The first Peer Learning Activity brought together lecturers from different disciplines to jointly design sustainability-focused courses. The focus was on interdisciplinary team teaching, highlighting links to the SDGs, a focus on learning outcomes, and the development of concrete course concepts.
Good to Know: The second round of the Peer Learning Activity will begin in October 2026 – lecturers from all faculties can sign up now.
The effectiveness of the format has also been recognised beyond the university:
- The ‘Education for Sustainable Development’ Peer Learning Activity was awarded the Silver Sustainability Award in 2024.
- Furthermore, courses emerging from PLA I were honoured in 2025 with the Ars Docendi State Prize for Excellence in Teaching.
Peer Learning Academy II
PLA II now builds on the experiences of PLA I. It is aimed at lecturers who wish to further develop sustainability-oriented higher education teaching together with colleagues from other departments. The structured peer-learning process fosters new perspectives on courses embedded within the curriculum and interdisciplinary collaboration.
Procedure
PLA II comprises a preparation, implementation and follow-up phase. Two preparatory sessions will take place at the University of Innsbruck on 6 and 12 October 2026, from 5.00 pm to 7.00 pm on each occasion. The two-day PLA will take place on 19 and 20 October 2026 at the St. Michael Alpine Retreat in Matrei am Brenner. The aim is to develop innovative and interdisciplinary teaching formats with a focus on Education for Sustainable Development. A further follow-up session, including an elevator pitch and a feedback round, will be arranged in consultation with the participants.
Further insights can be found in the follow-up report on PLA I. Information on the Silver Sustainability Award, as well as on the Ars Docendi-award-winning courses ‘Heavy Metal Sustainability’ and ‘Education for Sustainable Development in the Spirit of the Humboldt Brothers’, is also available online.
Target audience and registration
The programme is open to internal teaching staff from all faculties at the University of Innsbruck. Participants may register themselves or be nominated by their Dean of Studies. When allocating the available places, care will be taken to ensure participation from as many faculties as possible.
Registration for PLA II is now open: Registration
The Teaching and Learning Formats team at the Vice-Rectorate for Teaching and Students is available to answer any queries.
Contact: Lehreentwicklung@uibk.ac.at