TEACHING AND LEARNING
INNOVATION REPORT 2025–2026
SOCIALLY SUSTAINABLE ENTREPRENEURIAL
PROGRAMME (SSEP)
Now in its second year, the Socially Sustainable Entrepreneurial Programme (SSEP)
curriculum is built upon a ‘Triple Bottom Line’ framework that balances social
impact (People) and environmental sustainability (Planet) equally with financial
profit (Profit).
Over several months, students from across our campuses develop projects from
initial ideation, market research to the creation of rigorous company profiles, and
viable prototypes, culminating in a high-stakes Capstone Event where they pitch
their ventures to an expert judging panel and the broader UWCSEA community.
In 2025/2026, the programme engaged over 162 Dover and East High School
students alongside a network of industry mentors, parents, alumni and expert
partners who guided students through an authentic entrepreneurial cycle. This
year’s winning team,Team FresCo (East Campus Grade 10 students Ameyaa, Anshu,
Melody, Nitya and Venice) developed a ‘smart’ food preservation system to tackle
food wastage. By offering a reusable fridge device to slow spoilage and a sensing
patch for fresh produce, their solution is linked to an app that monitors ‘freshness’
and provides users with recipes to use items before they spoil.
“We believe in the potential of FresCo,” the team shared, “and SSEP gave us a strong
foundation to build on. We plan to continue refining the concept and explore where
it could go next.”
The true impact of the SSEP lies in its ability to shift student mindsets from passive
learners to active, empathetic problem solvers. By engaging with real-world
complexities, student entrepreneurs are given the rare opportunity to navigate
authentic design challenges, manage diverse stakeholders, and build resilience in a
high-pressure environment.
Read more about SSEP here.
Innovation in teaching and learning takes many forms across our campuses. We are delighted to share these highlights
from the 2025/2026 academic year - milestones and experiences brought to life through the incredible generosity of our
donor community. Thank you for empowering our students with the skills, qualities, and agency they need to shape a
better world.
ARTIST IN RESIDENCE PROGRAMME
At UWCSEA, we regularly host professional creators through our Artist-in-Residence
programme to mentor students in visual, digital, and performing arts.
This year, 32 Grade 9 Visual Arts students from East Campus partnered with SUN-
DAC (Serving the Differently-Abled Day Activity Centre) and visiting mural artist
Chaeyoon Kim to design and execute a collaborative mural installation at SUN-DAC’s
Bedok campus. SUN-DAC supports the needs of intellectually disabled individuals.
The project formed part of the Grade 9 Visual Art curriculum and connects closely
to the College’s service-learning philosophy, Concept Based Teaching and Learning
(CBTL) framework, and wider community engagement initiatives.
Over six weeks, Chaeyoon helped students turn their ideas into vibrant designs while teaching professional artistic processes and
empathy-driven design. Learning objectives included helping students understand how art can extend beyond the classroom
and function within real social and community contexts. They were challenged to consider audience, environment, accessibility,
colour psychology, and the responsibilities involved in creating artwork for others. The project also strengthened collaboration,
communication, and problem-solving skills as students adapt designs to architectural spaces and large-scale surfaces.
Throughout the programme, students researched mural and public artists, investigated the role of community-based art,
and developed designs responding directly to the needs and experiences of the SUN-DAC community. The themes that were
explored include Community Gardens, local Bedok culture, hawker visits, walks and adventures, and the ongoing connection
between SUN-DAC and UWCSEA. The initiative culminated with students refining their ideas through artist research, mind maps,
composition studies, colour experimentation, and collaborative planning.
PLASTIC FANTASTIC
Plastic Fantastic is a new Middle School Service on Dover Campus that incorporates
innovation with sustainability. In this service, our waste from the 3D printers can be
melted down and reformed back into sheets that can be used to make new products.
With support from community donations, we purchased a new plastic shredder so
that students can sort, shred and mould waste plastic into new forms, making the
process more circular.
Initially, we were only able to shred and recycle PLA plastic (from 3D printing waste
material) and turn it into sheet material to laser cut. However, with additional
philanthropic support, we have invested in equipment that greatly expands the
possibilities for the Plastic Fantastic initiative, including two injection moulding
machines, a granulator, and a series of injection moulds. With this new equipment,
we are now able to granulate other types of plastic (such as polypropylene and
PET) and injection-mould the materials into much more complex products. This
equipment allows our students to collect waste plastic intended for landfill or
incineration and turns it into brand new products, including spinning top toys,
carabiners, hair combs, and shovels for our campus gardening services.
