TLHE project 2025: Matti Weisdorf (Faculty
of Theology) & Inge-Merete Hougaard (Department of Anthropology)
ABSTRACT
The Danish University
Act stipulates that university teaching be research-based. To deliver on this
agenda, the University of Copenhagen (UCPH) has an ambition of stimulating
research-teaching integration (RTI) as well as practice-integration in educational
programmes. This TLHE project investigates how this ambition is translated into
practice. We do this by analysing the cross-disciplinary elective Cultural
Ecological Climate Lab; specifically investigating how students experience
and benefit from RTI and practice-integration, what challenges may arise, and
how institutional frames at UCPH align with university ambitions. In addition
to participant observations of student-practitioner interactions during the
course, we have conducted semi-structured interviews with six students, four
faculty with particular interest in this agenda, and three practitioners
related to the course. Our analysis indicates that RTI dismantles the divide
between students and teachers/researchers. This increases student motivation,
yet also gives them insight to the black box of research. Further, they obtain
skills to address complex contemporary problems, and experience that their own
knowledge production has value for society, which heightens employability.
Conversely, the course is very demanding for students regarding time and
effort, while it also requires a considerable level of institutional resources,
which the university is currently not prioritizing.