– matters of agency, interdisciplinarity and transformation
Considering urgent complex and cross-cutting societal challenges such as demographic shifts, sustainability transitions, and innovation in public services there is a need for change in higher education. One could argue that students today experience a growing pressure from the surroundings for agency, interdisciplinary competence, and motivation to engage in real-world challenges, whereas the pedagogies widely activated are lagging behind in terms of supporting students to combine such “will to act” with a “competence to act”.
This special issue addresses how students can be empowered to contribute to meaningful social transformation through different kinds of knowledge systems and actor networks that support the transition from student agency to impact. The notion of knowledge systems emphasizes structures in which knowledge is socially constructed, shared and eventually materialized as in a curriculum. The focus on actor networks stresses human relations as well as the relation between human and non-human actors e.g. the relation between humans and technology.
Working with real life societal problems, including challenges, potentials and uncertainties, is not only a way to enhance competence to transition towards impact – it is also a way for students to contribute to more sustainable societies as part of their education.
We especially welcome research and case papers that address different ways that:
- knowledge systems shapes students’ ability to act as change agents – from an academic, interdisciplinary, experiential, institutional and community-based perspective.
- students internalize knowledge and develop the capacity to respond to complex societal problems
- knowledge becomes actionable through interdisciplinary teamwork and co-creation.
- students interact with various stakeholders with a shared ambition of sustainable change
- pedagogical models which, related to problem-based learning, can move students from understanding to impact - turning insight into innovation, and collaboration into transformation.
Problem-based learning is seen as a framework that encourages diversity rather than limit the scope to institutional frameworks that denominate their pedagogical approach as such. Thereby, this special issue also welcomes a wider set of pedagogical approaches which foster reflection, student-centeredness, collaboration, and real-world engagement. We welcome research papers based on any scientific method as well as real-life cases from educational practice.
Deadlines:
- Abstract submission: 01.05.2026 (Please send abstract to Jette Egelund Holgaard, jeh@plan.aau.dk)
- Acceptance of abstract: 15.05.2026
- Deadline for full papers: 31.08.2026
Editorial Group
Steffen Kjær Johansen, Associate Professor, University of Southern Denmark
Ida Gremyr, Professor, Chalmers University of Technology
Ane Johannessen, Professor, University of Bergen
Hanne Løje, Associate Professor, Technical University of Denmark
Jette Egelund Holgaard, Associate Professor, Aalborg University
For any further questions please contact:
Jette Egelund Holgaard, jeh@plan.aau.dk.