Communities and Education

Making Learning “Real” in Communication Courses: Authentic Assessments for Communities

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Suwichit (Sean) CHAIDAROON
Department of Communications and New Media, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences (FASS)

sean.chaidaroon@nus.edu.sg

 

Chaidaroon, S. (2023). Making learning “real” in communication courses: Authentic assessments for communities [Lightning talk]. In Higher Education Campus Conference (HECC) 2023, 7 December, National University of Singapore. https://blog.nus.edu.sg/hecc2023proceedings/making-learning-real-in-communication-courses-authentic-assessments-for-communities/

SUB-THEME

Communities and Education

 

KEYWORDS

Authentic assessments, significant learning experience, co-creational pedagogy

 

CATEGORY

Lightning Talks 

 

ABSTRACT

One of the common challenges we are facing in university teaching is designing assessments that facilitate students’ learning. Traditional assessments may measure students’ cognitive knowledge well but they often fail to motivate students to engage in higher-order learning. Well-designed assessments not only motivate students to excel themselves in their studies, but also serve as a catalyst to foster significant learning experiences. This refers to is education that makes a difference in how students live their lives meaningfully by enhancing individual lives, social interactions with others, inculcating a civic mindset as well as a readiness for the world of work (Brackenbury, 2012; Fink, 2013).

 

In this Lightning Talk, the author shares his practices and reflection on authentic assessments he designed for the communication courses he has taught. Defined as learning tasks that allow students to apply competencies or combination of knowledge, skills and attitudes that they need in their professional lives, the assessments in three communication courses in particular will be discussed to illustrate the authentic assessment framework (Gulikers et al., 2004) as outlined below.

 

  • In NMC5323 “Crisis Communications and Leadership”, one assessment was a press conference simulation where professional journalists were invited to participate and ask questions to students who role-play as spokespersons in crisis situations.
  • In NMC5306 “Communications and Leadership”, students were asked to write thought leadership blog posts on their personal LinkedIn profiles. Please search #NMC5306 on LinkedIn for examples of students’ work.
  • In NM3215 “Advertising Strategies” (later converted to NM4257 “Multiplatform Advertising Strategies”), students developed actual video and printed advertisements for local clients.

 

The author’s reflection highlights two key factors for the successful implementation of authentic assessments in his clases. First, the co-creational pedagogy, or student-centred teaching as some scholars may call this approach, should be adopted where students’ inputs are consistently taken through the facilitation and coaching process that the instructors will conduct (Hou & Chaidaroon, 2022). This co-creational pedagogy highlights the importance of the learning process as much as the product, allowing students to excel themselves in their studies. Second, there must be authentic audiences for students’ work as most traditional assessment deliverables, such as tests or essays, were solely read and assessed by the instructors. This is an opportunity for the local communities to be invited to serve as authentic audiences who may also benefit from students’ work.

 

Ultimately, the authentic assessments implemented by the author were proven to be meaningful teaching and learning experiences for the instructor, students, and the communities involved in all projects. They have proven to be good indicators for significant learning experience that students gain from attending university, which reflects students’ achievement not only in their studies but also in their development of a citizenry mindset.

 

REFERENCES

Brackenbury, T. (2012). A qualitative examination of connections between learner-centered teaching and past significant learning experiences. Journal of the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning, 12(4), 12-28. https://scholarworks.iu.edu/journals/index.php/josotl/article/view/3139

Fink, L. D. (2013). Creating significant learning experiences, revised and updated: An integrated approach to designing college courses. John Wiley & Sons.

Gulikers, J. T. M., Bastiaens, T. J. & Kirschner, P. A. (2004). A five-dimensional framework for authentic assessment. Educational Technology and Development, 52, 67–86. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02504676

Hou, J. Z., & Chaidaroon, S. S. (2022). A co-creational turn to online strategic communication education: Prospects and challenges. Asia Pacific Public Relations Journal, 24. https://www.pria.com.au/pria-newsroom/asia-pacific-public-relations-journal/apprj-volumes/volume-24/?fbclid=IwAR1qjBSnYHm7vn1Qqlp8KN1uuif2ZbqErNeW5yKO1gzoXBMysLlV8JsyIBw

 

Public Reason and Civic Education: A Rawlsian Framework

cdtlsd Paper Presentations , , , , ,

Jimmy LIM
Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy (LKYSPP)

*jimmylim@nus.edu.sg

 

Lim, J. (2023). Public reason and civic education: A Rawlsian framework [Paper presentation]. In Higher Education Campus Conference (HECC) 2023, 7 December, National University of Singapore. https://blog.nus.edu.sg/hecc2023proceedings/public-reason-and-civic-education-a-rawlsian-framework/

SUB-THEME

Communities and Education 

 

KEYWORDS

Public reason, civic education, moral reasoning, Rawls, active citizenship

 

CATEGORY

Paper Presentation 

 

ABSTRACT

John Rawls’s concept of public justification is part of a broader concept that goes under the label “public reason.” The secondary literature suggests that his account of public reason is vulnerable to two objections. The first objection turns on the assumption that Rawlsian public justification is something that involves the participation of many citizens. On this assumption, Rawls’s account of public reason is unrealistic because it ignores the fact that many citizens in a real society may lack the resources (e.g. time, money, knowledge) to participate in the public justification of law. The second objection turns on the assumption that the “duty of civility” (the duty to offer public reasons in the justification of law) is something that falls on both government officials and ordinary citizens. On this assumption, Rawls’s account of public reason is unrealistic because it ignores the consideration that officials and citizens alike may not observe the duty of civility. In my paper, I resist the first objection by arguing that Rawlsian public justification involves the empathetic power to place oneself in the shoes of those to whom one disagrees with, in the course of evaluating the normativity of law. Taking my cue from Stephen Darwall (2006), I call this power the power to take up the second-person standpoint in moral reasoning. For Rawls, what makes justification as a mode of reasoning “public” is not a situation where every member of society gathers in some outdoor space to debate with one another (which would make justification an actual, historical, event), but the presence of an implied addressee (which makes justification a normative, second-personal, concept). In Rawlsian thought, citizens may pursue public justification collectively (inter-personally), in a raucous townhall, or intra-personally, without ever participating in face-to-face debates. I also resist the second objection by arguing that, in the context of a real society, the duty of civility falls more heavily on the shoulders of civic leaders than on ordinary citizens. Inspired by Martin Luther King, Jr., Rawls himself sees civic leaders as playing an important role in honoring the duty of civility and mobilizing ordinary citizens to take up the second-person standpoint in public justification. My paper sheds light on the place of second-personal reasoning and second-personal reactive attitudes such as guilt and empathy in Rawlsian thought. It provides resources for civic educators to reflect upon the importance of cultivating citizens’ capacity for second-personal reasoning, not just in the public sphere but also in more localized settings such as the classroom. It tries to answer the question of how to bring the idea of public justification (as second-personal justification) and its related reactive attitudes into the classroom—and to do so in a morally justifiable way—to help students learn and appreciate the political values of toleration, respect, diversity, and trust.

