It has become imperative that university education develops the knowledge and skills needed to address the grand challenges faced by society (Brewer, 2013). Many challenges as outlined by the Sustainable Development Goals, can no longer go unaddressed, positioning current and future generations as the facilitators and advocates of action. It is increasing the responsibility of universities to prepare students by inculcating the collaborative and creative skills students require to develop innovative solutions for wicked problems (Muff et al., 2013; FYA, 2018). Stimulating this type of engagement can be difficult, especially as learning moves increasingly online, and students might be placed across different regions, cultures countries, and time zones. Advances in technology have made it progressively easier to produce collaborative environments, and have become an essential tool of industry and community to undertake complex projects (Rubinger et al., 2020). Therefore, students should have reasonable exposure to such technologies to properly prepare them for current and future workplaces and projects.
To facilitate a richer collaborative student environment, Microsoft Teams was utilised across two teaching sessions at Southern Cross University within a new multidisciplinary unit - CRTV1002 Create: Innovate Change. Students used the application to undertake a Group Design Challenge that addressed a wicked/complex problem. A mixture of quantitative and qualitative results indicated that student engagement and collaboration were increased through the use of this platform. Students expressed high levels of satisfaction with the application, and groups were able to work more dynamically across time zones, regions, and international borders. The implication for universities is that they need to invest significantly in technologies that better facilitate student-to-student collaboration and engagement. Not doing so, runs the risk of graduates being underprepared for future work and community environments.
Brewer, J. D. (2013).?The public value of the social sciences: An interpretive essay. Bloomsbury Publishing.
Foundation for Young Australians (2018). The new work reality. https://www.fya.org.au/app/uploads/2021/09/TheNewWorkReality_2018.pdf
Muff, K., Dyllick, T., Drewell, M., North, J., Shrivastava, P., & Haertle, J. (2013). Management education for the world: A vision for business schools serving people and the planet. Edward Elgar Publishing.
Rubinger, L., Gazendam, A., Ekhtiari, S., Nucci, N., Payne, A., Johal, H., Khanduja, V., & Bhandari, M. (2020). Maximizing virtual meetings and conferences: a review of best practices.?International Orthopaedics (SICOT),?44, 1461-1466. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs00264-020-04615-9