Gross National happiness and Networked Learning - presented at Networked Learning 2016 in Lancaster

1. Gross National Happiness in the
Context of Networked Learning
Pär-Ola Zander, Aalborg University
Choeda, Royal University of Bhutan
Tandin Penjor, Royal University of Bhutan
Dorji Dupka, Royal University of Bhutan

2. Overview of Talk
• Introduce Gross National Happiness (GNH)
• Main argument of talk: It is a promising
research field to design GNH-permeated
learning environments
• Towards some issues where networked
learning is relevant

3. Background of GNH
• Gross national income (GNI) is criticized
• Heterodox alternative gains ground => GNI/GDP falls back
• Human Development Index (UN), Genuine Progress
Indicator (Stieglitz amongst others), Gross National
Happiness (GNH), and more…
• Need an index which measures progress/regression for
policy
• And for design?

4. GNH in a nutshell
• Measures happiness
• Happiness is constituted by subjective and
objective measures
• GNH incepted by the 4th king of Bhutan, J. S.
Wangchuck
• Buddhist origins and relationship
– 2-3% of indicators distinctly Buddhist
• One can agree or disagree on the route to
happiness
– This is a matter of a science of happiness

5. Gross National Happiness (GNH)
Ura, 2012, p.13

6. 3 (+1) Ways of Conceiving GNH
• GNH as the Outcome
– Make happy students (outcome-focused)
– Valid but uninteresting as research agenda
• GNH in the message
– GNH for physics => Environmental issues, GNH for economics
=> calculate the GNH index
– Not path-breaking for Networked Learning
– Just another content to integrate with
• GNH as Medium <= Focus!
• GNH as buzzword
– Compare innovation, sustainability
– “GNH is mainly about being content in whatever we do” (R13)
– “if the communication is smooth that is GNH” (R7)

7. GNH as Medium
• Focus on atmosphere
• GNH infers certain modes of life
– Cultural diversity
– Time use
– Ecology
– Mindfulness
• How do we support the creation of this
through networked technologies?

8. Mindfulness

9. Infuse GNH into the activity
• Hypothesis: Learning & development is
qualitatively different in GNH-pervasive
medium
• Bhutan is a living laboratory for GNH-as-
medium

10. Examples of networked technology
issues
• Social media multitasking
• Mindless copy/pasting
• Creating awareness of others’ happiness by
technology?
– Visualisation, analytics…?
• Facework management because of social media
instead of focused inquiry
• Self-direction?
• Novel and interesting!
• Does it make a difference when this is designed for in a
concerted manner?

11. Links
• Bhutan’s prime minister evangelizes about
GNH in general and environmental issuses in
particular