 

I would like to present my work as a paper presentation, under the sub-theme of “Communities and Education.”

 

REFERENCES

Darwall, S. (2006). The Second-Person Standpoint: Morality, Respect, and Accountability. Harvard University Press.

Rawls, J. (2005). Political Liberalism, expanded edition. Columbia University Press.

 

Upskilling for Success: Job Placement Through Skill Development

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Suresh H. PUNJABI
School of Continuing and Lifelong Education (SCALE)

*tomchua@nus.edu.sg

 

Punjabi, S. (2023). Upskilling for Success: Job placement through skill development [Poster presentation]. In Higher Education Campus Conference (HECC) 2023, 7 December, National University of Singapore. https://blog.nus.edu.sg/hecc2023proceedings/upskilling-for-success-job-placement-through-skill-development/

SUB-THEME

Communities and Education 

 

KEYWORDS

Skill development, job placement, upskilling, reskilling, career development

 

CATEGORY

Poster Presentation 

 

ABSTRACT

Technological advancements and evolving methodologies have led to the emergence of new job roles that require updated skill sets. To remain relevant in the workforce, individuals must refresh and expand their skill sets. The necessity of skill development for job placement is evident, both for individuals entering the job market and those already employed.

 

Entering the job market, possessing the right skills for specific roles is critical. Employers seek candidates who have the necessary skills to succeed in their desired positions. As such, job seekers invest in skill development to enhance their employability and increase their chances of successful job placement.

 

Similarly, even those already employed must continuously acquire new skills to stay relevant. The introduction of new technologies demands that professionals continually update their skill sets to meet changing work requirements. Upskilling and reskilling programmes serve as essential tools for retaining the current workforce and enabling employees to navigate the demands of the modern job market effectively.

 

Skill development through upskilling and reskilling plays a vital role in successful job placement. Job seekers must focus on acquiring the right skills to meet employers’ evolving needs, while individuals already employed must embrace continuous learning to remain competitive. By recognising the importance of skill development and investing in upskilling initiatives, individuals can enhance their career prospects and ensure long-term employability in a rapidly changing job market.

 

The success of the NUS SGUnited Skills (SGUS) programme stands as a testament to the transformative power of targeted skill development. Incorporating imperative measures in care and career guidance, NUS further prepares job seekers by ensuring skills relevance as well as providing special counselling for trainees to help them cope and remain motivated during the training. These training interventions effectively helped bridge the gap between job seekers and the dynamic labour market, and has supported the placement of 152 job seekers in a volatile market during the pandemic.

 

What We Learn From Our Neighbours: Measuring How Outcomes Are Met On Overseas Study Trips

cdtlsd Paper Presentations , , , , ,

Lynette TAN Yuen Ling*, LI Jingping, and TAN Lai Yong
Residential College 4
*rc4lynette@nus.edu.sg

 

Tan, L. Y. L., Li, J., & Tan, L. Y. (2023). What we learn from our neighbours: Measuring how outcomes are met on overseas study trips [Paper presentation]. In Higher Education Campus Conference (HECC) 2023, 7 December, National University of Singapore. https://blog.nus.edu.sg/hecc2023proceedings/what-we-learn-from-our-neighbours-measuring-how-outcomes-are-met-on-overseas-study-trips/

 

SUB-THEME

Communities and Education 

 

KEYWORDS

Learning outcomes, out-of-classroom learning, study trips, experiential learning, community engagement

 

CATEGORY

Paper Presentation 

 

ABSTRACT

In the trajectory of effort in implementing out-of-classroom activities, overseas study trips are likely placed at the zenith—they often incur high costs, heavy faculty teaching commitment, and onerous administrative support. Whether the student learning gained is commensurate with the time and financial costs of such trips has yet to be established definitively. In particular, little empirical research exists on learning outcomes associated with overseas study trips of short duration. A study that examined the impact of a two-week study tour on the perceptions of American college students concluded that a longer exposure would likely have a more substantial impact on learning (Carley & Tudor, 2010). Even when there is a more prolonged exposure, such as in study-abroad programmes, there are still concerns about evidencing student learning and development (Dwyer, 2004). In a system-wide research initiative on study-abroad learning outcomes across the University System of Georgia (comprising 34 public institutions), Sutton and Rubin (2004) compared the self-reported learning outcomes of study-abroad participants and non-participants and concluded that while studying abroad does add value to students’ academic achievements, further studies are needed.

 

At the National University of Singapore (NUS), overseas study trips have been a staple programme of the Global Relations Office—whether through the long-term student exchange experience (with over 300 partner universities in more than 40 countries) or the Study Trips for Engagement and EnRichment (STEER) (National University of Singapore, n.d.). In AY 2022/23, a new kind of overseas study trip was launched—the Southeast Asia Friendship Initiative (SFI).

 

The SFI was designed to increase NUS students’ exposure to neighboring Southeast Asian (SEA) countries through experiential learning. Students are given opportunities to engage with local communities and partner universities, local non-governmental organisations (NGOs), and enterprises in destined Southeast Asian (SEA) countries to gain first-hand insights into the nuances and challenges the local stakeholders face when they tackle various aspects of sustainable development. The common academic theme of the SFI programmes is linked to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) or innovation and enterprise. Ranging from 7-10 days, the SFI aptly fits the category of the short-duration study trip, and it has several generic learning outcomes. These include gaining intercultural intelligence of the SEA country and deepening knowledge of key SDG(s) within it, as well as expanding the student’s social and professional networks to aid their future prospects in the region.

