A university-created cloud-based platform, which gamifies individual and team-based learning with students to form multidisciplinary undergraduate teams to create innovative solutions to one or more Sustainable Development Goal challenges.
The main target group is university students from any country. Interested students can form their own team or join an existing team, and bring forth their own creative, innovative and entrepreneurial ideas. Each team uses technology to communicate, conduct research, develop a core solution concept, and create a highly detailed solution that addresses the scientific, social and environmental aspects of one or more of the SDGs. Students can join from any university at any time and share in the work as well as the rewards of the project. The process of team formation and development of a unique concept is highly supported by a business planning framework, which offers students the opportunity to develop the skills and confidence to address globally relevant problems, use advanced communication technologies in collaborative activities, and develop leadership and team membership skills.
We hoped to achieve a new way to think about team learning in higher education, that spans across disciplines, engages students on their own terms, and promotes global competencies with a focus on innovation at the heart of sustainability. The project foundations have been trialled with high school students in 30 countries and are now being modified for adoption into the undergraduate curriculum, helping a university produce sustainability impacts while raising awareness and promoting the SDG framework.
Curtin University has sponsored the creation of the Challenge platform, is now working with Cisco to explore telecommunications innovations such as AI in education and cognitive computing integrated with student learning opportunities. Next steps currently underway include a survey of Curtin curriculum to identify achievement of SDGs and of opportunities where the Balance of the Planet can add value, stimulate new ideas, and assist undergraduate programs in providing global learning opportunities to their students.