Currently reading Ramp & Hummels (2025) on “The Carousel: a mutual and parallel learning approach to design for societal transformation”

Ramp & Hummels (2025) describe the peer-consultation method “carousel“, “a method to facilitate the exchange of perspectives of different actors working in parallel on different challenges“: Each presenter gets 30 minutes to present a project and ask 2-4 peers for input and feedback.

In order to manage to present a complex project and still have time to discuss it, presenters can either abstract the topic to the point that details don’t matter, or go so much into detail that the bigger context does not matter, so the peers can constructively contribute. The presenter then decides what specifically they would like to receive, based on what kind of input or feedback is most useful for their project at the specific point they are at in the process, and the participants respond to what they are asked to provide.

The carousel is facilitated by an organiser, who assigns groups to make sure that group composition is diverse (or follows whatever criteria they think are useful), and who keeps track of time so that the presenter switches after 30 minutes so everybody gets input on their project.

The authors discuss it as the main structure for a learning community, and I think this could work great first for the next meeting of my Teaching for Sustainability course where participants will give feedback on each others’ projects, and also for a faculty-, university-wide, or potentially national or even international peer network on Teaching for Sustainability!

Ramp, D. & Hummels, C. (2025) “The Carousel: a mutual and parallel learning approach to design for societal transformation“, Higher Education Research & Development, 44:6, 1429-1443, DOI: 10.1080/07294360.2025.2514512

Last weekend, I was on a trip in Helsingør, re-visiting one of the maps where you can leave a pin and that makes me feel so welcome and seen!

And, of course, looking at little lighthouses…

…and interesting reflections of waves on the sea wall…

…cool clouds…

…a wind-driven eddy that was on the opposite side of this corner than when we were here last time…

…discovered a cool map in the lawn…

…did some more wave watching…

…ok, and then some more wave watching…

…and a last look at the castle behind the miniature castle! I think it’s really cool to have the model positioned there so you can see it in front of the real thing!