Education for Sustainability in Universities: Challenges and Opportunities for Change

Higgins, Blanche; Thomas, Ian

doi:10.1017/aee.2015.56

Cited by 31 publications

(26 citation statements)

References 43 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…The literature on EfS in higher education identifies skills in interdisciplinary collaboration as critical for tackling complex and intractable issues (commonly referred to as 'wicked problems'), and sustainability and climate change are frequently cited as examples (Briggs, 2012;Jones & Watt, 2010; National Academy of Sciences, National Academy of Engineering, & Institute of Medicine, 2005;Vincent & Focht, 2010). Unfortunately, this interest has rarely been matched by institution-wide commitment to interdisciplinary learning for sustainability (Higgins & Thomas, 2016;Leihy & Salazar, 2011;Sherren, 2005), although there are notable exceptions, as documented in a recent review of UK exemplars (Sterling, Maxey, & Luna, 2013), and in Australia by La Trobe University (Hocking & Riddle, 2014).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Inspiration From the Classroom: A Mixed Method Case Study of Interdisciplinary Sustainability Learning in Higher Education

Noy

Patrick

Capetola

et al. 2017

Aust. J. environ. educ.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Within higher education there is widespread support for developing students’ interdisciplinary skills. Despite this, evidence for, and practice of, cross-faculty interdisciplinary sustainability learning remains in its infancy. Recent articles have shown that Australia is no exception. This article provides a case study of interdisciplinary learning and teaching within a cross-faculty Education for Sustainability (EfS) undergraduate subject involving science, arts, business, and health students at an Australian university. A description of the subject and its theoretical context provides a platform for presenting the findings of a mixed method enquiry into how pedagogy supports interdisciplinary sustainability learning. The sequential explanatory research design involved a post-subject quantitative survey analysed using SPSS, augmented by qualitative student journal data (n = 67) using phenomenological analysis within NVivo. The study found that students, regardless of discipline background, valued the processes and pedagogy used to promote interdisciplinary collaboration and awareness. The experience left students feeling more skilled and confident of their ability to contribute to future interdisciplinary sustainability collaboration. This case study, replete with a subject description, theoretical context for an innovative pedagogical approach and study results, provides higher education professionals with a template for deliberative curriculum and pedagogy that promote interdisciplinary knowledge, skills and confidence that may contribute to transformative learning that supports EfS goals. The article presents a strong case for future EfS curriculum frameworks and strategic education policy to include deliberative interdisciplinary pedagogy. It also challenges higher education institutions to create flexible systems that facilitate cross-faculty interdisciplinary learning that is necessary for preparing students for the future.

show abstract

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Inspiration From the Classroom: A Mixed Method Case Study of Interdisciplinary Sustainability Learning in Higher Education

Noy

Patrick

Capetola

et al. 2017

Aust. J. environ. educ.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Thirdly, there is a significant call for studies of transformational pedagogies through multiple and holistic approaches in higher education (Higgins and Thomas 2016); and especially, in pre-service teacher education (Ferreira et al 2015). Studies that scrutinise institutional cultures both in universities and early education settings and seek to disrupt thinking and co-construct new pedagogies and knowledges are required.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Special Issue: Contemporary Research on Early Childhood Education for Sustainability

Ärlemalm‐Hagsér

Elliott

2017

IJEC

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The first IJEC special issue on early childhood education for sustainability (ECEfS) was published in 2009. It included an article ) about the UN set of recommendations adopted for education for sustainable development (ESD) in early childhood education, which are also titled The Gothenburg Recommendations. The 2009 special issue also included papers with themes on citizenship, globalisation, diversity, cultural relevance, policy and pedagogy, but only a few were informed by empirical research. In the editorial for the 2009 special issue, John Siraj-Blatchford (2009) noted that these papers focused on interrogating dominant economic and political thinking, promoting the three pillars of sustainability, and investigating the challenges of globalisation. Almost a decade later as global climate change has become a cause for mitigation rather than prevention, it appears more than timely for us, as guest editors, to revisit ECEfS. Our intent in this editorial is to critically reassess the journey travelled so far and propose avenues for further exploration.We are driven by a firm belief that in early childhood education, we have an ethical responsibility to care and to act for sustainable futures for all, irrespective of the troubling political landscapes that thwart our calls for quantum global changes. In a recent compilation of articles about children and climate change, Currie and Deschenes (2016) make it patently clear that today's children will bear the brunt of climate change for years to come, their well-being and development will be negatively impacted, and global inequities for children will be exacerbated. Further, the current seventeen UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) (2016) & Eva Ä rlemalm-Hagsér

show abstract

“…While UNESCO's Decade of Education for Sustainable Development may have called for education to lead the way in developing sustainability knowledge and for it to be fully integrated into all levels of education (Lambrechts et al, 2013), Karatzoglou (2013) posits that universities are vital partners in sustainability education. Higgins and Thomas (2016), however, argue that the position of sustainability education is not as prominent in university curricula as it should be. Jones et al (2008) have discussed where sustainability sits in higher education curricula, arguing that universities must ensure they provide an educational means by which graduates can meet the many challenges the sustainability agenda presents.…”

Section: Universities and Sustainability Educationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Refocusing Sustainability Education: Using Students’ Reflections on Their Carbon Footprint to Reinforce the Importance of Considering CO2 Production in the Construction Industry

Weirs

Osborne

2020

Front. Built Environ.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The construction industry is the most significant contributor to the UK's CO 2 emissions. Its activities are responsible for an annual output of approximately 45% of the total. This figure highlights the role the industry must play in helping to achieve the UK Government's CO 2 reduction target. It is ergo incumbent on construction-related educators to emphasize this issue and explore ways in which it can be achieved. Unintentional desensitization has resulted in the term 'sustainability,' particularly CO 2 production, being seen by students as just another concept to be studied from a theoretical perspective. Many students fail to grasp its broader implications and how it should affect strategic environmental decisions about construction processes, technologies, and products. To help address this problem, an innovative learning, teaching, and assessment strategy was used with final year undergraduate construction students to improve their level of sustainability literacy. The theory of threshold concepts in the context of transformative learning was used as the baseline philosophy to the study. The approach involved asking students to calculate their carbon footprint and to reflect upon and extrapolate their findings to the construction industry and its practice. Content analysis was performed on the reflective commentaries acquired from student portfolios collected over four academic years. The results showed how the students' reflections on their carbon footprints proved to be an enlightening experience. Terms such as 'shocked by my footprint,' 'surprised at the findings,' and 'change in attitude' were among the contemplative comments. When students linked their findings to the construction industry, phrases such as 'waste generation,' 'technologies,' and 'materials' were some of the concepts considered. By using their personal experiences as a benchmark, students were able to gain a deeper understanding of the causes and consequences of CO 2 production. They also found it more straightforward to relate these issues to the construction industry and its practice. Several recommendations are made to raise the level of sustainability literacy in the construction industry thereby facilitating a potential reduction in worldwide CO 2 production.

show abstract

Education for Sustainability in Universities: Challenges and Opportunities for Change

Cited by 31 publications

References 43 publications

Inspiration From the Classroom: A Mixed Method Case Study of Interdisciplinary Sustainability Learning in Higher Education

Inspiration From the Classroom: A Mixed Method Case Study of Interdisciplinary Sustainability Learning in Higher Education

Special Issue: Contemporary Research on Early Childhood Education for Sustainability

Refocusing Sustainability Education: Using Students’ Reflections on Their Carbon Footprint to Reinforce the Importance of Considering CO2 Production in the Construction Industry

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About