'A water journey: from glaciers to rivers and lakes through storytelling' - Learnings from an online transdisciplinary course

In an increasingly global society, environmental challenges such as water scarcity and pollution impact everyone. The inextricable link between water and climate change together with population growth and economic development force up to 50% of the world's population into a state of water insecurity by 2050. Sustainable water management is, therefore, a growing challenge around the world. Furthermore, it is imperative to communicate effectively to raise awareness of the global freshwater crisis and to advance water management discourses. 

Here we focus on a recent (winter semester 2024/25) piloting of a course titled A water journey: from glaciers to rivers and lakes through storytelling. The course is part of Global Awareness Education in the Transdisciplinary Course Program at the University of Tübingen in Germany, and is open to bachelor and master students of all disciplines (not just geosciences) from both the University of Tübingen and CIVIS (an alliance of 11 leading universities across Europe). The focus of this course was two-fold: First, students learn about the fundamentals of water resource challenges worldwide also concerning virtual water trades, and how human activities such as damming rivers for hydroelectricity and using water for farming impact the water cycle. Integrated water resource management as a solution to transboundary river management disputes was also explored using a role-play scenario. Second, students were introduced to storytelling communication tools and strategies to inform, educate and influence individuals and communities to tackle water issues. Students then applied gained knowledge to create an audio product related to water using narratives and stories which were integrated into a radio piece for broader impact.

Using a survey questionnaire at the start and end of the course, we assessed students’ knowledge of global water challenges and solutions as well as their level of awareness towards local watersheds, drinking water, and global water footprints. We also assessed students’ confidence and skills in, and attitudes towards water communication through storytelling. In this presentation, we share the survey results, offer samples of students' audio work, and discuss the challenges and opportunities we faced in course implementation.