Conference Agenda

In the context of increasing democratic challenges, social fragmentation and complex socio-ecological transformations, higher education (HE) is being called upon to renew its democratic mission. European policy frameworks, including the Council of Europe’s Learners First - Education for Today’s and Tomorrow’s Democratic Societies (2024 - 2030), emphasise the need to prepare learners as active, responsible participants in democratic life who can contribute to inclusive, sustainable and pluralistic societies. At the same time, the CoE’s Reference Framework of Competences for Democratic Culture (RFCDC) has highlighted persistent difficulties in integrating and assessing competences for democratic culture in HE. This raises the question of how HE can more clearly define, foster and measure such competences, pointing to the need to rethink educational goals and curricula so that democratic competences become a cross-cutting feature of study programmes.

One influential attempt to conceptualise the relationship between HE, academic learning and civic responsibility is the notion of the “civic-minded graduate” (CMG), developed in the US context (Bringle et al., 2011). However, its conceptual scope remains insufficiently aligned with European policy frameworks. It does not fully reflect the centrality of democratic culture, human rights, pluralism and sustainability in European agendas, nor does it sufficiently engage with questions of power, inequality and systemic transformation that are central to contemporary debates on democratic education.

Developed within the RE:LEARN project (NextGenerationEU), this paper introduces the concept of a European civic-minded graduate. It aligns the CMG model with key European competence frameworks, particularly the RFCDC, and builds on recent initiatives such as EngageComp. We position the European civic-minded graduate both as an educational construct guiding learning outcomes, curriculum design and teaching practices, and as a research construct supporting the development of empirical tools for assessing democratic competences. This way, the concept speaks simultaneously to curriculum development and to current gaps in measuring the impact of pedagogies such as service-learning.

Building on a synthesis of CMG literature and European frameworks, we propose a multidimensional competence model structured around four domains: knowledge and critical understanding, skills, values and attitudes. Together, these define the European civic-minded graduate as a democratically competent, sustainability-oriented actor capable of navigating and transforming complex, pluralistic societies.

We argue that this framework can inform future educational goals, curriculum development and teaching pedagogies across disciplines. In addition, it highlights the role of service-learning and allied pedagogies in fostering European civic-minded graduates and advancing democratic culture within (European) HE curricula and institutions.

Higher education institutions are increasingly challenged to strengthen democratic culture by fostering inclusive, participatory, and socially responsible learning environments. However, universities prioritize content transmission over student-centred learning, confirming that democratic-orientated teaching practices remain rare (Nagy & Gloe, 2020). Building on research emphasizing the transformative potential of collaborative, socially embedded learning (Hofer & Derkau, 2020), a transnational e-service-learning project was initiated within teacher education at the University of Konstanz (Germany), in partnership with the University of Pretoria, Mamelodi Campus (South Africa).

During a three-day webinar series on Social Media Literacy (SML; Polanco Levic & Salvo-Garrido, 2022) in summer 2025, university students engaged with marginalized adolescents from the township of Mamelodi. Moreover, the project aimed to foster future skills (i.e., collaboration, communication, critical thinking, creativity, civic agency; OECD, 2019, 2025). In a pilot study, I explored the e-service-learning approach, focusing on how German students perceived their roles, reflected on their learning processes, and how the adolescents described their experiences.

Thematic analyses (Braun & Clarke, 2006) of self-reflection reports from thirteen German students and several WhatsApp messages from 28–35 adolescents indicate that the project fostered social media literacy, intercultural communication, digital collaboration, critical thinking, and flexibility. German students reported an increased awareness of global social inequalities, enhanced intercultural sensitivity, and a stronger sense of social responsibility. The adolescents reported increased confidence in engaging with digital content in a critical and safe manner. The pilot study suggests that transnational service-learning can serve as a powerful mechanism for strengthening democratic competencies by creating bottom-up, relational, and transformative learning spaces. It highlights the potential of digital collaboration to bridge social divides, promote mutual understanding, and cultivate civic dispositions across global contexts.

Based on the positive experiences of all participants and the relevance of social media literacy—competencies increasingly linked to democratic participation and resilience in digital societies (Polanco Levic & Salvo-Garrido, 2022)—the project was also conducted in winter 2025/26 and will be continued in 2026 at the University of Konstanz. The findings inform the design of a forthcoming mixed-methods study (Ahmed et al., 2024): students will document their learning processes in reflective diaries, adolescents will participate in short pre- and post-surveys, and educational partners at the Mamelodi campus will be interviewed. This work contributes to ongoing debates on how higher education can redefine professional excellence to include civic responsibility, and how service-learning can support resilient, inclusive, and socially democratic societies.

The inter-university module was designed for students across diverse degree programmes—including Sustainable Regional Development, Design, and Social Work—at three universities of applied sciences in North-West Brandenburg. These institutions collaborate within the framework of the joint project InNoWest – Einfach machen!, The project seeks to bridge the gap between academic research and regional practice, addressing local needs and initiatives through applied, participatory approaches.

Within this context, the module established a transdisciplinary curriculum grounded in service-learning principles. Students engaged in practice-oriented projects with regional partners, tackling challenges related to the ecology, economy, and society of the Elbe river region. Through collaboration with practitioners, students co-developed new narratives about the river that integrated both experiential knowledge and academic perspectives.

This transdisciplinary approach not only cultivates diverse viewpoints but also fosters the acquisition of key competencies aligned with Higher Education for Sustainable Development (HESD). Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) emphasizes inter- and transdisciplinarity, as the resolution of complex sustainability issues necessitates collaboration across academic disciplines and between academia and practice (Molitor et al., 2022). Such integrative processes are also central to democracy education for both students and participating stakeholders, which underscores participatory, inclusive, and deliberative practices (Carrapatoso, 2026). Moreover, research demonstrates that transdisciplinary education, problem-based engagement, and the active involvement of stakeholders in community-engaged programmes enable the addressing of multifaceted challenges, yielding holistic and innovative solutions (Chang et al., 2020).

In the presentation, we will first outline the structure and objectives of this cross-university module within the service-learning framework. Subsequently, we will elaborate on the methodological and didactic strategies employed, with particular attention to the transdisciplinary approach. Building on this foundation, we will illustrate how the concepts of democracy education and ESD intersect and mutually reinforce one another. Finally, we will discuss the potential for transferring this approach to other educational and practical contexts, identifying the necessary conditions for successful implementation and the learning outcomes for all stakeholders involved.