Bridging the gap: a case study of a partnership approach to skills development through student engagement in Bristol’s Green Capital year

Abstract

HEIs are well placed to engage with local communities, and can connect students with organisations through several pathways, such as volunteering opportunities, placements, internships, or projects. The University of the West of England, Bristol (UWE), the University of Bristol and their respective Students' Unions have been working in partnership with the city and local communities, using HEFCE Catalyst funding to promote student involvement in sustainability activity during Bristol's year as European Green Capital. The Green Capital Student Capital project has created a broad programme of citywide impact through mobilising the enthusiasm of the city's student body. It delivered a wide-ranging programme of engagement in city sustainability and in so doing developed skills, knowledge and attributes in the student body that support the development of graduate attributes and a more sustainable lifestyle. The project demonstrates how institutions can collaborate across cities and communities to have internal and external impacts for sustainability.

Are the sustainability-oriented skills and competencies of business graduates meeting or missing employers’ needs? Perspectives of regional employers

“…Scholars propose that sustainability learning in higher education should focus on learning content, pedagogy and the learning environment (Greig & Prindle, 2019). Some of the preferred procedures for developing students' competencies in sustainability are placements, internships and authentic 'real-world' projects (Bigg et al, 2018). Instructors in higher education could use assessment tasks that are problem-based (i.e., scenario analysis, forecasting, back-casting and case studies) and that generally encourage students to think about alternative futures and evaluate the consequences of different decisions and actions.…”

Fostering student engagement through a real-world, collaborative project across disciplines and institutions

“…Carlisle, Gourd, Rajkhan, and Nitta (2017) reported that community-based learning enhances participation and volunteerism, and improves students' ability to work with others and openness to new ideas. Bigg et al (2018) found that student collaboration across two universities in a large-scale community-based project reinforced students' academic learning through its engaged approach, and also fostered a sense of shared community between students. Reflection has been found to be key in integrating the triad of interdisciplinary teaching, experiential learning, and community engagement (Culhane, Niewolny, Clark, & Misyak, 2018).…”

“…With some exceptions (e.g. Bigg et al, 2018), most empirical literature on student engagement focuses on a single aspect of an assignment. Missing is a holistic study of student engagement in a multifaceted, interdisciplinary learning context that incorporates many different best practices that existing studies have identified as ideal for engaging students.…”

Promoting engagement via engaged mathematics labs and supportive learning

“…Carlisle et al (2017) reported that community-based learning improves students' ability to work with others and openness to new ideas. In mathematics education, collaborative learning's popularity surged in the 1980s, but it has since continued to evolve (Bigg et al, 2018) found that student collaboration across two universities in a large-scale community-based project reinforced students' academic learning through its engaged approach, and also fostered a sense of shared community between students.…”