 

This study seeks to investigate if the SFI trips meet these generic and specific learning outcomes, and the extent to which those learning outcomes are met via student perception surveys as well as questions that test student knowledge administered just before and immediately after the trip. Held during the Special Term, the first SFI trip comprised 21 students and the second 20, with both trips also including one student teaching assistant and two staff from Residential College 4, NUS. The location was Indonesia, with half the trip in Lombok and the rest in Pulau Sumba.

The survey questions were grouped within four constructs:

  1. Exposure to SEA countries
  2. Knowledge on SDGs and their local solutions
  3. Understanding of collaboration between Singapore and targeted SEA countries
  4. Understanding leadership at the fringe (specific learning outcome of the course)

 

Results from the surveys indicate that the intended learning outcomes were met. The study trip increased students’ exposure to SEA countries and local communities: the results show that students had a better knowledge of local language and geography features, and also developed a deeper understanding of local challenges and solutions from the perspective of SDGs through the trip. Moreover, exposure to the local communities had a positive impact on students’ willingness to engage in work and business opportunities in SEA countries, which might strengthen the collaboration between Singapore and SEA countries at the individual levels.

 

The significance of the study is twofold—firstly, and more generally, it supports the SFI as a value proposition that it does indeed merit the time and financial costs incurred. Secondly, the study serves as a measure of how short-term study trips can meet learning outcomes based on community engagement, leading to intercultural growth and a change in attitudes of students towards our SEA neighbours.

. 

 

REFERENCES

Carley, S., & Tudor, R. K. (2010). Assessing the impact of short-term study abroad. Journal of Global Initiatives: Policy, Pedagogy, Perspective. 1(2), Article 5. https://digitalcommons.kennesaw.edu/jgi/vol1/iss2/5

Dwyer, M. M. (2004). More is better: The impact of study abroad program duration. Frontiers (Boston, Mass.), 10(1), 151–64. https://doi.org/10.36366/frontiers.v10i1.139

Sutton, R. C., & Rubin, D. L. (2004). The GLOSSARI project: Initial findings from a system
-wide research initiative on study abroad learning outcomes. Frontiers (Boston, Mass.), 10(1), 65–82. https://doi.org/10.36366/frontiers.v10i1.133

National University of Singapore. (n.d.). Student Exchange Programme. https://www.nus.edu.sg/gro/global-programmes/student-exchange

 

Peer Partnership in Interdisciplinary Settings: A Learning Community’s Experience

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Linda SELLOU1*, Mark CHONG2, Sarada BULCHAND3, Mei Hui LIU4, Hui Ting CHNG5, Stephen TAY En Rong6, Matthew TAN Chiang Wang5, ZHANG Ye7, Nicholas CAI Xianhui8, Francis CHONG Yuan Yi9, Janelle Claire TEOH Gi Yan10

1Special Programme in Science
2Department of Biomedical Engineering
3Duke-NUS Medical School
4Department of Food Science & Technology
5Department of Pharmacy
6Department of the Built Environment
7Department of Architecture
8Department of Philosophy
9Department of Chemistry
10Faculty of Arts and Social Science

*chmsll@nus.edu.sg

 

Sellou, L., Chong, M., Bulchand, S., Liu, M. H., Chng, H. T., Tay, S. E. R., Tan, M. C. W., Zhang, Y., Cai, N. X., Chong, F. Y. Y., Teoh, J. C. G. Y. (2023). Peer partnership in interdisciplinary settings: A learning community’s experience [Lightning talk]. In Higher Education Campus Conference (HECC) 2023, 7 December, National University of Singapore. https://blog.nus.edu.sg/hecc2023proceedings/peer-partnership-in-interdisciplinary-settings-a-learning-communitys-experience/ 
 

SUB-THEME

Communities and Education 

 

KEYWORDS

Learning communities, interdisciplinary education, best practices

 

CATEGORY

Lightning Talks

 

BACKGROUND

In this lightning talk, we will share our experiences and lessons learnt from our Learning Community (LC) which started in April 2022. Our LC sought to explore “Peer partnership in interdisciplinary settings” and started off with asking two key questions:

 

1. How can students from different disciplines and backgrounds learn from one another effectively?

There is a demand for interdisciplinary education and/or training in interdisciplinary settings. Particularly in higher learning settings, however, existing monodisciplinary structures often limit the effectiveness of interdisciplinary efforts. It follows that the “undifferentiated” students themselves—as active partners in learning, in both self-directed and peer settings—may be key to providing effective interdisciplinary education. The frameworks to do so, however, are not well-established.

 

2. How can students provide effective feedback to one another?

Peer learning is commonly employed in academic settings, with documented benefits of greater ownership over learning and deeper learning (Boud et al., 1999). More recently, the ability to provide feedback to peers has emerged as an important tool in the modern workplace (Di Fiore & Souza, 2021). Despite these various merits, effective deployment of peer learning and feedback remains challenging.

In light of the above, this LC aims to better understand the perceptions of both students and faculty in this shared learning process, focusing on three key areas:

  • Challenges in peer learning, appraisal, and review in the interdisciplinary space (SETTINGS)
  • Specialised tools in blended learning spaces (PLATFORMS)
  • Faculty as supporters / mediators (PEOPLE)

 

LC STRUCTURE

Our LC has been engaging diverse stakeholders from students to faculty across disciplines. Specifically, the community started with nine (and have now grown to 11) members comprising students and faculty from eight (now ten) different departments in Design and Engineering, Science, and Medicine. This was a reflection of our deliberate efforts to increase breadth and representation, in order to better approach interdisciplinary learning. In our meetings, we explored best practices to implement peer appraisal, review and reflection, by consolidating challenges in design and implementation, brainstorming solutions, and identifying areas for adoption and utility. A unique aspect of the LC is the formation of two sub-working groups, focusing on the following “mini-projects”:

 

  • Knowledge, Skills, and Attitudes in Interdisciplinary Teams
    Through review of literature and reflections from faculty, the sub-group seeks to explore:
    (1) What knowledge, skills, and attitudes (K/S/A) are required to work effectively in an interdisciplinary team? (2) Do the K/S/A differ depending on the types of disciplines that work together?
  • Peer Feedback: Student-generated Questions and Peer-to-peer Critique
    Through sharing of personal practices and conduct of comparative studies, the sub-group explores the strengths and areas for improvement of peer teaching tools being used in our classes. This can lead subsequently to the abstraction of key factors and considerations in the design of tools in peer instruction.

