Critical pedagogical designs for SETS knowledge co-production: online peer- and problem-based learning by and for early career green infrastructure experts

Mathieu Feagan; Megan Fork; Geneva Gray; Maike Hamann; Jason K Hawes; Elizabeth H T Hiroyasu; Brooke Wilkerson

doi:10.1186/s42854-023-00051-1

Critical pedagogical designs for SETS knowledge co-production: online peer- and problem-based learning by and for early career green infrastructure experts

Urban Transform. 2023;5(1):6. doi: 10.1186/s42854-023-00051-1. Epub 2023 Apr 3.

Authors

Mathieu Feagan¹, Megan Fork², Geneva Gray³, Maike Hamann⁴, Jason K Hawes⁵, Elizabeth H T Hiroyasu⁶, Brooke Wilkerson^{7

8}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Knowledge Integration, Faculty of Environment, University of Waterloo, 200 University Avenue West, Waterloo, ON N2L 3G1 Canada.
² Department of Biology, West Chester University, 700 South High Street, West Chester, PA 19383 USA.
³ Department of Marine, Earth, and Atmospheric Sciences, North Carolina State University, 2800 Faucette Drive, 1125 Jordan Hall, Campus, Box 8208, Raleigh, NC 27695 USA.
⁴ Centre for Sustainability Transitions, Stellenbosch University, 19 Jonkershoek Rd, Stellenbosch, 7600 South Africa.
⁵ School for Environment and Sustainability, University of Michigan, Dana Building, 440 Church Street, Ann Arbor, MI 48109 USA.
⁶ The Nature Conservancy, California, 830 S Street, Sacramento, CA 95811 USA.
⁷ Department of Geography, System Dynamics Group, University of Bergen, P.O. Box 7800, 5020 Bergen, Norway.
⁸ Department of Geography, Centre for Climate and Energy Transformation, University of Bergen, P.O. Box 7800, 5020 Bergen, Norway.

Abstract

Despite a growing understanding of the importance of knowledge co-production for just and sustainable urban transformations, early career green infrastructure experts typically lack opportunities to practice transdisciplinary knowledge co-production approaches within their normal training and professional development. However, using online collaboration technologies combined with peer- and problem-based learning can help address this gap by putting early career green infrastructure experts in charge of organizing their own knowledge co-production activities. Using the case study of an online symposia series focused on social-ecological-technological systems approaches to holistic green infrastructure implementation, we discuss how critical pedagogical designs help create favorable conditions for transdisciplinary knowledge co-production. Our work suggests that the early career position offers a unique standpoint from which to better understand the limitations of current institutional structures of expertise, with a view towards their transformation through collective action.

Supplementary information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s42854-023-00051-1.

Keywords: Capacity building; Co-production; Critical pedagogy; Early career; Green infrastructure; Online collaboration; Social-ecological-technological systems; Transformation.