experiential learning

Law Clinics: Microcosms of the Inter-disciplinarity Inherent in Law Practice

cdtlsd Paper Presentations , , , ,

WONG Siew Yin, Eleanor, Sonita JEYAPATHY, and CHEONG Jun Ming, Mervyn*
Centre for Pro Bono & Clinical Legal Education, Faculty of Law

*mervyn@nus.edu.sg

 

Wong, E. S. Y., Jeyapathy, S., & Cheong, M. J. M. (2023). Law clinics: Microcosms of the inter-disciplinarity inherent in law practice [Paper presentation]. In Higher Education Campus Conference (HECC) 2023, 7 December, National University of Singapore. https://blog.nus.edu.sg/hecc2023proceedings/law-clinics-microcosms-of-the-inter-disciplinarity-inherent-in-law-practice/

SUB-THEME

Interdisciplinarity and Education

 

KEYWORDS

Clinical legal education, law clinics, experiential learning, legal skills programme

 

CATEGORY

Paper Presentation 

 

ABSTRACT

In practice, a lawyer gets parachuted into the client’s world in all its complexity and chaos, and must help the client come up with a legal solution for the unique challenge at hand. A legal problem is rarely ever just a legal problem. The law transcends every aspect of society, community, and enterprise.

 

The lawyer must be able to understand their client’s specific needs to target a solution to them. Apart from being confident and competent in legal principles and theories, the modern lawyer must be able to appreciate and comfortably operate in landscapes where the law intersects with other disciplines such as technology, finance, psychiatry, and forensics.

 

So really a lawyer cannot just be a lawyer. A lawyer must also be able to operate in the world of a detective, profiler, psychologist, a techie, and much more.

 

How then do we prepare law students for this? The key must revolve around providing students with opportunities to hone their ability to be agile learners and to expose them to legal challenges that present themselves in evolving legal landscapes in a closely supervised way, so that they can develop crucial practical competencies.

 

Our solution is to develop and curate law clinics for our students which are microcosms of the interdisciplinarity inherent in the practice of law, and utilise resources and networks to actively support these students as they participate in the law clinics.

 

Through the Centre for Pro Bono & Clinical Legal Education, the NUS Faculty of Law is the first law school in Singapore to establish law clinics as part of the faculty’s regular course listing of elective subjects. The NUS law clinics expose the participating students to legal matters that could have cross-disciplinary aspects in actual live legal matters.

 

Like most experiential learning modalities, the pedagogical approach adopted is: first, for the clinic supervisors to expressly articulate their thought process through discussions on the live legal matters, including the reasoning behind decisions to take certain action or not, and the students are guided through reflection to pick up the learning points; and second, a mastery learning approach by providing students with constant feedback and opportunities to revise and improve their work before giving a final assessment grade for the task assigned.

 

Under the sub-theme of “Interdisciplinarity and Education”, the proposed paper presentation will focus on three of the faculty’s law clinics: the first two relate to the legal-tech and environmental, and social and governance (ESG) space, respectively, and the third deals with criminal law litigation involving serious crimes where forensics and psychiatry issues arise. The paper will elaborate on how these law clinics are curated and carried out and highlight key findings, from past students’ feedback on how the students’ learning journey in the law clinics have impacted their outlook about legal practice. The paper will then conclude that the NUS Law clinics course, new as it may be amongst Singapore’s law schools, provides an appropriate platform for law students to actively appreciate and acquire an ability to confidently think, both critically and creatively, from a wider and more comprehensive perspective, where interdisciplinary aspects are involved in their legal practice, upon their graduation.

 

REFERENCES

Giddings, J. (2014). Contemplating the future of clinical legal education. Griffith Law Review, 17(1), 1-26. http://dx.DOI.org/10.1080/10383441.2008.10854600

Rice, S., Evans, A., Noone, M., Giddings, J., Cody, A., & Copeland, A. (2012). Best practices: Australian clinical legal education. Retrieved from https://www.researchgate.net/publication/296449685_Best_practices_Australian_clinical_legal_education.

