Social experiential learning for zero waste education in a liberal arts university

Critical thinking and problem-solving are recognized as key twenty-first century skills, but their development requires some fundamental shifts in pedagogy. Rapid technological advancements have allowed widespread use of communication tools and platforms, such as social networks, allowing users across the globe to exchange knowledge. Such collective sharing leads to spontaneous peer-to-peer collaboration which is crucial for sustainable social development and addressing societal challenges. However, educational pedagogies have not adapted to maximize the potential of such network effects for social learning, as prior studies examining the benefits of these technologies for learning show limited student engagement and distraction. To examine these findings further, in the present study, semester-long video logging activity related to zero-waste of 32 students attending a liberal arts university in Hong Kong was analyzed. Participants uploaded videos using a purpose-built mobile application Soqqle, which is similar to commonly used social media platforms, as it allows content sharing, as well as commenting on others’ contributions. At the end of the semester, time spent by students viewing peer videos were compared to scores it received from an independent rater. A simple linear regression shows that students who viewed their peers’ contributions for longer periods scored higher, with an average increase of 12.3% based on average minutes viewed per student. The R2 (0.276) and existence of heteroscedasticity suggest that more unknown factors are at play. Nonetheless, these results point to the benefits of learning from others, indicating that educational platforms can help students improve self-regulation, thus enhancing their critical thinking and collaboration skills, which are essential for twenty-first-century pedagogy.