Facilitation and Participatory Methods (5cr)

Objective

Upon completion of the course, the students will understand the basic principles of facilitation and participatory approach to organisational development. They will be able to identify the requirements of the different stages in a participatory approach and adjust their facilitation process accordingly. They will be able to reflect and analyse their experiences and observations as facilitators and carry out and participate in feedback discussions about these contents. The students will be able to identify the requirements and responsibilities of a facilitator. They will be able to plan and execute a facilitated workshop using participatory methods as well as reflect and evaluate the workshop afterwards to further improve themselves as facilitators.

Content

- theory and application of facilitation and participatory approach to organisational development - phases and methods in facilitation - planning, executing and evaluating a facilitated workshop - virtual facilitation - role and responsibilities of an ethical facilitator - feedback discussion

Content scheduling

-

Location and time

The course unit will be implemented entirely online. The learning environment used is Moodle and online meetings will be organised via Zoom. Online meetings will take place on Tuesday evenings from 3 March to 14 April 2026 as follows: Tue 3 March, 17:00–20:00 Tue 10 March, 17:00–20:00 Tue 24 March, 17:00–20:00 Tue 31 March, 17:00–20:00 Tue 14 April, 17:00–20:00 Themes: 1. Theory and application opportunities of a participatory approach 2. Stages and methods of the facilitation process; the facilitator’s role, responsibilities and ethical accountability 3. Pitfalls of facilitation 4. Planning and implementation of a facilitated session; structure and utilisation of developmental feedback discussions 5. Virtual / visual facilitation

Materials

The learning material will be updated in Moodle.

Teaching methods

Interactive lectures Group work and discussion Independent work and online assignments (flipped classroom) Development project

Employer connections

-

Exam schedules

No Exam.

International connections

-

Completion alternatives

This course demands active participation.

Student workload

Contact teaching 15h Guided online work 35h Independent study and assignments 85h

Evaluation methods and criteria

Tasks and grounds for assessment 1. Continuous demonstration of competence Active participation in lessons 2. Development assignment Design, peer review, implementation and evaluation of an individual experiment. 3. Learning portfolio The student compiles development models, frameworks, and methods appropriate for their own work. Assessment criteria: Pass The student has completed the course assignments and demonstrated mastery of the key principles of a participatory working approach and the stages of the facilitation process. The student demonstrates the ability to plan and implement an event utilising participatory methods, as well as to evaluate it afterwards. The student recognises the role and responsibility of the facilitator, is able to reflect on their own actions, and utilise formative feedback. Fail The student has not completed the assignments or has not demonstrated sufficient competence regarding the participatory working approach, facilitation process, planning and implementation of an event, or reflection on their own actions and the utilisation of feedback.

Evaluation scale

Pass/Fail