Heritage site visits have been commonplace across various levels of educational institutions. They have been suggested to provide satisfaction and improved learning to students, while also functioning as social spaces of interaction, particularly after the COVID-19 lockdowns worldwide (Sofaer, 2021). In particular, the benefit of visiting heritage sites physically to psychological health and overall wellbeing has been widely discussed (Power and Smyth, 2016). These heritage sites have been transposed online into virtual heritage sites. Encompassing video elements and comprehensive information in articles, online heritage sites are easily accessible and able to be shared with others. However, there has been precious little investigated into such online sites’ potential for students’ educational writing and impact. Our team utilised data from qualitative surveys collected from 65 undergraduate students within a Singaporean university on the functionality of heritage sites in idea generation and improvement of undergraduate writing within a Southeast Asian context. We investigated the perceived effectiveness of literary texts and documentaries on two online heritage sites, namely Our Grandfather Story (OGS) and Roots.gov.sg in improving writing, inspiring observations about places and communities in pedagogical practice. Both sites are well-known heritage repositories which have been a treasure trove for capturing the vibrancy of Singapore’s cultural landscape in the past and present. We determined that such online heritage sites positively contribute to and correlate to more well-informed undergraduate writing and confidence, inspiring unique topics in the process, and leading to greater appreciation of the nuances of Singaporean heritage places and communities.

Authors:
Tejash Kumar Singh, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore

About the Presenter(s)
His hobbies include dreaming of travelling, occasionally watching football, and weightlifting. An animal-lover, Tejash has set up an animal charity which donates regularly to needy animals worldwide. He is also currently owned by his cat, Maya."

Connect on Linkedin
https://www.linkedin.com/in/tejash-kumar-singh-2593b21a5

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