transportandICTthatsupportsmartdistricts;and(3)Contributetothedevelopmentofknowledgeandunderstandingoftheculturalchangesthatarenecessary inordertoachievesmartcities,aswellastotheskillsandcompetencesnecessarytoseethesechangesthroughSemesterorganisationandtimescheduleThesemesteriscomposedofone15ECTSprojectandthreecoursesof5ECTS.Thesecoursesare:

• ToolsandSystemsforSustainableDevelopment(TSSD)• Complexities,Interrelationships,SynergiesandConflicts(CISC)• TheoriesofScienceandResearchDesigns(TSRD)

The threecourseswill supportyou inyourprojectworkandgiveyou tools for subsequentprojects,learningandknowledgedevelopment.Importantdatesofthesemester:xxxProjectmoduleThe projectmodulewill be undertaken in groups. Each group comprises three to five students andwork on a self-selected topic supervised by faculty throughout the semester. It is expected thatstudentselaborateaproblemanalysisfortheprojectworkwithinthethemeof‘TheSmartCity’.InordertomakenewlystartedMasterstudentscomingfrominstitutionsotherthanAAUpreparedtoentertheproblembasedlearningenvironmentandmanagestudyprojectsinclosecollaborationwithpeers, three half-day workshops on ‘Problem based learning and project management’ will beorganizedinthebeginningofthesemester.Aftertheintroductionperiodatthebeginning,groupswillbe formed for the remainderof the semester. Studentswillbeworking ingroups for theprojectaswellasforthecourses.Therewillbetwoseminars(ProjectDesignWorkshop,andGroupFinalisation)assistedbythesemester/programmecoordinatortofacilitategroupformationandselectionofprojecttopics. By the end of the two seminars, all studentsmust have formed project groups andmade achoiceofproject,e.g.describedthetopicoftheprojectandworkedoutapreliminaryidentificationofaspecificproblem,challengeoropportunity.Supervisorswillbeassignedassoonaspossibleduringthisprocessor immediatelyafter.Theactualprojectworkwillstarthereafter.Theprojectgroupwillcontacttheirappointedsupervisor,andthesupervisorwillhelpthegrouptodiscussfurther,howthetopicchosen,andthepreliminaryidentificationofaspecificproblem,challengeoropportunity,canbedevelopedandfunctionasbasisfortheprojectworkofthegroup.

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Itiscommonthatyouwillencounterproblemsofvariouskindsduringtheresearchproject.On-goinginteraction with fellow students, lecturers and supervisors will provide valuable feedback andproblem-solving opportunities. Throughout the semester, there will be two half-day project statusseminars for thegroupsof the semester,withbriefprojectpresentations followedby feedbackanddiscussionabouteachgroup'sproject.CoursemodulesThecoursemoduleTheoriesofScienceandResearchDesignhastheintentofequippingstudentswithknowledgeandtoolsthatfacilitatesandimprovesthescientificstandardoftheresearchandprojectsin themaster’s programs. The course will provide the students with knowledge of the history anddevelopment of knowledge production in relation to philosophy and theory of science. It will alsointroducearangeofresearchmethods,approachestoresearchandwaysofcarryingoutdataanalysis.The course module Tools and Systems for Sustainable Development will focus on providing thestudents with a thorough understanding of organisations and of the managerial and strategicimplications of the environmental and social challenges they face. The course will approachmanagement in a company perspective but the same tools and systems can be applied to otherorganisations.Thecoursewillexplainvariousmanagementphilosophiesandtoolsthatfirmscanapplyinordertomeasure,assess,andcommunicateenvironmentallyandsociallyresponsibleperformanceandthusenhancecompetitiveness.ThecoursemoduleComplexity, Interrelationships,SynergiesandConflictswill introducethestudentstoconcepts,theoriesandmodelsconcerningcitiesascomplexsystemswhereanumberofdifferentcontexts, structures, changes and situations influence each other mutually. This module will alsoincludeaoneweeklongUrbanDesignStudioandassignmentsintheweeksafter.SteeringgroupmeetingsDuring the semester, three steering group meetings will be held. These meetings will provideopportunitytoupdateonhowtheprojectsareproceedingandtoraiseanycommonissuesthatneedtobediscussed.PracticalityMoodleIngeneral, studentsandstaffareallexpected touse theCiSu1Moodlepageas theirmaingatewayandsourceofinformationconcerningthesemester:https://www.moodle.aau.dk/Checkthisregularlyandpreferablyeveryday.ComputerFacilitiesIngeneral,therearenocommoncomputerroomsavailableatourdepartment.A limitednumberofstationarycomputersareavailableatthevariouslocationsofAalborgUniversityLibrary. Informationregarding username and password should be given to you upon arrival. See alsohttp://www.its.aau.dk/.ThelocalcomputersupportunitislocatedinroomA225atStrandvejen12-14(openinghoursweekdays10.00to12.30and13.00to14.30).Thecomputersupportcanbecontactedonxxx@its.aau.dk.TheUniversityBookshopThedowntownbranchoftheUniversitybookshopislocatedatStrandvejen12-14.Booksrequiredforthecoursescanbeacquiredhere.TheLibraryThemainlibraryislocatedatLangagervej2.Asub-sectionofthemainlibraryislocatedatStrandvejen12-14. Your student card works as your library card. More information can be found here:http://www.en.aub.aau.dk/OtherFacilities

