WHAT IS MEANINGFUL LEARNING

IN TODAY’S WORLD?
CREATING COMMUNITY IN THE
CLASSROOM AND ONLINE
Melissa A. Fitch
University of Arizona
 DESIRED OUTCOMES FOR TODAY

By the end of this session, you will:

Understand some current priorities related to higher education that have

emerged from the United Nations, the G20 countries, and India’s UGC.

Learn of 8-9 strategies that connect to the above initiatives and that create a vibrant
learning community among the students in our classes, in which students collaborate
together, in the classroom, within the larger community, and the world.
 2022 UNITED
N AT I O N S
T R A N S F O R MI N G
E D U C AT I O N S U MM I T

“Education systems need

to adapt to the shifting
skills needed
professionally, making
learning more student-
centered, connected,
dynamic, inclusive, and
collaborative, allowing
creativity to blossom.”
 UNITED NATIONS FOUR PILLARS
OF KNOWLEDGE FOR THE 21 ST
CENTURY

01 02 03 04
LEARN TO LEARN TO LEARN TO LEARN TO
LEARN (to LIVE DO BE
know) TOGETHER
 G20 STATEMENT ON EDUCATION MINISTERS
PUNE JUNE 22, 2023

All G20 members agreed that education is not only about

academic learning, but also about developing life, technical, and
vocational skills to make all learners future ready. They also
underlined the need for lifelong learning.

Recognized the important role of digital transformations, women-

led development, green transition and education for sustainable
development and lifestyles (LiFE) as accelerators that can advance
the progress towards the achievement of the SDGs.
 • Global Education/Citizenship
(2020)

• Fostering Social Responsibility

UGC RECENT
INITIATIVES FOR and Community Engagement
INDIAN HIGHER
EDUCATION (2018)

• Innovative Pedagogical
Approaches and Evaluation
Reforms (2020)
 The recent National Education
Policy 2020 (NEP) is the outcome
of mammoth exercise to integrate
Indian traditional value-based
education with the present
technology dominated teaching and
learning process.
It aims to overhaul the existing
UGC “INNOVATIVE
education system through a
PEDAGOGICAL
multipronged approach, one of
APPROACHES &
which is developing a pedagogy
EVALUATION REFORMS”
that makes education more
experiential, holistic, integrated,
inquiry-driven, discovery-
oriented, learner-centered,
discussion-based, flexible and
enjoyable.
 SAINT JOSEPH’S UNIVERSITY

Vision Welcome page of the SJU website:

Inspired and motivated by the person of “As a university we are dedicated to
Jesus Christ, St. Joseph's educates women excellence in education […]. Here we try
and men to be learners for life to create leaders for a better world, leaders
deeply rooted in our philosophy, “Fide et
Labore,” who commit themselves to excel
Mission in the fields they choose. We make every
effort to be relevant, innovative and
As an institution, St. Joseph’s is committed creative. St Joseph's continues to be a
to the integral formation of the human place of deep care for each person,
person, forming women and men for others. especially those who feel most
vulnerable.”
UNITED NATIONS
G20
UGC
St. Joseph’s U
YOU
😳
 ESSENTIAL LEARNING OUTCOMES
PROBLEM-SOLVING SKILLS
CRITICAL THINKING SKILLS
CREATIVITY
COMMUNICATION SKILLS
COORDINATING/COLLABORATING WITH
OTHERS
LEADERSHIP READINESS/QUALITIES
“LEARNING HOW TO LEARN” SKILLS
MULTICULTURAL COMPETENCE
VALUES INCULCATION
AUTONOMY AND RESPONSIBILITY
ENVIRONMENTAL AWARENESS AND ACTION
UGC Educational Framework for Global Citizenship in Higher Education pages 13-16. December, 2021
https://www.ugc.gov.in/e-book/GCED1/mobile/index.html
Share with a colleague your own “best
class” experience:

To what do you attribute the success of that

class? Why were the students engaged?
Did they form a learning community?

Was it intentional or was is just “luck”?

HOW TO CREATE A
THRIVING LEARNING
COMMUNITY…..
IN THE
CLASSROOM,
IN THE
COMMUNITY,
IN THE WORLD
IN THE CLASSROOM
Nine Strategies to Engage and
Motivate Your Students
1.Arrive early and engage students as they
arrive.
2.Lecture time (no more than 15-minute
blocks of time)
3.Share your enthusiasm and joy for your
profession. Be original.
4. Small group projects working towards a common goal
related to sustainability (Chat GPT).

5. Build into the syllabus weekly partner work online

where they will have a guided, in-depth, discussion of the
course topics for the week. This conversation will be
filmed, and the link uploaded for the professor to evaluate.

6.Personalize the lecture whenever possible, using their

names, interests, etc.
7. Have them define and share their most important core
value in small groups or pairs, explaining why the value
matters most to them.

8. Have them develop an “Action Plan” for their future, with

three options and one dream, all of which must reflect one of
the student’s core values and address one of the social or
environmental issues they believe are most important. Have
at least one group activity outside of class.

