At NUS, faculty members have been experimenting with such approaches, several of which were showcased in the “Playful Minds: Learning Through Play” installation.

One example is the use of tableau, where students create a frozen, dramatic image with their bodies to interpret an abstract prompt. While tableau is most commonly associated with theatre studies, it is also used across humanities disciplines such as anthropology and philosophy, combining embodied, experiential and collaborative learning.

In HS2902: Do Play Play: The Importance of Play, an interdisciplinary course offered as part of the common curriculum of the College of Humanities and Sciences, students design card games about a social issue of their choice. In “We Just Bought a Zoo”, for instance, players juggle the welfare of animals against profit-making, exploring ethical dilemmas surrounding captive animal welfare.

On the sidelines of the “Playful Minds: Learning Through Play” installation, Assoc Prof Ong added, “In the context of higher education, play is about moving away from extrinsic to intrinsic motivation — the feeling of ‘I’m doing it because it’s interesting and I’m curious, not just because I want an A’.”

Different strokes for different folks

While much of the conference focused on undergraduate learners, speakers also highlighted the need to tailor teaching to different learner profiles.

In a paper presentation, Dr Ng Boon Yuen and Dr Ganthi Viswanathan from the Singapore University of Social Sciences (SUSS) examined how adult learners’ sense of belonging affects their learning in online classes.

Unlike undergraduates who place greater emphasis on social connection, adult learners prioritise practical factors like convenience and flexibility. While the majority of surveyed students reported that they did not feel a sense of community with their peers, most were satisfied with online courses and planned to continue taking them.

However, this absence of a sense of belonging still manifests in challenges such as a lack of trust among members during group work, noted Dr Ng. To foster stronger rapport, one suggestion was for instructors to facilitate early relationship building through icebreakers and breakout rooms.

Creating a culture of care

Speakers also emphasised that meaningful relationships form the foundation of fulfilling learning experience, whether between educators and learners, or learners and communities. Within classrooms, small, intentional gestures can reshape dynamics. Dr Daryl Ooi, a lecturer at the NUS Department of Philosophy, called these "pedagogies of care”.

“There are a lot of acts that happen to us and in our hearts, we are sorting out what is caring and uncaring,” said Dr Ooi, who was representing an NUS learning community on pedagogies of relationality and care, at the workshop. Pedagogies of care respect students’ autonomy and the plurality of their experiences, opinions and emotions. One participant shared how simply sitting on the floor with her students helped to reduce hierarchical barriers.