Integrating Sustainable Development Goals into Project-Based Learning and Design Thinking for the Instructional Design of a Virtual Reality Course ^†

Abstract

The integration of topics on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) into project-based learning (PBL) and design thinking (DT) was attempted for the instructional design of a virtual reality (VR) course in this study. It was investigated how to enhance the students’ understanding of the SDGs and promote critical thinking and design thinking skills by integrating SDG topics into PBL and DT. A research design with mixed methods was created based on quantitative and qualitative data from the reflections and feedback of students and teachers. The findings suggested that SDG topics in PBL and DT provided students with a meaningful and engaging learning experience and enhanced their understanding of the interconnections between the SDGs. The importance of incorporating real-world challenges into the instructional design of VR courses and the potential of VR technology were highlighted to support SDG-related learning outcomes. Integrating SDG into PBL and DT was effective for the instructional design of VR courses by preparing students to become responsible global citizens and contribute to achieving the SDGs.

1. Introduction

While teaching 3D and interactive design and supervising professional projects at the University, students pursuing game development-related degrees are required to collaborate and develop their graduate projects as the capstone requirement in their junior or senior year. However, several problems occurred in the students’ final projects. (1) The students misunderstood the design and scope of the project which showed the gap with real-world needs. (2) They lacked practical experience, interdisciplinary application and teamwork skills. (3) They lacked higher-level cognitive thinking in planning the work. Hence, project-based learning (PBL) and design thinking (DT) methods were introduced in designing the virtual reality (VR) development. Orienting students towards the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) [1] allowed them to focus on the current and future challenges of society and the environment and use the outcomes for their profession and skills. This approach relieved the students’ feelings of disconnection from reality and increased social responsibility and global perspective in engineering courses.

Based on the result, it is necessary to demonstrate teaching design and the integration of SDG into PBL and DT into a VR technology course. Considering the quantitative and qualitative analysis of students’ feedback and suggestions, the course was designed with the following objectives: (1) To understand the impact of SDGs on the students’ graduate project, (2) To enhance their comprehension and utilization of DT tools; (3) To understand the impact of PBL on students’ learning. The recommendations and feedback from course instructors were also considered for the establishment and implementation of teaching strategies.

2. Related Works

2.1. PBL

PBL [2,3] is a pedagogical approach that engages students in authentic and meaningful learning experiences. It involves students working on complex problems or challenges over an extended period, often collaboratively, to produce a tangible product or presentation. Project-based learning aims to develop the students’ skills, such as critical thinking, creativity, communication, collaboration, and the understanding of content knowledge and world issues. Several key points in implementing project-based learning are described as follows.

• Defining the learning objectives and standards that the project addresses;
• Designing a driving question or challenge to guide the project and stimulate the students’ curiosity;
• Planning the project activities and milestones, scaffolding, and formative assessments;
• Facilitating the project process and providing guidance and feedback to students as they work on their tasks and products;
• Evaluating project outcomes using rubrics or other tools to assess student performance and learning.

2.2. DT

Design thinking is an integrated approach in which participants think creatively and come up with innovative solutions [4]. This approach encompasses a variety of tools to think inductively and construct a problem in different ways [5]. DT proposes solutions to real-world problems, as it is user-centered, iterative, and structured. The key elements include goal setting for developing new solutions to real problems that can be solved by cross-disciplinary and collaborating teams. There are various frameworks for DT. One of them was described by the Design Council’s Two Diamond 4D design thinking process [6].

• The exploration phase involves designers looking for new opportunities, new markets, new information, new trends, and new insights to understand users and empathize with their feelings.
• In the definition phase, initial insights are examined and either selected or discarded. This process includes the initial development of the project idea, during which the designer must engage with the wider context of the identified opportunity.
• In the development phase, the designed solution is developed, iterated, and tested internally by a multidisciplinary team using design tools such as brainstorming, sketches, scenes, renderings, or prototypes.
• In the delivery phase, the final concept undergoes final testing, production, and release.

