Launching “UEH GREEN CAMPUS GAME”: Gamification in Green & Skills Education at UEH

With the goal of building a Green UEH Community and Ecosystem by 2024, University of Economics Ho Chi Minh City (UEH) has officially launched “UEH Green Campus Game”, a platform that applies game simulation technology (gamification) to change awareness and green living behavior. This is an important step to deploy the Living Lab model to solve environmental problems on campus towards a Green University.

Green Generation: The journey to bring green knowledge closer to the young generation at UEH

A report from LinkedIn indicates that the demand for recruiting human resources with green skills is increasing globally but there is a shortage of people capable of meeting the demand. In 2022 - 2023, only 12.3% of people have green skills or are doing green jobs in the workforce and the rate of recruiting workers with at least one green skill is only 22.4%. Therefore, the demand for recruitment doubles the supply of green human resources. Businesses, today, are not only looking for candidates with solid expertise but also promoting awareness and knowledge of environmental protection and sustainable development. This illustrates that the global trend is shifting strongly towards a green economy whereas economic development goes hand in hand with environmental and social protection.

Understanding trends and fulfilling responsibilities to society and the environment, University of Economics Ho Chi Minh City has focused on equipping students with the necessary knowledge and skills to meet the needs of the modern labor market. This project focuses on bringing subjects on sustainability and the environment into the main curriculum, for example the subject “Sustainable Development”; concurrently, promoting research and implementation of projects on sustainability topics, listed as the birth of “Green Innovation Initiative - UEH Green Campus Game”, a platform applying game simulation technology (gamification) in changing awareness and green living behavior.

UEH Green Campus Game – “Play.Learn.Transform”: A technology platform that equips users with friendly and green entertaining skills

Green Campus Game includes 4 rounds corresponding to 4 levels of individual action to manage their waste and 1 round about green actions taken at UEH. In each round, UEH student will be challenged with interesting questions revolving around environmental and sustainable development issues, including:

• Round 1 - Rethink: How has your life impacted the environment?
  Players will answer questions (multiple choice and drag-and-drop format) concerning the harmful effects of waste, knowledge related to plastic, the truth matching how our daily actions/habits have impacted the Earth, to “Rethink” their choices to minimize their personal impact.
• Round 2 - Reduce: What can I do to reduce waste?
  Players answer questions (multiple choice and drag-and-drop format) regarding how to practice reducing consumption needs, reducing waste at home, reducing waste at UEH in accordance with the Green University Regulations, and reducing CO2 emissions.
• Round 3 - Reuse: What products do I use to last the longest?
  Players answer questions (multiple choice and drag-and-drop format) related to how to choose and reuse products sustainably, optimizing the time and frequency of reusing items.
• Round 4 - Recycle: What do you throw away and how do you deal with it?
  Players answer questions (multiple choice and drag-and-drop) concerning how to classify trash at UEH, recycled products, the benefits and disadvantages of recycling, and effective trash disposal methods.
• Round 5 - I - UEH GREEN CITIZEN!
  Players answer questions (multiple choice and drag-and-drop format) regarding UEH Sustainable Strategy, UEH Green Campus project, UEH Green University regulations.

How to participate in UEH Green Campus Game (Note: get access to the platform using a computer):

• Step 1: Access the Game and register an account:
  - Access the UEH GREEN CAMPUS GAME portal:
  https://gogreen.ueh.edu.vn/green-campus-game
  - Log in with your UEH account or use your personal email.
• Step 2: Explore the game interface:
  - Get familiar with the main interface of the game, including game history, rankings, and the game start button.
  - Click “Start” to join the first round.
• Step 3: Participate in all the 5 rounds

Step 4: See the results on the leaderboard:
Green Campus Game | UEH Green Campus

Instruction video on how to participate in UEH Green Campus GameUEH Green Campus Game will be applied to courses taught at UEH or competitions, and integrated into orientation activities to bring environmental knowledge closer to students. On average, each UEHers will experience the game at least 5 times during their studies at UEH; therefore, the green knowledge disseminated in the game is not only at the level of understanding but also practiced to become green skills applied in daily life.

The “Green Innovation” initiative - UEH Green Campus Game is expected to help UEHers and the community approach the concept of the 3R model in the “zero waste” lifestyle, green living and environmental friendliness, gradually changing daily living behaviors towards a green lifestyle.

Assoc.Prof.Dr. Bui Quang Hung - Vice President of UEH - remarked: “Right from the beginning, the UEH Green Campus Living Lab Model at the Ho Chi Minh City and UEH-Vinh Long campuses was seriously and disciplinely implemented to spread a green and sustainable lifestyle to all UEHers including officials, employees and students. In particular, we especially prioritize technological solutions. Gamification conveying environmental knowledge and encouraging sustainable actions is one of the important products of this model. Hopefully, our initiatives and solutions will be increasingly replicated in the community”.

Further information:

*Gamification technology applies game design elements and mechanics to other areas to drive behavior, motivation and engagement, creating an interactive environment and experience for participants to actively complete tasks or achieve goals. 

*UEH Green Campus Game - “Play.Learn.Transform” is developed by the Sustainable University Project Board - UEH Green Campus Project and the Institute of Smart Cities and Management, cleverly applying the game’s mechanism to education and training to help change awareness and actions regarding the environment, increasing attraction, appeal and interaction with participants.
*Green Campus: “From Circular waste to Green campus” is one of the 5 strategic pillars of Multidisciplinary and Sustainable UEH in 2021 - 2030. 

Information regarding the entire project can be found at: UEH Green Campus

News and photos: UEH Department of Marketing and Communication, Sustainable Project Board

Press agencies reporting:

Ho Chi Minh City Portal: https://hochiminhcity.gov.vn/-/ueh-green-campus-game-huong-en-song-xanh-va-than-thien-moi-truong

Electronic Magazine of Integrated Enterprises: https://doanhnghiephoinhap.vn/dai-hoc-kinh-te-tphcm-ung-dung-gamifica-nham-giao-duc-kien-thuc-va-ky-nang-xanh-cho-sinh-vien.html

Ho Chi Minh City Women's Newspaper: https://www.phunuonline.com.vn/ueh-tao-nen-tang-cong-nghe-giao-duc-bao-ve-moi-truong-a1528057.html