Musings on Intent and Vulnerability

Susan Crichton, PhD (susan.crichton(at)ubc.ca), Cynthia Bourne (cindy.bourne(at)ubc.ca), Deb Carter (deb.carter(at)ubc.ca)

Faculty of Education, University of British Columbia Okanagan

Introduction

Our ongoing work at the University of British Columbia’s Okanagan (UBC O) campus, a research-intensive university, has helped us to modify a set of global service-learning (GSL) project design principles. Specifically, working with colleagues in both East and West Africa, we are developing a set of design principles that inform our practice and can be used to help re-conceptualize student experiences situated within challenging contexts (Crichton, 2014; Crichton & Onguko, 2012; Yakong, 2014). One of the authors (Bourne) is exploring these principles as part of her doctoral studies. While we muse on intent and vulnerability of GSL projects, we are interested in feedback from others situated in research-intensive institutions in the global north that might consider our draft of GSL project design principles when they create similar GSL projects for their students.

Challenging Contexts and Good Projects Defined

We have adopted the term challenging contexts as it appears more relevant and respectful when describing contexts that the literature typically calls third world or developing world environments. Crichton (2014) defines challenging contexts as settings in which individuals, due to a variety of circumstances, conditions or environmental constraints, do not have access to

• consistently available and affordable electricity;
• reliable, unfiltered or uncensored Internet;
• previous formal learning and / or opportunities for ongoing formal learning that support individual learning needs;
• non-formal, yet appropriate, learning opportunities;
• or participation in learning activities due to cultural or religious reasons;
• transportation and mobility; and
• prior learning (p. 3).

In such contexts, other access situations linked directly to poverty may exist (i.e., health, fees, low wages, inappropriate clothing, etc.). The list is not exhaustive, and thanks to the contribution of educators in Mombasa, Kenya additions have been made, including access to

• clean water and adequate sanitation;
• fair and just leadership;
• adequate nutrition and safe food supply;
• a safe environment free from hostilities and violence; and
• support for the disabled (Crichton, 2014, pp. 3-4).

Further, Yakong (2014) added to the lists above suggesting that other challenges include issues related to child and maternal health and wellness. The conditions identified above are, unfortunately, all too commonly experienced in many parts of the world today.

By using this term, challenging contexts, we suggest that it is actually the challenges of localized contexts that designers of good projects should be attending to when developing, designing and implementing GSL projects. In our work, a good GSL project is defined as a project worth doing for everyone involved. Our thinking is grounded in Räsänen (2008) and Shulman’s (2005) notion of good work. We argue professional faculties might lead the way by modeling projects intentionally designed to enhance an institution’s reputation, further program objectives, enrich students’ global learning, and significantly benefit in-country hosts.

Adding design thinking and the development of design principles

We recognize that there is a growing demand for global learning opportunities throughout higher education (Tiessen & Heron, 2012). Drawing from our own experiences (Bourne, Crichton, & Carter, in press), we suggest design thinking and the development of design principles is a process that recognizes the increased vulnerability for all participants (students, institutions, in-country hosts, and partner NGOs) in global service learning projects that are situated in challenging contexts.

Critiquing research into program design (Slimbach, 2010), development volunteerism (Horn & Fry, 2013), and essential components of GSL compared to other studies abroad (i.e., Build a Better World website, http://www.babw.org/), we suggest that a design thinking process may assist administrators and program designers. Grounded in the work at Stanford University’s d.school (2009), design thinking processes encourage an interprofessional approach. This approach might help administrators and program designers make informed and thoughtful decisions about the types of programs they are supporting. Further, our work suggests a design thinking process may cause participants to pause and consider their intent – both the intentional and unintentional consequences of the projects they support.

Draft set of design principles

Crichton and Vikuru (in Crichton, May 27, 2014) proposed an initial set of design principles to guide their work in East Africa. Developed as a way to understand and design a respectful and relevant Canadian funded research study, they suggest the following draft principles for good global service learning projects. As stated earlier, a good GSL project is defined as a project worth doing. The following draft principles are offered as a way of intentionally thinking about the value / benefit / goodness of a project within an institution / organization. These draft principles suggest good GSL projects should

1. Be of educative value to your students
   • Educative value suggests the GSL project builds on the students’ academic programs and adds expertise and experience.
2. Be of contextual value to the in-country hosts
3. Add a benefit that is actually needed or wanted by the in-country host without taking work away from in-country workers
4. Be informed by the principles of sustainability
   • Sustainability means meeting “the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs” (Bruntdland Commission Report, 1987, para. 27).
5. Be informed by the principles of appropriate technology
   • Technology is deemed appropriate when it is compatible with local, cultural and economic conditions (Conteh, 2003)
   • It should also utilize locally available material and energy resources, with tools and processes maintained and operationally controlled by the local population (Conteh, 2003)
   • It should be compatible with the level of sophistication of the society in which it is applied and hence disrupt that society the least (Schumacher, 1973)
6. Address a challenge identified by the in-country host, especially if the host site is within a challenging context
   • Challenging context means “settings in which individuals, due to a variety of circumstances, conditions or environmental constraints, do not have access to …” (Crichton, 2014, p. 3). The current list is provided in an earlier section in this blog.
7. Be affordable to both give and receive parties
8. Consider, as much as possible, any and all unintended consequences — both good and bad — including pre-departure activities focusing on ethical and responsible ways of working
9. Have a follow up process to assess both the short and longer term impacts
10. Be fun and situated with the well-being and general happiness of participants — locally and globally.

