SDG Virtual International Exchange
Across IUPUI, students engage with the SDGs in a myriad of ways: in their classrooms, volunteering, student organizations, internships, and beyond. This section highlights several examples of the ways in which students have engaged internationally in critical analysis and solution building around the SDGs.
IUPUI Honors - University of Eswatini Virtual Exchange
In Fall 2022, Prof. Ian McIntosh from the IUPUI Honors College co-taught a virtual exchange class with his colleague from the University of Eswatini, Zenzo Ncube. Twenty IUPUI Honors students and twenty students from the University of Eswatini, representing multiple disciplines, were brought together virtually to learn about each other and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (the SDGs). The platform for this connection was a novel new technology called CN or Course Networking (www.theCN.com), a learning management system (LMS) developed at the IUPUI Cyberlab that is ideal for virtual exchange.
There were two major dimensions to the class. The first involved the students getting to know each other, with a strong emphasis on culture, identity, and current affairs. The students were paired up, but they also connected with other class members through the Facebook-like Course Networking site. The goal was to make the students feel like they were actually visiting Eswatini or the USA. During the 'get to know you' phase of the class, the students shared amazing things about where they live and what makes their home so special or unique. For Eswatini students, it was the fact that they live in one of the world's few remaining absolute monarchies. Indiana students, by contrast, shared stories about their favorite holidays, like Halloween and Christmas, popular restaurants, and things that they would do together when their partner came for a real visit, such as visiting the world-famous Indianapolis Children's Museum or the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
While this cultural learning was happening, the students were also becoming familiar with the UN's 2030 agenda for global transformation encapsulated in the '5 Ps': People, Planet, Peace, Prosperity, and Partnership. Adopted by all UN member states in 2015, the 17 Sustainable Development Goals and associated targets are a call to action for all, both rich and poor, to promote prosperity while protecting the needs of future generations.
Universities play a critical role in meeting the SDGs through teaching, interdisciplinary research, the creation of evidence-based knowledge, measuring and evaluation, and advocacy. We need to inculcate this idea of working together to meet the challenge. So, working in cross-country teams, the students were asked how the US and Eswatini were responding to this global call to action. How can the specific disciplines of the students, whether it is business or marketing, or the arts and sciences, be engaged in this struggle? The major assignment for the virtual exchange class was to create a poster where the students summarized their findings to these questions. Some examples of these posters by the students are below.
IUPUI Honors - University of Rwanda Virtual Exchange
In Fall 2020, Prof. Ian McIntosh from the IUPUI Honors College co-taught a virtual exchange class with his colleague from the University of Rwanda, Michel Ndahimana. Twenty-three IUPUI Honors students from multiple disciplines, and twenty marketing students from the University of Rwanda, were brought together virtually to learn about each other and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (the SDGs).
During the 'get to know you' phase of the class, the students shared amazing things about where they live and what makes their home so special or unique. For Rwandan students, it was the modern-day miracle of Rwanda post-genocide. Kigali is now the safest and cleanest capital city on the African continent. Then there were posts on famous tourist attractions like the Gorillas in Volcano National Park or how Rwanda is using walking, talking robots to monitor COVID patients in the larger cities. Indiana students, by contrast, shared stories about their favorite foods, music, movies, and hobbies.
Some examples of these posters are below, along with commentary by the students.
SDG 9 with Halee Griffey, Elizabeth Wallace & Thierry Niyonkuru
SDG 5 with Haydah, Kiran, Halie M. & Jolly
SDG 14 with Iqra A., Holly C & Immaculee M.
SDG 7 with Kankiriho Fred, Jonathan Lews & Kelsey Pardieck
