Collaborative and practice oriented learning of disaster risk management in post socialist transitition countries

Abstract

The paper presents a case of knowledge production as a result of international cooperation between two academic master programs, Integrated Urbanism from the Faculty of Architecture, University of Belgrade, Serbia and Urban Management from the University of Technology Berlin, Germany, under the support of GIZ/AMBERO-ICON project "Strengthening of local land management in Serbia".

The focus is on a ten-days workshop, which addressed the issue of disaster risk management in the circumstances of post-socialist transition. The aim of this paper is to describe the complex process of collaborative and practice oriented learning during the workshop which took place at the Faculty of Architecture, University of Belgrade, Serbia and Serbian municipality Obrenovac.

The specificity of this learning process is in its orientation towards practice, understood as a network of multiple actors from different disciplines and sectors who participate in knowledge production. Besides the students, mentors from both faculties and junior tutors, local policy makers, experts from local institutions and public companies, representatives from civil sector and local community also participated in the workshop. As a final result of the workshop, the students have developed a comprehensive report as recommendations for local disaster risk management. This paper presents the key student activities where collaboration and interaction were employed. It points out the analysis of the students’ common work and discussion on their evaluation of the workshop and effects of collaboration with other participants in the process.

The innovative way of knowledge production through collaborative and practice oriented learning processes presented can serve as a model of education for specific and complex issues which can be applied in the future in other courses and faculties. In addition, the experience indicates the need for further application and research on the collaborative model that enhances effective interaction, as well as practical and problem-oriented way of teaching and learning.