 

Currently, both groups have completed preliminary literature reviews and have sought ethics board approval for the “mini-studies”, sharing their reports and updates at the bi-monthly meetings.

 

CENTRAL MESSAGE/WHY YOU SHOULD ATTEND THIS PRESENTATION

This presentation provides a summary and anecdotal sharing of our experiences in the LC: besides factors contributing to favourable outcomes, we will also discuss pitfalls encountered that other LCs can avoid. Specific to our LC, this may serve as a platform to attract like-minded members, who may be able to benefit from and contribute towards the diversity and dynamism of the LC.

 

REFERENCES

Boud, D., Cohen, R., & Sampson, J. (1999). Peer learning and assessment. Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, 24(4), 413-26. https://doi.org/10.1080/0260293990240405

Di Fiore, A., & Souza, M. (2021, January 12). Are peer reviews the future of performance evaluations? Harvard Business Review Online. https://hbr.org/2021/01/are-peer-reviews-the-future-of-performance-evaluations

 

 

Unpacking Students’ Development of Empathy And Skills in the Informal Curriculum of a Residential College in Singapore

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Lavanya BALACHANDRAN*, Sue CHANG-KOH, and LIM Xin Yi
College of Alice & Peter Tan (CAPT)

*lavanyab@nus.edu.sg

 

Balachandran, L., Chang-Koh, S., & Lim, X. Y. (2023). Unpacking students’ development of empathy and skills in the informal curriculum of a residential college in Singapore [Poster presentation]. In Higher Education Campus Conference (HECC) 2023, 7 December, National University of Singapore. https://blog.nus.edu.sg/hecc2023proceedings/unpacking-students-development-of-empathy-and-skills-in-the-informal-curriculum-of-a-residential-college-in-singapore/ 
 

SUB-THEME

Communities and Education 

 

KEYWORDS

Service-learning, community engagement, student-led, empathy, skills, learning outcomes

 

CATEGORY

Poster Presentation 

 

ABSTRACT

Service-learning has been identified as an effective pedagogy for students across various age cohorts (Steinke & Fitch, 2007) with many benefits such as cognitive development and personal growth (Everhart, 2016), including empathy development (Gordon et al., 2022). This is because service-learning programmes provide the platform to engage with various communities and real-world issues where students gain ‘ground-up’ knowledge and acquire skills (Prentice & Robinson, 2010).

 

In Singapore, service-learning pedagogies have been incorporated into the curriculum of public schools and institutes of higher learning (IHLs) (Service learning and greater flexibility for incoming undergraduates at NUS, 2021; Tan, 2009). Additionally, some IHLs have also incorporated them into living and learning programmes (LLPs), which are residence-based programmes that focus on specific academic themes, through formal and informal curricula (Inkelas, 2008; Mukhopadhyay & Tambyah, 2019).

 

This poster presentation draws from a qualitative research study conducted in a Singapore undergraduate residential college (henceforth referred to as the college) that has community engagement (CE) and active citizenship as its core ethos. In particular, it examines the impact of student-led CE programmes in the informal curriculum focusing on how empathy and skills—two out of the four intended learning outcomes (ILOs) of the CE programme in the college—are perceived to be developed, enhanced and sustained for students.

 

This study is based on in-depth interviews with 19 students over their two-year residency in the college. The interviews were conducted in three phases, spanning the residency period to track the students’ aspirations, expectations, and perceptions of their CE experiences. Thematic coding was conducted using NVivo to analyse the interview data.

 

Findings from this research suggest that:

(a) CE programmes effectively facilitate the development of empathy in students when grounded in curated, intentional learning experiences. Meeting and engaging with the various communities experientially catalyse affective empathy development, especially when augmented by other learning modalities, including pre-engagement and post-reflection activities.

(b) the type of student involvement results in differentiated pathways in skills acquisition. Leaders and non-leader participants have different tasks and expectations of their engagements. Hence, their varied experiences in these CE programmes result in the acquisition of different skills.

 

This research sheds light on how the adaptation of service-learning in the informal curriculum of a residential college, particularly when reconfigured into student-led programmes, significantly impacts on student learning. It also highlights the importance of focusing on experiential learning and providing opportunities for role variety in these programmes, as they enhance the development of empathy and skills in students. This study also provides suggestions to expand on these findings to explore how students should leverage different CE opportunities and explore various participatory roles to maximise their learning outcomes.

 

 

REFERENCES 

Gordon, C. S., Pink, M. A., Rosing, H., & Mizzi, S. (2022). A systematic meta-analysis and meta-synthesis of the impact of service-learning programs on university students’ empathy. Educational Research Review, p,37, 100490. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.edurev.2022.100490

Everhart, R. S. (2016). Teaching tools to improve the development of empathy in service-learning students. Journal of Higher Education Outreach and Engagement, 20(2), 129-54. https://openjournals.libs.uga.edu/jheoe/article/view/1281

Inkelas, K. K. (2008). Innovative directions for living-learning programs research and practice. Journal of College and University Student Housing, 35(1), 8–13.

