Realizing Global Citizen Solutions for Sustainable Development Goals: A Collaborative Engineering Course Between Thai and Japanese Students

One of the problems faced by engineering and science students is focusing solely on technical knowledge while needing more cultural context. In today's interconnected world, addressing global challenges necessitates collaborative efforts from individuals across nations. Accordingly, a joint course between Chulalongkorn University in Thailand and the Tokyo Institute of Technology in Japan has been established. The recent theme of the course, “Gamification towards Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs),” aimed to foster global citizenship and address SDGs through multicultural collaboration. This study examines the similarities and differences in problem identification between Thai and Japanese student groups participating in the course. Data was collected from discussions, presentations, and group assignments throughout the course. The findings indicate that while both groups share common concerns, such as waste management, language barriers, and transportation issues, their perspectives and proposed solutions are influenced by cultural characteristics. Thai students emphasized infrastructural inadequacies and local traditions, whereas Japanese students focused on efficiency and the impacts of tourism. The study highlights the importance of understanding cultural nuances in collaborative international projects to achieve effective and innovative solutions to global challenges.