Curriculum development in the project ranged from the introduction of PBL as a new approach at some institutions to refining educational methods and teacher training at HEIs with already established PBL courses. The project brought together widely differing institutions, co-creating educational practice with consideration of the significant differences affecting development needs and industrial solutions required in the region.
25 courses were updated by the consortium, 16 in Nepal, 4 in Bhutan and 5 in India. Academic fields cover mainly technical education (electrical, civil and mechanical engineering) but also management and business. Some HEIs only offer undergraduate degrees thus updates were made in majority for 1st cycle, with some for 2nd and 3rd cycle.
Curriculum change transformed traditional technical courses to sustainable development themed problem-based courses, introducing student-led projects and teams, fieldwork, societal partner engagement, additional/revised learning objectives and assessment methods, and transitions from traditional teacher roles to mentoring roles.
Faculty from the PBL South Asia consortium co-developed a MOOC (Massive Open Online Course) “Problem-Based Learning for Global Sustainability” and a “PBL for Global Sustainability Impact Canvas” aimed in particular at learners in the South Asian Partner countries and at students planning to join international PBL/sustainability study initiatives. The contents however are international and relevant to students of many regions and backgrounds. In order to benefit learners in various institutional settings, related video lessons and workbooks are published here for flexible use for example as blended learning materials in classes by any institution. The materials also serve teacher training purposes and can be used in faculty trainings. We hope they will serve many users and welcome feedback on the contents.
PBL MOOC Lectures videos
PBL MOOC Modules’ example videos
ToT Manual and Hanbook
Download Impact Canvas (PDF)
Download Impact Canvas Instructions (PDF)
