The redesigning of the course, SPAN 4350, in order for it to be better aligned with the teaching of SDG 11 and its interaction with other SGs. It expanded SDG concepts and skills by engaging students in the study of Local Voluntary reports produced by Latin American cities to measure the implementation of SDGs at the local level. The media project allowed students to engage in experiential and community engaged learning via collaboration with Soccer in the Street, which included an onsite visit of the program. The Comparative reports helped students to investigate the role of business, community, education, and government initiatives in solving urban problems and creating innovative responses to global challenges.
Originally, the plan was to focus exclusively on Latin American capital cities, but the decision was made to include the city of El Alto in Bolivia with an indigenous population to familiarize students with urban challenges faced by rural immigrants with specific ethnic backgrounds, communities that move to cities, face discrimination, and have to reconstruct their traditions in the new urban setting.
The impact was assessed by embedding reflections as part of the Media and Comparative report projects.
"Being able to create assignments focusing on documentaries that would later be connected to assignments focusing on the analysis of reports and news about SDGs in different cities was also very useful because it helped students to obtain information from different sources and media."