DIGITIZING
THE LEARNING EXPERIENCE
While digital technologies are in no way a requirement for great and impactful teaching, they can, if approached with a clear purpose and some caution, enhance a teaching and learning experience.
In our course, we work with a number of digitals tools and platforms, which we think help us to deliver content in a more meaningful way: online mapping platforms, machine learning algorithms competing against the students, tools to create ‘deep style transfer’ images etc. We believe overall that these tools i) offer a more practical, situated and embedded approach to knowledge, ii) can support group work, for instance when several students need to join their efforts to sort a large amount of information and create effective visualizations, and iii) allow us to raise questions regarding their benefits but also their limits, especially at an ethical level, as it is the case with the most recent developments of AI technology.
1
Pandemic learning: using DISCORD
Building a virtual community (2019 - 2021)
Rapport building and introducing multi-modal interactive elements into teaching has become all the more important during these difficult times when students' learning experience has been moved to the virtual space.
​
To overcome these challenges, we introduced multi-element communication application DISCORD into our teaching. Browse the following section to see how Discord was used in action.
COMMUNITY BUILDING
Welcoming students into the class server and providing them with guidelines on how to start interacting with fellow course-mates on Discord.
2
Emergency SIMULATION
Humanitarian crisis emergency SMS response task: Mapping Haiti
In this activity, you are invited to play a serious game following a lecture on digital mapping of emergency crises. Working in teams, you are provided with messages from a dataset of SMS sent in Haiti (Mission 4636) in the days following the 2010 earthquake, and you need to use the OpenStreetMap online platform to create an actionable map for in-field humanitarian workers. You have a few minutes to brainstorm how to proceed. Messages appear one after the other every few seconds, and quickly disappear!
The goal is to simulate the time constrained high-pressure environment faced by American volunteers who did a similar job shortly after the earthquake. Like them, you will have to quickly sort out relevant from non-relevant information, deal with an unknown place (with foreign neighbourhood and street names), and effectively and visually represent life-or-death information on the map.
LEARNING TO USE UMAP
The platform to be used for this activity is uMap (powered by OpenStreetMap). This tool allows for multi-layer viewing, intuitive marking and annotating, and is easy to work with collaboratively. Give the tool a try yourself!
SIMULATOR INTERFACE
This is a screenshot of the interface used to display to students the messages they need to process. On the left side, it is possible to modify how quickly the messages appear and replace each other.
REAL-TIME TEAMWORK
Students should ideally have been able to work on this activity face to face together, but never mind, Discord works just as seamlessly for our students. Guess we're emulating the challenges that come with remote digital humanitarian work as well!
Map by: Febrina Audrey, Fonda Maydeline, Harlan Geraldi, Ho King Ling Hannah, Naveed Muhammad Asad, Tay Jian Wei Brandon (2021)
3
Collaborative MAP DESIGN
Designing a digital accessibility map using collaborative tools
A humanitarian crisis does not refer only to extreme calamities where nature has wreaked havoc or that our homes have been compromised under the terrors of wars and violence - there are many ways in which human welfare and rights have been compromised and can be improved upon.
​
While it is easy for us to go around and walk through tight spaces, can we say the same for those suffering from physical disabilities? Do we have enough ramps to help the physically impaired with their transports? Are the roads wide enough to accommodate wheelchairs? We have asked our students to design digital accessibility maps for disabled persons to let them gain perspective the challenges faced by the disabled population and to consider community infrastructures with everyone in mind. As a viral tweet by a disabled person in response to disability discrimination says: "We're disabled, not werewolves" (The Irish News, 2018).
SHEK TONG TSUI (HKU)
The Central Western areas, laden with steep slopes such as those in Queen Road West, First and Second Streets, High Streets, had been notorious for its inaccessibility and general lack of walkability. The establishment of the Sai Ying Pun and HKU stations seemed to have increased the area's immediate accessibility significantly - the question is, is the area finally accessible now, or does it still pose immense challenges for the lesser physically abled population?
LAI CHI KOK (W. KOWLOON)
The West Kowloon District, which comprises areas such as Sham Shui Po and Cheung Sha Wan, has a complex layout full of intersecting pedestrian crossings that allows people to get from one corner of the area to another. What may seem convenient and easily traversable however, could be tricky for someone with motor or visual impairments to get across. Let's take a look at the accessibility features our students have found for the area.
MONG KOK (ARGYLE ST.)
Mong Kok is the hub of 'local-flavoured' activity - if you want to experience skin-to-skin contact as you try to squeeze yourself forward amidst the busy crowds for a fishball skewer from the stalls, or sign up for a auditory sensory overload as three buskers perform simultaneously around you, Mong Kok is definitely the place to go. Sounds like a very compelling piece of commercial tourism advert right? Now re-read this passage with accessibility needs and concerns in mind, and re-imagine Mong Kok as an area you have to go through daily, and not as a tourist spot.
![[2020] Phatrapol Tinmanee John, Wong Sum Yee Jenny, Nicole Ma.png](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/571f80_c98877d9d2bc47c1924eeda25effca85~mv2.png/v1/fill/w_1088,h_611,al_c,q_90,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,enc_avif,quality_auto/571f80_c98877d9d2bc47c1924eeda25effca85~mv2.png)
SHEK TONG TSUI
Map by: Nicole Ma, Phatrapol Tinmanee John,
Wong Sum Yee Jenny (2020)