Transformation of HE in India towards an ideal culture of teaching, learning, innovation and research for strengthening the fabric of democracy and sustainability

The current research project includes a series of intervention studies to understand and support the transformation process of teaching, research and learning in a Higher Education institute in Pune, India. In India, and across the globe, there is an increasing need to support learning among students that supports a type of thinking that is required to function and flourish in the 21st century. In India, there are various challenges, as well as opportunities, to stimulate students in different ways; through research, co-creation of knowledge, through team-based assignments, and transdisciplinary problem-solving regarding complex sustainability issues. The current thesis explores how to facilitate meaningful change in processes of knowledge production and teaching in a University, and to understand what is needed at the level of students, teachers, organisational structure, and the interactions with the political level around hE in India. The case studies involved reflect on experiments with various alternative forms of education, in which students work together on complex problems, and learn research skills, as well as case studies in which efforts are made to scale up such learning through teacher training. Finally, we also reflect on the process of implementation of certain principles regarding sustainability and transdisciplinarity across the organisation, through policies and regulations.