Civic Studio, Design, Reflect, Transform (30 EC)

Co-create interventions to real social challenges with communities through transdisciplinary collaboration.

Civic Studio – Design, Reflect, Transform is a 30 EC hands-on minor for students eager to make a real impact on themes such as Sustainability, Urban Transitions, and Health & Wellbeing . You work in transdisciplinary teams with community organisations, researchers, and professionals on real challenges affecting children, youth, and families in Rotterdam and Delft—no hypothetical cases, only real partners and real contributions .

The minor is student-centred : you receive essential knowledge, tools, and preparation, while being guided closely through the process. At the same time, you are expected to take initiative, work independently, and shape your own learning journey. Expert coaching is provided throughout by ESSB, Erasmus MC, TU Delft, and societal partners.
The programme consists of two 15-EC modules.

Phase ** 1 – Foundations & Framing** is immersive and exploratory. You investigate the lived reality of your challenge through systems thinking, macro–meso–micro perspectives, and stakeholder analysis. Special attention is paid to individual growth and group dynamics , supported by capacities from the Inner Development Goals Guide. You conclude with a grounded, reflective problem framing.

Phase ** 2 – Field Research & Intervention** focuses on real-world inquiry and responsible action. You collaborate with partners in the field, explore future scenarios, and design intervention pathways. Skills such as empathy, creativity, collaboration, and complexity awareness guide team processes and decision-making.
Topics include youth resilience, social and health inequalities, sustainability, community wellbeing, diversity and inclusion, and technological or digital innovation.
Civic Studio offers a space to explore, experiment, and contribute to a fairer and more resilient society—while developing personally, collaboratively, and academically.

1. Explore complex societal challenges by examining them at different levels and from different viewpoints, and by understanding how issues, people, and systems are connected.
2. Work with community members, professionals, and researchers to bring together academic insights, lived experience, and field-based evidence when studying a real challenge.
3. Collaborate in diverse teams by valuing different backgrounds, listening with empathy, and finding common ground when perspectives differ.
4. Develop and justify an intervention pathway using iterative, futures-informed design:

Phase 1: Shape an initial intervention idea based on problem framing, systems analysis, and stakeholder insights.
Phase 2: Refine this pathway through fieldwork, experimentation, and partner feedback.

• Reflect on personal, relational, and ethical dimensions of your work:Phase 1: Describe your own position, assumptions, and learning goals.
  Phase 2: Integrate insights from fieldwork, team processes, and relationships into a clear story of your development.
• Communicate your analysis, choices, and outcomes clearly to academic, professional, and community audiences in an engaging and accessible way.

Attendance is required due to the collaborative and studio-based nature of the minor. Learners engage in fieldwork and stakeholder activities across different locations in Rotterdam and Delft. A B2 level of English is required. The programme is organised in two consecutive phases of 15 EC each. Learners may complete Phase 1 only (15 EC), or continue into Phase 2 to complete the full 30 EC minor.

Learners may join Phase 2 following an individual assessment of their demonstrated knowledge, skills, and readiness to engage in fieldwork and intervention development.
Participation in reflective practice, including the cultivation and demonstration of relevant IDGs capacities (for example: Being: Self-Awareness, Presence; Thinking: Complexity Awareness, Critical Thinking; Relating: Empathy, Humility; Collaborating: Trust, Inclusive Mindset; Acting: Courage, Creativity), is expected throughout the programme. Sessions take place in Rotterdam (off campus) and at partner locations relevant to the chosen societal challenge.

Teaching Methods
Workshops, lectures, systems-mapping sessions, fieldwork, stakeholder engagements, design studio sessions, coaching, peer learning, reflective practice guided by selected capacities from the IDGs framework (e.g., from Thinking: Complexity Awareness, Perspective-Taking; from Collaborating: Co-creation, Inclusive Mindset; from Relating: Empathy, Connectedness), and futures exploration.

Teaching Materials
Academic articles and book chapters; IDGs guide and selected materials; stakeholder documents; field data; videos; workshop resources on design, reflection, and collaboration; transdisciplinary tools.

Method of examination
Assessment is structured across two phases, each with distinct deliverables. Students who complete the two phases, will receive the grade at the end of the minor.

Phase 1 – Foundations & Framing (end of Module 1):
Students submit an Initial Framing Dossier , demonstrating their systems analysis, stakeholder mapping, preliminary problem framing, and an initial intervention grounded in contextual and theoretical insights. Formative feedback supports the transition into fieldwork.
Individually, they also submit a Critical Reflection Report , that connects personal development, relational dynamics, and ethical considerations across both phases, using relevant IDGs capacities where appropriate.
Additionally, and as a final note to this part, students organize a ‘learning expo’ in which they present the preliminary findings to the stakeholders.
Successful completion of this dossier concludes Phase 1 for students who do not continue into Phase 2.

Phase 2 – Field Research & Intervention (end of Module 2):
Students produce a Project Portfolio , documenting fieldwork activities, empirical findings, iterative design cycles, and the refinement and justification of the intervention pathway. The portfolio includes a structured Intervention Evaluation , drawing on evidence from stakeholder engagement, prototyping, and feasibility–desirability–ethical considerations.
Individually, learners submit a Critical Reflection Report , connecting personal development, relational dynamics, and ethical considerations across both phases, using relevant IDGs capacities where appropriate.
At the end of this phase, students will organize a dialogue with stakeholders and partners, to generate conversation and reflection of their process, their findings, their ideas, and proposals.
Both components must be completed to pass the minor for students who need to complete a 30ECTS course.

Composition final grade

• Framing Dossier (15 ECTS) OR Project Portfolio (30 ECTS) (fieldwork documentation, empirical analysis, iterative design cycles, structured intervention evaluation) – 60%
• Individual Critical Reflection Report (15ECTS +15ECTS) covering personal, relational, and ethical development across both phases – 40%

To obtain the full 30 EC minor, both Phase 2 components must be completed successfully.