Subject Description Form

Subject Offering Department of Management and Marketing

Department

Subject Code MM3S01E

Subject Title Service-Learning: Building Green Communities with Environmental NGOs

GUR Requirements  Cluster Area Requirements (CAR)
 Human Nature, Relations and Development
 Community, Organization and Globalisation
 History, Cultures and World Views
 Science, Technology and Environment
 Freshman Seminar
 Healthy Lifestyle
 Leadership & Intra-Personal Development (LIPD)
 Languages and Communication Requirement (LCR)
Service-Learning
Reading/Writing  China-Study Requirement (CSR)
Requirements in More than 60% CSR-related content
English/Chinese  Eligible for “English Writing” (EW) designation
Include an extensive piece of writing (2,500 words)
 Eligible for “Chinese Writing” (CW) designation
Include an extensive piece of writing (3,000 characters)
 Eligible for “English Reading” (ER) designation
Include a reading of an extensive text (100,000 words or 200 pages)
 Eligible for “Chinese Reading” (CR) designation
Include a reading of an extensive text (100,000 characters or 200 pages)
None
Medium of Instruction English
Credit Value 3
Level 3
Normal Duration MM3S01E: two semesters (Semesters 1 and 2)
Pre-requisite / None
Co-requisite/
Exclusion
Objectives This course aims to provide the students with an understanding of the theories and
practices of green communities. It equips students with the conceptual and
practical issues related to environmental policy and management, civil society and
NGOs, business environmental responsibility, collaborative environmental
governance, etc. On this basis, it will directly connect students with environmental
NGOs and affected communities by arranging them to serve in an extended period
of time with the objective of enhancing their awareness of civic duty and
community needs.

Intended Learning Upon completion of the subject, students will be able to:
Outcomes
Academic Learning Outcomes:
a. Identify the challenges in environmental protection and the practices of
building green community from a global perspective;
b. integrate their knowledge in science, technology, policy and management
to provide a green solution for the affected communities;

MM3S01E Service-Learning: Building Green Communities with Environmental

 c. enhance their sense of empathy for people and communities affected by
environmental degradation and challenges, and enhance their awareness
of the difficulty in consensus building in the real world setting and the
dangers and limitations of one-sided thinking.
Service-Learning Outcomes:
d. identify the problems and constraints of environmental protection and
improve their skills in stakeholder management;
e. acquire a higher level of awareness of civic duty and community needs;
f. reflect on their role and responsibilities both as a professional and as a
citizen.
g. Demonstrate a sense of civic responsibility;
h. Link the service-learning activities and experiences with the academic
content of the subject.

Subject Synopsis/ Lectures and seminars

Indicative Syllabus
The lectures and seminars of this course will cover main topics of service-learning,
environmental protection, and civil society organizations. It will review the key
ethical, political, economic, and policy principles needed to understand
environmental issues faced by communities. Below is a list of major topics that
will be covered in the lectures:
• Concept and Practice of Service-Learning:
o Principles, concepts and myths of service-learning
o Benefits of service-learning to students and the community
o Ethical issues in service-learning
o Social responsibilities of global citizens as intellectuals and
professionals
o Proper attitudes and behaviors in service delivery
o Developing a service project proposal/plan
o Reflection as a tool for learning
• Environmental Protection Movement and Environmental NGOs in a
Global Perspective
• Building a Green Community and Stakeholder Engagement
• Green Project Management, reporting and presentation

Teaching/Learning The e-Learning Module

Methodology The e-learning module is developed and delivered by the Service-Learning and
Leadership Office at PolyU, consisting of readings, exercises and assessments that
are designed to introduce students to the basic concept and practice of service-
learning.
Students are required to successfully complete the e-learning module within the
first four weeks of the semester in which they are taking the subject.

Discipline-Specific Lectures and Project-Specific Lectures

Lectures will be the primary instrument in teaching. Students are expected to read
assigned materials and actively participate in class discussion and the preparation
of service projects. Case study will be widely used throughout the course.
Emphasis will be on the application of knowledge to address the needs in building
green communities in the designated project location.
The project-specific lecture sessions are designed to: (a) develop students’
understanding of the targeted clients/ underprivileged community, as well as other
issues relating to the service-learning project, (b) provide training for students in
generic skills in planning and delivering the service project. Experts and speakers
from outside the subject-offering department (e.g. Service-Learning and
Leadership Office, NGOs) will be invited to contribute to some of these sessions
as appropriate. Where possible, a hands-on interactive format will be used.

MM3S01E Service-Learning: Building Green Communities with Environmental

 Students are required to attend all of the discipline-specific and project-specific
lectures, seminars and workshops and successfully complete all of the required
assignments/learning tasks prior to participation in the service-learning project.

Service-Learning Projects
Service-learning will be based on group projects. Each group will comprise of
students from multiple disciplines and work with an environmental NGO, working
on specific environmental issues faced by affected communities in the designated
project location. Based on field study of specific communities, each group will
propose and deliver a project with the objectives of community service and
service-learning. The project must have a clearly defined community, and students
can choose from a wide array of community services, including conducting
voluntary environmental education in a community, providing solutions to an
environmental issue faced by the community concerned, working with NGOs to
advocate policy changes to address specific environmental challenges faced by the
community concerned, or partnering with both NGOs and business firms to design
corporate environmental initiatives to serve specific communities, etc.
The service project will take place in an assigned site upon both the agreement
with a selected NGO (e.g, FoEHK, Greenpeace, Conservancy Association, Green
Power) and the approval of the instructor. For one-semester offerings of this
subject, the 40 hours of services will be conducted between the 6th and the 13th
week of the semester, either during weekends or on consecutive dates during long
holidays, on weekday evenings or at a time selected by the students themselves.
For two-semester offerings of this subject, services will be conducted over
approximately two weeks in the designated location during the second semester.

