The Community Leadership And Social Innovation Centre (CLASIC) of the Singapore Institute of Technology (SIT) curates social innovation projects carried out in collaboration with community partners. 

CLASIC curates, tracks, and optimises community initiatives and projects by leveraging the interdisciplinary knowledge, expertise, and skills of SIT faculty, students, and staff across different academic clusters.

Why get involved in community projects?

At SIT, we nurture our students to be 'Grounded in the Community' because it is part of the university’s DNA. Our Centre works closely with partners and stakeholders to provide avenues for our students, who we call SITizens, to give back to society through social innovation. This includes the design of projects that complement our faculty’s expertise and their professional practice.

By being involved in community projects, students and faculty can play an important role in enhancing the quality of life for beneficiaries. At the same time, such projects also allow them to gain greater awareness of prevailing social issues.

Our vision

We envision CLASIC as an enabler of community initiatives. Our objective is to play a key role in elevating SIT as the partner of choice for community-related projects and initiatives. 

What we do

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    Coordinate and monitor the inclusion of social context elements in SIT’s curriculum

    SIT will progressively incorporate social context elements in all its degree programmes by 2023. These elements will comprise at least 2 credits and include topics from the ‘Singapore: Imagining the Next 50 Years’ e-module; the updated UCM3001 Change Management module; or other custom modules. 

    The Social Innovation Project (USI2001) is a 3-credit module that forms part of the SIT-wide suite of interdisciplinary initiatives under the new Undergraduate Programme Structure that will bring students from different disciplines together. All students from the AY2022/23 cohort will be required to take the module as part of SITs graduation requirements.

    Students taking this module will be at least Year-of-study 2 standing or have completed both the UDE1001 Introduction to Design Innovation and UDE2001 Interdisciplinary Design Innovation modules.

    USI2001 aims to create opportunities for SIT students to address some of the current issues and multi-faceted challenges faced in our society using a multi-pronged, problem-solving and collaborative approach. Students will compete three e-learning micromodules, and working in teams of 3 to 5, they will plan, co-create, prototype, and present a socially innovative solution meant for a specific community group.

    More information on the module will be shared during the introductory briefing to be conducted every Trimester for all students required to take the module.

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    Curate community-related projects by tapping into faculty’s expertise and students’ knowledge (e.g. USI2001 Social Innovation Project module)
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    Connect to SIT's workplace learning and training

    The National Centre of Excellence for Workplace Learning (NACE@SIT) is a partner of CLASIC and one of the centres located in SIT. NACE@SIT focuses on enhancing work processes and organisational efficiency through workplace learning and training workshops. Companies seeking to access workplace learning and training benefits can connect with NACE@SIT through our Centre.

    Connect me with NACE@SIT

Projects

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    Improving accessibility at Kwong Wai Shiu Hospital

    Kwong Wai Shiu Hospital (KWSH) is collaborating with NACE@SIT in the planning, design, and development of its new nursing home.

    AMK Senior Corner

    Redesigning a Seniors’ Corner

    SIT was commissioned to redesign a communal space for seniors that would facilitate community bonding and socialisation.

    YES!Program

    Inspiring STEM education in secondary schools through SIT’s YES!Programme

    SIT’s annual Young Engineers’ Space Programme (YES!Programme) was first conceived in October 2016. It aims to create a positive and enriching service-learning environment for SIT’s undergraduates. The four-month programme allows SIT undergraduates to hone their mentorship skills and inspire secondary school students to learn more about STEM.

    Development and installation of a smart meter to capture water usage data

    Enhancing control of water usage and cost with Ecosoftt-CLASIC smart meter

    Stepping out with the aim of helping low-income households better manage their water usage and bills, CLASIC and water solutions provider Ecosoftt developed and installed smart water meters to monitor water usage at different outlets in these households.

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    Gamification Design for Nutritional-Healthy Eating Application

    Encouraging healthy eating habits in children and parents through mobile app gamification

    Many studies show that children who learn about healthy eating habits early on in life tend to maintain these habits in adulthood. Inspired by the NTUC Bright Horizon Fund (BHF), which uses targeted interventions to support children from low-income families, a group of SIT faculty members came together to raise awareness about the nutritional values of food and inspire healthier eating habits.

    Design A Recycling Receptacle to Promote Recycling

    Designing a recycling receptacle to promote green living

    As part of their efforts to promote correct recycling practices and encourage higher recycling rates among Singaporeans, the National Environment Agency (NEA) invited SIT students to contribute proposed designs for a recycling receptacle for households in Singapore.

    Digital health literacy

    Facilitating digital literacy to address life after retirement in seniors

    One of the challenges faced by the National Council of Social Services (NCSS) is to ensure that online services for senior users and their caregivers who are not digitally literate are made accessible.

    Effectiveness of Online Social Service Programmes

    Enhancing online social service programme delivery

    The Singapore Muslim Women’s Association (PPIS) approached CLASIC for assistance when they encountered challenges in pivoting from face-to-face to online-based social service programmes during the pandemic.

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    Collaborations

    Tech for Good 2022

    Organised by Engineering Good and co-produced by SIT, Tech for Good is an annual innovation challenge that celebrates assistive technology and inclusivity.
    Engineering Good is a not-for-profit organisation that focuses on improving the lives of Persons with Disabilities (PwDs) and low-income families through the use of infocomm technologies and engineering design.

    Find out more

    Past Winners

    Our team

    Dr Intan Azura Mokhtar (Associate Professor) 
    Director, Community Leadership And Social Innovation Centre (CLASIC)

    Mr Dan Chia
    Deputy Director, Community Leadership and Social Innovation Centre (CLASIC)

    Get in Touch

    Connect with us to discover how you can get started on community projects.

    Email CLASIC