Transformative Learning Hub

About us

The Transformative Learning Hub seeks to blur the boundaries conventionally drawn between research, education and societal engagement. Recognising that we are all equally ‘problem-solvers, thinkers and learners’ (Glassman & Erdem 2014, 209), we focus on nurturing creative and constructive efforts to enable people of diverse backgrounds and in diverse settings ‘to critically question and assess the integrity of their deeply held assumptions about how they relate to the world around them’ (Mezirow & Taylor 2009, xi).

The Transformative Learning Hub is a community of practice that brings together researchers, educators, students, changemakers and activists across different disciplines and fields at Wageningen University & Research and beyond. What connects us is our shared interest in engaging with transformative and participatory approaches and methodologies - bringing together heads, hearts, hands, and feet.

We hold regular thematic community gatherings (see below for our agenda and updates), run an annual PhD course on transformative and participatory arts-based research methods, and support staff training initiatives in the fields of transformative learning and interdisciplinary research. We also actively work to introduce transformative and participatory approaches and techniques into spaces and among groups beyond the Hub. Check out what we're doing in greater detail below!

If you're interested in participating and/or contributing to the TL Hub's activities, please contact its coordinators: Anke de Vrieze (anke.devrieze@wur.nl) and Meghann Ormond (meghann.ormond@wur.nl).

The TL Hub is a Centre for Space, Place & Society (CSPS) research cluster at Wageningen University & Research. For more information about CSPS, visit https://centreforspaceplacesociety.com/

Learning, training & connecting

Our regular Transformative Learning Hub gatherings

The Transformative Learning Hub's monthly community gatherings are typically structured around:

Thematic, interactive sessions with invited guests;
Peer coaching that enables participants to reflect on and respond to real-life teaching and research challenges related to timely themes;
Prototyping and experimenting with transformative and participatory techniques useful for participants' teaching, research and societal work.

Check out the 'Updates' blog section below for details on the TL Hub's upcoming and previous community gatherings. Participation is free of cost, and everyone is welcome!

'Transformative & Participatory Qualitative Research Approaches & Methods' (TPAR) PhD course

This annual course for PhD candidates and early-career researchers provides both conceptual and hands-on methodological engagement with transformative, participatory and action research approaches that use creative and arts-based research methods and techniques to foster the inclusion and engagement of diverse (often marginalised) perspectives and to bring into focus, examine and transform narratives, representations and practices.

Check out the WASS course webpage to see our course flyer and to register. This video gives prospective course participants an overview of what alumni experienced and appreciated aby the course: https://youtu.be/wLp9idKTH7M

We run the course annually, starting in January or February.

'Transformative Online Learning: Building & Facilitating Nurturing Learning Environments' training course with Neza Krek

Thanks to special educational funding from Wageningen University, transformative learning specialist Neza Krek trained 20 educators throughout WUR from Nov. 2020-May 2021. It ran again between Jan.-June 2022 for a new batch of staff and students seeking to bring the course's innovative vision on learning to their facilitation, research and teaching practices.

Check out the course brochure here: https://centreforspaceplacesociety.files.wordpress.com/2021/12/46f2f-tl-for-wageningen-2022-1.pdf