Start Date

6-6-2013 3:10 PM

End Date

6-6-2013 4:40 PM

Description

Global Citizenship education is an important concept in the curricular reforms worldwide and Lingnan University’s internationalization strategy. Since 2012, this concept has been integrated in the teaching and learning in different Service-Learning courses and programs, including the Cross-Border Service-Learning Summer Institute (SLSI), which is a 7-week summer course (bearing 3 credits) that has been offered since 2010. It is one of the first international Service-Learning programs in Asia that enables students from different cultural backgrounds to engage in learning of and discussion on global issues and their regional implications, as well as putting into practice what they have learned, through services and research. Students learn to be global citizens, being prepared for future social and civic challenges.

According to Morais and Ogden (2010), Global Citizenship consists of three dimensions: Social Responsibility, Global Competence and Global Civic Engagement:

1. Social Responsibility: Students can perceive a certain level of interdependence and show concern to others, society and the environment

2. Global Competence: Students are open-minded, actively seeking to understand others’ cultural norms and expectations and utilizing this knowledge to interact, communicate, and work effectively even outside their environment

3. Global Civic Engagement: Students demonstrate a predisposition toward recognizing local, state, national and global community issues and respond through actions such as volunteerism.

Service-Learning is the platform in SLSI upon which students become global citizens following these three aspects. They are given the service and research opportunities to apply course materials to authentic situations and develop high-level knowledge and skills (e.g. intercultural competence) in the process. Through the diverse teaching and learning activities (which include guest lectures, Service-Learning practicums both in Hong Kong and Mainland China etc), students’ sense of civic responsibility and qualities as competent global citizens are enhanced. Results from the pre- and post-course questionnaires and content analysis of the end-of-course focus group show that Service-Learning, in particular SLSI, is an effective pedagogy in supporting the development of global citizen efficacy among undergraduate students.

Recommended Citation

Siu, P. Y. C., Tang, H. H. F., & Lai, C. O. A. (2013, June). Teaching and learning global citizenship through service-learning: The success story of cross-border service-learning summer institute, Lingnan University, Hong Kong. Paper presented at the 4th Asia-Pacific Regional Conference on Service-Learning: Service-Learning as a Bridge from Local to Global: Connected world, Connected future, Hong Kong and Guangzhou, China.

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Jun 6th, 3:10 PM Jun 6th, 4:40 PM

Teaching and learning global citizenship through service-learning : the success story of cross-border service-learning summer institute, Lingnan University, Hong Kong

Global Citizenship education is an important concept in the curricular reforms worldwide and Lingnan University’s internationalization strategy. Since 2012, this concept has been integrated in the teaching and learning in different Service-Learning courses and programs, including the Cross-Border Service-Learning Summer Institute (SLSI), which is a 7-week summer course (bearing 3 credits) that has been offered since 2010. It is one of the first international Service-Learning programs in Asia that enables students from different cultural backgrounds to engage in learning of and discussion on global issues and their regional implications, as well as putting into practice what they have learned, through services and research. Students learn to be global citizens, being prepared for future social and civic challenges.

According to Morais and Ogden (2010), Global Citizenship consists of three dimensions: Social Responsibility, Global Competence and Global Civic Engagement:

1. Social Responsibility: Students can perceive a certain level of interdependence and show concern to others, society and the environment

2. Global Competence: Students are open-minded, actively seeking to understand others’ cultural norms and expectations and utilizing this knowledge to interact, communicate, and work effectively even outside their environment

3. Global Civic Engagement: Students demonstrate a predisposition toward recognizing local, state, national and global community issues and respond through actions such as volunteerism.

Service-Learning is the platform in SLSI upon which students become global citizens following these three aspects. They are given the service and research opportunities to apply course materials to authentic situations and develop high-level knowledge and skills (e.g. intercultural competence) in the process. Through the diverse teaching and learning activities (which include guest lectures, Service-Learning practicums both in Hong Kong and Mainland China etc), students’ sense of civic responsibility and qualities as competent global citizens are enhanced. Results from the pre- and post-course questionnaires and content analysis of the end-of-course focus group show that Service-Learning, in particular SLSI, is an effective pedagogy in supporting the development of global citizen efficacy among undergraduate students.