Ueh youth build a green community towards a green university role of information and communication technologies (icts) on ueh students’ perception towards green university

UNIVERSITY OF ECONOMICS HO CHI MINH CITY UEH UNIVERSITY ECONOMICS EVENT COMMENTARY SERIES - UEH ROUND UEH youth build a green community towards a green university: Role of informatio

UNIVERSITY OF ECONOMICS HO CHI MINH CITY

UEH

UNIVERSITY

ECONOMICS EVENT COMMENTARY SERIES - UEH ROUND

UEH youth build a green community towards a green university: Role of information and communication technologies (ICTs) on UEH students’

perception towards green university

Team: LGS Batch — Class: K48 — ADCO05

Authors: Ly Tuong Long, Le Nhat Thu,

Nguyen Hoang Nhu Ngoc

Ho Chi Minh City, January 14", 2024

Table of contents

1 Overview of the research problem

Li Sowing Seeds of Sustainability: From Global Green Wave to Campus Greening 000

LA Global green wave: a vital role of green perception

11.2 University of Economics Ho Chi Minh City: Journey on the road towards green

university

1.2 Information and communication technology (ICT) in education of perception c00

2 The current situation and the causes of the research problem

2.1, The current situati

21T ICTs as a tool in raising perception

2.1.1.1 The development of Í(TÍÑ à cà nh HH HH HH HH ra 2.1.1.2 Significance O0f]IC T3 in spreddling DGTC€DÍÍOH cà cà ch nh nh HH ho 2.1.2 Student's perception towards green universities

2.1.3 ICTs: The lubricant in building and conveying UEHers awareness towards a green

university

2.2 The causes of the research problem

3 Conclusion and proposed solution

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1 Overview of the research problem

Social media, wifi, learning management systems, etc., are no longer unfamiliar things in the digital transformation era today They play an important role in connecting people to a world of information that is incredibly diverse and multidimensional Information is inherently an important resource for humans It is the foundation for everything, from the intangible to the tangible, from awareness to action Therefore, it is also the central basis for humans to form their perception and behavior

The role of information highlights the need for information connection protocols, more specifically, media, in the context of sustainable development The green trend is considered to be a key trend that the world is moving towards Building awareness among humans, especially the young generation, is an indispensable part because they are the core of the environmental issue today Starting from the exploitation of resources at any cost with the price of "zero", forming society, building and developing the economy through the industrial revolutions without remembering the value of the environment, leading to the balance of human life becomes more precarious than ever

With the continuous development of information transmission tools, information communication technology is a key factor in the journey of building a community of green citizens around the world, towards the SDGs under the consensus of most countries, creating sustainable values with the desire to restore life not only for the ecosystem, the common living environment of humans and nature

The cradle of awareness is education That is why today ICTs are applied in all fields, especially

in education UEH, the University of Economics Ho Chi Minh City, is a symbol of the active application

of ICTs in its educational system Joining the green wave, UEH has been constantly striving to integrate internationally and create sustainable values through many campaigns and declarations in its direction towards a "Sustainable University" in 2050

On the eve of entering the key stages of its orientation, although UEH has been constantly applying ICTs in building the awareness and actions of UEH youth towards a green community, but the communication activities and the spread of that message have not yet had a breakthrough, leading to the awareness of students about the "green" vision of UEH facing barriers in converting the value

of"awareness" to "intentions and behaviors" Therefore, it can be concluded that: The role of ICTs has

not been sufficiently emphasized, leading to the inefficiency in building the awareness of UEH youth to build a green community towards a green university.”

To contribute to the mission and vision of UEH, this essay will clarify and highlight the role of ICTs in the journey of shortening the gap between awareness and behavior of UEH youth, thereby creating a foundation for building a community of green citizens at UEH, together towards a common goal: a green university

Ld, Sewing Seeds of Sustainability: From Global Green Wave to Campus Greening

1.1.1 Global green wave: a vital role of green perception

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Pollution is a concept that is becoming increasingly familiar as its impact spreads around the

world, causing terrible destruction not only to resources, the environment, and the climate but even to the

decline of human life in the era of the 4th Industrial Revolution Climate change, global greenhouse effect, severe air pollution, are all events reflecting the negative impacts of this issue on our planet's living environment In the face of the unpredictable development of phenomena caused by pollution, what steps will the world take to respond to the life of the Earth, specifically the environment and humans?

