In an effort to develop and evaluate innovative educational and learning formats designed to support interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary approaches, the three scholars presented their research findings from the TRANSFORM project titled "Teaching Democratically Through Transformative and Interdisciplinary Learning: Empirical Insights from the TRANSFORM Project". There were a total of nine courses designed to not only facilitate transformative learning processes, but also democratically focus on classroom teaching practices.

Funded by the BMBWF, the project "TRANSFORM - Digitale und soziale Transformation durch innovative Ansätze in Forschung und universitärer Bildung" is a partnership between the Johannes Kepler University Linz, the University of Applied Arts Vienna, and the University for Continuing Education Krems. The objective was to explore and test new approaches in research and university education and create forward-looking transdisciplinary and inter-university educational formats to complement higher education in the long run by means of innovative approaches.

Focus on Democratic Teaching Practices in University Education

Findings from the TRANSFORM project revealed that democratic and transformative educational methods not only support active student participation, but also strengthen their ability to critically reflect on - and actively shape - social challenges. The courses presented were an example of just how universities can serve as places to not only teach democratic values, but also actively practice them.

Outlook and Networking

The conference was an opportunity to come together with a very diverse group of researchers and participants, especially in terms of culture and disciplines. The diverse environment facilitated interesting discussions and gave participants an opportunity to expand their network of contacts. Contributions by the various participants have resulted in working together on a joint book, "Democratic Teaching Practices", expected to be published this year.