How can communication activities help initiate real-life action on sustainability? This was the central question posed during the first Blended Intensive Program (BIP)—a short course funded by the ERASMUS+ program. It combined two days of online learning in May with face-to-face teaching from 13 to 20 June 2025 in Ilmenau. Twelve students from TU Ilmenau's partner universities, the Polytechnic University of Timișoara iand the National School of Political and Administrative Studies SNSPA in Romania, and the University of Information Technology and Management in Rzeszow - UITM, Poland, took part in the exchange program under the theme: “Sustainability Communication: From Concept to Practice.”
The program was divided into three consecutive parts. The first part consisted of three online sessions in which the lecturers introduced the three key concepts of the course: “sustainability”, ‘sustainability communication’ and the “whole institution approach” to drive sustainable change in higher education. In the second phase, each student created a short video addressing a sustainability issue they identified on their own campus. Meanwhile in the third phase, the on-site workshop at TU Ilmenau, students developed proposals for solutions to the sustainability problems identified in their videos. The students then learned that it is not enough to develop good solutions, but that these solutions must also be implemented. For this to succeed, communication is of central importance. That is why the last part of the event focused on what needs to be considered when developing a communication strategy to achieve the implementation of ideas.
At the end of the course, the students presented their proposals in four groups. Their ideas included initiatives to promote the responsible use of artificial intelligence on campus, to encourage the use of public transport for sustainable mobility, to increase green spaces and to reduce energy consumption on campus.
Applying sustainability communication concepts to real-world issues
“We didn’t just explain sustainability communication concepts—we encouraged students to apply them to real-world issues at their universities,” said Prof. Jens Wolling from the Department of Empirical Media Research and Political Communication, who lectured during the course:
Our goal was to inspire them to use what they’ve learned to actively support social transformation when they return home.
"The group work was not only supervised by our team, but also supported by students from TU Ilmenau who are actively involved in local sustainability initiatives," adds Dr. Mira Rochyadi-Reetz, also part of the teaching team:
This gave participants the chance to see real-world examples and learn from peers about how they, too, can contribute to sustainability transformation at their universities. We were fortunate to collaborate with ISWI for this first BIP, giving participants the opportunity to join various ISWI 2025 side events. We also got support from the FabLab team at TU Ilmenau where students could have visit and have the opportunity to test their facilities if they want.
Merlin, a participant from the Polytechnic University of Timișoara, said his motivation for joining the BIP was to empower others in his home country and to implement what he learned in real projects. Meanwhile Solas, a participant from UITM Rzeszów, appreciated the program’s strong emphasis on practical skills and expressed interest in attending future BIP courses at TU Ilmenau. “Please let us know if you offer another BIP short course at TU Ilmenau - we’d love to participate again,” said Solas after receiving her BIP certificate.
Contact
Prof. Jens Wolling
Head of Media Research and Political Communication