Sustainability Hackathon: Integrating Academia …
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integrating the paradigm of complexity in the curriculum; (5) contextualizing the
curricular project; (6) introducing flexibility and permeability of the disciplines; (7)
attempting to establish coherence and interaction between theory and practice; (8)
working within a prospective orientation of alternative scenarios; (9) creating space
for reflection and democratic participation; (10) adapting new teaching and learning
methodologies. Many authors (e.g. Blake et al. 2013; Leal Filho et al. 2016; Lozano
et al. 2017) highlight pedagogies and teaching techniques for developing sustainability competences and examples are pedagogies such as project and problem-based
learning, active learning, community service learning, place-based environmental
education; and teaching techniques such as case studies, concept maps, life cycle
and supply chain analysis, participatory research, formation of interdisciplinary and
interlinked teams, and teachers acting as facilitators of knowledge.
Considering that non-traditional techniques may also contribute to teaching
sustainability, this article presents the experience of an academic marathon for
creating solutions using residuals. Inspired by the hackathons, usually organized
for software development, this one focus on sustainability issues, in order to stimulate the participants to think about real socio-environmental problems under the
mentoring of teachers and with the support from companies’ representatives.
2 Why a Hackathon?
A hackathon (from hacking + marathon) is generally defined as an event, typically
lasting several days, in which a large number of people meet to engage in collaborative
computer programming. It was first recorded on June 4, 1999, when a group of
10 Open Berkeley Software Distribution (OpenBSD) developers met in Calgary,
Alberta, Canada (Wood 2013).
According Wood (2013), hackathons are highly engaging events that gained
increasing popularity in the mid-2000s among software companies as a way to
quickly develop new ideas. However, they have been criticized for being counterproductive, unhealthy, and stupid, with outcomes that are not necessarily useful for
society and that will die as fast as they grew. For Wood (2013), although some criticism are valid, it is important to see the bigger picture: most participants will not
reinvent the world in 48 h, but for many, it could be a first step for a new career, an
opportunity to meet new people and to open their minds. Komssi et al. (2015) agree
that hackathons are effective social and educational events since they provide participants with a way to learn or try something new. “An often understated by-product
of hackathons is the participants’ personal development and sense of achievement
from working with new technologies, meeting and collaborating with people they
otherwise wouldn’t, and generally having a lot of fun. These bene-fits might even
constitute the primary reason for the hackathon, owing to the event’s potential for
building strong communities and cultures” (Komssi et al. 2015).
Each hackathon is different, but most share some characteristics: team-based
organization; intensity; creativity; problem solving; attention to users of a product or
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integrating the paradigm of complexity in the curriculum; (5) contextualizing the
curricular project; (6) introducing flexibility and permeability of the disciplines; (7)
attempting to establish coherence and interaction between theory and practice; (8)
working within a prospective orientation of alternative scenarios; (9) creating space
for reflection and democratic participation; (10) adapting new teaching and learning
methodologies. Many authors (e.g. Blake et al. 2013; Leal Filho et al. 2016; Lozano
et al. 2017) highlight pedagogies and teaching techniques for developing sustainability competences and examples are pedagogies such as project and problem-based
learning, active learning, community service learning, place-based environmental
education; and teaching techniques such as case studies, concept maps, life cycle
and supply chain analysis, participatory research, formation of interdisciplinary and
interlinked teams, and teachers acting as facilitators of knowledge.
Considering that non-traditional techniques may also contribute to teaching
sustainability, this article presents the experience of an academic marathon for
creating solutions using residuals. Inspired by the hackathons, usually organized
for software development, this one focus on sustainability issues, in order to stimulate the participants to think about real socio-environmental problems under the
mentoring of teachers and with the support from companies’ representatives.
2 Why a Hackathon?
A hackathon (from hacking + marathon) is generally defined as an event, typically
lasting several days, in which a large number of people meet to engage in collaborative
computer programming. It was first recorded on June 4, 1999, when a group of
10 Open Berkeley Software Distribution (OpenBSD) developers met in Calgary,
Alberta, Canada (Wood 2013).
According Wood (2013), hackathons are highly engaging events that gained
increasing popularity in the mid-2000s among software companies as a way to
quickly develop new ideas. However, they have been criticized for being counterproductive, unhealthy, and stupid, with outcomes that are not necessarily useful for
society and that will die as fast as they grew. For Wood (2013), although some criticism are valid, it is important to see the bigger picture: most participants will not
reinvent the world in 48 h, but for many, it could be a first step for a new career, an
opportunity to meet new people and to open their minds. Komssi et al. (2015) agree
that hackathons are effective social and educational events since they provide participants with a way to learn or try something new. “An often understated by-product
of hackathons is the participants’ personal development and sense of achievement
from working with new technologies, meeting and collaborating with people they
otherwise wouldn’t, and generally having a lot of fun. These bene-fits might even
constitute the primary reason for the hackathon, owing to the event’s potential for
building strong communities and cultures” (Komssi et al. 2015).
Each hackathon is different, but most share some characteristics: team-based
organization; intensity; creativity; problem solving; attention to users of a product or