NEWS

The 24th SIGLOC-online, a fully online COIL-style educational program, was held for approximately three weeks from July 7 to July 26, 2025, with 28 students from countries across Asia, Africa, and the Americas participating in the program.

In this report, we will provide an overview of the three weeks of learning that the participating students undertook as part of this program.

Leaflets

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Welcome Session

During the welcome session held via Zoom on the first day of the program, faculty members explained the program’s purpose and schedule, after which the participating students introduced themselves using slides, helping them get to know one another better.

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Before and after the welcome session, participating students started their first task: an asynchronous debate.

Tasks of SIGLOC-Online 

The theme of this event is “SDGs: SDGｓ：Social Innovation in Local Communities to Address Global Challenges.”
Program participants presented with challenges during the following four sessions.

Session 1) Reflecting on sustainable development from an economic perspective
Session 2) Analyzing social issues in their own local communities
Session 3) Reflecting on local community challenges and sustainability, and devising concrete solutions
Session 4) Reexamining local social issues from a global perspective and individually formulating proposals for social innovation (social solutions)

While learning through each session, participating students create a “picture book” (a collection of slides summarizing their research and personal thoughts using photos and diagrams) on the social issue they have chosen. The process involves advancing their analysis and reflections through discussions with other participants, culminating in a presentation at the final presentation session.

Culture Program

Alongside the tasks for each session, participants enjoyed several cultural activities to encourage active interaction among the participants.

Students interacted in groups or individually via Slack, gaining experience posting their opinions and commenting on other members’ ideas. During these interactions, participants created their own group names and logos. The logos are symbolic icons that embody the thoughts and feelings of each group’s members.

Each group held discussions using Slack and Zoom and interacted with one another through quizzes and games.

Approach to the Assignment: Research, Information Analysis, and Discussion

Here is an overview of the activities for each session.
The goal of Session 1 is to discuss sustainability from an economic perspective.
First, participants read the assigned literature, formulate constructive arguments from their own standpoint, and then engage in a debate by refuting an opponent who holds the exact opposite view.
In Sessions 2 through 4, participants carefully analyzed social issues in their chosen regions from various angles. Through repeated exchanges of views with group members based on diverse perspectives, they worked to identify unique and practical proposals that would contribute to the sustainability of their local communities and, by extension, the sustainability of the planet.
Participants compiled ideas for solving social issues in their own countries or regions and promoting sustainability into a “picture book,” refining their ideas by exchanging feedback with each other within their groups.
Finally, they summarized what they had learned and discovered throughout all the sessions in a reflection report.

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Summary/Report: Presentation Session

During the presentation session, participants split into several breakout rooms on Zoom and gave presentations to members of other groups using the picture books they had created, sharing their proposals and solutions.
In addition, the instructors actively provided feedback on the participants’ presentations.

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Closing Session

At the closing session held on the final day of the program, the post-program assignments were explained, and afterward, we were able to share our experiences with one another throughout the program.

Thank you for your hard work on the three-week assignment!

We’ll be posting an analysis and critique of this class at a later date!!

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