Session 69: Project decolonisation: carbon footprints and compensation payments

Authors

  • Ivo Siekmann Liverpool John Moores University, School of Computer Science & Mathematics https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0706-6307
  • Sandra Ortega Liverpool John Moores University, School of Computer Science & Mathematics
  • James Baker Liverpool John Moores University, School of Computer Science & Mathematics
  • Aisha Jirde Liverpool John Moores University, School of Computer Science & Mathematics
  • Lucy Lavery Liverpool John Moores University, School of Computer Science & Mathematics
  • Mohamed Ibrahim Liverpool John Moores University, School of Computer Science & Mathematics

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.24377/studentexp3333

Abstract

Session overview:

How can topics related to decolonisation be integrated in the curriculum so that it is relevant and interesting to students? A group of students and lecturers have worked together to develop project-based activities for students in the mathematics programs at LJMU on two exciting real-world challenges related to decolonisation: 1. Calculate your personal carbon footprint and 2. Develop a fair and transparent compensation scheme for the impact of slavery. The activities will consist of three pillars - an analysis component where the students will develop mathematical frameworks for calculating the carbon footprint or a compensation payment for the impact of slavery, a presentation component where each team will present their projects to the class and an evaluation component where the team will reflect how their ideas could be implemented in practice. The decision of asking students to take the drivers' seats in designing the project tasks is to ensure that the tasks are genuinely relevant to future students in the mathematics programs. The interdisciplinary, open-ended activities are much closer to the challenges that mathematics graduates will face in their future workplaces but they are still relatively uncommon in mathematics programs.

Key learning points from this session:

After this talk, delegates will...

  1. ... take home fresh ideas how new student activities related to decolonisation can be developed.
  2. ... see examples how real-world challenges that go beyond the core of a particular discipline can be integrated into the curriculum.

The project activities developed will be implemented in existing modules of the mathematics program. We expect that our approach to designing project-based student activities related to decolonisation can be easily transferred to other disciplines.

Project decolonisation: carbon footprints and compensation payments PowerPoint. Only LJMU staff and students have access to this resource.

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Published

2025-08-05

Issue

2025: Students at the Heart Conference

Section

Presentations

License

Copyright (c) 2025 Ivo Siekmann, Sandra Ortega, James Baker, Aisha Jirde, Lucy Lavery, Mohamed Ibrahim

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

Authors retain copyright and grant the publication right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this publication.