3. SDGs-PBL-DT Pilot Pedagogy in VR Course

Figure 1 shows the SDGs-PBL-DT framework proposed in this study. The diagram was sectioned into three parts. The curriculum design is based on the core design of the PBL approach. The middle part of the diagram denotes the main four stages of the SDGs-PBL-DT VR course in the unified processing [7]: inception, elaboration, construction, and transition. The DT approach applied to the double-diamond model is integrated into the second phase of PBL, as shown in the left part of Figure 1. The right part of Figure 1 denotes the major activities in the four phases of the SDGs-PBL-DT VR course.

3.1. Phase 1: Inception

In this step, the project is launched based on the information on VR and SDGs provided before the project is planned and designed. The teacher explains that the course is based on a group project using VR technology with SDGs as the theme. The students must determine the SDG problems to be solved using VR. In the course, the teacher explains the terminology of VR technology so that the students can understand the application and key cores of VR. In addition, the teacher provides SDG-related internet resources for students to understand the 17 directions of SDG. The course also provides Google Cardboard VR glasses, paper models, and lenses for students to make their VR glasses at home. In this step, students are assessed on their conceptual learning and cardboard production, and are grouped to prepare for the subsequent group projects.

3.2. Phase 2: Elaboration

This step involves creating a project blueprint to complete a design brief for each project team. It introduces the design thinking approach, using the Double Diamond model and different DT tools at different stages. A Design Thinking Project Design Document (DT-PDD) template is developed and scored using a design scoring rubric that includes scoring and inter-group assessment by experts and teachers. Details are as follows.

• Discover by using the 5W1H tool to enable groups to think about the SDGs problem to be solved in terms of who, why, what, where, when, and how, including the target user and the cause and location of the problem
• Define by using the KT tool [7] to enable the sub-groups to integrate, cluster, organize, and clarify the design ideas of each group member.
• Develop by using the mind mapping tool to organize the ideas collated by the KT tool into a tree-style mind mapping to fit the VR design.
• Deliver by using storyboard or sketch tools to design system prototypes.

The diagrams generated by the above DT tools corresponding to the DT stages are collated in the DT-PDD of each project team.

3.3. Phase 3: Construction

In this phase, hands-on project development is carried out using each group’s DT-PDD to start the technical implementation of VR projects. The instructor develops mobile-based teaching materials by implementing Google Cardboard VR. The Unity 3D game engine is used as the main implementation platform. In addition to providing basic hands-on teaching on the game engine, the VR interactive program must conform to the project blueprint design of the DT-PDD, while an iterative revision of the DT-PDD and the project must be carried out based on the technical evaluation of feasibility and usability.

3.4. Phase 4: Transition

The objective of this phase is to test and publish the project work, and present and evaluate it in various ways at the end of the period. The project presentation and oral report of the project with the video presentation on site are included. The final assessment is conducted with rubric assessment criteria, including teacher assessment, expert assessment, and inter-group assessment. Quantitative and qualitative assessments are performed to provide insightful suggestions for improvement and learnings from the project.

4. Pedagogy Implementation

The course was designed to use a VR design course and the Unity 3D game engine with Google Cardboard VR. The course was offered from September 2021 to January 2022. The students had already taken two semesters of 3D modeling and one semester of Unity 3D courses, and were expected to be able to build simple 3D scenes. The students were grouped in 7 groups of 3-4 students. Due to the pandemic at the beginning of the semester from September 2021 to February 2022, the first 3 weeks of the course were spent on online teaching. Lecture videos and Google quiz forms related to VR terminologies were offered for students to learn online. The course resumed later in the semester for on-site lessons.

5. Data Collection, Analysis, and Results

The students’ feedback on the course was collected for quantitative and qualitative data. There were two feedback surveys, one at mid-term and one at the end of the course. The mid-term feedback survey was conducted to determine whether the SDGs impacted on the direction of students’ graduated projects when students of the course had planned their DT-PDD projects using the SDG theme and integrating design thinking methods and DT tools.. The end-of-term feedback survey was conducted to determine the use of PBL in the students’ decision making about developing a VR project.