Mlyniec, W. J. (2012). Where to begin? Training new teachers in the art of clinical pedagogy. Clinical L. Rev., 18(2), 505-91. https://ssrn.com/abstract=2008973

Wilson, Richard (2018). Legal aid and clinical legal education in Europe and the USA: Are they compatible? In Outsourcing Legal Aid in the Nordic Welfare States. Retrieved from https://www.researchgate.net/publication/322009213_Legal_Aid_and_Clinical_Legal_Education_in_Europe_and_the_USA_Are_They_Compatible.

 

Navigating on a Kayak: Transcending Disciplinary Boundaries in Sustainability Education

cdtlsd Lighting Talks , , , , ,

Eunice S. Q. NG* and YONG Jia Yu
Ridge View Residential College (RVRC)

*e.ng@nus.edu.sg

 

Ng, E. S. Q., & Yong, J. Y. (2023). Navigating on a kayak: Transcending disciplinary boundaries in sustainability education. [Lightning talk]. In Higher Education Campus Conference (HECC) 2023, 7 December, National University of Singapore. https://blog.nus.edu.sg/hecc2023proceedings/navigating-on-a-kayak-transcending-disciplinary-boundaries-in-sustainability-education/

SUB-THEME

Interdisciplinarity and Education

 

KEYWORDS

Interdisciplinary education, sustainability education, environmental stewardship, experiential learning, outdoor learning

 

CATEGORY

Lightning Talks 

 

ABSTRACT

The pressing sustainability crisis has resulted in an increasing number of educational institutions integrating sustainability into their formal curriculum as a way to develop sustainability-oriented attitudes among the youth of today (Leal Filho et. al., 2019). Yet, sustainability education is focused on providing students with a cognitive understanding of issues and challenges in sustainability from a specific discipline’s perspective (Kim & Coonan, 2023). As a result, sustainability education often overlooks leveraging the power of affective reactivity towards sustainability to promote deeper appreciation of sustainability and motivate sustainable behaviour (Brosch & Steg, 2021). Transcending disciplinary boundaries to foster students’ fundamental connectedness to nature – defined as “individuals’ sense of oneness with, and belonging to, their natural environment” (Coughlan et al., 2022, p. 1)—is vital to holistically developing their sustainability-oriented attitudes (Maller, 2018; Nisbet & Zelenski, 2013).

 

As a way to develop students’ connectedness to nature, Ridge View Residential College (RVRC) organised RV Kayak and Clean (RVKC), which provides marine trash clean-up experiences to undergraduate students. Offered beyond the formal academic curriculum, RVKC enables students from multidisciplinary backgrounds to have a common yet personal experience of being in direct contact with nature. Specifically, RVKC aims to achieve three student learning outcomes:

  1. Learn about the biodiversity within Singapore’s mangroves,
  2. Appreciate the extent of marine pollution in Singapore, and
  3. Relate the importance of sustainable living to individuals’ personal lifestyles.

 

First, students develop a deeper appreciation of Singapore’s biodiversity by kayaking through mangroves with explanations of wildlife sighting. Experienced kayak guides facilitate student learning by explaining the importance of mangrove ecosystems, allowing students to discover flora and fauna native to mangrove biomes. For example, students saw a Great Blue Heron and its nestling, a Strangler Fig Tree, and mud lobsters on a trip in February 2023, leading a student to reflect on “how important it is for us to preserve and protect nature for wildlife for future generations to be able to still kayak this route”.

Sea lettuce almost mistaken by participants as green plastic trash bag floating on water.
Figure 1. Sea lettuce almost mistaken by participants as green plastic trash bag floating on water.

 

Second, RVKC provides students with a first-hand experience in witnessing the extent of marine trash pollution, especially in hard-to-access areas around Singapore’s waterways and nearby islands. With students’ direct involvement in collecting marine debris, they obtain a visual representation of the impact of marine pollution. A recent trip in January 2023 saw 77kg of marine trash collected by 20 participants within half an hour (Figure 2). Trash collected is weighed and reported to Ocean Conservancy, which encourages students that their clean-up has made a difference, and reminds them that marine pollution is a far-reaching and ongoing problem.

