Preamble by Dr. Poovarasi Balan

28/12/2020

March 2020 marked a ‘new normal’ for Malaysians and the thousands of university students across the country, when everything went online without a notice. It was not only difficult time for students to adapt ‘remote learning’, but also for the academics to keep up with the abrupt changes of new methods and modes of teaching. Faced with such a dilemma, keeping the students spirit high and maintaining their well-being during the sudden fluctuations of learning was more than a simple priority. Potentially, design of a meaningful class assignment can turn the table around. It was a time when everyone was trying to make meaning out of what was happening around the globe, faced with unprecedented challenges.

#PurposefulReclamation is an extension of #ResponsibleReclamation project introduced in year 2020, the pandemic year to the class of final year Chemical Engineering students, who were enrolled in ENE3608 (Environmental Impact Assessment and Management) to keep their spirits high especially during the first lock down period in Malaysia. The lock-down has caused lots of damage economically and socially, but if there was one thing that was ‘healing’, it was the ‘MOTHER NATURE’. The peacocks started dancing on the empty roads!!! What a beautiful rare sight it was! And, the carbon emissions went down dramatically and effortlessly!

#PurposefulReclamation integrates a meaningful and reflective class assignment for students to observe the positive environmental changes during the current pandemic. In this assignment that requires higher order of thinking, creativity and originality, the students are challenged to connect three different and irrelevant dots: Covid-19 + Agriculture + Land Reclamation. Nevertheless, the process of comic production together with rigorous feedback sessions itself, was very refreshing and gave a new breadth to the course, ENE3608.

Here, we proudly present #PurposefulReclamation project that includes online educational resources of comics, worksheets, games and exercises that unleash your creativity, while learning about sustainable development goals. The resources are prepared with full devotion to cultivate environmental consciousness across the globe!

Do write back to us to share your thoughts, after experiencing our resources. Looking forward to hear from the young minds and teachers worldwide, which will continue to serve us as an inspiration to strive on with our continued efforts!