Hubs are where academics from across the CIVIS Alliance meet to develop collaborative, challenge-based educational opportunities – everything from standalone courses to full programs. The CIVIS Hubs are governed by representative councils of academics from all member universities, but their activities are bottom-up and open to participation from teachers and researchers across the Alliance. Each hub has its own thematic focus linked to one vital challenge facing our societies and our world
Building collaborative educational programs across so many universities is a hugely complex task. It requires a process of exploration, discovery and innovation which is as much about attitude as it is about process. Building the CIVIS Hubs took the courage to experiment, to recognise that some experiments will fail, and to learn from both failures and successes.
Innovation requires time. It can be fostered but not forced and it cannot be put on a fixed schedule. True innovation which leads to meaningful change requires that existing structures and processes are open to modification and improvement – and sometimes even elimination.
Taking risks, learning to fail and changing established systems. These are all approaches that will face hurdles, barriers and setbacks. But these challenges can reveal the positive potential that was always there or bring forth inspiring new solutions. This is what we have leant from establishing our CIVIS Hubs.
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Challenge-based learning approach in course design (2026)
This module is part of a broader upskilling initiative aimed at educators who wish to learn how to apply innovative methodologies to their teaching practice.- Challenged-based approach
- Course, module or learning opportunity
- Academics
- Researchers
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IMAGINING HOMELAND: PALMYRA'S (IN)TANGIBLE HERITAGE AND THE VOICES OF DISPLACEMENT
This volume is a monograph documenting the virtual reconstruction projects of the Temple of Baalshamin, one of the most significant forms of tangible heritage belonging to the Syrian community, destroyed as a result of terrorist attacks. Through a series of workshops with Syrian communities—including refugees, displaced persons, and individuals who have experienced either forced or voluntary migration—the virtual reconstruction is presented as a process that supports social inclusion and the reconstruction of cultural identity.- Communication and Dissemination
- Cultural heritage
- E-book
- Students
- Academics
- Researchers
- Civil society