Global carbon dioxide emissions from fossil fuels and industry totaled 37.15 billion metric tons (GtCO,) in 2022 Emissions are projected to have risen 1.1 percent in 2023 to reach a record high of 37.55 GtCO, Since 1990, global CO, emissions have increased by more than 60 percent

Annual carbon dioxide (CO) emissions worldwide from 1940 to 2023 (in billion metric

tons)

Sources Additional Information:

Figure 1; Annual carbon dioxide (C02) emissions worldwide from 1940 to 2023 (in billion metric

tons) Sources: Global Carbon Project; Expert(s) (Friedlingstein et al (2023)) Besides, we do not consider not only carbon dioxide emissions but also waste on the earth In fact, waste consists of a variety of materials, from food and packaging to electronics and construction materials While plastic waste has gamered huge attention in recent years due to its impacts on marine life, electronic waste (E-waste) is the fastest-growing waste stream worldwide Global E-waste generation stood at around 50 million metric tons in 2019 and was forecast to grow by around 40 percent

in just one decade, to reach some 75 million tons by 2030 While E-waste is a fast-growing stream, food

Therefore, “Green” is the direction and therapy that humans choose to respond to the great impacts caused by environmental pollution, directly affecting the ecosystem and the natural living environment of the earth The process of green transition is an unprecedented effort by countries to reduce the size of the carbon footprint as well as global carbon emissions This requires not only a large- scale economic transformation but also consensus in action and is also a greater challenge than previous industrial revolutions

Many countries are already taking serious action towards a green transformation—across their economies and industries, in cities and rural areas, and at the international level in adopting the 2030 Agenda’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the Paris Agreement on climate change, and other measures But much more needs to be done With green growth, countries are now working towards a new, green transformation that can lead to a brighter, more prosperous, and sustainable future

According to estimates by Barclays, the cost of green transition will range from $100.000 to

$300.000 billion between now and 2050 On an annual basis, the investment would equate to 2-8% of global GDP , a significant number but not impossible

1.1.2 University of Economics Ho Chi Minh City: Journey on the road towards green university University of Economics Ho Chi Minh City (UEH) is one of the key universities with a vision to become a multidisciplinary university with reputable academic influence focusing on sustainable development within Asia 2030 In order to realize that dream, UEH has been constantly striving to change and develop in accordance with the trend of international integration with an extensive international cooperation network with more than 125 international education partners around the world

In addition, a clean environment is a factor that plays an important role in the development of UEFH on the road to the vision With the goal of reducing waste, UEH launched the Zero Waste program Through this program, UEH hopes to raise the environmental protection awareness of each individual studying and working at UEH, thereby actively contributing to sustainable social and economic development According to the statistics on the UEH's "Go Green" website, if each UEH student switches to using cloth bags every day, 90 tons of plastic bags will not be discharged into the environment With this "green" vision, UEH has been constantly striving to prove itself through many memorable milestones in its efforts to become a green university

UEH Green Campus, the outstanding milestone, is implemented by UEH in collaboration with the Vietnam Zero Waste Alliance (VZMA) and environmental and circular economy partners The project

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won the Champion of the international competition “Zero-waste City Challenge” organized by World Waste Aid With the primary goal of implementing the 3R model (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle), building a zero-waste university, and a green campus, "UEH Zero Waste Campus" is the first pioneering project in the green and sustainable lifestyle at the university with five main stages:

a Rethink - Be Green (2021): This is considered to be the first phase of the project with the set goal of reducing 40% of general waste, reducing 30% of single-use plastic waste, and at least 70% of students and school staff understanding exactly what zero waste is Here are some activities that can

- Podcast series about: UEH Zero Waste Campus

b UEH Green Citizens (2022): This is the second stage of the project, in which UEH focuses on comnecting with relevant communities to spread the green living journey Specifically, UEH has received practical feedback to develop waste sorting, treatment, and management models at the school, with the goal of reducing 65% of the amount of waste buried at UEH The UEH Green Citizen Day program is a testament to UEH's efforts to create opportunities for students to access green activities, form positive habits about sustainable living, say no to waste, and protect the environment Here are some activities that can be mentioned:

