interdisciplinary

Multi-stakeholder Experiential Learning For Adult Learners

cdtlsd Paper Presentations , , , , ,

Weina ZHANG1,2,* and Ruth TAN1 

1Department of Finance, NUS Business School
2Sustainable and Green Finance Institute, NUS

*bizzwn@nus.edu.sg 

Zhang, W., & Tan, R. S. K. (2024). Multi-stakeholder experiential learning for adult learners [Paper presentation]. In Higher Education Conference in Singapore (HECS) 2024, 3 December, National University of Singapore. https://blog.nus.edu.sg/hecs/hecs2024-wzhang-rtan/

SUB-THEME

Opportunities from Engaging Communities 

KEYWORDS

Experiential Learning, Interdisciplinary, Multi-stakeholder Pedagogy, Sustainable solutions, Sustainable Development Goals 

CATEGORY

Paper Presentation 

 

EXTENDED ABSTRACT

The Masters in Sustainable and Green Finance (SGFIN) at the National University of Singapore (NUS) is an Asia-first Masters degree programme.  

 

In terms of pedagogical contribution, we have adopted the transformative multi-stakeholder educational approach proposed in UNESCO (2020). Figure 1 presents the key stakeholders involved in the programme and the different strategies designed to nurture a new generation of talents in the fast-paced field of sustainable finance. The curriculum has intentionally weaved in various experiential learning components for students to engage with the community and provide practical solutions.  

Figure 1. Multi-stakeholder pedagogy for MSGF Programme

 

Firstly, weekly industry talks featuring various experts exposed our students to the best practices and current trends in the financial and business world. These talks provide students with the latest insights from the industry. They are deliberately curated for students to learn about the multi-faceted challenges in the field of sustainable development.  

 

Secondly, to help students understand the cutting-edge technological and scientific advancements and the interdisciplinary nature of sustainability innovations, we have also invited many renowned NUS professors to deliver their research seminars to our students. The academic speakers came from Faculty of Science, College of Design and Engineering, and the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, covering a wide range of topics such as renewable energy solutions, nature-based climate solutions, electrical vehicles, urban heat and data analytics, biodiversity, and green hydrogen, and more.  

 

Thirdly, we also organised yearly case competitions for our students to tackle widespread and systematic challenges faced by businesses in the entire country. In the first year, we focused on the new energy transition by the local small and medium enterprises. In the second year, we asked students to conduct interviews with local business people to understand their sustainability journeys. Through the competition, hundreds of students from various disciplines have had close encounters with entrepreneurs and business owners to understand the challenges faced and provide ground-up solutions for the case challenge.   

 

Fourthly, as part of their graduating requirement, students work in teams to consult with industry partners on diverse issues. They were guided by academics from various departments of NUS.  

 

These engagements with the community of guest speakers and industry partners are opportunities for our students to (1) become more conscious of sustainable solutions to real-world challenges, and (2) to be more conscious of concrete ways to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals.  

 

For example, the capstone projects include studies into  

  • Energy transition (SDG13 Climate Action),  
  • Investment in renewable energy (SDG7 Affordable and Green Energy),  
  • Integration of biodiversity risk (SDG14 Life Below Water, SDG15 Life on Land), commercialisation of biofuels (SDG7 Affordable and Green Energy),  
  • Relationship between corporate diversity and financial performance (SDG5 Gender Equality), reduction of methane emissions (SDG13 Climate Action),  
  • Green buildings (SDG11 Sustainable Cities and Communities),  
  • Divestment strategy for coal exposure (SDG13 Climate Action),  
  • ESG Investing of Family Offices,  
  • Transition risk factors and physical risk factors (SDG13 Climate Action).  

 

In summary, we have summarised the motivation, rationale, strategies of curriculum design to help adult students acquire experiential learning experiences, and the hard and soft skills needed to thrive in the field of sustainability. We also present the learning outcomes of the students based on the feedback from surveys, learning journals, and job statistics.  

 

REFERENCES

Bridgstock, R. (2009). The graduate attributes we’ve overlooked: enhancing graduate employability through career management skills. Higher Education Research & Development, 28(1), 31-44. https://doi.org/10.1080/07294360802444347

Carless, D. (2015). Excellence in university assessment: Learning from award-winning practice. Routledge. 