Using a recent GSL project situated in rural Ghana described in the next section, we suggest the use of program design principles and a design thinking process did in fact help to guide the development of good projects.

GRIP Ghana: A GSL Project

Drawing on the design principles suggested above, our recent project, GRIP Ghana GSL project invited pre-service teachers to work collaboratively with Project GROW (Ghana Rural Opportunities for Women). This international NGO, based in Canada and Ghana, seeks to increase women’s access to health care, economic activity, and educational opportunities in the Upper East Region, Ghana, to work with educators in rural Ghana. The pre-service teachers were asked to provide professional development and share a process for the development of contextually relevant, print on demand, local folktales. The materials generated in both the workshop and the story development will be used in regional schools to supplement existing Ghanaian curriculum.

Lack of literacy in this region remains persistently high, with over 70% of the overall adult population considered illiterate (Yakong, 2014). Although the opportunity for children to attend school has increased in the Upper East Region a major challenge to improving literacy remains in part, due to a lack of access to relevant reading material. For many school districts in rural settings, such as the site for this project, there are few resources beyond the school curriculum (Windborne, 2004). Print versions of local stories or materials that contain local content are rarely available, unaffordable for many families and schools. It was this need for local resources that provided the impetus for the GRIP Ghana project.

Project GROW partners and a local school district invited the UBC O pre-service teachers to assist junior high school students in the creation and publication of traditional folk stories. High school students were tasked with narrating, translating, and illustrating oral stories. The pre-service teachers provided the technical skills to turn the local folk tales into a book format that could supplement the Ghanaian curriculum, and perhaps equally important, can be taken home to share with family members.

Initial Findings

Initial findings from the GRIP Ghana project suggest reviving, translating, and illustrating traditional stories built pride, confidence, and self-esteem for the high school participants and provided a contribution of lasting value to the community. For the pre-service teachers, using their skills to bring the books to life was identified as a profound learning opportunity. While the project had educational objectives, it also provided an opportunity to increase pride and well-being in the community, provided an opportunity for cultural engagement, and further developed the practical skills the pre-service teachers learned in their Bachelor of Education program.

Administrators and teachers from the participating schools had expressed a desire for a professional workshop that could share Canadian classroom approaches to student-centered learning. The pre-service-teachers provided a professional development workshop to share strategies such as backward design (Wiggins & McTighe, 1998) and project based learning (Crichton & Carter, 2014). Pre-service teachers worked with workshop participants to create classroom resources with which the local teachers could develop any number of inquiry, problem, or scenario based learning projects. In turn, the teacher candidates learned much from the lived experiences of teachers who work in challenging contexts. The timing of the book project followed up on the professional workshop, allowing the teacher-candidates to demonstrate what an inquiry-based, student-centered learning project might look like in action when using locally developed resources such as regional stories.

Discussion

Based on our initial work in East and West Africa, we believe our draft principles are serving us well. We have consulted with colleagues in the field as well as shared our principles with colleagues at the International Symposium on Leadership at the recent 2014 NAFSA conference. Our next steps include developing a pre-departure course of studies for students, focusing on ethical practice and mindful collaboration with in-country partners, and continuing our work on design principles for good projects. We see this blog publication as a rich opportunity to gain feedback and suggestions and broaden our community of practice around the topics of intent and vulnerability in global service learning.

Many of the books can be viewed in a collection here, such as The Poor Farmer and the Egg (below).

References

Bourne, C., Crichton, S., & Carter, D. (In press). Reflections on service-learning situated in challenging contexts: Lessons learned. Advances in service-learning research series, Service-learning pedagogy: How does it measure up? American Education Research Association.

Bruntdland Commission Report (1987). Our Common Future: Report of the World Commission of Environment and Development. United Nations Documents. Retrieved from http://conspect.nl/pdf/Our_Common_Future-Brundtland_Report_1987.pdf

Conteh, A. (2003). Culture and the transfer of technology. In B. Hazeltine and C. Bull (Eds). Field guide to appropriate technology. San Diego, CA: Academic Press.