- UEH Zero Waste Campus: “Green Footprint” Challenge Series - The result of the journal to change thinking - “greening” life

- Green Citizen Day - a place where green UEHer citizens take action for a sustainable future

c UEH Green Partners (2023): Continuing the project, the third phase of the project aims not only to reduce waste in the campus but also to gradually change the behavior of the community in working together to realize a green, clean, and resource-saving university on multiple fronts The project will

be officially renamed "UEH Green Campus" with the key message "Time for go green” Here are some activities that can be mentioned:

- Green Campus Series 2023

- GreenDay activity series with the theme “GreenLife”: Changing perception - Mastering the future

- Sustainable Day: Green UEHers citizens, aiming for a sustainable development community

d UEH Green Community (2024): This is the fourth stage of the project, in which UEFH will build its own green ecosystem by building a green community, leading to a green university

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e UEH Green Campus (2025): The final stage in the project series demonstrates UEH's important responsibility in the mission of implementing the United Nations’s 17 global sustainable development goals, thereby creating a place for students, staff, and students The school department becomes a global citizen acting for sustainable development

1.2 Information and communication technology (ICT) in education of perception

ICTs stand for information and communication technologies and are defined as a “diverse set of

technological tools and resources used to communicate, and to create, disseminate, store, and manage

information.” These technologies include computers, the Internet, broadcasting technologies (radio and television), and telephony

Wales et al (2020) supposed that information and communication technology (ICTs) has had a tremendous influence on aspects of our lives (professional and personal) by improving knowledge sharing and increasing information and communication flow, whereby ICTs have transformed work processes in organizations, has caused paradigm shifts in the educational sector, and has changed student learning methods Similarly, “ICT in education” by Victoria L Tino indicated that there has been a groundswell of interest in how computers and the Internet can best be harnessed to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of education at all levels and in both formal and non-formal settings However, ICTs include more than just these technologies Telephone, radio, and television are older technologies, now given less attention but have a longer and richer history as instructional tools

In the 21st century, schools have to encourage students to be lifelong learners Students need to

learn how to seek out new information, think critically, and show initiative to meet the challenges of the

fast-changing world In the context of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) research in schools, many studies argued that ICTs facilitate the enculturation processes of lifelong learing (Sivin- Kachala, 1998: Wenglinsky, 1998; Mann, Shakeshaft, Becker and Kottkamp, 1999) In other words, developments in information and communication technologies (ICTs) have a significant influence on education sustainability

ICTs improved education sustainability 1s defined as the application of ICTs in learning and teaching, which supports learning and teaching processes, delivery mechanisms, and design parameters

to enhance knowledge (Kirkwood et al.,2014) ICTs in education book has a passage that says: “One of the most commonly cited reasons for using ICTs in the classroom has been to better prepare the current generation of students for a workplace where ICTs, particularly computers, the Internet and related technologies, are becoming more and more ubiquitous” Moreover, ICTs can enhance the quality of education in several ways: by increasing learner motivation and engagement, and by facilitating the acquisition of basic skills

More than any other type of ICT, networked, Internet-connected computers combine the rich media and interactivity of other ICTs with the ability to connect with real people and participate in real events, thereby, it can increase motivation for learning Basically, ICTs enhanced learning mobilizes tools for examination, calculation, and analysis of information, thus providing a platform for student inquiry, analysis, and construction of new information Many researchers argued that ICT does not exist

in isolation: it is interwoven with the rest of the tools and participants in the learning environment From

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this perspective, Lim 2002 also explored that ICT is a mediational tool, incorporated within learning environments with authentic goals and purposes for students, and settings that are explicitly interpreted with other experiences of knowing and understanding as they get organized at other times

In the context of ICT in higher education research, Young (2003), as well as, Baumeister (2006) reported that e-Learning in HEIs is going through a paradigm shift wherein teachers and students have departed from passive mode to open independent learning environment Thus, ICT is not impartial; rather, it incorporates notions from theories such as “globalization of the economy, the new information society, the end of national policy and the advent of world government (Sasseville, 2004).”

