About the Dynamic Material Bank (DMB) TOO4TO
Dynamic Material Bank @open.ktu.edu
Developed and financed under the ERASMUS+ project: Sustainable Development: Tools for Tomorrow (TOO4TO) 2020-1-PL01-KA203-082076
Dynamic material bank (DMB) – is the first output of the TOO4TO project – with the main aim to review the most recent and relevant materials devoted to sustainability that are applicable in an organisational context in the EU and beyond and create dynamic (updateable) open access database (bank) of various information references (materials). All materials available on open access providing opportunities for everyone having access to the Internet to reach and use the materials for learning purposes.
DMB provides information relevant to various target groups wishing to develop and align their business practices with EU-supported SDGs:
- Educational institutions (Teachers of higher education; Students) within the EU and elsewhere may find the DMB providing them valuable materials they can incorporate into their curricula and learning materials.
- Businesses alike can benefit from the material and implement the guidance into their business practices.
- Decision makers and representatives of public administration may use it as a source of up-to-date knowledge on sustainability and apply it in their work for the best effect.
- Researchers may also use DMB as quick access to up-to-date sources.
The DMB is foundation for the development of further project outputs: Training Curriculum; e-learning module (synchronous and asynchronous) and Guide to virtual teams. DMB is part of the learning materials and will have a direct impact on learning outcomes. DMB and other outputs of the project can be used as complex of tools oriented to the development of competences oriented to sustainable management, or as separate tools, with the availability to be integrated in the existent courses or as additional material. Intellectual outputs of the project are open-access and can be reached via project website: https://too4to.eu/
The development of DMB has started at the end of 2020 mapping out the current state-of-the-art pertinent to corporate sustainability reflecting the critical learning needs of students and teachers identified in the conducted surveys, as well as the current and upcoming labour market needs. It was the background to pick the most relevant areas of sustainability to be analysed and developed in DMB and other TOO4TO activities. The idea is to ensure that students are equipped with knowledge most relevant to their learning needs in relation to the barriers and pathways of sustainable development in an organizational context applicable within the EU (e.g. alignment with EU policies) and beyond (e.g. alignment with UN SDGs). The construction of the curriculum is built on interdisciplinary and collaboration needs. The DMB material is classified under seven themes (referred as “Sustainability Area” at DMB) which appeared to be most appealing for respondents:
- Basics of Sustainability and Sustainable Management
- Corporate Social and Environmental Sustainability
- Sustainable Resource Management
- Climate Change and Sustainability
- Sustainable Energy Solutions
- Circular Economy, Economic and Sustainability, Sustainable Production
- Artificial Intelligence and Sustainability
The DMB material for each theme includes open-access bibliography and active links to various information forms (referred as “Category” in the DMB:
- Regulations, policies (EU and global)
- Best practice examples from industry
- Scientific articles and other scientific publications
- Software and other tools
- Reports (global, regional, national or industry level)
- International research projects (results)
- Updates, insights from the business organizations
Each reference in DMB has a connection link identified to the specific UN SDGs or all of them.
The search of material in DMB is available based on the sustainability areas, categories, SDGs and key words within the DMB.
The DMB is published on open access on the project website by the end of October 2021. Further dissemination will be performed by providing link to it (https://open.ktu.edu/course/view.php?id=115) via various media. The link can be disseminated further via the databases of libraries of the and via the newsletter to the interested parties/stakeholders. It can be also disseminated via various social and professional media. Users of DMB are welcome to share the link and information about DMB at their institutions and beyond.
After the launch, regular updates of the material (as the knowledge in sustainability-related matters is not static) by:
- Project partners
- Students (based on the assignments oriented to this DMB) and described below “Add Entry – Let’s Develop Dynamic Material Bank Together”
- All DMB users (interactive participation of DMB users as co-authors, and other professionals of SD field)
Elements of
Innovation pedagogy is integral
part of DMB providing learners with guidance on how to
acquire, update and apply new knowledge and information even beyond the
official updates of the dynamic material bank and to utilise it for the updates
of DMB material.
Technical issues regarding the updating and usage are explained in the DMB Guidelines.
As the DMB is created under the Moodle platform, it could be linked to other Moodle courses, and the assignment regarding updating of the DMB could be exported to other Moodle courses in different educational institutions. Regular updates of all the users will be done in the additional DMB in order all the entries would be reviewed by the administrators of DMB (from the technical and thematic point of view) and the periodic updates would be done by the proved and valuable data.
All the users of DMB are co-creators of this platform, therefore you are welcome to search, update and disseminate it and leave your recommendations and comments (in the field of Help&Feedback regarding any possible improvements which would increase the usability of the DMB and it’s positive impact as one of the tools oriented to the future of sustainable development.