Academic staff engagement in education for sustainable development

Cebrián, Gisela; Grace, Marcus; Humphris, Debra

doi:10.1016/j.jclepro.2014.12.010

Cited by 116 publications

(106 citation statements)

References 31 publications

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“…Various writers (e.g., [21,23], note that there was a need for more student engagement. However, while there have been studies focusing on staff (e.g., [24,25]) and student learning (e.g., [26,27]), there has been limited research into the psycho-sociological constructs surrounding student engagement.…”

Section: Student Engagement With the Concepts Of Sustainabilitymentioning

confidence: 99%

The Engagement of Students in Higher Education Institutions with the Concepts of Sustainability: A Case Study of the University of Northampton, in England

et al. 2017

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Across higher education institutions there has, for some time, been a growing move towards incorporation of the concepts of sustainability into the policies and practices of the organisations. Using the University of Northampton, in the United Kingdom as a case study, this project aimed to understand the efficacy of student engagement with a sustainability project called Planet Too. The study employed a range of methods including waste and energy audits, as well as questionnaire surveys both with students and landlords to examine their environmental attitudes, beliefs, and practices. The project was able to lead to increased awareness and engagement with the concepts of sustainability amongst the students. Recycling, though it was not one of the initiatives focused upon, was a key practice mentioned by both students and landlords. The engagement of the landlords was focused primarily on conservation of energy and water. However, conservation practices generally remained static, with limited significant or long-term changes in environmental practices. The key implications of the findings are discussed and recommendations suggested.

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Section: Student Engagement With the Concepts Of Sustainabilitymentioning

confidence: 99%

The Engagement of Students in Higher Education Institutions with the Concepts of Sustainability: A Case Study of the University of Northampton, in England

et al. 2017

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“…This lack of a local definition makes it difficult to effectively communicate sustainability to students, and as a result, sustainability education at OSU is fragmented, specialized, and varied. This is a problem well-recognized in the literature: without a shared understanding of sustainability, SD integration into higher education can be challenging [13], and has been found to block academic engagement [4]. Thus, as OSU becomes increasingly involved in sustainability education, the need to define the term and the concepts associated with it grows in urgency.…”

Section: Background: a Brief Project Overviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Starting with sustainability "enthusiasts" is a concept cited by others in implementing SD into the curriculum as well [4]. Indeed, gathering information from individuals who have kept up with OSU's sustainability efforts resulted in obtaining very rich and relevant information.…”

Section: Sample Selectionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Participatory Development of Key Sustainability Concepts for Dialogue and Curricula at The Ohio State University

Bullock¹,

Hitzhusen²

2015

Sustainability

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Abstract:The Ohio State University (OSU) is one of the many universities committed to sustainability within its operations, traditions, and university framework. The university continues to evolve in relation to its sustainability goals, and currently seeks to both build on and deepen the culture of sustainability at OSU. One way to do this is through increasing the sustainability literacy of students on campus, by creating an introductory sustainability curriculum, which would put forth the definitions, concepts, and initiatives that represent sustainability at Ohio State. However, before such a curriculum can be developed, it is important to first understand the current sustainability perceptions at OSU: what definition does the university want to embrace? What is most pertinent to teach OSU students? Twenty sustainability leaders across the university were interviewed in a participatory development process to produce consensus-based, local definitional concepts that are not only beneficial for student knowledge, but for OSU sustainability progress as a whole. The results of their recommendations have provided a solid framework from which the university can build in its future curricular efforts, and provides insights that may be particularly helpful in promoting sustainability in other large American universities. This study also describes a case of using participatory development (PD) methods, which have been under-utilized in a higher education setting, particularly in sustainability implementation.

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“…In the last decades, diverse educational initiatives have been promoted through a variety of initiatives addressed to different profiles of learner (Casey and Asamoah, 2016 , 1997;Wehrmeyer and Chenoweth, 2006), with the aim to increase the awareness and penetration of SD issues in different segments of the population. In the framework of the DESD, the Bonn declaration recognise the essential role of continued education to achieve sustainable lifestyles based on principles such as "economic and social justice, food security, ecological integrity, sustainable livelihoods, […] respect for all life forms, social cohesion, democracy and collective action" (UNESCO, 2009).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Promoting sustainable human development in engineering: Assessment of online courses within continuing professional development strategies

Foguet

Lazzarini

Giné

et al. 2018

Journal of Cleaner Production

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a b s t r a c tHigher Education Institutions play a critical role in societies transition towards sustainable development, educating future professionals and decision makers. In the last few decades, a number of technical universities have devoted major efforts to integrating sustainable development into engineering curricula. There is still, however, an increasing need to further transform learning and training environments and build capacity of educators and trainers on sustainable development issues.Against this background, this paper assesses the role of online training courses, within continuing professional development strategies, in promoting sustainable human development in engineering degrees. It was built upon the implementation of a European initiative, the Global Dimension in Engineering Education, promoted by a transdisciplinary consortium of technical universities and nongovernmental organisations.In terms of method, this study analyses two sets of quantitative and qualitative indicators to assess i) the perceived quality/relevance of the training proposals, and ii) the learning acquisition of participants. Quantitative indicators were complemented by a descriptive analysis of findings from a semi-structured survey. The results provide evidence that online learning can be an effective approach for continuing professional development of academics. The findings also suggest that participants perceived online courses' contents and curricula, developed jointly by academics and practitioners of non-governmental organisations, as relevant and useful for integrating sustainability principles in teaching activities. To conclude, authors recommend the leaders of higher educational institutions to explore the integration of online courses addressed to faculty into university policy and strategies, as a way to promote professional development and the engagement of academics on sustainable development.

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Academic staff engagement in education for sustainable development

Cited by 116 publications

References 31 publications

The Engagement of Students in Higher Education Institutions with the Concepts of Sustainability: A Case Study of the University of Northampton, in England

The Engagement of Students in Higher Education Institutions with the Concepts of Sustainability: A Case Study of the University of Northampton, in England

Participatory Development of Key Sustainability Concepts for Dialogue and Curricula at The Ohio State University

Promoting sustainable human development in engineering: Assessment of online courses within continuing professional development strategies

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