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Copying:AsystemusingyourAAUstudentcardhasbeentakenintouse. Printing:AsystemusingyourAAUstudentcardhasbeentakenintouse.Forguidesonhowtoaccesstheprintersgotohttp://www.printcopy.aau.dk/E-mail:ItisarequirementthatyouuseyourAAUstudente-mail.ImportantmessageswillbesenttoyourAAU student e-mail.Wewill not keep trackof other e-mail addresses youwish touse. Pleasecheckyoure-maildaily.Website:Courseinformation,scheduleetc.areavailablefromlinktoCiSu1Moodlepage.Pleasecheckthiswebsitedaily.Group Rooms: The group rooms available for you will be announced shortly after the start of thesemester.ThegrouproomswillbenotifiedonMoodle.SemestercoordinatorandsecretariatassistanceM.L.(semestercoordinatorandprogrammedirectorforCiSu),xxx@plan.aau.dkD.H.(studysecretaryforCiSu),xx@plan.aau.dkStudyBoardsecretary:A.H.yy@plan.aau.dk

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4 Appendix:LearningAgreementLearningAgreementbetweenStudyBoardforPlanning&Geography,AalborgUniversity,Denmark;[InsertUniversityName]and[InsertStudentName]on:[InsertProjectName]FrameworkandcontentsforprojectStudent:[InsertStudentName]Semester:[insertnameofsemester]Period:[InsertStudyPeriod]Supervisor/UniversityContacts:[InsertSupervisorName],[InsertUniversityName](Host)HostUniversityandStudyProgramme:[InsertUniversityName]and[InsertProgrammeName].Theprojectrequiresself-studytimeof450hoursintotalortheequivalentof15ECTS.FortheProgramme,date: For[InsertUniversityName],date:___________________________ ____________________________[Insertname] [InsertSignatory]ProgrammeCoordinator, [Title]ForAalborgUniversity,date: Supervisor,date:___________________________ ____________________________[insertname] [InsertSupervisorName]HeadofStudyBoard [Title]Student,date: ___________________________[InsertStudentName]

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Tasks[Insertshortdescriptionoftheresearchprojectandtasks]Thepreciseextentandcontentsofthemaintaskaswellasotherworktasksmaybeadjustedduringthecourseoftheexchange.ObjectivesandoutcomeTheprimaryobjectiveof theexchangewill be for the student toacquiremoreextensive research skills,including research design and data collection, coding, and analysis techniques using qualitative and/orquantitativeanalytictools.[INSERTADDITIONAL/MORESPECIFICOBJECTIVESIFAPPLICABLE]Themaintaskdescribedaboveandpossibleothertaskswilltogethercomprisethewrittenreport,whichwillbesubmittedandevaluatedattheendoftheexchangeperiod.Uponcompletionoftheproject,thestudentisexpectedtohaveacquiredanabilitytocriticallyassess:

• [INSERTMORESPECIFICOUTCOMESIFAPPLICABLE]Additionally,thestudentisexpectedtobeableto:

• Reflectonher/hisownlearningoverthecourseoftheproject• Giveanaccountofexperiencewithpracticalworkprocessesandmethodsofworkinthefield,and

tobeabletoperformacriticalevaluationoftheadequacyoftheappliedworkprocessesLearningGoalsStudentswhocompletethemoduleareexpectedtoobtainthefollowing: Knowledge