Cheng, L. T. W., Armatas, C. A., & Wang, J. W. (2020). The impact of diversity, prior academic achievement and goal orientation on learning performance in group capstone projects. Higher Education Research & Development, 39(5), 913-925. https://doi.org/10.1080/07294360.2019.1699028

Clifford, V. A. (1999). Development of autonomous learners in a university setting. Higher Education Research & Development, 18(1), 115-128. https://doi.org/10.1080/0729436990180109

Colet, R. N. M. (2017). From content-centred to learning-centred approaches: shifting educational paradigm in higher education. Journal of Educational Administration and History, 49(1), 72-86. https://doi.org/10.1080/00220620.2017.1252737

Fink, L. D. (2003). Creating significant learning experiences; an integrated approach to designing colleague courses. Jossey-Bass. 

Hsu, T. C., Hwang,  G.-J., Chuang, C.-W. , & Chang, C.-K. (2012). Effects on learners’ performance of using selected and open network resources in a problem-based learning activity. British Journal of Educational Technology, 43(4), 606-623. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-8535.2011.01235.x 

Johnson, L. A., & Helms, M. M. (2008). Keeping it local: Incorporating a local case study in the business curriculum. Education + Training. 50(4), 315-328. https://doi.org/10.1108/00400910810880551

Jorre de St Jorre, T., & Oliver, B. (2018). Want students to engage? Contextualise graduate learning outcomes and assess for employability. Higher Education Research & Development, 37(1), 44-57. https://doi.org/10.1080/07294360.2017.1339183

Knewtson, H. (2018). Paying attention to student learning in principles of finance. Journal of Financial Education, 44(2), 246-261. https://www.jstor.org/stable/26775506  

Thomas, K., Wong, K.-C., & Li, Y.-C. (2014). The capstone experience: student and academic experience. Higher Education Research & Development, 33(3), 580-594. https://doi.org/10.1080/07294360.2013.841646

UNESCO (2020). Multi-stakeholder Approaches to Education for Sustainable Development in Local Communities: Towards Achieving the Sustainable Development Goals in Asia.  

Interdisciplinary, Experiential Learning Course for Student Wellbeing: Preliminary Reflections on Course Design of HS2924 “Building Mental Wellbeing And Resilience”

cdtlsd Lighting Talks , , , ,

Ira AGRAWAL1*, Celestial T. YAP1, and Ajay S. MATHURU1,2 

1Department of Physiology, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine (YLLSOM)
2Yale-NUS College

*phsia@nus.edu.sg

 

Agrawal, I., Yap, C. T., & Mathuru, A. S. (2024). Interdisciplinary, experiential learning course for student wellbeing: Preliminary reflections on course design of HS2924 “Building Mental Wellbeing and Resilience” [Lightning talk]. In Higher Education Conference in Singapore (HECS) 2024, 3 December, National University of Singapore. https://blog.nus.edu.sg/hecs/hecs2024-agrawal-et-al/

SUB-THEME

Opportunities from Wellbeing

 

KEYWORDS

Mental wellbeing, experiential learning, interdisciplinary, neuroplasticity

 

CATEGORY

Paper Presentations 

 

INTRODUCTION

Wellbeing and resilience have become central themes in education for thriving in the face of adversity. They are crucial not only for an individual’s health, happiness, and life satisfaction, but also for their performance and the economic costs to organisations and nations. Mental wellbeing challenges, such as stress, anxiety, depression, and burnout, are prevalent among undergraduate students (Barusi & Kurniawati, 2024; Kwan, 2022). These challenges can lead to serious consequences, including poor academic performance, sleep disturbances, substance abuse, low self-worth, and even suicide (Dyrbye et al., 2008; Wang et al., 2022). Since a healthy mental state is essential for both academic and long-term success, there is a pressing need for effective early interventions. Research shows that wellbeing and resilience can be developed through targeted interventions, with the inclusion of mental health education in undergraduate curricula emerging as a promising strategy (Kaligis et al., 2023; McCormack et al., 2024; Wan et al., 2024; Wang & Du, 2020).

