Research activities will be comparable to the research done on Texel as a socio technical system, but you have to design and organise the research activities in your group. So, in the first week of the course sit together with your group to do so.
Next to that, consider what additional research you want to do on location at Texel. At Tuesday 13 january 2015, 13:30-17:30 hrs, the group has to organise its own additional research: to draw your design in even more detail you may want to visit a company to do some interviews with experts, inhabitants, entrepreneurs, civil servants or politicians. It is recommended to start timely with planning these research activities. Before we leave to Texel, you have to hand in an one-pager about what you plan to do, including research question(s), data needed to answer that question, methods to gather data (interview, questionnaire, documentation, visit or the like), research activities planned (details required: appointments made).
Groups report about their research and design via the virtual research environment being-here.net. Each group has to write separate posts on the next subsequent chapters:
1) Explanation of the sustainability challenge and ambition, problem statement, and research question with regard to the group theme (posted before meeting 2 at November 17th)
- It should be described what sustainability criteria the future sub-system on your theme should meet? (e.g. zero carbon, closed loops, equity). Be ambitious!
- What does the future socio-technical sub-system look like and how are needs fulfilled?
- How do people live and work in the system?
- How to make the future system more sustainable?
2) Description and analysis of the current sub-system and relevant trends, initiatives etc.
- How do the future system and the current system contrast?
- what current developments are going on the desired direction?
3) Design of an innovative technological solution and explain why and how this solution connects the current state with the desired future, and makes sustainability transition happen.
4) Design of the future sustainable sub system in more detail, compared to the current sub-system. (all the above has to be posted before meeting 5)
- Which technologies will be prevailing?
- How will the technologies be embedded in culture and behaviour?
- How will the elements (technologies, industries, organizations, people etc) in the system be interrelated?
- By which rules and regulations will the system be organized?
5) Proposals for a path way to realise that sub-system in 2065, and an action agenda for 2020 to initiate transition towards a sustainable sub-system.
- Which technological change needs to take place? how will that be initiated and embedded?
- What cultural and behavioural change will take place? how will that be initiated and embedded?
- How do the relations between the elements (technologies, industries, organizations, people etc) in the system change? What existing or new stakeholders are necessary and what should they do?
- How should rules and regulations change in order to get the system organized?
- Which milestones and actions can you define with regard to a-d?
6) Expectations and potential tensions with other sub systems (themes) within sustainable Texel. (all of the above has to be posted and updated if necessary in week 2.7).
- Define linkages with all other themes and the overall socio-technical system of Texel as a sustainable island.
On the VLE website these posts have to form a coherent story line (to be printed as a book chapter).
Deadlines:
- Articulation of the theme by the group (1st post) should be online before meeting 2 at November 17th.
- The first 4 posts have to be available before meeting 5 on December 8th, when we continue designing sustainable Texel again.
- Before we travel to Texel, all posts have to be uploaded in week 2.7, at the latest January 8th 2015. This is the input for the final design of Texel as a sustainable island in 2065. All theme posts together will be assessed as one coherent group assignment.
- Also at Texel, you have organised additional research activities. Ultimately 8 January 2015, hand in an one-pager about what you plan to do, including research question(s), data needed to answer that question, methods to gather data (interview, questionnaire, documentation, visit or the like), research activities planned (details required: appointments made).
