Project TORCH

The TORCH project - Transformative Teaching and Learning for Sustainability -  at the University of Kassel is developing an innovative educational architecture for sustainability. Building on more than 100 existing university modules from all ten faculties and the "Kunsthochschule", TORCH promotes transformative learning processes, interdisciplinary collaboration, and practice-oriented education.

At its core are the development of change-making competencies, personal development, and the capacity for reflection and critical thinking. Students and teaching staff are supported in actively shaping sustainable solutions to social and ecological challenges.

Through project-based learning, global perspectives, and a connected sustainability community, TORCH strengthens the sustainability profile of the University of Kassel and prepares future changemakers for a sustainable society.

The TORCH project is initially funded until 31 December 2029 as part of the “Lehrarchitekturen ” program of the Foundation „Innovation in der Hochschullehre“.

stiftung-hochschullehre.de

Insights / Reports / Announcements

Within the framework of the new interdisciplinary sustainability study models, TORCH pursues three main objectives targeting students, teaching staff, and the sustainability community. The project integrates existing expertise from central institutions, emphasizes project-based learning, global perspectives in teaching and didatctics, as well as reflective formats and the visibility of stakeholders.

Insights / Reports / Announcements

Do you want to do more than just understand sustainability in theory—do you want to actively shape it? —Then come to the „GestaltBar Nachhaltigkeit“ and share your topics and ideas. 

This workshop is designed to help identify topics for the project seminar starting in the 2026/27 winter semester "GestaltBar Nachhaltigkeit: Eure Themen, eure Projekte“ which is offered as part of the project modules within the sustainability study programmes. The workshop will be held in German.

Date: July 3, 2026

Time: 9:30 a.m.–12:30 p.m.

Location: Idea Lab at Science Park

Registration at: chrubasik[at]uni-kassel[dot]de

On Thursday, July 2, from 2:30–4:00 p.m., we warmly welcome all team-teaching instructors to an informal gathering at KIS (Moselthalstraße 8). The event offers an opportunity to get to know the participating instructors as well as the transformation agents of the TORCH project team, engage in conversation, and create space for exchange, questions, and new ideas.

The workshop will be held in German.

How do we want to learn in times of social and ecological crises - and what needs to change at universities to achieve this? The workshop invites students and lecturers to explore transformative teaching together as an open search process. In exchange, reflection and practice phases, space is created for experiences, tensions and future ideas of sustainable university teaching.The workshop will be held in German.

Date: 08.07.2026

Time: 2-5 p.m.

Location: Kassel Institute for Sustainability, Room 3001

With registration at: m.boehnert@uni-kassel.de

Together with teacher training students, students of sustainability sciences experience international perspectives on indigeneity through exciting, interactive inputs from science, NGOs and indigenous communities. The interdisciplinary encounter is particularly enriching and enables mutual learning.

Please register by sending an e-mail to stefanie.goertz@uni-potsdam.de. You can take part in the first session and then decide whether or not to continue.

Project Module & Team Teaching

The goal of TORCH is to engage with as many different stakeholders as possible in order to build cooperation and gather diverse perspectives on sustainability and transformative teaching.

Within the joint project module (P3) of the minor subject Sustainability Studies, the Integrated Sustainability Studies (iNaS) program, and the BA in Sustainability Sciences (Nawis), the Transformation Agents offer team-teaching for the collaborative planning and implementation of a project seminar. If you are interested, please feel free to contact the following project staff members/ Transformation Agents.

The Project Module (P3) is designed for students who want to actively shape sustainability. It focuses on addressing real-world challenges at the intersection of the environment, society, and the economy. Working in interdisciplinary teams and in collaboration with relevant stakeholders, students identify sustainability issues, formulate research questions, and develop actionable solutions.

To open up new project ideas for transformative learning processes, the transformation agents offer team teaching. This involves the joint planning and implementation of a project. In addition to enhancing the didactic quality of the teaching format and supporting lecturers, the program aims to enrich projects through thematic explorations and co-creation processes between academic departments and external stakeholders. A process is being established to connect Transformation Agents with teaching staff interested in team teaching.

Team & Contact