In the context of exploring the impact of ICTs in education, Pandolfini (2016) through survey data reported that: ICTs boosted collaborative learning, according to more than 90% of teachers, and had

a favorable effect on student attendance, behavior, motivation, attitude, and engagement in class

activities Based on the real context, computers and smart gadgets are replacing books According to Alandjani et al (2018), in 2008, 58% of the school had public laptops and 39% had on-campus WiFi access throughout the schools Therefore, digital resources save time and improve the efficiency of finding the correct sources in less time Furthermore, it used to take hours to look for information in a book; these days, all it takes is one click on a computer's word search function Using computers, the internet, and online resources, such as open courses, CBTs, online learning management systems, and online learning materials, has greatly improved education

1.3 Theoretical basis

Cultural-historical activity theory (CHAT) has been defined as “a cross-disciplinary framework for studying how humans purposefully transform natural and social reality, including themselves, as an ongoing culturally and historically situated, materially and socially mediated process”

ICTs play a vital role in building students’ perceptions of a green university, especially at the University of Economics Ho Chi Minh To understand and analyze that relationship, CHAT will offer a set of conceptual tools that are applicable to various situations to understand the coupling of cognition and activity Activity theory draws on the Vygotskian theory of cognition where higher mental function appears “twice, or on two planes First, it appears on the social plane and then on the psychological plane First, it appears between people as an interpsychological category and then within the individual child (earner) as an intrapsychological category” (Vygotsky, 1978, 57)

2 The current situation and the causes of the research problem

2.1 The current situation

ICTs play an important role in enhancing students’ awareness However, the relationship between ICTs and students' awareness of building a green community towards a green university is still limited, ICTs have not yet had a strong impact on students’ green awareness For this reason, this essay will present the current situation, as well as the causes of the above problem

21.1 ICTs as a toolin raising perception

2.1.11 The development of ICTs

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As mentioned above, the introduction of the first personal computer in the 1980s and the Internet

in the 1990s, as well as the 21st century witnessed an explosion of information technology The number

of technologies available has increased immensely For instance, in 2006 1.2 billion people had a computer and access to the Internet, in 2014 this number increased to 1.6 billion and today the amount of people accessing the Internet is, according to ITU, 5.3 billion people

Figure 2; Graph showing the number of internet users worldwide from 2005 to 2022

Sources: Statista Website, Published by Ani Petrosyan Similarly, in 1997 there were 215 million mobile phone subscriptions, in 2013 this number increased to 6.4 billion, and today there exists 8.6 billion mobile phone subscriptions, almost as many as the world's population (ITU)

Mobile subscriptions in millions

Figure 3: Graph showing the number of mobile subscriptions worldwide from 1993 to 2022

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Sources: Statista Website, Published by Petroc Taylor

In Viet Nam, according to reported data, as of Jan 2021, a number of users more than 68 million

people (accounting for more than 70% of the population), behind China (939 million users), India (624 million people), Indonesia (202 million people), Japan (117 million people), Philippines (73 million people) This number is 75.43 million people in 2022

2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022

Figure 4; Graph showing the number of internet users in VietNam from 2010 to 2022

Sources: Statista Website, Published by Petroc Taylor Furthermore, based on data compiled by DataReportal, in Vietnam, there were 77.98 million internet users in Vietnam in January 2023, which indicated that Vietnam’s internet penetration rate stood

at 79.1 percent of the total population at the start of 2023

Not only has the number of available technologies increased, but so has the number of different technologies used to disseminate information The quality of the technology, as well as the necessary infrastructure, is improving and being continuously developed, making ICT faster, more reliable, and cheaper With more and better new technologies, more platforms to reach people will follow, making ICT more pervasive and accessible to more people than ever before Furthermore, ICT is nowadays a basic requirement of modem society The primary step towards understanding the internet architecture is

to understand that it feeds on plentiful information being routed around its nodes The modality of expression on websites is based on two-way communication, making the end-user not only a passive recipient of information but also an active publisher Web architecture is vital for a knowledge-based economy as it enhances competitiveness and innovation, promoting development and social enclosure

In general, in an era where information technology and network development along with the 4.0 industrial revolution have become a global trend, human perception will be significantly impacted by information and communication technology (ICT)

21.1.2 Significance of ICTs in spreading perception