Trash collected from a trip to Seletar Island weighed 77kg.
Figure 2. Trash collected from a trip to Seletar Island weighed 77kg.

 

Figure 3. Participants pulling out a fishing net entangled on Pulau Ubin’s shore.
Figure 3. Participants pulling out a fishing net entangled on Pulau Ubin’s shore.

 

RVKC also aims to facilitate personal appreciation and connection to the need for sustainable living. For example, students witnessed the rural, disconnected lifestyle by remaining residents on Pulau Ubin on one of the kayak trails. This facilitated site observation led students to rethink their assumptions: both that their current urban way of life and consumption levels are ideal, and how they can apply sustainable practices to their lives even without modern amenities.

Participants interacted with Ah Ma at her residence in Pulau Ubin.
Figure 4. Participants interacted with Ah Ma at her residence in Pulau Ubin.

 

RVKC allowed students to experience nature while being confronted with difficult issues of marine trash and personal lifestyle changes to be made for sustainability. Being in direct contact with nature has been effective in activating students’ affective response towards Singapore’s biodiversity and sustainability, transcending disciplinary backgrounds to foster their human- nature relationship instead.

 

REFERENCES

Brosch, T., & Steg, L. (2021). Leveraging emotion for sustainable action. One Earth, 4(12), 1693–1703. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.oneear.2021.11.006

Coughlan, A., Ross, E., Nikles, D., De Cesare, E., Tran, C., & Pensini, P. (2022). Nature guided imagery: An intervention to increase connectedness to nature. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 80, 101759. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvp.2022.101759

Kim, E., & Coonan, T. (2023). Advancing sustainability education through a cross-disciplinary online course: Sustainability and human rights in the business world. Sustainability, 15(6), 4759. https://doi.org/10.3390/su15064759

Leal Filho, W., Shiel, C., Paço, A., Mifsud, M., Ávila, L. V., Brandli, L. L., Molthan-Hill, P., Pace, P., Azeiteiro, U. M., Vargas, V. R., & Caeiro, S. (2019). Sustainable Development Goals and sustainability teaching at universities: Falling behind or getting ahead of the pack? Journal of Cleaner Production, 232, 285–94. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2019.05.309

Maller, C. (2018, August 1). Embracing the chaos: By transcending disciplinary boundaries researchers can reconceptualise human-nature relations. London School of Economics. https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/impactofsocialsciences/2018/08/01/embracing-the-chaos-by-transcending- disciplinary-boundaries-researchers-can-reconceptualise-human-nature-relations/

Nisbet, E. K., & Zelenski, J. M. (2013). The NR-6: A new brief measure of nature relatedness. Frontiers in Psychology, 4. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2013.00813

 

Overseas Experiential Learning in the City that Never Sleeps

cdtlsd Lighting Talks , , ,

Norman VASU* and Lydia CHEE Qian Ting
NUS College (NUSC)

*nvasu@nus.edu.sg

 

Vasu, N., & Chee, L. Q. T. (2023). Overseas experiential learning in the city that never sleeps [Lightning talk]. In Higher Education Campus Conference (HECC) 2023, 7 December, National University of Singapore. https://blog.nus.edu.sg/hecc2023proceedings/overseas-experiential-learning-in-the-city-that-never-sleeps

SUB-THEME

Communities and Education

 

KEYWORDS

Experiential learning, sense-making, designing for reflection

 

CATEGORY

Lightning Talks 

 

ABSTRACT

This Lightning Talk explores the pedagogical underpinnings of designing for reflection and sense-making to an interdisciplinary group of undergraduate students on an overseas experiential learning programme. Experiential learning here is understood through Kolb’s (1976, 2015) four-stage cycle. We argue that an inordinate amount of contact hours has to be devoted to group and individual reflection and sense-making when designing for experiential learning. Based on our study, in effect, 8.5 hours of experience requires 8.9 hours of reflection and sense-making. With rounding, that suggests that for every hour of experience, educators should design for an equivalent hour of contact hour dedicated to sense-making.

