Make a Small Step, Create a Big Impact

What if your student project could spark something much greater? Imagine not just talking about a sustainable future, but actively shaping it. That’s exactly what you’ll do in a learning community. You’ll join forces with other passionate students and dedicated professionals to work on projects that matter. Choose the project that excites you the most, and explore how you can best contribute to addressing authentic challenges.

 

Real-world examples?

• Port of Maassluis: Building a green harbor powered by a self-sufficient energy system. Cutting-edge technologies like saltwater batteries are part of the journey.
• Sustainable Healthcare: Did you know healthcare emits as many greenhouse gases as Tata Steel? Bart van Straten is leading the way by transforming medical waste into valuable materials that hospitals can reuse.

And that’s just the beginning. From solar energy and hydrogen to public health in Curaçao or a greener TU campus—there’s a learning community for every passion. Curious? Explore www.evengroenevrienden.nl and see where you can jump in.

 

Why choose this minor?

Because it’s more than a module - it’s preparation for the future. You’ll learn to collaborate with people who bring different expertise and knowledge to the table, ranging from local residents to international students. You’ll practice Agile ways of working, ideation and pitching, and how to give/receive constructive feedback. You’ll get to stretch your creativity in co-creation sessions. And most importantly: you’ll graduate not just with knowledge, but with the experience of truly making a collective difference. This isn’t just a minor for yourself. It’s your chance to leave a mark.

 

 

General learning goals: 
After completing this minor, students will be able to 
-    View complex problems from various perspectives and reformulate the problem with various stakeholders 
-    Integrate knowledge from various academic disciplines and non-academic sources
-    Implement co-creation methods with external stakeholders 

The minor supports the development of the following competencies: reflection, teamwork, tolerating uncertainty and ambiguity. 

Students and external stakeholders can choose from the predefined subject-specific and personal learning objectives, (such as resilience and adaptability, integrity and ethical awareness, self-direction and self-management, reflection and proactivity; taking risks and experimenting) and personalize these. These personal learning goals are approved by the minor coordinator.

Regarding project-based collaboration, a critical success factor is being able to cope with the high degree of personal freedom and the associated responsibility. This also includes being resilient when things go unexpectedly, and being able to deal with uncertainty. The goal is for the student to grow in these areas.
The ultimate goal on a personal level is developing an adaptive and flexible mindset that allows students to balance both self-interest and the common goals of the project.. This requires that the student is aware of and able to identify their own talents, as well as their knowledge gaps. They are open to learn from and able to appreciate other knowledge domains. Moreover, the student can reflect on their motives, and make informed choices on what value systems they apply as a professional. 

• • The student has passed his / her propaedeutic exam. In other words, the student has the basic knowledge and skills of their own discipline.
  • The student has the basic knowledge and skills of project-based (collaboration) work.
  • Both the subject-related and personal learning objectives of the student are in line with the objectives of the project and can be realized in the context of the project.

• The study aids are:

  1. Handouts, readers, project archive.
  2. Confluence
  3. Books/Articles related to your own substantive assignment and personal learning objectives.
     
     
  Students are encouraged to consult university libraries and visit relevant symposia / conferences / scholarships.

Ten days before the start of the minor, an email with information about scheduling will be sent to you. Please send an email to tis-minoren@hhs.nl if you haven't heard anything by then.

The assessment is based on the following proceeds from the personal assignment, namely:

1. Substantive reports, documents, notes and products (hardware, software).

2. Documents created within the framework of project-based collaboration. Examples of this are agendas & minutes of meetings, work meetings, policy documents, procedures, reviews, evaluations of processes and reports in the context of issue management.

3. Documents prepared in the context of personal development. These include their own talent profile, personal journals, journals, interview notes, feedback received and given, reflection reports and assessments.

 

Minimum requirements for sufficient

The supervising lecturer gives a C1 assessment based on substantive reports in readable English, satisfying the requirements of methodology and knowledge that the relevant study program places on reporting or otherwise describing a generally accepted reasoning of problem analysis, quantitative or qualitative research and development up to and including with conclusion and recommendations or else reflection from a pre-selected professional perspective on one or more processes within the project.

A C2 assessment is given for project-based collaboration with their own team members and stakeholders.

An assessment C3 is given for reflection on own actions and associated personal development.

Participation in all workshops Cultural Differences / English Course, Strengthsfinder, project management & system engineering are mandatory. The attendance is registered, homework checked and "assessed" with "Pass". If not present, this will be "assessed" with "Fail". For this accompanying education, a "Pass" is given if all components have been assessed as "Pass", otherwise a "Fail".

There are also general tasks in the context of public relations. These are not assessed, but in view of the importance of these tasks for the continuity of the projects, every student must have made a contribution to this. If this is the case, the PR tasks are "assessed" with "Pass", otherwise with "Fail".

The overall assessment is expressed in the final grade which is a weighted average of the above figures. Final mark C = (1/3) * C1 + (1/3) * C2 + (1/3) * C3.

The final grade C is only awarded, that is to say entered in Osiris, if both accompanying education and PR tasks have been assessed as "Pass".

This minor takes place in the context of one of the existing Even Groene Vrienden learning community clusters. These are learning ecosystems in which students co-create, work, and innovate together with other learning partners on authentic challenges. Finding solutions for complex, wicked problems must include gathering expertise from the quintuple helix; i.e. students from other knowledge institutions (Delft University of Technology primarily), public sector, private sector, civil society/individual citizens, and environmental organisations. 

This is a full time minor. You are expected to be present and committed to the learning community, which includes attending weekly sprints, as well as various co-creation sessions.

 

The study load is 30 credits, and is divided as follows:

Study load is 840 hrs = 30 credit points (cp)

• Project and Personal Coaching: 48 hrs
• Project Management Courses: 172 hrs
• Project Work: 552 hrs
• Languages & Culture: 56 hrs
• Social Activities: 12 hrs

With team: full time (40 hrs / wk), including at least 1 hrs / wk personal coaching. Locations: Betafactory  workspace and Betafactory THD0.06 in Delft.