UNITED NATIONS SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS COLLABORATIVE ONLINE INTERNATIONAL LEARNING (COIL) PROJECT FOR THE FACULTY OF BUSINESS AND LAW

About the UN SDGs COIL Project

As part of fulfilling the University’s responsibilities to the Accord, the School of Economics, Finance and Accounting at the University organised a 24-hour SGDs Hackathon for students. The Hackathon aims to connect students from multiple disciplines as well as from international partners, by exploring real challenges and intercultural issues related to selected UN SDGs. The event is also designed to foster problem solving collaborations among participants. The expected learning outcomes of the event are that;

Participants will gain a deeper knowledge of the work of the United Nations as well as engage with real life global challenges.
Participants will enhance their knowledge of sustainable development goals and improve their intercultural competence in sustainable development issues.
Participant will develop/enhance their virtual mobility skills through networking with other participants across the globe.
Participants will be able to use data and information from reputable sources to identify challenges to SDGs target(s) in Global South Economies and, suggest feasible solutions that can help attain targets of selected SDGs.

The event is also in line with the University’s internationalisation values, creativity and dedication to higher education. Participating institutions include; Universidade Estadual do Oeste do Paraná (Unioeste Brazil), Ghana Technology University College (GTUC). 30 students, Academic and Professional staff, across the 3 universities, participated in the event. Coventry University students at different levels of study were selected from the School of Economics, Finance and Accounting; School of Strategy and Applied Management, School of Strategy and Leadership and the Coventry University Law School.

Student Experience and Globalisation

Coventry University students were put in teams with students from partner universities. Each team was made up of students from different university across different disciplines. Each team was required to identify challenges and proffer solutions to the target(s) related to selected SDGs in a case study country as provided below.

Teams were required to produce a group report and a group video. A scheduled activity plan was provided which include, Keynote Speech on Circular Economy, Enterprise Session, Live Q&A Sessions, Team Check-ins and Mentor Panels. Mentors were drawn from Academia and Industry, with the responsibility of guiding students’ discussion on tasks. Upon completion of the event, a winning team was determined by independent judges. All participants received certificate of participation from Coventry University Centre for Global Engagement that they could add to their LinkedIn profile thereby enhancing their employability. At the end of the event, all participants were invited to complete an anonymous feedback evaluation questionnaire and provide their views on the added value and learning outcomes from the hackathon. Results from the survey will be used to draft a whitepaper to demonstrate best practices and identify areas of development. The results of the survey will be presented at conferences and workshops such as the annual conference of the Environmental Association for Universities and Colleges (EAUC) and Coventry University Annual Staff Conference.