 

This presentation is based on the experience of conducting NUS College’s (NUSC) Summer Study Trip Experience Programme (SSTEP), an interdisciplinary experiential learning programme with a four-week overseas component for undergraduates. SSTEP was a specially curated course to New York City (NYC) for 14 students to arrive at an appreciation and understanding of NYC as a Global City.

 

To achieve this, the programme was designed for students to have fireside chats with industry leaders, engage with guest professors, and experience field visits to important cultural sites. Throughout the course of the programme, students were expected to reflect on their learning, and conduct an independent study of a topic (of their choice) related to the theme of the programme.

 

With regard to reflection, students were provided three 30-minute individual consultations with the lecturer accompanying the trip, weekly end-of-the-week three-hour seminars at the City University of New York (CUNY) on the topic of the week, seminars for 1.5-days at the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR), and weekly 1.5-hour group reflection seminars. Besides these formal reflection points, students were also provided with questions ahead of site visits to better aid their sense-making of their site visits.

 

Interestingly, despite these various reflection points while on the trip, students requested for more contact hours through immediate post-event discussions.

 

Through the experience of the SSTEP programme, it is clear that while the experiential element in experiential learning is important, formal learning through seminars and consultations remains firmly a key component of the process. Future research based on this finding should consider if this demand for formal learning leads to more reflection, or whether the demand for more contact hours stems from a particular orientation towards a more guided form of learning.

 

REFERENCES

Kolb, D. A. (2015). Experiential learning. Pearson Education.

Kolb, D. A. (1976). Learning style inventory. McBer.

 

Conditions for Interdisciplinary Learning–Some Preliminary Reflections on Designing and Facilitating “Global Experience Tokyo: City, Culture and Technology”

cdtlsd Lighting Talks , , , ,

LEE Chee Keng
NUS College

ckenglee@nus.edu.sg

 

Lee, C. K. (2023). Conditions for interdisciplinary learning–Some preliminary reflections on designing and facilitating “Global Experience Tokyo: City, Culture and Technology” [Lightning talk]. In Higher Education Campus Conference (HECC) 2023, 7 December, National University of Singapore. https://blog.nus.edu.sg/hecc2023proceedings/conditions-for-interdisciplinary-learning-some-preliminary-reflections-on-designing-and-facilitating-global-experience-tokyo-city-culture-and-technology/

 

SUB-THEME

Interdisciplinarity and Education

 

KEYWORDS

Interdisciplinary, learning, experiential learning, independent study

 

CATEGORY

Lightning Talks

 

ABSTRACT

This Lighting Talk explores the sub-theme of Interdisciplinarity and Education by reflecting on the design and facilitation experience of Global Experience Tokyo (GEx Tokyo) 2023, guided by the questions:1) What are the conditions necessary for effective interdisciplinary learning? 2) What are the possible preparations that could bring about these conditions?

 

Global Experience (GEx) is a specially curated course in which students spend a month living in and studying an international city. Each GEx is guided by a theme. The theme for GEx Tokyo is “City, Culture and Technology.” The objective of the course is to allow students to examine and reflect on the dynamic and transformative relationship between city, culture, and technology through a set of interweaving and interdisciplinary encounters and site visits. In GEx Tokyo 2023, students attended seminars with guest professors, workshops with practitioners, masterclasses with experts, and field visits to start-ups, research centres, and government offices. Prior to arriving in Tokyo, students attended preparatory seminars that familiarise them with some of the anticipated topics and social situations in GEx Tokyo. Students were also required to propose an independent study research project related to the theme of GEx Tokyo prior to arriving in Tokyo.

 

Based on discussions with students during independent research project consultations, it became apparent that despite the explicitly stated course objective and the purposeful layering of the programme itineraries, students were not drawing upon the interdisciplinary itineraries to deepen and enrich their independent study projects. Preliminary student feedback suggests that students formulated their Independent Study proposals with disciplinary-based frames and experienced the diverse GEx Tokyo itineraries largely through the lens of their Independent Study project. Tellingly, they found all the experts they met on the trip knowledgeable but indicated that few helped them achieve their learning objectives.

