Living Labs – Better Student Outcomes through Sustainability - Living Lab Guide – Common Challenges and Solutions

The Challenge

Timing

Students, academics, operational staff and external stakeholders often have differing timelines for developing and delivering work.

The Solutions

The Case Study

UWE Sustainability Team members have been increasing their collaborative working with academics to embed applied learning and research opportunities in existing modules and relevant areas of the curriculum. This enables projects to be implemented in a timely manner that fits with other programme timelines. 

The Challenge

Implementation: Going beyond test beds

How to ensure students' Living Labs work is impactful and useful for the university/ community?

Students want to see the impacts of their work, but institutions'/ large-scale projects and initiatives take time to implement.

The Solutions

The Case Study

Living Labs at University of Leicester involve a clear planning phase between students/ academics and operational staff to agree on timelines of work, proposed outputs and intentions for how projects will or may be implemented.

The Challenge

Measuring Impact

Applied teaching, learning and research needs to be impactful for all stakeholders

Aligning impacts with institutional priorities

The Solutions

The Case Study

Keele University’s Smart Energy Project and VC endorsement for campus as a Living Lab

UWE Living Labs and ESD work supported and engaged with by AVC.

Queen’s University Belfast identified the need for high level support wider engagement.

The Challenge

Resourcing: staff and funding

How can institutions drive this work forward effectively for student and institution/community benefit?

The Solutions

The Case Study

University of Leicester, Leeds and Cambridge have all been developing methodologies for measuring, evaluating and reporting the impact of their Living Labs. Other institutions showcased in this document have been demonstrating impact by aligning Living Labs with academic assessment requirements, identifying the implementation of Living Labs (going beyond test beds) and quantifying the number of Living Labs projects completed.

The Challenge

Gaining high level 'Executive' support

How do you do this for a whole-institution approach?

Working to influence institutional priorities

The Solutions

The Case Study

University of Leeds – Sustainability team annual fund for Living Labs projects and match funding of other departmental projects. Equipment and materials purchased for Living Lab projects provide long term benefit to the departments involved. University of Leicester employed a graduate intern to identify the need for a Living Lab coordinator – this role is now a permanent Academic Engagement Officer.

The Challenge

Engagement: Reaching stakeholders

How to find the right students for the project/opportunity?

How to engage more academic or more operational staff/community in utilising Living Labs?

The Solutions

The Case Study

University of Edinburgh – Creation of public engagement role.

UWE sustainability team collaboration and networking with academic staff.

The Challenge

Creating a culture of partnership working: breaking down silos

How can you break out of a historic culture of siloed working with lack of collaborations at an interdisciplinary level and between academics/operational staff?

The Solutions

The Case Study

University of Salford – Business School academic promoting Living Labs approaches within their course and engaging with operational teams. University of Greenwich take a coordinated approach between academics and operational staff to raise awareness of opportunities and projects.

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