A Study on the Experience of Participating in a University-Industry Collaboration-Based Class for Solving Social Problems : Focusing on POSCO’s Sustainability Management and ESG Course

This study investigates the experiences of students participating in a university-industry collaboration project conducted within the liberal arts course ‘Social Innovation Methodology’ at Seoul Women’s University, in conjunction with the POSCO Group’s ‘Sustainability Management and ESG’ program. The course, offered during the first semester of 2024, involved 17 undergraduate students collaborating with POSCO Group’s subsidiary, eNtoB, to address the company’s ESG initiative, ‘Designing Educational Content to Promote Awareness of Circular Resources for Future Generations’. Through this course, students explored topics such as the role of corporations as agents of social innovation, ESG principles, circular resources, and design thinking methodologies, applying these concepts to a real-world project.This study employs thematic analysis of students’ project journey maps and reflection essays submitted by the students, focusing on their experiences within the context of university-industry collaboration. The findings highlight the unique characteristics of this pedagogical approach, particularly those stemming from working on real-world corporate tasks. Four key themes emerged from the analysis: ‘collaboration with diverse stakeholders’, ‘enhanced expertise and perspective shifts through feedback and lectures’, ‘practical skill development applicable to real-world settings’, and ‘proposing actionable ideas with consideration of commercialization’. This study demonstrates that university-industry collaboration programs within liberal arts courses can serve as effective educational models for fostering interdisciplinary thinking, professional expertise, and practical skills. Based on these findings, the study emphasizes the need for future research to comprehensively examine the educational, social, and economic impacts of such programs on universities, corporations, and society.