By: Katja Lauri
We Belong. Contributing to a sustainable development of international education. New project launched in 2022 by the ABS network.
During the past two years, the ABS network has faced its toughest challenge, as we have not been able to meet face to face and share our best practices and experiences in the optimal way. The coin has two sides, however. Our past development project, Online climate education, has got an extra boost by the rapid introduction of online education globally. Our newly developed courses have received international attention, and several study programmes across the Nordic have introduced those into their curricula. There is clearly a need for online education – and that is not only due to the pandemic, but Climate Change.
Limiting travelling mitigates the human-induced Climate Change, and online teaching provides one example for reduced traveling and contributing in innovative, new ways to meet, teach and learn. Still, according to the student and teacher feedback, online education is lacks the feeling of belongingness: being part of a group that works for a common goal, having sense of community. Teaming, too, is more difficult over remote connections.
We wish to address this feedback and develop education platforms that will contribute to teaming and creating a feeling of belongingness, also by online. As a state of the art approach, we also wish to explore how art can be used to communicate, disseminate and educate within interdisciplinary and online education. We will explore how art gives the students the time and space, the material and tools for creative expressions, that can lower stress, improve memory and understanding and make them feel more connected. This will be a unique tool for generating a sense of belonging and understanding across geographic regions, cultures, sciences, as well as a resource of engagement.
Follow with We Belong here in the coming ABS Blog Posts or contacting us at the ABS Coordinating Office.