Teaching sustainability: does style matter?

Abstract

Purpose This paper aims to analyze how a tangram activity improved students’ abilities to explain sustainability, articulate a positive perception of sustainable design and relate sustainability with innovation in engineering design. Design/methodology/approach The concept of paradigm shift was introduced in the classroom by using a tangram activity to help students understand that sustainable design requires out-of-the-box thinking. Instructors from three institutions teaching various levels of sustainability courses to engineering majors used the activity to introduce sustainable design, then measured the understanding and appreciation of the concepts introduced through the tangram activity with pre- and post-activity surveys. Findings Findings from the study indicate that students’ perceptions of sustainability significantly improved due to the activity, without regard to the institution. The activity also significantly improved students understanding of the connection between sustainability and innovation, across all three institutions, across all majors and across all years of study except second-year students. Improving engineering students’ views on sustainability may lead, over time, to changes in the industry, in which environmental performance is incorporated into the engineering design process. Originality/value Active learning approaches are needed for affective-domain learning objectives in the sustainability field for students to learn the necessary attitudes, values and motivations to implement sustainability in engineering design. Simple, easily implemented active learning techniques, such as the tangram activity presented here, can be implemented across the curriculum or to the public to introduce the paradigm shift necessary with sustainable design.

Students’ perspectives of sustainable development goals in a Japanese higher education institute

“…Given the sudden switch to online or blended teaching during the pandemic, further debate over the “learner-centred and action-oriented” approach will be essential if the current undergraduates are to become the “change agents” that inspire SDG implementation (Fokdal et al , 2019). Ozis et al (2022) contend that to reposition the conventional paradigm required for sustainable design, HEI instructors should use straightforward, approachable active learning methodologies in the classroom and across the curriculum. One inspirational environmental education tool to be investigated further is game-based learning, either via in-person board games or online role-player workshops (Chen and Ho, 2022).…”

Co-Creation in Contextual Competences for Sustainability: Teaching for Sustainability, Student Interaction and Extracurricular Engagement

“…Wang et al [20] found that case study and interdisciplinary team teaching have a positive impact on students' thinking and perceptions of sustainable development when studying the impact of curriculum pedagogy on sustainability. Some researchers, such as Martínez Casanovas et al [21] and Ozis et al [22], proposed that participatory methods include problem-based and experiential learning, e.g., by adopting active teaching methods in class, students engage in the learning process and avoid passive acceptance of knowledge, which is conducive to improving students' abilities to solve problems and so on [23]. Lozano et al [24] explored the relationship between teaching and sustainable development competences.…”

The Moderating Role of Teamwork Engagement and Teambuilding on the Effect of Teamwork Competence as a Predictor of Innovation Behaviors among University Students

“…One promising avenue for HEIs to promote innovation and develop teamwork skills amongst college students in a healthy way, also allowing the achievement of SDGs, is to incorporate active learning methodologies (e.g., problem-based learning, gamification, game-based learning (GBL), flipped learning, learning by doing, service-learning (S-L), etc.) [44][45][46][47]. For instance, Martínez-Casanovas et al [46] showed, in their recent study, that problem-based learning and case studies, such as active learning methodologies, promoted and enhanced SDGs.…”

“…Active learning methodologies place college students at the center of the teachinglearning processes, providing them opportunities for personal discovery, which improves the learning process [44], as well as for the development of their skills [48], such as creative thinking, problem solving, communication, teamwork and innovative performance [49]. In the last few decades, a growing body of research has shown the potential of these methodologies, such as GBL, to develop and foster amongst college students' engagement, intrinsic motivation, academic performance, interaction, socialization, students' confidence for teamwork and team building, creativity and innovation [50][51][52][53][54][55][56][57].…”