NTU-Imperial Education Fund: Unleashing the power of collaboration and cutting-edge technologies

Project Team

Dr Siyuan Liu, Asian School of the Environment, NTU
Dr Esma Koca, Business School (Analytics, Marketing and Operations Department), Imperial College London
Dr Nai Li, Mr Gavin Symonds, Mr Stephen Vaz (IDEA Lab, Imperial College London)

Project Summary

This joint initiative between NTU and Imperial College London brought together 46 students to explore the intersection of sustainability, data analytics, and teaching innovation.

The project’s goal? Empower students not only as learners—but as educators, driving awareness of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) through the power of data and digital pedagogy.

Students as Educators

Participants worked in interdisciplinary teams on four clusters consisting of six SDG themes—from Climate Action to Sustainable Cities—developing data-informed learning modules with real-world applications.

Along the way, they:

• Applied analytics to real problems, showcasing data’s power in addressing global challenges
• Mastered digital teaching tools like flipped classroom platforms
• Collaborated across cultures and disciplines
• Engaged in long-term, mentored projects that fostered ownership, communication, and teamwork

Supported by academic mentors and in close partnership with faculty, students took ownership of content design while receiving expert feedback—resulting in modules recognized by INFORMS for excellence. Judges from academia and industry highlighted the work as publishable and impactful for lifelong learning.

This initiative exemplifies how students, when empowered with data, mentorship, and digital tools, can become powerful agents of educational and societal change.

Cross-Institutional Learning

Working with peers from another university and cultural context gave students:

• Exposure to different perspectives and problem-solving approaches
• Practice in remote collaboration
• A sense of the global importance of sustainability and education innovation

" The whole experience was truly a new and enriching one. It provided me with a perspective of the learning materials designer teaching me how to keep things interactive and engaging to keep the interests of the readers alive. It also provided me with a sense of accomplishment that I was able to contribute further to my sustainability journey and deliver such comprehensive content for the wider community.” – Student participant 1

“It was an elaborate process but was fun to do. Designing the materials keeping in mind the level of knowledge was challenging but fulfilling to navigate. I would love to be a part of another run for the project!”  – Student participant 2

Recognition & Legacy

• The project received an award from INFORMS, with detailed feedback from a panel of 12 judges (academics and industry experts).
• Students were guided to refine their outputs into teaching content suitable for publication or use in digital lifelong learning.
• Their learning modules serve as a model for student-led curriculum development.

Final Takeaway

This project underscores the potential of students as both learners and educators. With a student-led focus, participants designed the content and teaching materials themselves. The project team, judges, and mentors provided support and feedback throughout the process.

By accessing the latest online teaching tools and technologies, students not only improved their own skills but also showcased their ability to disseminate knowledge to a wider community. The initiative demonstrated how analytics can be used to solve societal problems and create opportunities, benefiting both students and society.

This collaborative effort exemplifies how integrating active learning with cutting-edge technology can drive educational innovation and societal impact.

This blog post was developed by the CTLP EduGrant team based on the project’s submitted summary report. Text was partially shaped with support from ChatGPT-4 to enhance communication and outreach