• Mustwithinachosenpartofhis/herfieldhaveknowledgeatthehighestlevelofinternationalresearch

• Mustunderstandandrelatecriticallytothearea’sknowledgeandmustbeabletoidentifyeitherscientificorpracticalproblemareasinagivencontext

Skills

• Mustmasterthearea’sscientificmethodsandtoolsaswellasmastergeneralskillslinkedtosolvingthechosenproblem

• Mustbeabletoassessandchoosebetweenthefield’sscientificmethods,toolsandgeneralskillsaswellasestablishnewanalyticalandproblemsolvingmodels

• Mustbeabletodiscussprofessionalandscientificissueswithpeersaswellasnon-specialists

Competences

• Mustbeabletocontrolworkanddevelopmentsituationsthatarecomplex,unpredictableandrequirenewmethodsofsolving

• Mustindependentlybeabletostartandcarryoutprofessionalandinterdisciplinarycooperationandassumeprofessionalresponsibility

• Mustindependentlybeabletoassumeresponsibilityofownprofessionaldevelopmentandspecialization

Evaluation: [InsertEvaluationFormat]

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Fortheprogramme,date: For[InsertUniversityName],date:___________________________ ____________________________[Insertname] [InsertSignatory]ProgrammeCoordinator,JEMESCiSu ForAalborgUniversity,date: Supervisor,date:___________________________ ____________________________[Insertname] [InsertSupervisorName]HeadofStudyBoard [Title]Student,date: ___________________________[InsertStudentName]

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5 Appendix:Moduledescription5.1 TemplatemoduledescriptionAalborgUniversity5Moduledescription(descriptionofeachmodule)Moduletitle,ECTScredits(andpossiblySTADScode)DanishandEnglishtitleXECTS

LocationXsemester

ModulecoordinatorTheacademicstaffmemberresponsiblefortheorganisationandexecutionofthemodule.Themoduleleadermaybethesamepersonasthesemestercoordinator.

TypeandlanguageModuletype(e.g.studysubjectmodule,coursemodule,projectmoduleetc.)Languageofinstruction

ObjectivesDescriptionofthecontentandtheobjectivesofthecourseasregardslearningobjectivesofthestudentsinthemodule. This comprisesa transcript of the knowledge, skills and competencesdescribed in the studyregulationsandcurriculum.Ifagreedbythestudyboard,thismayalsocomprise:

• Abriefdescriptionof themethodologicalandpracticalknowledgeandcapabilities thatstudentswillachieve

• Indicationofthecourseactivitiesinsubsequentsemesterswhichthemodulesupports

Academiccontentandconjunctionwithothermodules/semestersAbriefandgeneraldescriptionoftheacademiccontentofthemoduleaswellasthebasisandmotivationforthemodule;i.e.abriefreviewofthecontentandfoundationofthemodule.The intention istoprovidestudentswithanoverviewofeachmoduleandtocreateunderstandingofthemoduleinrelationtothesemesterandtheentireprogramme.

ScopeandexpectedperformanceThe expected scope of themodule in terms of ECTS load. This comprises the number of teaching hours,exercises,preparationtime,travelactivity(ifapplicable)etc.

ParticipantsIndicationoftheparticipantsinthemodule,particularlyiftheyincludeseveralyeargroups,programmesor

5 http://www.kvalitetssikring.aau.dk/digitalAssets/95/95117_skabelon-semesterbeskrivelser---engelsk-udgave.pdf

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anothertypeofco-teaching.Ifagreedbythestudyboard,thismaybeomitted

PrerequisitesforparticipationDescriptionof theprerequisites for student’sparticipation in the course, i.e.previousmodules/courses inothersemestersetc.Theoverallintentionistoemphasisethecoherenceoftheprogramme.Thismaybeatranscriptofthetextinthestudyregulationsandcurriculum.Ifagreedbythestudyboard,thismaybeomitted.

Moduleactivities(coursesessionsetc.)Foreachteachingactivity(coursesession,workshopsessionetc.)thefollowingmustbeindicated:

• Typeofteaching(lecture,workshop,laboratorywork,studytripetc.)• Thetitleandnumberoftheteachingactivity(inthatorder)andpossiblyabriefdescriptionofthe

activity(courseintroduction)• Dateoftheactivity• Lecturer(s)• Setandrecommendedreadings• Slidesandotherresources

Ifagreedbythestudyboard,thismaybeomitted.