Crichton, S. (May 27, 2014). 21st-Century Skills and the Future of Internationalization: Opportunities for Leadership. Panel speaker. NAFSA 2014 Conference. San Diego, CA. http://www.nafsa.org/Attend_Events/Annual_Conference/Educational_Offerings/Symposium/Symposium_on_Leadership/

Crichton, S. (2014). Using a design approach to leapfrogging pedagogy in challenging contexts. Electronic Journal of e-Learning, 12(1), 3–13. Retrieved from http://www.ejel.org/volume12/issue1

Crichton, S., & Carter, D. (2013, November 18). Maker Day Toolkit. [Web log post]. Retrieved from http://innovativelearningcentre.ca/maker-day-tool-kit/

Crichton, S., & Onguko, B. (2013). Appropriate technologies for challenging contexts. In S. Marshall & W. Kinuthia (Eds.), Educational design and technology in the knowledge society, Information Age Publishing, Charlotte, NC.

Horn, A. S., & Fry, G. W. (2013). Promoting Global Citizenship Through Study Abroad: The Influence of Program Destination, Type, and Duration on the Propensity for Development Volunteerism. Voluntas, 24(4), 1159-1179.

Räsänen, K. (2008). Meaningful academic work as praxis in emergence. Journal of Research Practice, 4(1), Article P1. Retrieved January 15, 2014 from http://jrp.icaap.org/index.php/jrp/article/view/78/102

Shumaker, E. E. (1973). Small is beautiful: Economics as if People Mattered. London: Blond and Briggs Ltd.

Shulman, L. S. (2005). Signature pedagogies in the professions. Daeldalus, 134(3), 54-59.

Slimbach, R. (2010). Becoming World Wise: A Guide to Global Learning. Herndon, VA: Stylus Publishing, LLC.

Stanford University’s d.school (2009). Introduction to Design Thinking. Facilitator’s Guide. Retrieved from https://dschool.stanford.edu/sandbox/groups/dresources/wiki/welcome/attachments/f8e24/d.school%27s%20Facilitator%27s%20Guide%20to%20Leading%20Re.d%20the%20G.G.%20Exp.pdf?sessionID=2e4eabcb9b0ebc30c0309e7b2e68740b16890784Tiessen, R., & Heron, B. (2012) Volunteering in the developing world: The perceived impacts of Canadian Youth. Development in Practice, 22 (1), 44-56.

Wiggins, G., & McTighe, J. (2006). Understanding by design. (Expanded 2nd Edition). Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD).

Windborne, J. (2004) Literacy Groups in Ghana: Liberation with Limitation. Women’s Studies Quarterly, 32(1/2), 59–72.

Yakong, V. N. (2014). Ethnographic perspectives on rural women’s reproductive health decisions in Ghana: the cultural influences of gender relations, kinship and belief system. (Doctoral dissertation). Retrieved from http://hdl.handle.net/2429/45756

Susan Crichton is an Associate Professor in the Faculty of Education at the University of British Columbia’s (UBC) Okanagan campus, where she also serves as Director of the Faculty of Education and Director of the University’s Innovative Learning Centre (ILC). She is a visiting professor with Aga Khan University – Institute of Educational Development, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania and a Fellow of the Commonwealth Centre of Education, University of Cambridge. She has worked on Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) and Asian Development Bank (ADB) projects in rural western China, as well as educational projects in Bhutan, Chile, and Tanzania. Currently, she is an online mentor for the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) project in Afghanistan. Her research focuses on technology-enhanced learning / research approaches and explores innovative uses of technology to foster creativity / imagination for educators.

 Cynthia Bourne is the learning specialist and Manager in the Academic Resource Centre at the University of British Columbia’s (UBC) Okanagan campus that provides supplemental instruction programs and learning support for students enrolled in high risk courses. As a doctoral student in the Interdisciplinary Graduate Studies (IGS) Program, her research explores how professional faculties might develop ‘good’ global service-learning projects in challenging regions or contexts. Since 2007, her international development work focuses on adult education and capacity building programs for communities in Upper East, Ghana. Of particular interest to Cindy is the development of design principles that might guide professional faculties and institutions in the design of good projects to benefit all partners: student participants, in-country partners, and institutions.

Deborah Carter is a research project coordinator in the ILC at UBC’s Okanagan campus and coordinates / co-facilitates events to engage the UBC community — both town and gown — in all aspects of innovative pedagogy, supporting economic growth in the region, and continuing to advance the proven accomplishments of K-20 educators who work and live outside the lower mainland. As a doctoral candidate in the Interdisciplinary Graduate Studies (IGS) program, her research explores how a design-thinking event might impact such interprofessional groups coming together to address localized ill-formed, single-solution resilient social issues. Both her work with ILC and research interests focus on providing appropriate tools, spaces and places for educators, entrepreneurs, dreamers and thinkers to imagine and explore innovations in teaching and learning.