Mukhopadhyay, K., & Tambyah, S. K. (2019). Where freshmen aspirations meet reality: Factors Influencing the learning outcomes of a living-and-learning program in an Asian university. Higher Education Research and Development, 38(5), 1015–30. https://doi.org/10.1080/07294360.2019.1598337

Service learning and greater flexibility for incoming undergraduates at NUS. (2021, February 26). NUS News. https://news.nus.edu.sg/service-learning-and-greater-flexibility-for-incoming-undergraduates-at-nus/

Prentice, M., & Robinson, G. (2010). Improving student learning outcomes with service learning. https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED535904.pdf

Steinke, P., & Fitch, P. (2007). Assessing service-learning. Research & Practice in Assessment, 2, 24–29. https://www.rpajournal.com/assessing-service-learning/

Tan, K. P. (2009). Service learning outside the U.S.: Initial experiences in Singapore’s higher education. PS: Political Science & Politics, 42(3), 549–57. https://doi.org/10.1017/s104909650909088x

 

The Challenges and Possibilities of Service-Learning as a Catalyst for Social Impact in Southeast Asia

NUS CDTL Paper Presentations , , , , ,

Julius BAUTISTA
NUS College
bautista@nus.edu.sg  

 

Bautista, J. (2023). The challenges and possibilities of service-learning as a catalyst for social impact in Southeast Asia [Paper presentation]. In Higher Education Campus Conference (HECC) 2023, 7 December, National University of Singapore. https://blog.nus.edu.sg/hecc2023proceedings/the-challenges-and-possibilities-of-service-learning-as-a-catalyst-for-social-impact-in-southeast-asia/

SUB-THEME

Communities and Education 

 

KEYWORDS

Service-learning, community engagement, experiential learning, overseas classroom, Southeast Asia 

 

CATEGORY

Paper Presentation 

 

ABSTRACT

In this paper presentation, I will discuss the challenges and possibilities of implementing Service-learning (S-L) programmes as a way of catalysing student-driven social impact in the Southeast Asian region. S-L refers to credit-bearing educational endeavours that enable students and their faculty mentors to engage and collaborate with community partners towards addressing mutually identified social needs and problems. As part of a socially-oriented pedagogy, educators harness the experience of community engagement in a way that enables their students to achieve a deeper understanding and contextualisation of curricular content (Bingle & Hatcher, 1996; Saeed & Ahmed 2021, p. 323). As a mode of experiential learning, the distinctive feature of S-L is that the dual goals of achieving specified curricular objectives and the cultivation of social impact are equally prioritised.   

 

The scholarship of teaching and learning (SoTL) has emphasised the benefits of S-L in  enhancing student aptitudes in civic and social consciousness (Battistoni, 2013), tolerance for intersectional diversity (Lemieux & Allen, 2007), relational empathy (Woo, 2019; Rondini, 2015), and responsible global leadership (Yorio & Ye, 2012; Pless et al., 2012). Nevertheless, relatively few studies have ventured into disambiguating the conceptual and institutional features of S-L vis a vis other modes of engaged pedagogy, such as volunteerism, field education and experiential learning. Furthermore, there has hardly been any scholarly research and benchmarking on how S-L, from a technical and methodological standpoint, can be effectively institutionalised in higher educational contexts (Mitchell, 2007). These gaps in the literature are indicative of some important conceptual, operational, and practical challenges that remain unresolved. As such, there may still be a reluctance among university faculty to fully implement S-L, particularly because it involves liability and compliance requirements that are time-consuming and often require extracurricular preparatory and in-class measures to implement (Bringle & Hatcher, 1996; Mitchell, 2007).    

 

In the presentation, I will share snapshots of practice in our efforts to offer S-L programmes as part of the NUS College Impact Experience (IEx) Programme. The ideas presented here emerge from discussions between IEx educators and students, who formed the Service Impact Learning Community (SILC) as an inclusive platform to propagate S-L as a way of confronting pressing cultural, socio-economic and environmental issues in the Asian region. As the lead facilitator of the SILC, I will channel our discussion on the following questions in particular:    

  1. What are the challenges and practice conundrums in the curricular implementation of S-L in higher education contexts? How can a deepening of our knowledge about S–L help configure existing NUS programmes that involve field trips and other forms of cross-cultural experiential projects?   
  2. How can ‘service impact’ or ‘asset-based community development’ be aligned towards the professional and personal growth of students?  
  3. What pedagogical methods and assessment regimes have not/worked in other institutes of higher learning (IHLs), and how can these be adopted or refined to suit the NUS General Education curriculum? 
  4. How do we collaborate productively with community partners, government, non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and industry in running S-L courses? What are the challenges of calibrating and coinciding the agendas of communities, students, and educators so as to meet social needs specific to the Asian region?    
  5. How do we maintain the distinction between S-L on the one hand, and advocacy, activism, and commodity endorsement on the other? What compliance and liability issues need to be considered? 

 

Under the NUS “Communities and Engagement” pillar, S-L is a crucial component of the graduation requirements for all students from cohort AY2021/22 onwards. It is important for NUS educators to work together in addressing the conceptual and practical challenges that may preclude the efficient implementation of a community engagement component in our curricula. The NUS community of students and educators would benefit from a sustained discussion of how S-L, from a conceptual and methodological standpoint, can be institutionalised in this regard.   

 

REFERENCES

Battistoni, R. M. (2013). Civic learning through service learning. In P. H. Clayton, R. G. Bringle, & J. A. Hatcher (Eds.), Research on Service Learning: Conceptual Frameworks and Assessment : Students and Faculty (pp. 111–32). Stylus Publications. 

Bringle, R. G., & Hatcher, J. A. (1996). Implementing service-learning in higher education. Journal of Higher Education, 67(2), 221-39. https://doi.org/10.1080/00221546.1996.11780257  

Lemieux, C. M., & Allen, P. D. (2007). Service learning in social work education: The state of knowledge, pedagogical practicalities, and practice conundrums. Journal of Social Work Education, 43(2), 309-26. https://doi.org/10.5175/JSWE.2007.200500548  

Mitchell, T. D. (2007). Critical service-learning as social justice education: A case study of the 

Citizen Scholars Program. Equity and Excellence in Education, 40(2), 101-12. https://doi.org/10.1080/10665680701228797  

Pless, N. M., Maak, T., & Stahl, G. K. (2011). Developing responsible global leaders through international service-learning programs: The Ulysses experience. Academy of Management Learning and Education, 10(2), 237–60. https://doi.org/10.5465/amle.10.2.zqr237  

Saeed, M., & Ahmed. I (2021). An analytical review on rethinking service-learning as critical transformative paradigm in higher education. Journal of Humanities, Social and Management Sciences (JHSMS), 2(2), 318-34. https://doi.org/10.47264/idea.jhsms/2.2.23   

Rondini, A. C. (2015). Observations of critical consciousness development in the context of service learning. Teaching Sociology, 43(2), 137–45. https://doi.org/10.1177/0092055X15573028   

Woo, J. J. (2019). Service learning and public policy education. In J. J. Woo (Ed.), Educating for empathy: Service Learning in Public Policy Education (pp. 3-14). World Scientific.  