ExaminationTranscript and possible clarification of the description of examination and assessment from the studyregulationsandcurriculum,possiblyincluding:

• Relevantevaluationcriteriaintheassessment• Linktoexaminationplan(whenavailable)

Ifagreedbythestudyboard,thismaybeomitted.

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5.2 Examplesmoduledescription:Example1:UrbanManagementandPlanning,3rdsemesterAalborgUniversity(Denmark)Moduletitle,ECTScreditsandSTADScodeInternship∙Project∙StayAbroad∙LongThesis30ECTSActivitycode:IOU990005PLocation3rdsemesterofUrbanPlanningandManagementStudyboardforPlanningandGeographyModulecoordinatorMrsXXXTypeandlanguageModuletype:projectmoduleLanguageofinstruction:EnglishObjectivesForinternshipandprojectsemester:Studentscompletingtheprojectmoduleacquirethefollowing:Knowledge:• Mustwithinthechosenpartofhis/her fieldhaveknowledgebasedonthehighest international

research• Must be able to understand and relate critically to the knowledge of the field and be able to

identifyeitherscientificproblemsorpracticalproblemsinagivencomplexcontext.

Skills:• Canmasterthescientificmethodsandtoolsofthefieldaswellasgeneralskillsinrelationtothe

solutionofthechosenproblem• Canassessandchooseamongthescientificmethods,toolsandgeneralskillsofthefieldanddraw

upnewmodelsofanalysisandsolution• Candiscussprofessionalandscientificproblemswithbothcolleaguesandnon-specialists.

Competences:• Abletomanageworkanddevelopmentsituationswhicharecomplex,unpredictableandrequire

newsolutionmodels• Abletoindependentlystartandcarrythroughprofessionalandinterdisciplinarycooperationand

takeaprofessionalresponsibility• Abletoindependentlytakeresponsibilityforownprofessionaldevelopmentandspecialisation.Forlongthesis:Studentscompletingtheprojectmoduleacquirethefollowing:Knowledge:• Thoroughknowledgeofrelevanttheoriesandmethodsinrelationtothechosenproblemandcan

reflectonthem• Can describe the used theory (or theories) so that the special characteristics of the theory are

broughttolightandinthiswaydocumentunderstandingofthepossibilitiesandlimitationsoftheusedtheory(ies)withintheconcernedfieldofproblems

• Haveknowledgeof thescientific-theoreticalandmethodicalembeddednessof theusedtheoriesandcanreflectonthem

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• Have thorough knowledge of the research embeddedness of the chosen problem, includingknowledgeofthemostimportantnationalandinternationalresearchinthefield.

Skills:• Areindependentlyabletoplanandcarrythroughaprojectcourseatahighprofessionallevel• Cangiveanaccountofpossiblemethods for solutionof theproblem formulationof theproject

and describe and assess the suitability of the chosen method, including an account of chosenlimitationsandtheirimportancetotheresultsoftheproduct

• Cangiveanaccountoftherelevancetotheeducationofthechosenproblem,includingapreciseaccountofthecoreoftheproblemandtheprofessionalcontext

• Can analyse and describe the chosen problem by using relevant theories and empiricalinvestigations

• Can analyse and assess the results of empirical investigations, whether it is the student’s owninvestigationsorthoseofothers, includinganassessmentoftheimportanceoftheinvestigationmethodstothevalidityoftheresults

• Canpointoutrelevantfuturestrategies,possibilitiesofchangeand/orsolutionproposals• Canimpartknowledgeoftheproblemtobothprofessionalsandnon-professionals.Competences:• Canformasynthesisbetweentheprofessionalproblem,theoreticalandempiricalinvestigations

andmakeacriticalassessmentofthesynthesisformedandtheotherresultsoftheprojectwork• Canindependently,onthebasisoftheacquiredproblem,bepartofinterdisciplinarydiscussions

anddevelopmentwork• Canindependentlyacquirethenewestknowledgeinthefieldandareonthisbackgroundcapable