Our kids are actually exploring industrial
practices. I imagine that traditionally, it
would have taken almost three years to
attract seed funding. Support from our
UWCSEA community has allowed a group
of young changemakers to really expedite
the work they’re doing and bring it to life.
There are startup companies in Singapore
that have taken almost four or five years
to do this, and we were very fortunate to
be able to give our students at UWCSEA
the exposure to carry out our mission and
values in such a tangible way.”
— Vinay Patel, Middle School Design
Technology teacher
CHINESE HISTORY AND CULTURE PROGRAMME
It was another wonderful year for the Chinese History and Culture Programme on Dover Campus. This programme contributes
to the cultural richness of our students’ learning experiences. This year, we saw the launch of several exciting new initiatives,
including primary years debating and traditional seal engraving.
The Chinese Seal Engraving workshop was attended by both Chinese and non-Chinese students alike. Zhuanke (seal carving) is
the meticulous and expressive craft that has defined Chinese art for millennia. The workshop explored this traditional art form
by providing an understanding of the evolution of Chinese characters, the most common type of font style used (ancient seal
script), the materials needed and the difference between positive and negative engraving approaches. They practised safe stone-
carving methods, focusing on achieving clean lines, sharp edges, and a dynamic ‘aged’ look appropriate for this art form. At the
end of the session, the students enjoyed seeing their work come to life as they stamped their final works on the ricepaper.
This is one of the many ways that community support for innovation and immersive learning nurtures the passions and interests
of our students as they take agency over learning.
FUND-2526
Thank you for making a difference in 2025/2026
For more information about UWCSEA’s Innovation in Teaching and Learning Programme, or to renew your support today,
please contact: UWCSEA Foundation | +65 6419 9353 | foundation@uwcsea.edu.sg | www.uwcesa.edu.sg/supportus
ROBOTICS IN MOTION:
THE UNITREE GO2 QUADRUPED ROBOT AT THE CIRCUS
Showcasing the unlikely mix of robotics and the performing arts, High School students took the back stage at the UWCSEA
East Circus event, coding and controlling the Unitree Go2 Quadruped Robot, which took centre stage along with the other
circus performers. The robot moved smoothly alongside student acrobats, performers and of course the circus ringmaster. By
rehearsing complex movement sequences and managing real-time remote feedback through the LIDaR (Light Detection and
Ranging) and 4K Camera, the student ‘robotic puppeteers’ demonstrated high-level computational thinking and technical agility.
The Principal of Primary School called the project a highlight of the term filled with “learning and joy”. It was a perfect example
of the “power of learning across ages and stages” as younger students were inspired by the creative possibilities of collaboration,
cross-disciplinary interaction and modern engineering.
Far beyond funding standalone initiatives, your generosity inspires a culture of curiosity and inventive thinking across
our entire community. Together, we are creating spaces and programmes where students learn to iterate, build, and turn
groundbreaking ideas into real impact. Thank you for partnering with us to empower tomorrow’s visionary leaders.
Hands-on technical opportuniites like this offer an
immersive opportunity for students to explore such a unique
application of robotics. The Innovation team’s support
allowed these students to move beyond theoretical coding
into a high-pressure, live performance environment, where
they were responsible for the robot’s reliability, safety,
and choreography.
In addition to its circus performance, in Term 2, the Unitree
Go2 Pro Quadruped Robot made its debut classroom visit
in the Primary School. A session was run to provide younger
students (Grades 2 and 3) an entry point into the world of
mechatronics and autonomous systems. Students observed
firsthand how the robot stays aware of its surroundings by
using laser pulses to scan and interpret its environment. To
make this easy to understand, the information collected by
the robot was displayed onto the projector screen, allowing
students to see the world exactly how the robot sees it.
The session culminated in a practical coding challenge, where
students programmed the Unitree Go2 Pro Quadruped Robot
to navigate a pre-scanned classroom layout and execute a
precise ‘performance’ at the end of its path.