Yorio, P. L., & Ye, F. (2012). A meta-analysis on the effects of service-learning on the social, personal, and cognitive outcomes of learning. Academy of Management Learning & Education, 11(1), 9–27. https://doi.org/10.5465/amle.2010.0072  

 

Constructions Of Community and Diversity in College Applicants’ Admissions Essays

NUS CDTL Paper Presentations , , , , ,

Sixian HAH
Tembusu College
sxhah@nus.edu.sg  

 

Hah, S. (2023). Constructions of community and diversity in college applicants’ admissions essays [Paper presentation]. In Higher Education Campus Conference (HECC) 2023, 7 December, National University of Singapore. https://blog.nus.edu.sg/hecc2023proceedings/constructions-of-community-and-diversity-in-college-applicants-admissions-essays/

 

SUB-THEME

Communities and Education 

 

KEYWORDS

Community, diversity, admissions essays, cultural capital, narratives 

 

CATEGORY

Paper Presentation 

 

ABSTRACT

This paper presentation discusses how the notions of ‘community’ and ‘diversity’ are constructed by applicants in their admission essays to residential colleges at NUS. Given that admission essays serve as an avenue for prospective students to demonstrate their suitability for the college they are applying to, most essays reflect applicants’ perceptions of the college. In a textual analysis of 60 admissions essays from successful applicants, a discourse analytic approach is taken to show how these students make attempts to display membership into a perceived community which they aspire to be part of. This study began by asking the question: How do students construct themselves as potential members of a community in which they aspire to join?

   

Scholars have argued that admissions essay prompts may not be as easily interpreted as thought and that such essays may favour students who have a better grasp of the unspoken rules of the academic game or who are more well-versed in “academic acculturation” (Warren, 2013). In other words, successful essays often come from students who have a greater degree of awareness of what assessors are looking for in their applications. 

 

In positioning themselves as potential members of a community which they aspire to join, students engage with institutional expectations and discourses of what are perceived as valued by a particular community (Todorova, 2018). It was found that students in this study perceived diversity as a valued mindset which they aspire towards, or as a valued attribute of the community which they desire to join and contribute to. Thus, the study also asks the questions: How do students express their desire for diversity or embody the ‘diversity’ that they claim to bring to the college? How are the notions of ‘diversity’ and ‘community’ understood and constructed by students in the essays? Another intriguing finding stemmed from the kinds of narratives that applicants chose to construct in their attempts to express their desire for seeking diversity in their college of choice. Through their positioning, students are seen to display certain knowledge or even cultural capital which has been shown to privilege certain groups of students over others. This builds on Bourdieu’s notions of cultural capital  and other studies which have shown that social class and cultural capital can impact on students’ success in attaining admissions into college (Stevens, 2009), or achieving other academic outcomes such as engagement with authority figures in academia (Jack, 2016). 

 

This paper presentation invites educators to reflect on the following implications arising from the study:  

  • How does the task of writing an application essay privilege students with certain levels of academic acculturation? 
  • What implications are there for the kinds of knowledge and cultural capital that are reinforced in new cohorts of entering students? How may this enact certain barriers for students who did not get selected?  

 

The application essay formed only one part of the admissions process at the residential colleges. Successful application essays are selected to enter the second round of selections, i.e. an interview with Fellows at the college. Hence, the essay is not the only determining factor in an applicant’s successful entry into the college. Rather, it posed the first gatekeeping barrier that students need to overcome to get an opportunity for an interview. The essays analysed in this study had come only from students who had given consent. Thus, there are limitations on the sample of essays that could be studied and to an indeterminable degree, limitations in investigating how the data may be affected by certain propensities in students who are more likely to have given consent. Future studies could possibly investigate implicit evaluation criteria by comparing successful applications with unsuccessful ones. 

 

REFERENCES

Jack, A. A. (2016). (No) harm in asking: Class, acquired cultural capital, and academic engagement at an elite university. Sociology of Education, 89(1), 1-19. https://doi.org/10.1177/0038040715614913  

Stevens, M. L. (2009). A school in a garden. In Creating a Class (pp. 5-30). Harvard University Press.  

Todorova, R. (2018). Institutional expectations and students’ responses to the college application essay. Social Sciences, 7(10), 205. https://doi.org/10.3390/socsci7100205  

Warren, J. (2013). The rhetoric of college application essays: Removing obstacles for low income and minority students. American Secondary Education, 42(1), 43-56. http://www.jstor.org/stable/43694176 

Choices and Collaborations in University-Community Partnerships: Intentional Pedagogy and Its Impact on Student Learning

NUS CDTL Paper Presentations , , , , ,

Kankana MUKHOPADHYAY*, Siok Kuan TAMBYAH, and Daniel JEW
College of Alice & Peter Tan (CAPT)
*kankana.m@nus.edu.sg 

 

Mukhopadhyay, K., Tambyah, S. K., & Jew, D. (2023). Choices and collaborations in university-community partnerships: intentional pedagogy and its impact on student learning [Paper presentation]. In Higher Education Campus Conference (HECC) 2023, 7 December, National University of Singapore. https://blog.nus.edu.sg/hecc2023proceedings/choices-and-collaborations-in-university-community-partnerships-intentional-pedagogy-and-its-impact-on-student-learning/ 
 

SUB-THEME

Communities and Education 

 

KEYWORDS

University-community partnership, study trips, experiential learning, survey analysis, intentional pedagogy 

 

CATEGORY

Paper Presentation 

 

ABSTRACT

The current discourse on “communities and education” in higher education emphasises building partnerships with diverse community stakeholders to create authentic learning opportunities for students. Studies have indicated that university-community partnerships (UCPs) can provide positive pedagogical outcomes, like enhanced quality of teaching and student access to applied learning (Buys & Bursnall, 2007). Although a great deal of research has focused on the impact of the different forms of collaboration (Kellet & Goldstein, 1999; Waddock & Walsh, 1999; Watson, 2003), research on how to organise effective UCPs in overseas experiential learning is still limited.  

