A central outcome in 2021-22 was the delivery of a 5 ECTS course, where each network partner participated with four students. Additionally, this year, a guest university from Pune (India) participated with two students and two teachers, financed by the Norwegian NOTED programme (HK-dir).

Every year the Spica intensive course changes its format and content, adapting global questions and challenges to the characteristics of a local Nordic context. The 2022 course ” Education for Sustainable Futures: Wellbeing of Humans and Nature” took place in Oulu and Syöte National Park, Finland. An online course component with the use of flipped classroom and online group discussions preceded the course week. Explorative perspectives on education and learning, SDG 4.7 and the use of local surroundings constituted the course’s thematic, geographical and educational frames. Faculty from the participating institutions contributed with their knowledge and shared experiences online and on-site with the students. The students worked in mixed nationality groups, applying the methods and concepts they had encountered.

Both students and teachers highlight the use of a variety of place-based learning activities, such as field excursions, meetings with experts and school children, and creative and rich learning environments in nature as valuable. The Spica course provided an in-depth and student active learning experience.

In addition to the course, the Spica-network facilitated mobility for 19 Nordic teacher training students to do parts of their study at a Nordic partner institution, and for 6 teacher educators to develop teaching materials across the Nordics.