Studying international development cooperation with project-based learning

<< Background >>Glocalization – the principle of “acting locally, thinking globally” – is a key feature of the 21st century. While the problems we face are increasingly global,solutions still often lack international cooperation. Universities and young people play a vital role in changing this mindset. To foster a responsiblegeneration of glocal citizens, we need to equip students with practical, action-oriented skills.A 2021 student satisfaction survey at the University of Szeged (SZTE), along with partner needs analyses, revealed a clear demand for more practicebased learning beyond basic presentation skills. International accreditation bodies also emphasize active learning, including project-based approaches, as essential for high-quality education. Moreover, students reported limited awareness of global challenges and issues in developing countries – highlighting the need to integrate these topics into education in a meaningful, experience-driven way.<< Objectives >>We recognized the need to increase our students’ awareness and sensitivity to the challenges faced by developing countries, with a particular focus onAfrica. To attract and engage students in high-quality education, we leveraged the opportunities offered by digitalization. Therefore, the main objective ofthe IDEC PBL project was to enhance the quality of education by developing a serious game in the field of international development cooperation. Thegame was intended to promote active learning, raise awareness of global issues, and strengthen students’ problem-solving and critical thinking skillsthrough practice-based, immersive experiences.<< Implementation >>Following a review of relevant literature on serious games and real-life global challenges, the project partners created a handbook on how to design aserious game, incorporating their own experiences and practical tips. The core content of the IDEC PBL serious game was then developed, focusing onthe diverse roles of donors in international development cooperation. To support its use, a complementary guidebook was created with suggested topics,guiding questions, and recommendations. Once the online game was completed, pilot sessions were conducted by all partners. The impact of the gamewas assessed using pre- and post-pilot questionnaires, as well as focus group interviews with students. The findings were analyzed and compiled into afinal project report.<< Results >>The concrete outputs of the project include: (1) a handbook on how to create a serious game from scratch; (2) a guidebook on how to use the IDEC PBLgame; (3) the IDEC PBL serious game itself; (4) a final report on the pilot sessions, including student feedback and teacher reflections; (5) fivenewsletters; (6) ten podcast episodes; (7) one e-brochure; (8) a literature review; (9) a collection of real-life global problems; and (10) a compilation ofbest practices. All outputs are available on the project website: https://idec-pbl.eu.The intangible outcomes include increased student satisfaction due to the use of the game and its engaging, practice-based approach. The project alsocontributed to the achievement of Sustainable Development Goal 4, in particular target SDG 4.7, by promoting knowledge, skills, and values needed forglobal citizenship and sustainable development.