 

This experience prompted the questions I would like to contemplate in this Lighting Talk:

  1. What are the conditions necessary for effective interdisciplinary learning in general and for GEx Tokyo in particular?
  2. What are the possible preparations that could bring about these conditions?

 

Discussions on interdisciplinarity and education often focus on how specific disciplines can connect to and benefit from interdisciplinary links, as well as how interdisciplinary links can be built across different disciplines in a course. Such discussions extend into how to operationalise interdisciplinary learning objectives by describing and assessing interdisciplinary learning.

 

This Lighting Talk attempts to reflect on GEx Tokyo 2023 student feedback through the integrated lens of literature examining the entanglement of personal epistemologies and emotions in students’ thinking, and those discussing learning environments, to contemplate the conditions that could motivate and facilitate effective interdisciplinary learning.

 

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

 

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  

 

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.

Taking Students Out of Their Comfort Zone Through Experiential Learning: A Case Study from RVC1001

NUS CDTL Paper Presentations , , ,

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


Lorenz, P. (2023). Taking students out of their comfort zone through experiential learning: A case study from RVC1001 [Paper presentation]. In Higher Education Campus Conference (HECC) 2023, 7 December, National University of Singapore. https://blog.nus.edu.sg/hecc2023proceedings/taking-students-out-of-their-comfort-zone-through-experiential-learning-a-case-study-from-rvc1001/  

 

KEYWORDS

Outdoor learning, experiential learning, community interviews 

 

CATEGORY

Paper Presentation 

 

ABSTRACT

This paper presentation in the sub-theme of “Communities and Education” examines the benefits of taking students outside their comfort zone in their interactions with people from different backgrounds and their culture in order to facilitate deep learning. While Little India lies at the heart of Singapore, many Singaporean students have never visited the area or engaged with the people who gather there. Singapore is home to more than a million Work Permit Holders, of which nearly half work in the construction industry and a majority of these originate from Bangladesh and India. Yet, most Singaporeans have rather sporadic or even no contact with members of these communities, and know little or nothing of their respective cultures. 

 

RVC1001 “The Rocky Road to SDGs” is a newly created course in the Cultures and Connections pillar of the NUS General Education (GE) Programme that focuses on the social pillar of sustainability and explores how culture might be a hindrance to achieving the UN Sustainability  

 

Development Goals (SDGs). With a focus on experiential learning, students are taken on two field trips to Little India and the Bangla Market. During the first field trip, students are tasked to observe and document physical signs of culture in the area. The second field trip engages students in extensive community interviews with migrant workers in Little India and the Bangla Market. Such engagements challenge students to go beyond their personal comfort zone and to engage with people from very different cultural backgrounds and walks of life. Through the course and the field trips, students are tasked to examine their own cultural norms, values, and perceptions, while discovering the culture and values of others. 

 

Such experiential learning experiences can be extremely daunting to students, especially when they have to engage strangers in interviews. Yet, these authentic first-hand experiences cannot be replicated in conventional classroom settings and were therefore deemed an important component of the course. As such, several techniques were developed to facilitate meaningful outdoor learning without overpowering the students. Firstly, the students worked in teams of three to five (depending on class size) and were required to work in their teams at all times during the field trips. Having fixed teams throughout the semester fosters a sense of belonging and provides a feeling of security during the field trips. Secondly, the first field trip took students to Little India and the Bangla Market to explore the area and its visible aspects of culture during class time. For this field trip, each group was provided with a map and a route they were instructed to walk. This first field trip therefore provided an initial point of contact and familiarised students with the area. The second field trip then built on these experiences and added the engagement with members of the community on a Sunday afternoon. As such, the learning experiences were scaffolded and built on each other. Thirdly, both field trips are embedded in the overall course schedule in such a manner that students were discussing relevant SDGs, such as SDG8 “Fair Work and Economic Growth”, prior to the outdoor learning sessions. Lastly, both field trips are the subject of a reflective photo essay which illustrates the students’ personal learning journeys. In combination, these measures assure that students can be taken out of their comfort zones and be engaged in experiential learning that provides valuable additions to classroom learning. 

 
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