Abstract
Tips to enhance engagement among students in the ZOOM environment often focus on drawing and maintaining attention by using external response systems (five minutes quiz), or, built-in functions for communication (chat, poll, breakout rooms). These activities are, by design, episodic and fragmented, thus, it may fall short of considering the needs of students to develop the capabilities to engage in system thinking in the course of teaching and learning SDGs. This project tries to respond to the students’ needs by formulating three main objectives: first, to develop a range of replicable medium length (30mins to ~1 hour) virtual activities for teaching SDGs. Second, to demonstrate how to simulate, in Zoom environment, the experiences of (i) vulnerable groups targeted by SDGs (e.g. migrant worker); (ii) international conferences that promote SDGs (e.g. UNFCCC); (iii) local council’s decision-making process concerning specific SDGs (e.g. water privatization). Third, to apply the pedagogy of situated learning to enhance the necessary capability of system thinking among students through engaging them in sophisticated discussion and debate from multiple perspectives of system stakeholders concerning complex issues. Teaching outcomes include enhanced understanding of diversity, and acquisition of problem-solving skills for SDGs issues at global and local level.
Brief write-up
Project objectives
The project’s three main objectives target students’ learning needs in the new normal: First, to develop a range of replicable medium length (30mins to ~1 hour) virtual activities for teaching SDGs. Second, to demonstrate how to simulate, in Zoom environment, the experiences of (i) vulnerable groups targeted by SDGs (e.g. migrant worker); (ii) international conferences that promote SDGs (e.g. UNFCCC); and (iii) local council’s decision-making process concerning specific SDGs (e.g. water privatization). Third, to apply the pedagogy of situated learning to enhance the necessary capability of system thinking among students through engaging them in sophisticated discussion and debate from multiple perspectives of system stakeholders concerning complex issues. Teaching outcomes include enhanced understanding of diversity, development of empathy, and acquisition of problem-solving skills for SDGs issues at global and local level.
Activities, process and outcomes
The project has developed seven medium length (30mins to 90mins) virtual class activities. The virtual activities invited students to engage in collaboration and deliberation to tackle a global challenge identified in the framework of the 17 UN SDGs. Students participated in role-playing by taking up the roles of stakeholders that were impacted by the global challenges. These roles include both decision makers, like government, corporates, non-government organizations, or employer of migrant workers, and vulnerable populations such as refugees, migrant domestic workers, farmers, households living in poverty, and coastal communities that depend on marine resources. Each of these roles have their own interests and agenda under the framework of the SDGs.
Deliverables and evaluation
- Enhanced class participation and engagement (students participated in the activities by taking turn to unmute and speak, sharing of screen for information, subsequently also more attentive to lecture content)
- Increase in attendance
Dissemination, diffusion, impact and sharing of good practices
http://www.soc.cuhk.edu.hk/
Impact on teaching and learning
With the encouraging signs that students’ attention and attendance have generally increased through the project period, the teachers of this project have planned to explore how to replicate this experience in the ‘traditional’ kind of sociology courses in 2022-23.
