Curiosity Pods are a uniquely Western Sydney University opportunity to follow your curiosity while you study for your degree. You will learn about things that will make a difference; to your future employment success and to the future of our society.
Features:
- Curiosity Pods are open to all Western Sydney University Students regardless of what program they are studying. You just have to sign-up and participate.
- They offer engaging and accessible, bite-sized university-level learning experiences which equip students for success in today’s rapidly changing workplaces and societies.
- They focus on developing students’ capabilities as; Future Thinkers, Innovative Entrepreneurs, Global Citizens and Sustainability Advocates.
- Curiosity Pods taken as co-curriculum don’t have assessment requirements beyond the learning activities that generate a record of successful participation.
- The record of successful completion provides an artefact that can be converted to a micro-credential.
- Read more about the design features ( PDF, 63.2 KB) (opens in a new window) of Curiosity Pods.
We are building more Curiosity Pods with students and our industry and community partners. Watch out for announcements on Career Hub.
You can browse the prototype Curiosity Pods on the 21C Project Storyboard (opens in a new window). Find out what students said about our latest Curiosity Pod on Global Leadership for Smart Inclusive Cities (opens in a new window).
21C Sub-majors (Minors) add more substantive interdisciplinary capabilities and multidisciplinary breadth to our programs. Like the 21C Curiosity Pods, they develop outcomes that equip students for success in the future of work and society. They take advantage of the new degree structures developed by Schools which allow students to take a forty-credit point minor which develops hybrid capabilities to complement their degree studies. They offer students new study opportunities to make a positive difference to the critical challenges facing humanity, by exploring challenges such as the ethics and social impacts of digital disruption, or initiatives to progress the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals 2030.
Features:
- 21C Sub-majors are available to any undergraduate student at the University with elective space in their program. They are also recommended to students enrolled in targeted participating programs.
- New 21C Sub-majors will be developed by the 21C Challenge Teams (PDF, 159.11 KB) (opens in a new window).
- All 21C Sub-majors embody the co-creation features of Partnership Pedagogy (PDF, 299.54 KB) (opens in a new window).
- They offer a genuinely multidisciplinary and flexible study path.
- They include a number of Curiosity Pods reflecting different disciplinary perspectives on the challenges addressed by the Sub-major.
- They include a choice of three electives drawn from a selection of five units developed and offered by at least four different Schools.
- They include a transdisciplinary integrative unit where students complete either an authentic social change project, research project, placement or internship.
- They offer all students an international mobility option and a guaranteed and distinctive internship or placement.
- They deepen students’ capabilities as Future Thinkers, Innovative Entrepreneurs, Global Citizens and Sustainability Advocates.
- Read more about the design features (PDF, 49.32 KB) (opens in a new window) of Sub-majors.
The Global Sustainability Sub-major developed in 2018 is a prototype of the new 21C Sub-major (Minor). It tested the architecture and pedagogical design, developed recommendations to streamline the University’s development and approval processes, and trialled student engagement and participation. It was co-created by Learning Futures, Sustainable Futures, Digital Futures, the University’s Research Themes, the School of Business, School of Education, School of Science and Health, School of Social Sciences and Psychology, and School of Humanities and Communication Arts, and The Academy, 21C Student Curriculum Partners, as well as our external partners, United Nations University – IAS, Regional Centre of Expertise on Education for Sustainable Development.
There will be opportunities to contribute to creating new 21C Sub-majors (Minors) later in 2019.