About Change Makers modules

Welcome to Change Makers

Change Makers modules put your degree in a broader context, connecting disciplines and considering the social, ethical and cultural dimensions of sustainable human development.

Combating climate change, establishing gender equality, preserving biodiversity, access to education and eliminating poverty are just some of the environmental and social pressures that will shape the coming century. They will alter how we live, the risks we face, and the ways that we govern a more interdependent world. Tackling these challenges and enabling change will require the best available minds to measure and predict impacts and to identify solutions.

Our award-winning modules give you the opportunity to research and problem solve your choice of these challenges in teams of students from different degree programmes (multidisciplinary), integrating ideas from different disciplines (interdisciplinary) and incorporating your own experiences and non-academic knowledge (transdisciplinary). We will achieve this using a range of new and diverse ways of working. 

Module Design

All Change Makers modules have been designed to complement your degree studies rather than to just give you more of the same type of work to do.

For this reason, you will be expected to work in a very different way.

We don’t have any lectures, and you won’t be told what to learn.

You will need to make a lot of choices for yourself – this can be exciting, but also a bit scary. Your teachers will help you to make good learning choices and to achieve excellent results.

It doesn’t matter what you think you’re good at, or what you find hard – there will be something in every Change Makers module that celebrates exactly who you are and helps you to achieve things that you might have thought would be very tricky.

We will ask a lot of you, but we will support you all the way.

What choices will I have to make?

Change Makers modules encourage independent learning. That doesn’t mean that we don’t teach you anything, but it does mean that teachers and students work together in partnership to achieve some amazing learning.

The main difference is that you will be responsible for the content of your learning, and we will help you with the method or way of learning. We will challenge you to think and learn in ways that are very different to in your degree, but these new skills will help you to learn more effectively back in your degree too.

So you might be asked to write your own research or design question, choosing your own topic, scope and theoretical perspective. You might be asked to design your own project and even your own assessment.

But at every step of the process, your teachers will help you with ways to come up with great ideas that really suit you as an individual or your team as a group.

We are experts in helping you in this way – whether you think this type of learning will suit you – or whether you think this sounds like a terrible idea. We never let a single student struggle on their own – we have a massive tool kit to help you at each and every moment of the module.

We love doing what we do, and we hope that although this experience will be challenging, you will end up loving it too.

Change Makers Values

The Change Makers modules will help you to:

• foster an appreciation of the value of interdisciplinary learning
• develop confidence in your ability to learn independently
• develop a realistic and evidence-based approach to ‘global issues’ 
• develop an empathic engagement with the real world
• establish effective team working and collaborative practice
• explore communication practices and develop core skills 

Interdisciplinary learning

In order to help you to approach sustainable human development in an effective and innovative manner, you will be introduced to ways of thinking, learning and researching that come from a range of different disciplines. These include art and design, earth sciences, environmental sciences, environmental studies, economics, geography, history, politics and international relations.

Authentic learning

Some of the most transformative and effective learning is a type of learning called authentic learning. This is not the most technical, advanced or difficult learning. Instead, it is the learning that belongs to you as an individual. So instead of your learning being defined by the class that you sitting in, it should also take account of who you are as a person. It is really important that your learning incorporates your own experience, interests and expertise. You might think that you don’t have much expertise yet (and that is why you have come to university), but actually you do. You just need to know where to look. Rather than being difficult in the ways you might encounter in your degree, this type of learning might feel uncertain, uncomfortable or confusing. Please bear with this – it is incredibly valuable to feel this discomfort and come through it – and don’t forget we will be there to help with these experiences.

This is why we ask you to make lots of choices in your learning. You ask your own questions and find your own answers. We will help you every step of the way, but we can’t make those choices for you.

Inclusive learning

All Change Makers classrooms are inclusive and safe spaces where you belong, just how you are. You don’t need to be a particular type of student, or have particular interests. We want to get to know you – however you are comfortable to be known. It is important to us that you feel welcome and accepted in our classes – so if there is anything we can do to help with this, please let your class teacher know. See our post on Inclusivity in the Classroom for more information about this.

Last Updated 24th September 2023.