ofcontinuouslydevelopingtheprofessionalskillsandcompetences. Academiccontentandbasis1.ProjectsemesteratAalborgUniversityWellbeforethesummerholidayallstudentsmusthave indicatedtheirprofessional interest/projectsubject.Beforethesummerholidaythestudentwillbeallocatedasupervisorfortheprojectandnotlaterthantwoweeksaftersemesterstartthestudentmusthavepreparedaprojectproposal,whichhastobeapprovedbythesupervisor.Theprojectworkcanbebasedonurbanplanning,environmentaland/ormobilityproblems,whichforexampleelaboratethemesdealtwithearlierduringtheM.Sc.study.Theymaybeofoverall,policyorconceptualnature,butcanalsohavemorespecificplanningorprojectcharacter.Forexample,theprojectmay focus on analysing planning and regulation systemswith a view to assess the relationbetween local (municipal, regional, national) planning problems and planning systems; betweensectoralplanningand comprehensiveplanning;or comparativeanalysesofplanningand regulationsystemsinEuropeorelsewhere.In the project, which can either be based on the students’ work at the 1st and 2nd semesters, on aspecific project/plan or an independent problem, a thorough and integrated approach has to beapplied by using methods, models and theories relevant for the problem and professional field,includingacriticalassessmentofthepossibilitiesandlimitationsoftheappliedmethods.Alternativecoursesofactionorsolutionsbasedonanalysisandconsequenceassessmentsconcerningthesocialframeworkconditionswillalsohavetobeaddressedintheproject.Students who wish to further develop and enhance their methodical and theoretical skills inpreparationfor their thesisprojectareadvisedtochoosethisoption.Thestudentsmusthand inanacademicpaperconcerningthechosensubject.1.1ExamplesofprojectsAsmentioned,projectsmayoptionallybechosenatlevelsrangingfromthelocaltothetransnational.Moreover, theprojectsmaybepreparedwithdifferentprofessional focus. Inprinciple, thechoiceofprojectsubjectisthusfreeinthesamewayasatthe4thsemester.Belowsomeexamplesofprojects

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undertakenearlieryearsareindicated.Locallevel:• Collaborative planning in legislation and practice: Based on case studies from Copenhagen,

AarhusandAalborgThepurposeofthisprojectistoinvestigatehowPatsyHealey´sideaofcollaborativeplanningisused in the Danish Planning Act and implemented in practice. The project will link boththeoretical and empirical types of analysis. The report has two substantive parts. Theoreticalanalysis covers collaborative planning and the Danish Planning Act as a context for empiricalanalysis.Empiricalanalysis isexercised throughcasestudies fromtheCopenhagen,AarhusandAalborgmunicipalities. One of the keywords in collaborative planning is public participation, aphrasethat isalsoemphasisedintheDanishPlanningAct.Assessmentofthethreecasestudieswill demonstrate the degree towhich this idea has been successfully implemented. The reportconcludesthatitisactuallyeasiertoputtheideaofcollaborativeplanningintopracticethanitistosetitagainsttheframeworkofthelaw.

• Upgradationofurbancore:AcasestudyofKathmanduMetropolitanCity

TheissueoflivabilityofurbancoreisthegrowingprobleminthedevelopingcountrieslikeNepal.The inquisitiveness that has developed this research is that what the key factors are affectinglivabilityofa cityandhow livability relates tosustainability.Ageneral studyhasbeenmadeofwhatare the livability issues for thesustainabledevelopmentof theurbancorebyencouragingthelocalcommunities.CasestudyofBhaktapurDevelopmentProjectofNepalwasmadebecauseit is theonly completedprojects thathavebeen carriedonwith the considerationof the livingconditions of the inhabitants. The model of Venice Renewal has been studied because it isconsidered one of the best-practiced renewal projects in theworld and that it exemplifies theconceptofgentleurbanrenewalkeepingtheownersandtenants intheforeground.ThecaseofVesterbro, Copenhagen has been inspiring developing physical development plan.Recommendations are given as reflection to the literature reviewmade; cases studied and theexistingstudyofthesite.

• InvestigationofReykjavik´spublicspaces

The purpose of this report is to explain the interrelation between economic competence andqualityofpublicspace,inthecityofReykjavik,Iceland.ThisreportpresentsanevaluationofthequalityofselectedpublicspacesinIcelandiccapital.AframeworkforanalysingthepublicspaceisbasedonGehl’swork.TheanalysisofthepublicspaceshasrevealedthateventhoughtherearesomegoodelementsinurbanenvironmentinReykjavik,ingeneral,qualityislacking.Attheendofthisreportsomepracticalrecommendationsaregivenforhowthequalityofpublicspacecouldbeimproved.ThiseventuallyleadstomoregeneralrecommendationshowtheimprovementsinpublicspacecouldhelptheeconomiccompetenceofReykjavik.

