Facing international conflicts, climate change, and uncertainties in the global economy, the demand for the next generation of global leaders extends beyond borders, languages, and cultures. These leaders are expected to possess cross-border problem-solving skills to realize a sustainable international society. Meiji University (Japan), Seattle Pacific University (USA), and Lancaster University (UK) collaborated to develop an educational program aimed at cultivating cross-border problem-solving skills through exploratory learning on the United Nations SDGs using an international triple hybrid class format (on-demand, real-time streaming, and face-to-face).

To achieve this goal, Project-Based Learning was implemented among undergraduate students to contribute to SDGs achievement. Additionally, a novel exploratory learning rubric, integrating the PPDAC model (Wild & Pfannkuch, 1999) and VALUE Rubric (Association of American Colleges and Universities, 2009), was developed. Through web-based questionnaire survey involving students from the three universities (n=179), the reliability of the rubric was verified. We identified a four-factor model comprising of F1:Problem Identification, F2:Problem Solving, F3:Critical Thinking, and F4:Global Leadership competencies, plus two integrative competencies of “Global Self-awareness” and “Knowledge of Cultural Worldviews”.

Moreover, ANOVA offered insights from international comparisons. We found US and UK students both scored significantly higher than JP students in F3:Critical Thinking, and US students scored significantly higher than JP students in F2:Problem Solving. On the other hand, JP students scored significantly higher than UK students in “Knowledge of Current Worldview frameworks. These results highlight a potential opportunity to further nurture Critical Thinking and Problem Solving skills in JP students through exploratory learning.

Authors:
Hirohisa Nagai, Meiji University, Japan
Annie Kato, Seattle Pacific University, United States
Zoe Zhu, The University of Sheffield, United Kingdom

About the Presenter(s)
Dr. Hiro Nagai, a Professor of Transcultural Management at Meiji University, JP. His speciality is global leadersip. Funded by Mitsubishi Mirai Foundation in 2023, this study involved international collaboration among researchers from JP, US, and UK.

Additional website of interest
https://www.mmfe.or.jp/partners/3137/

See this presentation on the full schedule – Wednesday Schedule

Bookmark