9. And at the end of class….

• Authenticity • Fame • Peace
• Achievement • Friendships • Popularity
• Adventure • Growth • Recognition
• Authority • Happiness • Religion
• Autonomy • Honesty • Respect
• Beauty • Humor • Responsibility
• Boldness • Influence • Security
• Compassion • Inner Harmony • Self-Respect
• Challenge • Justice • Service
• Citizenship • Kindness • Spirituality
• Community • Knowledge • Stability
• Competency • Leadership • Success
• Contribution • Learning • Status
• Creativity • Love • Trustworthiness
• Curiosity • Loyalty • Wealth
• Determination • Meaningful Work • Wisdom
• Fairness • Openness
• Climate Change/Global Warming • Unequal access to Education and • National security
• Biodiversity Loss Healthcare • Literacy
• Elder Abuse/Neglect/Ageism • Discrimination • Land rights
• Poverty/homelessness • Violence • Digital privacy
• Drug/alcohol abuse • Inequality

• Domestic abuse • Digital divide

• Exploitation
• Domestic terrorism What is a cause that you feel
• Animal rights
• Gangs/Drug trafficking passionate about?
• Water scarcity • Police brutality
• Free speech
What are you doing to change
• Resource depletion
• Hate crimes
things?
• Deforestation
• Use of Plastics • Human trafficking
• Political polarization
• Corrupt Governments or other officials SOCIAL
• Food Waste • Sanitation

• Loneliness/social isolation • Nuclear power safety AND

• Workers rights
• Air pollution SUSTAINABILITY
• Fast fashion/textile waste • Workplace discrimination

• Ocean acidification • The rights of marginalized groups ISSUES

 DREAM
It is ten years from now. Someone is filming you for fifteen seconds. See yourself in a
career that is in synch with your core values and that enables you to use your greatest
strengths and talents on a regular basis. What are you doing? Where are you? Who is
with you, if anyone? Try to include as many senses as possible in the dream.

Example: The year is 2032. I walk outside here I am greeted by warm summer air. “Buenos
días” I say and wave to my neighbors. Today marks the beginning of my second week in El
Salvador, and the first day of our sexual violence and reproductive health emergency clinic,
where I will be the attending surgeon. I am wearing blue scrubs, a stethoscope around my
neck, and the back of my short says “Médicos Sin Fronteras.” Coffee in hand, I meet up
with my team of surgeons, physicians, nurses and administrators, outside of our
accommodations. We travel as a group to the clinic site. Eager to begin the day, everyone
assumes their positions. We look forward to the day ahead, and the next four months
working in El Salvador.
 IN THE LOCAL
COMMUNITY
Have students discuss common problems
that are seen in the local community.
Have them meet with community leaders
and develop a plan for how best to
address the problem.
Each student should approach the issue
from his/her/their discipline.
NO MÁS MUERTES/ NO MORE DEATHS Since 1998, more than 10,000 recorded deaths.
IN THE WORLD: Hong Kong/US Student Project
 PARTNER STUDENTS WITH THEIR PEERS
IN OTHER COUNTRIES TO DISCUSS
THEMES RELATED TO THEIR DAILY LIFE
AND CONCERNS, THEIR DREAMS FOR THE
FUTURE, AND FINALLY, HOW THEY WILL
USE THEIR EDUCATION AND CAREERS TO
ADDRESS OUR WORLD’S GREATEST
CHALLENGES.
“WHEN PEOPLE COME TOGETHER AND
SPEAK TO ONE ANOTHER AND SHARE A
COMMON EXPERIENCE, THEN THEIR
COMMON HUMANITY IS REVEALED.

WHEN THAT HAPPENS MISTRUST BEGINS

TO FADE, AND OUR SMALLER
DIFFERENCES NO LONGER OVERSHADOW
THE THINGS WE SHARE. AND THAT’S
WHERE PROGRESS BEGINS.” US
PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA
With colleagues and students at Presidency University in Kolkata, 10/03/17
 WHAT STRATEGY TO PERSONALIZE THE
EDUCATIONAL EXPERIENCE AND CREATE
COMMUNITY IN YOUR CLASSES CAN YOU
USE IN THE FUTURE (TOMORROW, NEXT
WEEK, OR NEXT YEAR)?

ARE THERE OTHER STRATEGIES THAT YOU

CAN THINK OF (AND SHARE) THAT ADDRESS
THE UN, G20, AND UGC GOALS?
 DID WE ACHIEVE THE DESIRED OUTCOMES FOR
TO D AY ?

• Understand some current priorities related to higher education that

have emerged from the United Nations, the G20 countries, and
India’s UGC.

• Learn of 8-9 strategies that connect to the above initiatives and that
personalize the educational experience and create a vibrant learning
community among the students in our classes, in which students
collaborate together, in the classroom, within the larger community,
and the world.
Thank you
Gracias
ഒത്തിരി നന്ദി