Climate risks and adaptation across sectors and continents: A COIL-based Course

Innovative Project idea

The course is intentionally designed to foster intercultural collaboration and awareness of regional diversity in both context and academic traditions. Each case study describes the specific physical and social settings of its regions allowing students to understand how local realities shape climate risk and adaptation strategies. Group assignments are structured to ensure that participants from each region first present their local viewpoints, perceptions, and academic approaches before engaging in global synthesis. This process enables all students, both at UZH and the partner universities, to recognize the priorities and analytical frameworks of others, fostering mutual learning and critical comparison and reflection. Students from partner universities will have access to pre-recorded lectures to ensure a shared conceptual foundation while maintaining diversity in regional knowledge and disciplinary perspectives. Each university will assess its own students independently, following its institutional grading policies and criteria. The evaluation focuses on collaboration quality, intercultural awareness, and the integration of multiple perspectives rather than technical uniformity. Assessment components include a comparative group policy brief and an individual reflective essay on intercultural learning. Guided reflection sessions at the end of the course help students articulate the intercultural, transferable skills gained - such as context-specific understanding and problem solving, culturally sensitive communication, transparency, empathy, and adaptability.

Added value for students or teaching

The course provides approximately 40 UZH master students per year with the opportunity to experience international collaboration and knowledge exchange without requiring physical mobility. Through joint lectures and team work with students from the Andes and the Himalayas, participants are exposed to diverse teaching approaches, regional context and complexities, and socio-environmental realities. They will gain first-hand insights into how climate risks are understood, perceived, and addressed in teaching and practice in different parts of the world, learning to navigate contrasting scientific, social, and ethical perspectives. The course fosters intercultural dialogue, open-mindedness, and the ability to collaborate across disciplines and cultures. By interacting directly with peers from regions heavily affected by climate change, students develop a deeper understanding of global adaptation challenges and professional contexts beyond Europe. This experience enhances their global employability and prepares them for future international careers in academia, development, and environmental policy.