5.1. Quantitative Analysis

5.1.1. Impact of SDG Topics

Before the class, 50% of the students had never heard of the term sustainable development or SDG. After Phase 2, each project team generated the SDG topics’ DT-PDD document. Subsequently, it was surveyed whether the SDG topics project in the VR course influenced their project direction. Figure 2 denotes that 20% of the VR course students changed their graduate project to SDG-related, and 5% extended the SDGs-VR mechanism into their project, while 25% had already developed SDG-related graduate projects.

5.1.2. DT Tools

A total of 60% of the students in the course had studied the creative thinking course and understood relative tools for DT in the same semester. Figure 3 shows the proportion of students with prior knowledge of the DT tools before the DT lessons. A total of 65% of the students were familiar with and had employed the mind mapping tool, while 35% of the students were familiar with and had used the KJ method. Further, 20% of the students had never used any DT tools.

5.1.3. Survey Result

Table 1. Students’ feedback about SDGs, PBL, and DT.

Items	Mean
The SDG topics allowed me to think more about using practical project work to do something to make the world a better place or to solve its problems.	3.9
I understood that the SDG topics would be implemented in the teamwork of the course project. I think it would be useful for me to have project planning and implement practical works rather than merely knowing the concepts or practice techniques.	4.1
We had no direction and no idea what to do for the course project until the teacher suggested the SDG topics for the VR course project.	3.05
The SDG topics provided us with more possibilities for the VR course project.	3.75
I think various DT tools and different creative thinking methods are helpful in formulating project designs.	4.1
I understood the use of the KJ method after the lecturer discussed the topic and provided a template.	3.55
I understood the use of the mind mapping method after the lecturer explained the concept and provided a template.	3.9
I understood that working in groups is more conducive to a collaborative working environment, where consensus and results are achieved through coordination, discussion and division of labor, and where I can learn more about cross-disciplinary practices.	4.3
I think PBL is helpful in bridging the workplace because of problem-solving, team discussions, teamwork and practical work.	4.4
PBL has helped me enhance my ability to think in multiple ways, as it is not just practical work.	4.5
Because PBL is a set application goal rather than a direct teaching of a bunch of program or function instructions, it stimulated my interest in learning.	4.25
In PBL, we had our own application goals, which helped me find solutions to achieve the goals I wanted to do.	4.31

presents the students’ quantitative results from the survey. Though the students of the course had not heard about SDGs, the SGDs significantly contributed to their perceptions of DT.

5.2. Qualitative Result

In the same survey, we had one open-ended question to probe the students’ commands about setting the SDGs topic for the VR course.

• Feedback from Student 1: “It is difficult to imagine how to use VR technology for the SDG topics for developing a VR project at first. Can you give more examples?”
• Feedback from Student 2: “The SDG topics were effective in helping us to find useful directions for our topics, and the SDGs project planning from the design thinking tools was interesting and informative, but the project results really depended on the group members’ abilities and cooperations.”
• Feedback from Student 3: “It is better to really talk to the target users to really understand their thoughts and needs.”

5.3. Reflections on Curriculum Design

The lecturer discussed various points, described as follows.

• Although the first stage of the flipped classroom on VR terminology had to be carried out online because of COVID-19 and the video was given before the class, interaction and the reinforcement of concepts still occurred during the class.
• Based on classroom conversations with students, there was still a gap in translating the data generated from design thinking tools into a practical VR interactive project. Therefore, it was a challenge in curriculum design and research direction.
• It was worth noting that the DIY for Google Cardboard was still difficult. Although the students were provided with a Google Cardboard paper template and a live demonstration of the whole process, some still wanted to be provided with a video to watch again at home.
• The course lecturer had to have more training on applying DT in courses even if the lecturer attended more than five DT workshops. Continuous participation in DT workshops was essential to refine teaching.

6. Conclusions

In this study, the DT-PBL teaching method was successfully combined with SDGs to design a VR-based multimedia course. Unity 3D and Google Cardboard VR were useful as accessible and sustainable resources. The positive feedback from students highlighted the effectiveness of PBL focusing on SDGs. While improvements were made in the instructional method, the result of this study provides a reference for future SDGs-PBL-DT curriculum design and instruction in interactive multimedia courses.