How do you engage and motivate online learners to take action for global justice and sustainability?

One thing I have found helpful is to give your learners a "tangible take-away" so that they can begin to practice what they have learned. It's important to clearly and concisely define this take-away in the objectives to create excitement for what they will learn.

I believe that global citizenship education is an essential component of education in the 21st century. The world is becoming more interconnected, and it is crucial to develop critical awareness, empathy, and action for global justice and sustainability among learners. Online courses present a unique opportunity to access diverse perspectives and resources from different parts of the world, making them a great platform for promoting GCE. The article's strategies for designing and facilitating online courses that promote GCE are valuable and relevant.

I have been considering how we may use GCE to inspire and empower students to take action for global justice and sustainability while enrolled in online courses. The first stage is to outline our GCE objectives and clarify our expectations and rationale to the students. We can now design a high-quality online system that adheres to the GCE tenets and concepts, such as equality, diversity, democracy, and ecological responsibility. Access to global resources and chances for students to communicate and work together is also essential. Students will be motivated to become change agents in their communities and beyond if they are actively involved in meaningful activities and have access to a safe and encouraging learning space.

This is all good - but when we are aiming for inner change, for self-transcendence, the objectives and outcomes may take years. I call it 'sewing seeds.' Humans are complicated and diverse. Some may be culturally, emotionally or temperamentally coming from a totally different place. What you are seeking to achieve may contradict their beliefs or mindset. Your agenda may stimulate conscious hostility or subconscious resistance. Design in multiple possible outcomes. Look for evidence of willingness to engage, rather than fixed achievements in preparing the design of structure, materials and assignments.

The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals are great to use. There are UN created and supported resources available on its website, and you can also find a large network of supplemental teaching and project resources that have been created by people around the world by searching online.

The most helpful thing I have found when learning online is paired work, where you get to think about or work on something first, perhaps for 3 to 5 minutes, and then in breakout groups share insights. We are humans. We thrive best in real human relationships, sitting down together, talking to and listening to each other. So please ensure there is opportunity for this. The videos and guest speakers - all the digital bells and whistles are great, but can result in a headache and inability to concentrate. So give our students some quiet time to think or reflect and then time to share in more depth.

Utilizing various real resources in online education can benefit students. Giving them a variety of viewpoints, backgrounds, and experiences may assist them in gaining a more profound knowledge of the addressed issues. Moreover, adding multimedia formats, OER, and online platforms can make themes more engaging and accessible and facilitate students' exploration of the subject from many perspectives. In addition to introducing students to fresh viewpoints and experiences, connecting them with peers and professionals from various backgrounds and circumstances can further expand their understanding. Using the potential of digital technologies to supply students with authentic and diversified resources can significantly improve online learning.

I agree with this - designing activities that encourage learners to interact not just with course content but especially with each other, and with the wider world. Interaction can enhance your learners' motivation, engagement, and learning outcomes, as well as foster a sense of community and belonging. Relationships are important not only in improving mental and emotional health but also in learning. When we engage with new information and then teach it to or share it with others, we move it into permanent memory.

Discussion forums are among the best ways to enhance involvement and meaningful activities in online GCE courses. They allow students to discuss and solve real-world issues and enable students to practice communication, reflect on their learning, and learn from peers.? They?allow students to collaborate, share, and learn from each other, as peer-to-peer learning fosters critical thinking, creativity, and problem-solving. Learners can improve their digital literacy by communicating and working together. In an online GCE course, discussion forums encourage meaningful involvement. They?can help students build 21st-century abilities by encouraging interaction and debate, which are very important when learning.

One thing that I've found helpful in engaging and motivating learners to take action towards global justice and sustainability is to make sure the experiences you are designing are relevant to the students and their communities. You can make a unit about sustainability more concrete by having students engage in a case study about an area in their community. Last year, several teachers supported students in creating a project to improve a long-neglected beach only a miles from the school. Students were so engaged because they knew how improving this area could benefit their community and they actually got to present their proposal to an audience of stakeholders.

"Online GCE should aim to support your learners' autonomy and agency." I totally agree. No matter how much you may try and push your own mean-well agenda if what you are pushing isn't of interest to your audience it will be ignored. For instance, I know and understand the importance of knowing how the mind works without being a specialist in the field of neuroscience. So regardless of what may seem to be important to the giver for the receiver to have if the receiver's autonomy and or agency doesn't find it important, the giver's present then turns into an unrequited gift. It's all about timing and presentation.

Again I agree.... Autonomy and agency can increase your learners' intrinsic motivation, self-efficacy, and empowerment, as well as prepare them for lifelong learning and active citizenship. I love that you talk about the importance of reflecting on values, beliefs and assumptions. Also the importance of taking action. I would add aim to enable every learner to work towards a tangible goal, which can be self-selected, but will give a sense of real achievement and encourage them to build on this beyond the course.

I think everything is included so far. For example learning outcomes, material, teaching methods, learning tools etc. I would like to add only one thing i.e. application of Learning in real life. Global citizenship is very crucial topic these days. If learners understand how this course will help them in their contributions towards this great objective of sustainability, they will be definitely show more interest.

Autonomy and agency are essential for successful GCE. We must let students take charge of their education and make decisions. This involves allowing them to determine the course's speed, content, and format and co-creating with peers and teachers. We should also encourage students to consider their values, beliefs, and assumptions concerning course themes and the global context. In my online courses, project-based learning pushed postgraduate students to research problems and create solutions. Autonomy and agency empower students to learn and understand using resources such as innovative tools, guidance, and support from teachers or professors to set and achieve course-related personal and professional goals.