 

With this in mind, we developed HS2924 “Building Mental Wellbeing and Resilience”, an interdisciplinary elective for undergraduates at the College of Humanities & Sciences (CHS), National University of Singapore (NUS). This course integrates cognitive neuroscience, psychology, public health, and clinical perspectives to explore the fundamentals of mental wellbeing, how it can be effectively measured, and strategies for enhancing resilience. Students engage in both experiential learning and impact measurement to develop their own wellbeing practice(s) of choice. By taking this course, students are expected to acquire foundational knowledge of mental wellbeing and resilience, cultivate self-awareness, and apply strategies to manage stress.

 

The course consists of four weekly contact hours, split equally between lectures and tutorials. The intake was limited to 100 students, divided into two tutorial batches of 50. The first cohort, from AY 2024/25 Semester-1, includes a balanced mix of students from the Faculties of Arts & Social Sciences (44) and Science (56).

 

COURSE DESIGN

The course is built on the concept of the neuroplasticity of wellbeing: the idea that our brains are wired, but can be rewired through intentional activities with measurable impacts.

 

Wiring: Interactive lectures cover the correlates and determinants of mental wellbeing, the physiological and psychological stress response. Tutorials include activities such as identifying physical sensations in response to stress, exploring the ‘exhaustion funnel’, and self-reflection on wellbeing factors affecting individuals.

 

Rewiring: The mechanics of various interventions are covered in lectures, while tutorials focus on experiential learning. These interventions include lifestyle changes, physical activity, sleep hygiene, and the four pillars of emotional wellbeing: awareness, insight, connection, and purpose (Dahl et al., 2020). Additionally, breathwork and mindfulness practices are incorporated. A core assessment is the six- to eight-week Rewiring Project, where students set SMART goals1 to apply wellbeing strategies in their daily lives and measure their impact.

 

Impact: Monitoring progress and measuring the impact of these interventions are critical to helping students understand what works for them and motivating continued practice. Both objective and subjective tools are introduced. One innovative tool used is the MUSE biosensor headband, which passively measures brain activity and heart rate variability during different activities. For the Rewiring Project, students track their baseline mental wellbeing, monitor their progress throughout the intervention, and assess their impact by the semester’s end.

 

Effectiveness will be evaluated through pre- and post-course surveys and reflection assignments. The results will provide insights into best practices for incorporating mental wellbeing education into higher education curricula.

 

ENDNOTE

  1. SMART goals stand for goals that are “Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound”

 

REFERENCES

Barusi, A., & Kurniawati, F. (2024). Systematic literature review: A study of academic burnout among undergraduate students in universities. International Journal of Science Education and Cultural Studies, 3, 1–18. https://doi.org/10.58291/ijsecs.v3i1.198

Dahl, C. J., Wilson-Mendenhall, C. D., & Davidson, R. J. (2020). The plasticity of well-being: A training-based framework for the cultivation of human flourishing. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 117(51), 32197–32206. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2014859117

Dyrbye, L. N., Thomas, M. R., Massie, F. S., Power, D. V., Eacker, A., Harper, W., Durning, S., Moutier, C., Szydlo, D. W., Novotny, P. J., Sloan, J. A., & Shanafelt, T. D. (2008). Burnout and suicidal ideation among U.S. medical students. Annals of Internal Medicine, 149(5), 334–341. https://doi.org/10.7326/0003-4819-149-5-200809020-00008

Kaligis, F., Ismail, R. I., Wiguna, T., Prasetyo, S., Gunardi, H., Indriatmi, W., Pasaribu, M. M., Pandia, V., Minayati, K., Magdalena, C. C., Nurraga, G. W., Pramatirta, B., Calvin, N., & Sourander, A. (2023). Effectiveness of an online mental health strengthening module to build resilience and overcome stress for transitional aged medical students. Frontiers in Digital Health, 5, 1207583. https://doi.org/10.3389/fdgth.2023.1207583

Kwan, J. (2022). Academic burnout, resilience level, and campus connectedness among undergraduate students during the COVID-19 pandemic: Evidence from Singapore. Journal of Applied Learning and Teaching, 5(Sp. Iss. 1), Article Sp. Iss. 1. https://doi.org/10.37074/jalt.2022.5.s1.7

McCormack, Z., Kerr, A., Simpson, A., Keating, D., & Strawbridge, J. (2024). What works for whom, how and why in mental health education for undergraduate health profession students? A realist synthesis protocol. BMJ Open, 14(3), e078130. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2023-078130

 

 

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