Evaluating the Impact of a Transdisciplinary Circular Economy Course on University Students: Enhancing Proficiency, Awareness, and Positive Sentiments in Sustainable Practices

As the global community grapples with environmental challenges, there is a pressing need to transition from the linear ‘take-make-dispose’ model to a more regenerative and sustainable approach. Circular Economy (CE) principles offer a promising framework to achieve this shift by emphasizing resource efficiency, waste reduction, and the promotion of closed-loop systems. While CE has been successfully applied in various projects, there is still the need to involve University students from various academic backgrounds in this multidisciplinary subject. This paper describe a CE course imparted to students from various academic backgrounds and shows the results that explore the intricate relationship between materials, sustainable manufacturing processes, and the principles of circularity. By linking theoretical concepts taught in the course whit an industry real case study. This paper aims to provide students and practitioners with practical insights and actionable strategies to integrate CE principles to the academic formation of diverse professional profiles effectively. For the assessment, the results of the pre and post questionnaires showed that questions with an increase generally refer to the characteristics, objectives, and scopes of CE. The findings of the sentimental analysis highlight not only the measurable increase in knowledge but also the positive sentiments and perceptions associated with integrating CE principles into diverse academic disciplines.