Nationallevel:• Landusechangesinurbanfringes:Lookingthroughfoodsecurityperspectives

ForacountrylikeNepal,whereduetothegeographicterrainconstrains,theexistinglimitedflatagricultural lands areofutmost importance.The importanceof agricultural land is also relatedwith the fact, that majority of people of Nepal are still dependent on the agricultural basedeconomy. However, on the other hand the prime agricultural lands of the country mainly theKathmandu valley, which produced the staple food, is decreasing at the cost of urban growth.Withmorethan1.5millionpeople living,Kathmanduvalley is themost importanturbancentreand the historical settlement of Nepal. Religious and socialmanifestationwas the part of legallandusezoning in traditionalurban formofKathmanduvalley,whichemphasized the compactgrowthinordertopreserveandprotecttheagriculturalhinterlandsofthevalley.Butincontraryto this, the on-going urbanization has affected on the most of the urban fringes of the valleydecreasingthelocalfoodsupply,inwhichthecaseofHarisidhhiandImadolehasbeenstudiedindetail in the report. The availability issues in terms of local staple food productionwithin thevalley,relatingitsmajorimportanceinthehistoricalperspectivesandtheon-goingurbanization,arestudied,toexploretotheissueoffoodsecurityincontextofKathmanduvalley.

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Transnationallevel:• ‘TravellingCircus’.PolycentriccapitalofEuropeandtheenvironment

The case is based in the context of growing environmental movement. EU seeks to lead theclimate change policy and be the first to employ environment saving technologies. From thesurface it looks like that we (Europeans) are good at it, but in the core of the EU there issomething wrong. The fact that European Parliament (EP) has three places of work and twoParliament buildings in two cities 450 kilometres apart is nothing exciting. Not until numbersstarts to speak: Parliament building in Strasbourg stands empty for 317 days a year. Further,maintenance of two seats for the Parliament costs tax payers 200,000,000 Euro each year andemitsadditional20,000 tonsofCO2. Itdoesnotsound frighteningbearing inmind the fact thatsmall country like Lithuania emits 1000 timesmoreCO2 a year.On the other hand, it could beavoided if EP would stay only in Brussels. This report tries to look at the issue from theperspective of urban planning. The main theory to this end employed in the report is spatialplanning.The report tries to look towhatextentpolycentric structureofEUheadquarters is inlinewithenvironmentalpolicyofEUandtoreporttosomeextentthepowerrelations.

2.InternshipPlacing the internship at the 3rd semester makes it possible to practice the use of methods andprofessionalcompetencesfromthe1stand2ndsemestersoftheeducation.Atthesametime,itgivesanopportunitytolearnhowprofessionalplanningisworkinginpractice.Theinternshipusuallycomprisesonesemesterandhasapracticallengthofaboutthreemonthsinaprivateenterpriseorapublicauthority.Therestofthesemesterisusedforpreparationofaprojectarticleandexamination.Itisemphasizedthatthismodeispartofthestudent’slearningprocess.Thus,theinternshipwillnormallybecentredonaprofessionalsubjectorproblemthatisinvestigatedandassessedonthebasisofthepracticeinthefieldoftheinternshipsite.Duringandaftertheinternshipanacademicpaperwillbepreparedconcerningoneofthesubjectsthatthestudenthasbeenworkingwith during the internship. Internship projects will usually be individual. A supervisor from theuniversityisassigned,butit isimportantthatacontactpersonfromtheinternshipsiteisidentified,fromwhomthestudentcangetsupport.Thecontactpersondoesnotparticipateintheevaluationoftheproject.The internshipmay takeplace inDenmarkorabroad. In connectionwithan internshipabroad it is possible to apply for financial support for travel and stay through the university’sInternationalOfficeandotherfunding.AninternshipbuildsonaformalizedInternshipAgreement,whichisenteredbetweentheinternshipsite, thestudentand thestudyprogramme. Theplanningof the3rdsemesterbeginswithakick-offseminar to be arranged in the beginning of February the same year and a follow up article andquestionseminarinMay.Regardingpreparationoftheinternshipit isnecessarythatthestudent(s)consult(s)thesemestercoordinatorbeforetheinternshipisplannedindetail.Thiswillimplycontactbeforetheendoftheprecedingsemester.Inpractice,thestudenttakestheinitiativeforaninternship.Thestudentidentifies–eitherhimselforinco-operationwiththeinternshipcoordinator/supervisor–adesirableandsuitableinternshipwithwhomthe frameworkandcontentsof the internshipperiod isagreed.The tasksand learninggoalshavetobedescribedinashortIndividualFrameworkAgreementthathastobecompletedtwoweeksafterthebeginningoftheinternship.Thedocumentstatesinternshipperiod,site,supervisor,contactperson,tasksandprofessionalcontentsaswellasindividuallearninggoals.Theindividualframeworkdescriptionhastobepreparedinco-operationwiththecontactpersonoftheinternshipsiteandhastobeapprovedbytheacademicsupervisor.The IndividualFrameworkAgreement is theresultofadialoguebetweentheinternshipsite,thestudentandtheeducation.Itshouldbeinplacewithinthefirst2-3weeksat the site.The initiative lieswith the student. For thedescriptionof learninggoalsBloom’s taxonomy has to be used similar to and at level with the descriptions for the 1st and 2ndsemesters. It is important that the learning goals are formulated realistically, as they constituteimportantassessmentcriteriaatthefinalevaluation.TheinternshipmayberemuneratedaccordingtoagreementbetweenthestudentorganisationsandIDA.TheconditionsaroundpaymentarenoconcernoftheStudyBoardortheprogramme.