Proposed Service-Learning Projects must fulfill the following requirements: (a)

They must benefit both the students’ learning as well as the service recipients. (b)
The services carried out should be coherent, both within the project, as well as
with the theme of the subject. (c) The work should be hands-on and involve team
as well as individual work. (d) Students are encouraged to research on specific
problems, and to design and implement solutions, applying their discipline-
specific knowledge to meet community needs. (e) They should involve around 40
hours of direct service/frontline civic engagement activities in which students will
be required to interact directly with the service recipients to understand their
needs. (f) In all cases, projects will be supervised and student performance
assessed by staff members.

Assessment Methods in
Alignment with Intended subject learning outcomes to
Intended Learning Specific assessment % be assessed
Outcomes methods/tasks weighting (Please tick as appropriate)
a b c d e f g h
Continuous Assessment 100%

1. E-Learning Module 10%

 
on Service-Learning

2. Preparation 25%  

3. Progress Reports 20%      

4. Performance During 25%

     
Service Delivery

5. Group Presentation & 20%

       
Report
MM3S01E Service-Learning: Building Green Communities with Environmental
 Total 100 %

*Weighting of assessment methods/tasks in continuous assessment may be

different, subject to each subject lecturer.

To pass this subject, students are required to obtain Grade D or above in the
Continuous Assessment components.

Explanation of the appropriateness of the assessment methods in assessing

the intended learning outcomes:

The above methods are designed to ensure that all students –

1. Class participation, regular update on the project progress and an individual
progress presentation will be able to assess students’ understanding of the
course’s content in an interactive way.
2. Students’ attitude and performance in the rendering of service, their degree of
engagement with the service recipients, their collaboration with other
students, and interactions with the service recipients and/or collaborating
NGOs will be assessed on-site by teaching staff, who will supervise and
monitor individual groups working on their SL project in the field. At the same
time, progress reports, submitted in the three stages of preparation, delivery
and conclusion, will allow students to learn how to organize and manage their
service project, enable an objective assessment of students’ performance in
working with the NGO in building a green community.
3. Students will be required to prepare a final report of their group project and
present it to demonstrate their ability to: (a) link their service-learning
experiences with the academic focus/discipline-specific content of the subject,
(b) reflect on their service-learning experience to identify their learning gains
as well as areas for future improvements, (c) reflect on their roles and social
responsibilities. Experts and facilitators from outside the subject-offering
department (e.g. Service-Learning and Leadership Office, NGOs) may be
invited to contribute to some of these sessions as appropriate. Peer evaluation
allows students to assess the quality of their classmates’ presentation. Each
student will be individually assessed in the presentation and their contribution
to the final report.

Student Study Effort Class contact:

Required  E-Learning Module 10 Hrs.
 Lectures 20 Hrs.
 Discussion 6 Hrs.
Other student study effort:
 Self-study, preparation and planning 30 Hrs.
 Service Delivery 40 Hrs.
 Preparation/essay writing 20 Hrs.
Total student study effort 126 Hrs.
Reading List and Required Readings
References Books
Cress, C.M., Collier, P.J. & Reitenauer, V.L. (2005). Learning Through Serving:
A Student Guidebook for Service-Learning Across the Disciplines. Stylus
Publishing
Maltzman, R. and Shirley, D. 2010. Green Project Management. CRC Press,
Economy, Elizabeth C., 2004, The River Runs Black: the Environmental
Challenge to China’s Future, Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press.
Butin, Dan W. 2010, Service-Learning in Theory and Practice: The Future of
Community Engagement in Higher Education. Palgrave Macmillan, New York.

MM3S01E Service-Learning: Building Green Communities with Environmental

 Xing, Jun and Carol Hok Ka Ma. 2010. Service-learning in Asia: Curricular
Models and Practices. Hong Kong University Press.
Journal Articles
Ho, Peter (2001), Greening Without Conflict? Environmentalism, NGOs and
Civil Society in China, Development and Change, Vol. 32, 893-921.
Hills, P. and Welford, R. 2002. ‘Ecological Modernization as a Weak Form of
Sustainable Development in Hong Kong’. International Journal of Sustainable
Development and World Ecology.
Lo, C.W.H. and Chung, S.S. 2004. The Responses and Prospects of Sustainable
Development for Guangzhou and Hong Kong, The International Journal of
Sustainable Development and World Ecology, Vol. 11, No. 2, June, pp. 151-167.
Mottershead, T. 2004. Ed. Sustainable Development in Hong Kong, pp. 13–42.
Hong Kong: University of Hong Kong Press.
Tang, Shui-Yan, & Xueyong Zhan (2008), Civic Environmental NGOs, Civil
Society and Democratization in China, Journal of Development Studies, 44(3),
425–448.
Yang, Guobin (2005), Environmental NGOs and Institutional Dynamics in
China, China Quarterly, Vol.181, No.1, pp. 46-66.
Zhan, Xueyong, and Shui-Yan Tang (2013), Political Opportunities, Resource
Constraints, and Policy Advocacy of Environmental NGOs in China, Public
Administration.
Supplementary Materials
Journals
China Quarterly
Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly
Environment and Planning A

June 2025

MM3S01E Service-Learning: Building Green Communities with Environmental NGOs