The United Nations awarded Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham, the UNESCO Chair on Experiential Learning for Sustainable Innovation & Development on June 12, 2020. Through this new Chair, the university is in the process of developing a comprehensive framework for academic engagement to build sustainable communities by designing a curriculum based on experiential learning. This curriculum will enable the academic community to acquire the knowledge, skills, attitudes and values necessary to implement sustainable solutions among vulnerable and rural communities.
The key objectives of the Chair includes:
Dr. Maneesha V. Ramesh
UNESCO Chair on Experiential Learning for Sustainable Innovation & Development
Provost, Strategic Initiatives, Research & Innovation
Through the chair, we aim to take our experiential learning concept to the entire world in collaboration with other UNESCO Chairs and universities across the globe. Amrita would develop an experiential learning framework to enable an understanding of the challenges faced by members of remote communities, and design sustainable solutions in collaboration with them.
Specifically, the chair addresses the Global Education 2030 Agenda through Sustainable Development Goal 4 and focuses on Quality Education with a distinct emphasis on:
UN Sustainable Development Goals
The proposed chair and project addresses the Global Education 2030 Agenda through Sustainable Development Goal 4 and focuses on Quality Education . This will also extend its focus on other SDG’s
Education that Transforms Lives
Curriculum based on experimental learning to enable participants to acquire the knowledge , skills, attitudes, and values necessary to shape a sustainable future
Building Knowledge Societies
Bring academicians and members of a community together to create inclusive knowledge societies and empower remote communities by increasing access to information and knowledge
Science and Innovation for Sustainable Future
Ensure sustainability through scientific solutions and technologies innovations multi-disciplinary areas and apply the same to remote communities
Outreach Programs
Outreach Programs focussed on solving pressing problems at community level in all the UN designated thematic areas
Build Sustainable Communities
Build a comprehensive framework for academic development to build sustainable communities by imparting knowledge, skills and solutions to make them self-reliant
Rural residents
Field Hours
As a dual-degree MSW/MPH student, I have always been interested in working with communities helping to develop and implement programs that empower community members to work towards solutions to the challenges and obstacles they face. Implementing the AAA program in Dunda village through Live-in-Labs® gave me the opportunity to see what that kind of a career might be like.
My interest in social work and education made me choose the program as it focuses on addressing challenges in rural India through an interdisciplinary approach. During my project, I was able to study and understand how needs vary in different communities. India is very diverse!
The project aligned with my research interest in affordable, sustainable, and responsive housing. This real- world, real-time project helped me develop especially in regards to field work and data collection. I enjoyed the amount of responsibility given to our students. We were in charge of the project, and moving it forward. The professors and mentors were very helpful and responsive when we needed it. Feedback was helpful. Check-ins ensured the project kept on track and well-organized. It was great to collaborate and learn on a multidisciplinary team!
This was a very eye-opening and unique experience. It was great to feel integrated into the village community and my teammates and I had a good time collaborating with the Amrita social work students in the field. Overall, our time in the program was very informative. We learned a lot about public health challenges in rural India and potential solutions that could be implemented.
It is pointless to have brilliant ideas if it stays in the laboratory. It has to fit the daily life requirements… designing a piece in CAD, you have to think of the manufacture…[during] manufacture, you have to think of the field trial. So the key point is to always have the end, the aim in mind instead of staying on the theoretical part.
Dr. Maneesha V Ramesh
Provost, Strategic Initiatives, Research and Innovation
UNESCO Chair on Experiential Learning for Sustainable Innovation and Development
Dean, School for Sustainable Futures
Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham
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