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2.1ContentsandnatureofinternshipThe aimof the internship is to give the student practical experience in the solutionof professionalplanningtasks.The internshipmusthaverelevancetoengineeringeducationswithinUrban,Energyand Environmental Planning (physical planning, urban planning and urban development,environmental planning problems, urban management, mobility and transport problems, sectorplanningorsimilar).Thetasksdischargedmustbeataprofessionalplanningorengineeringlevelandshallcompriseindependentworkprocessesandproblemsolvingundersupervision.Normally,oneofthefollowingformsofinternshipapplies:(1)ThestudentaspartofthedailyworkattheinternshipsiteThismaybethepractisingofalreadyachievedskillsordevelopmentofnewones,justliketheworkmaybeofbothananalyticalandsolution-orientednature.Inthismodelthestudentispartofthedailyprofessional practice environment at the internship site. Often the student has more workingresponsibilities thanasingleproject.Typically thestudentmay(i)participate in thedailycourseofworkattheinternshipsite(participateinmeetings,visitsoutsidethehouse)and(ii)haveacoupleofbiggertasksatthesametimewhicharehandledconcurrently. Oneormoreofthesetasksformthepracticalbasisforanarticleinwhichthestudentneedstoreflectonthesubjecttheoretically.Attheendofthesemesterthestudenthastosubmit:• Aprofessionalandacademicallyacceptablearticleaboutoneormoresubjectthatthestudenthas

beenworkingwith.(2)Thestudentasa‘consultant’Most internship courses will concentrate on data collection and analysis in connection withelucidation,evaluationanddevelopmentworkofsomenatureinthepublicorprivatesector.Inthismodel, the student to a greater extent acts as a consultant for the internship site. The student isexpectedtoundertakeaspecificanddefinedprojectfortheinternshipsiteandisexpectedtospendmostofthetimeonthistask.Often,itmaybeintheformofanindependentproject,wherethestudentlooksatagivenproblemwithfresheyes.Attheendofthesemesterthestudenthastosubmit:• Anarticleusingthesubjectfromthetaskandworkingwiththesubjecttheoretically.

Especiallyinconnectionwiththefirstmodel,wherethestudentispartofthedailywork,ithastobeensuredthattheinternisnotinvolvedintoomanytasks,forexamplebyreservingoneday/weekfortheacademicproject.2.2Examplesofinternshipprojects• Planninginclimatechange

I had a split internship between an Australian University andMunicipality. At the university Iworkedwithclimatechange fromanacademicpointofviewandmyarticle focusedon thegapbetweenacademicsandpractitionerswhendealingwithclimatechange.

• Accessdenied:accessto,andactivitiesinpublicandprivatespacesIhadaninternshipataprivateconsultancycompanyinAustralia.TwooftheprojectsIworkedonwere a gated community for retirement houses and a shopping centre where young peopleweren’t allowed access due to often encounter unwanted interactions with security guards inshoppingcentres.Icombinedthesetwosubjectsinanarticleaboutpublicandprivatespacesandtheboundariesbetweenthem.

