“Wicked problems” is a phrase used to describe complex societal issues that evade easy solutions. Pohl, Truffer, & Hirsch-Hadorn (2017) assert that interdisciplinary collaborations are neccessary if we are to find solutions to pressing global problems, such as poverty, inequality, and climate change.
Since 2021, snəw̓eyəɬ leləm̓ – Langara College has participated in an award-winning interdisciplinary teaching fellowship built upon the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs). Open Langara, the College’s open education committee, is currently seeking fellows for the 2024 cohort.
About the fellowship
The UN SDG Open Pedagogy Fellowship was founded by Dr. Shinta Hernandez and Dr. Michael Mills of Montgomery College in Maryland. It now includes twelve partner institutions from Canada, the United States, Costa Rica, and Indonesia, with more colleges and universities signing on each year.
The Fellowship brings together three central frameworks: Interdisciplinary collaboration, the UN SDGs, and open pedagogy.
Open pedagogy places students at the center of the learning process. Rooted in principles of social justice, it promotes ownership of one’s own learning experiences (including choices of expression) and provides space for critical evaluation and reflection.
The fellowship is designed to help faculty create open, or ‘renewable’, assignments connected to the UN SDGs. Renewable assignments add value to a student’s world, live outside of the boundaries of the course, and are likely to have lasting impact.
Visit the UN SDG Toolkit to review renewable assignments developed by past fellows.
Structure and time commitment
The UN SDG fellows participate in four 3-hour meetings over the summer 2024 semester. These sessions provide foundational knowledge about open pedagogy, the UN SDGs, interdisciplinary collaboration, assignment design, and more.
Faculty fellows are paired with 1-2 instructors from different disciplines and different institutions. The teams design three renewable assignments and implement at least two during the fall 2024 or spring 2025 semester.
Why should Langara instructors consider participating in this fellowship?
- Energize your NID Plan
- Collaborate with a diverse group of educators from around the world
- Design renewable assignments that are more resistant to ChatGPT and other ‘creative’ technologies
- Advance Langara’s Academic Plan (Transformational Learning Experiences, Social Responsibility) and commitment to the UN SDGs
Open Langara will provide support for the Langara UN SDG fellows. If you are interested in becoming a UN SDG fellow, please complete the application form by April 17, 2024.
Questions? Join us for an online information session on April 3, 2024 from 2:30-3pm, or contact open@langara.ca.