 

Over the past decade, study trips at the College of Alice & Peter Tan (CAPT-STEERs)1 have invested in building relationships with overseas community partners as an intentional pedagogical practice (Mukhopadhyay et al., 2022). Classroom discussions have been complemented with field visits and real-world experiences, where students had engagements and interactions with different partners and communities and in different contexts.  

 

Careful choices were made in selecting partners, communities2 and sites3 visited, and in designing a range of interactive activities and engagements. In this presentation, we specifically examine the impact of choices of sites and communities visited, and collaborations with various partners on learning outcomes.  

 

Data for this quantitative study is derived from surveys conducted by three different CAPT STEERs—India, Myanmar, and Nepal—from 2015-2019 (see Table 1). We asked participants about the effectiveness of visits to the different sites, communities and partners, which include non-governmental organisations (NGOs), institutions of learning, businesses4, and government (see Table 2). We then examined their relationship with the multi-faceted learning outcomes of the programme, indicating participants’ perception of relevance and meaningfulness of the engagements, and level of satisfaction. We also explored whether the STEER experience had broadened students’ perspectives and enhanced their ability to perform in a globalised environment. Table 3 shows the average degree of agreement among the participants on these learning outcomes across STEERs over the years.  

 

Table 1
Number of survey respondents across STEERs (India, Myanmar, Nepal) from 2015-2019  

STEERs/Year  Frequency 
STEER India 2015  18 
STEER India 2017  11 
STEER Myanmar 2016  21 
STEER Myanmar 2017  24 
STEER Nepal 2018  13 
STEER Nepal 2019  18 

 

 Table 2
Sites, communities, partners in different STEERs/years 

STEER/Year  Sites  Communities  Partner-organisation  Partner-institution  Partner-business  Partner-government 
India 2015/2017  N = 4-6  

E.g., Gandhi Ashram, Ahmedabad;  

Lake Pichola, Udaipur; 

Rann of Kutch, Bhuj  

 N = 2-5  

E.g., Gujari market, Ahmedabad;  

Hodka village, Udaipur;  

Shilpgram, Bhuj 

 N = 6-8  

E.g., Aajeevika Bureau;  

Self Employed Women’s Association (SEWA);  

Khamir;  

Hunnarshala 

 N = 1  

Indian Institute of Technology, Ahmedabad 

 N = 1-2  

Aavaran 

  
Myanmar 2016/2017  N = 6-9  

E.g., Shwedagon Pagoda Yangon;  

Bagan Archaeological Museum;  

U Bein Bridge 

 N = 1-2  

Community clinic 

 N = 2-3  

E.g., Inle Heritage Centre;  

Community Agency for Rural Developmentin Mandalay;  

Shwe Min Tha Foundation 

 N = 2  

E.g., University of Mandalay; University of Global Peace in Mandalay 

 

   N = 1 

Mandalay Regional Parliament; Singapore Embassy in Yangon 
Nepal 2018/2019  N = 6-12 E.g., Durbar Square, Kathmandu;  

Boudanath Temple 

 N = 1-7  

Bhujung village 

 N = 7  

E.g., Bikas Udhyami; Avni Centre for Sustainability (ACS); Annapurna Conservation Area Project (ACAP); Namaste Community Foundation 

 N = 2-3  

E.g., Prithvi Narayan Campus, Tribhuban University;  

Madan Puraskar Putakalaya 

 N = 1-2  

Ecoprise 

  

N = number of sites visited/interactions with communities/engagement with partners 

 

Table 3
Descriptive statistics of the learning outcomes 

Learning Outcomes  N  Mean  SD 
Balance in pedagogies was appropriate.  95  3.45  .56 
Overall satisfaction  71  3.55  .69 
Overall field visits were relevant and meaningful   95  3.65  .54 
Broadened perspectives in an academic area/realm  70  3.5  .63 
Enhanced ability to perform in a globalized environment  70  3.41  .602 

N = Total sample size across six STEERs from 2015-2019; SD = Standard deviation 

 

Correlational analysis and the means comparisons (ANOVA) across STEERs over time were conducted. The results reveal, firstly, that the choice of sites, communities and engagement activities can significantly enhance the learning for students across STEERs. Secondly, having collaborations with diverse partners—organisations, institutions, businesses—is effective in creating positive programme outcomes. Thirdly, having well-designed programmes make a significant difference in the depth of learning among students. The findings additionally inform broader institutional best practices when seeking to integrate UCPs within the formal and co-curriculum, in terms of policy, resource deployment, and local support.  

 

These results confirm that impactful learning in experiential learning requires a mediated learning experience (Moon, 2004; Roberts, 2012). The choice of sites, communities and collaborations with partners as intentional pedagogies should provide opportunities for students to have firsthand field experience and engagement with partners to enhance their learning (Savicki, 2008; Meyers & Jones, 1993). When experiential learning is intentionally designed and employed in intercultural teaching opportunities, deep learning happens. Understanding in this area can potentially contribute to the broader knowledge base of how universities can best develop valued, sustainable UCPs to promote learning.  

 

ENDNOTES

  1. CAPT-STEERs refer to short-term overseas experiential learning programmes conducted under the auspices of the NUS Global Relations Office (GRO)’s Study Trip for Engagement and EnRichment (STEER) programme. CAPT conducted 19 STEER trips to India, Myanmar, Eastern Europe, Botswana, the Balkans, and Nepal from 2012-2022.   
  2. The term “communities” here is defined as specific places visited during the study trips where students experienced interactions and economic and cultural activities with groups of persons associated with the space. 
  3. Places of interest with respect to geography/society/history/culture. 
  4. Including social businesses and social enterprises. 

 

REFERENCES 

Buys, N., & Bursnall, S. (2007). Establishing university-community partnerships: Processes and benefits. Journal of Higher Education Policy and Management, 29(1), 73–86. https://doi.org/10.1080/13600800601175797 

Kellet, C., & Goldstein, A. (1999). Transformation in the university and the community: The benefits and barriers of collaboration. Journal of Family and Consumer Sciences, 91(2), 31–35. https://www.proquest.com/docview/218162491  

Meyers, C., & Jones, T. B. (1993). Promoting active learning: Strategies for the college classroom. Jossey-Bass Publishers. 

