Abstract

• The present project proposes to consolidate and re-articulate different components of the existing General Education (GE) Programme with a global framework, namely the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
• The project aims at heightening CUHK students’ awareness and understanding of the global problems through the SDGs framework, and introducing them into a prominent global network (Sustainable Development Solutions Network, SDSN) to tackle complex and cross-border global challenges.
• The project will also create a platform for actions and collaborations among units (including but not limited to University GE, College GE and I.CARE) to contribute to the integration of the SDGs into the undergraduates’ learning experience, both curricular and co-curricular.
• An exercise of criteria setting and stock-taking will be carried out to identify courses in University GE and College GE related to at least one SDG. These courses will be labeled as i) SDG-GE (General Education) for knowledge based courses; or ii) SDG-SE(Social Engagement) for experiential learning and service learning courses. Voluntary activities relevant to SDGs will be labeled as SDG-VA (Volunteer Activity).
• An optional SDG Study Scheme will be promoted to student which includes:
  1. A short on-line introductory course (non-credit bearing) about SDGs, offered by the SDSN Academy;
  2. 3 credit-bearing SDG-GE (General Education) courses which provide students with basic knowledge related to at least one SDG; and
  3. 1 SDG-SE (Social Engagement) course OR engagement in at least 1 co-curricular volunteer activity (SDG-VA) to address at least one SDGs.
• Students will be awarded the honour of being a SDG Explorer with a Certificate after they have finished the study scheme. Those who perform well in the scheme and have outstanding performance in SDG-SE or SDG-VA will be granted SDG Achiever, and will be qualified to compete for an Achiever Scholarship.

Brief write-up

Project objectives

The project aims at developing an alternative General Education (GE) Study Scheme in CUHK to heighten students’ understanding of the global challenges through the SDGs framework. It comprises three components: (i) A short online course provided by SDG Academy; (ii) three SDG-GE courses; and (iii) one Social Engagement (SDG-SE) course or one non-credit-bearing volunteer activity (SDG-VA) to address at least one SDG.

Activities, process and outcomes

Criteria for SDG-GE and SDG-SE courses, and also SDG-VA engagements were derived for the vetting of the SDG-GE/SE/VA components. A promotion campaign was developed to promote this scheme to students and faculty members. So far, 47 SDG-GE courses were approved (2,874 students enrolled) and 17 courses are under review. One College GE course was labeled as SDG-SE. The SDGs-related Experiential Learning Activities Fund was established to support eleven experiential learning SDG-GE courses. The Leung Hung Kee GE Scholarship for SDGs (LHKGE) was established to award students (three individuals and one team) who performed outstandingly in SDG-VA engagements.

Deliverables and evaluation

Apart from the SDG Study Scheme and the other deliverables mentioned above, a designated website, an Instagram page (84 posts) and three SDG forum series (ten talks) were produced. Nine articles, four teacher engagement workshops, and one presentation were delivered. This project was evaluated by surveys (students and teachers) and focus group studies (students). The evaluation results are positive in general.

Dissemination, diffusion, impact and sharing of good practices

The SDG Study Scheme was disseminated within the local communities through the orientation activities, social media, websites, articles, workshops, SDG Forum Series, education conference and SDSN network. This project is a Finalist of the International Green Gown Award 2021, the most prestigious global recognition of sustainability best practice within the education sector supported by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).

Impact on teaching and learning

The project has developed an alternative SDG Study Scheme which is incorporated into the University’s GE Curriculum. The Scheme provides students who aspire to be an informed and active global citizen a purposeful pathway to learning about global challenges and SDGs. It has a significant contribution to the enhancement of University-wide Education for Sustainable Development (ESD). The development and achievement of the university-wide SDG Study Scheme by CUHK, being the co-host of the SDSN Hong Kong, contributes to promote and lead ESD in the higher education sector.

Video Report

Please click the following link for viewing the report.
https://cuhk.ap.panopto.com/Panopto/Pages/Viewer.aspx?id=8435c382-da99-4a05-8762-b12200b05cbc