• Stringsofidentitybetweencitiesandcitizens-culturalheritageashistoryandfutureI had a split internship between a Danish consultancy company and RandersMunicipality. MymainprojectwastocreateamasterplanfortheredevelopmentoftheScandia-areainRanders,anoldindustrialsitewithacentrallocation.TodothisIusedthequalitiesofbothprivateandpublicplanningcultures.Oneofthechallengeswastopreservetheold identityofthehistoricplaceaswellasmakeroomforthefuturetounfolditself.Iusedthiscaseinageneralarticleaboutusingidentityandculturalheritageasadevelopmentstrategyforcitiesandurbanareas.

2.3Supervision,timeschedule,andacademicarticle

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Inconnectionwithinternship,asupervisorhastobeattachedfromboththeinternshipsiteandtheuniversity. The supervisor from the internship sitemust, as a startingpoint, be responsible for thedaily,professionalsupervisionandguidance,whilethesupervisorfromtheuniversityisresponsiblefor the more theoretical and methodical approach that also will be expressed through the article.Overlapping supervision may be possible, where it is considered necessary and expedient. Thesupervisorfromtheinternshipsitedoesnotparticipateintheevaluationoftheproject.Thesemestercoordinatorensuresthatthereisrelevantacademicsupervisionforthesinglestudentinpractical training. As compared to previous semesters, limited supervision resources are available.Usually the supervisionwill cover the project start, two supervisionmeetings including reading ofworking papers and test (evaluation) of the project. As regards the supervision of the specificprofessionaltasksthisistakencareofbythecontactpersonoftheinternshipsite.Inconnectionwith internships, thestudentshaveaverygreatresponsibility for theirown learning.Thisisduetothefactthatthesupervisionattheinternshipsitenormallywillbepracticallyorientedratherthanacademically.Thereforeitisuptothesinglestudenttoreachanadequatemethodicalandtheoreticallevelinthework.Thelimitedsupervisionresourcesrequiredevelopmentofthestudent’sabilitytoworkindependently.Itisthereforerecommendedthatearlyintheprocess,atimescheduleisprepared,which isharmonizedbetween the internship task, thework situationof the internshipsiteandtheacademicsupervisor.The articlewill, as amain rule, be accessible for all in the sameway as other project reports. Thearticle is aimed towards the study and the participants in the internship course, primarily thesupervisorandtheinternalexaminer.Forthesakeoftheinternshipsiteorthespecifictasksinwhichthestudentsareinvolvedunderway,itmayinsomecasesbenecessarytoclassifyreportsorcertainappendicesas confidential.Amodel for suchadeclarationof confidence canbe requested from thestudysecretary.3.Studyabroad(Internationalornationalcrediting)IfyouwanttostudyabroadyouneedtohaveyourstayapprovedaspartofyoureducationatAalborgUniversity (qualification). By a qualification you exchange the semester that youwere to follow atAalborgUniversitywithaliableperiodoractivitiesatanotheruniversity.You can choose to use one of the exchange agreements that Aalborg University has with anotheruniversity or you can choose to contact another university by yourself. The advantage in using anexchangeagreement is thatyou inmost casesdonothave topay tuition fee.Formore informationaboutstudyabroadandwhichuniversitiesAalborgUniversityhasexchangeagreementswith,checkoutthewebpageoftheinternationalofficeat:http://www.internationaloffice.aau.dk/study_abroad/.3.1CreditWhenyou, in cooperationwithanacademic supervisor,have found the studyprogramyouwish tofollowatthechosenuniversityyouhavetoapplyforapprovalofthisfromtheStudyBoardsothatyoucanhaveyourcredittransferredafteryourreturntoAlborg.Beawarethatifyouchangeprogramorcoursesduring your stay youhave to inform the StudyBoard about this to secure your transfer ofcredits.Pleasenote thatyouhave tohaveyourstaycredited tobeable to receive financial supportfromdifferentsubsidyschemesandfromtheStateEducationFund(SU).Your application to the Study Board about transferring of credit has to include a pretty detaileddescription of the courses and/or projects that your will follow at the other university and somedocumentatione.g.thecoursedescriptionfromtheotheruniversityinordertogivetheStudyBoardthebestwaypossibletoevaluateyourapplication.Rememberthatyourworkloadhastocorrespondto30ECTS(EuropeanCreditTransferSyst