Moon, J. A. (2004). A handbook of reflective and experiential learning: Theory and practice. Routledge Falmer. 

Mukhopadhyay, K., Balachandran, L., Wong, S.F., Lai, C. Y. J., Tan, X. Y. A., McGahan, K., Toh, T. C., Wong, R., & Tan, L. Y. (2022). Steering towards the internationalisation of higher education: Lessons from pedagogical interventions in overseas experiential learning programmes. Asian Journal of Scholarship of Teaching and Learning, 12(1), 1-19. https://nus.edu.sg/cdtl/engagement/publications/ajsotl-home/archive-of-past-issues/v12n1/steering-towards-the-internationalisation-of-higher-education-lessons-from-pedagogical-interventions-in-overseas-experiential-learning-programmes  

Roberts, J. W. (2012). Beyond learning by doing: Theoretical currents in experiential education. Routledge. 

Savicki, V. (2008). Experiential and affective education for international educators. In V. Savicki (Ed.), Developing intercultural competence and transformation: Theory, research, and application in international education (pp. 74-91). Stylus. 

Waddock, S. A., & Walsh, M. (1999). Paradigm shift: Toward a community–university community of practice. International Journal of Organisational Analysis, 7(3), 244–64. https://doi.org/10.1108/eb028902  

Watson, D. (2003). The university in the knowledge society. In S. Bjarnason & P. Coldstream (Eds.), The idea of engagement: Universities in society (pp. 25–47). Association of Commonwealth Universities.

The SFI Experience: Exploring the Malaysian Jungle to Facilitate Deep Learning

NUS CDTL Paper Presentations

Patricia LORENZ
Ridge View Residential College
plorenz@nus.edu.sg

 

Lorenz, P. (2023). The SFI experience: exploring the Malaysian jungle to facilitate deep learning [Paper presentation]. In Higher Education Campus Conference (HECC) 2023, 7 December, National University of Singapore. https://blog.nus.edu.sg/hecc2023proceedings/paper-presentations/the-sfi-experience-exploring-the-malaysian-jungle-to-facilitate-deep-learning/

 

SUB-THEME

Communities and Education

 

KEYWORDS

Outdoor learning, SFI, student centric education

 

CATEGORY

Paper Presentation

 

ABSTRACT

This paper presentation in the sub-theme of “Communities and Education” examines how a newly created SFI course in the Communities and Engagement pillar of the NUS General Education (GE) Programme can facilitate deep academic learning, while engaging the students extensively in the field. Crossing the border to Malaysia can hardly be described as unchartered frontiers, and a trip modern-day Malaysia is a far cry from the experiences of the first explorers who mapped the mangroves, swamps, and jungles of the Malayan peninsular centuries ago. Yet, for many city-dwelling Singaporean students a five-hour trek through a tropical forest in Pahang might seem as alien as the unchartered terrains of peninsular Malaysia was to seasoned explorers of the past. The newly created Southeast Asia Funding Initiative (SFI) encourages academic staff of residential colleges at NUS to create credit-bearing courses with an extensive field trip component that exposes students to the ASEAN region. Under SFI a four-credit point course needs to engage students for at least 10 days abroad. A course that features such an extensive overseas field trip has to engage students a lot less in the classroom, which beckons the question whether deep academic learning can be facilitated in such a course. Avid outdoor educators will surely argue for the benefits of learning experiences outside the classroom, while many academics might reason that outdoor education lacks academic rigour (Putting nature back in human nature, 2023; Why Singapore’s “Otterman” believes in learning beyond the classroom, 2022).

This presentation examines the students’ learning experiences during RVN2002 “Wild Asia: Conservation Matters”, a course newly created under SFI and first offered to students of Ridge View Residential College in Special Term 1 of Academic Year 2022/23. As the title suggests, the course focuses on conservation efforts within the Southeast Asian region. As this course is offered under the Community and Engagement pillar of the NUS GE Programme, it requires students to actively engage with community partners and participate in community partner projects. Beyond this, students are continuously exposed to the natural world and explore forest trails in three ecologically significant areas of Peninsular Malaysia; namely the Sungei Yu Ecological Corridor, Taman Negara, and Fraser’s Hill. Prior to the overseas field trip, students participate in five educational sessions and one local field trip. Two of the academic sessions are purely student-led and engage students in peer teaching sessions, providing background knowledge relevant for the overseas experience. As such, the course is highly student-centric and encourages self-directed learning, which previous research has demonstrated to be highly beneficial (Lorenz & Guan, 2023). The candid reflections of students gathered and discussed on the last day of the overseas field trip illustrate the benefits of engaging the students in novel outdoor learning experiences. Student reflections expressed the beneficial exposure to the unknown, “this trip offered the opportunity to discover so much beyond what I was familiar with”; highlighted the value of experiential learning, “there’s a wealth of knowledge and experiences outside of the classroom that cannot be replicated”; and demonstrated that deep learning took place, “if any school trip I’ve had in my life was eye- opening it has to be this”. As such, students’ reflections on their personal learning journey demonstrate clearly that such unconventional modes of outdoor and experiential learning provide an academic platform to engage students more holistically and facilitate deeper learning than conventional courses.

 

REFERENCES

Lorenz, P. & Guan, Y. (2023). Engaging students in cross-disciplinary module design: a case study on the co-creation of a sustainability module in Singapore. Journal of Applied Learning & Teaching, 6(1), Special Section 1-16. https://doi.org/10.37074/jalt.2023.6.1.ss6

Putting nature back in human nature: Exploring Asia’s environmental challenges (2023, March 2). NUS News. https://news.nus.edu.sg/putting-nature-back-in-human-nature-exploring-asias-environmental-challenges/

Why Singapore’s “Otterman” believes in learning beyond the classroom (2022, December 21). NUS News. https://news.nus.edu.sg/why-singapores-otterman-believes-in-learning-beyond-the-classroom/

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