Transforming University Curricula towards Sustainability (original) (raw)
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Sustainability Assessment Tools in Higher Education Institutions, 2013
Our world faces considerable environmental, economic, social, and cultural challenges that need to be met at various levels. Responses to calls for curriculum revision to address sustainability, although very critical, are often slow and superficial. In this paper, it is argued that a participatory action and transformative learning approach toward engaging academics in curriculum change for sustainability is needed. The chapter describes the Reorient University Curricula to Address Sustainability (RUCAS) methodological approach aimed at engaging university staff in sustainability curriculum change at 12 universities. It also describes its underpinning theoretical assumptions, the research facts, and the critical curriculum design considerations.
Education for sustainability in university studies: a model for reorienting the curriculum
British Educational Research Journal, 2008
A decisive factor for achieving a culture of sustainability is university training for future professionals. The aim of this article is to bring new elements to the process of reorienting university studies towards sustainability. Presented here is the ACES model (Curriculum Greening of Higher Education, acronym in Spanish), which is the result of a project involving a network of 11 European and Latin American universities. The methodology of the project is based on participatory action research. The ACES model is defined by 10 characteristics, detailed in this article, which can orientate a diagnosis of the level of curriculum greening and the design and application of the strategies and actions in order to facilitate incorporating the sustainability dimension in higher education. The potentialities and limitations found are also discussed. The ACES model has started a process for reorienting higher education studies towards sustainability.
We planned this conference in anticipation of the end of the UN Decade of Education for Sustainable Development (DESD), and the start of the next phase for those involved in ESD here and internationally. At Plymouth University, 2015 marks ten year anniversary since cross-institutional work on sustainability and sustainability education was spearheaded by the founding of the Centre for Sustainable Futures (CSF). Coincidentally, 2015 also marks a ten years since the influential HEFCE policy document ‘Sustainable Development in Higher Education’ was released. Holding the conference in January – named after the Roman god of doorways, of endings and beginnings – we sought to look at some of what has been achieved in sustainability education to date and explore its prospects as we move forward. Following an enthusiastic response to the call for abstracts, the conference featured a diverse range of research papers, posters, and roundtable presentations from academics and practitioners across the UK and beyond. The conference was arranged around three overarching themes: ESD Pedagogy: Criticality, Creativity, and Collaboration What are the teaching and learning processes that enable students to develop their own capacity to think critically and creatively in the face of global sustainability challenges and, secondly, to act collaboratively in ways that pursue more hopeful and sustainable futures? Innovative Learning Spaces for ESD What are the physical environments that provide opportunities for new forms of sustainability education to flourish? What lies beyond the lecture hall that is conducive to student learning through inquiry-based, active, participatory, interdisciplinary and experiential methods? Towards the Sustainable University What are effective approaches for leading institutional change, organisational learning, and staff CPD towards sustainability? This publication focuses on the last theme – Towards the Sustainable University. The previous PedRIO Occasional Paper 8 looks at the first theme ESD Pedagogy: Criticality, Creativity, and Collaboration.
A systemic approach to incorporate sustainability into university courses and curricula
Journal of Cleaner Production, 2006
This article is based on an analysis of Lund University that took place during the summer and autumn of 2004 (available for download at www.iiiee.lu.se, click library and publications). The university had experienced a loss of momentum in their progress regarding environmental issues. The purpose of the study was to identify barriers to including sustainability-related content throughout Lund University curricula,
Redefining higher education for sustainability. Strategies, barriers and practices.
Education for Sustainable Development (ESD), in the form of higher education (HE), plays a pivotal role both in the achievement of sustainable development goals and in the implementation of Agenda 2030 (UNESCO, 2012, 2014). Academia has always been the cradle of innovation, theoretical debates and practical experimentation. However, its mission is also to discern truth, impart knowledge, skills and values and prepare responsible citizens and competent workers who will contribute to an improving world. Recently, colleges, universities and networks of different kinds (e.g. SDSN, IAU, WEEC, etc.) have developed educational initiatives which represent a wealth of sources of innovation in sustainability. The paper aims to identify methodologies, tools and learning processes in order to highlight the strengths and weaknesses of the ongoing initiatives taken into consideration. The paper highlights evidence, practices and policies by investigating recent literature on the topic (literature review and state of the art) and subjects and methods used in HE sustainability education in face-to-face traditional classroom environment (trends in HE sustainability education) and in an open online environment, namely MOOCs (Massive Online Open Courses). The outcomes of the paper will contribute to the suggestion of future scenarios for the improvement of sustainability in HE and for the educational transformation that is required in order to create a sustainable future.
Book Review: Curricula for sustainability in higher education
Sustainability is a complex subject in which there is no universally agreed upon definition of what it means to be sustainable. Many view sustainability from the lens of sustainable development which was coined in the Brundtland Report as " development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs " (World Commission on Environment and Development, 1987). 2005 to 2014 was established as the United Nations Decade of Education for Sustainable Development with the goal of incorporating sustainable development values, standards, and practices into all facets of education (United Nations Conference on Environment and Development, 1992). As the field of sustainability and sustainability education continues to evolve there is an ongoing need for literature to equip teachers and educators with strategies to implement sustainability curriculum into their courses. The purpose of Curricula for Sustainability in Higher Education was to provide administrators, teachers and students an introduction to the diversity and interdisciplinary nature of sustainability education by presenting research and curriculum advances in the field. Sustainability in higher education is a complex and interdisciplinary phenomenon (Viegas et al., 2016). The editor and authors of this book presented a collection of sustainability curricula for higher education as examples of relevant approaches. The effective utilization of multiple authors and perspectives, various research, and different approaches to address the question of how to incorporate sustainability into the curriculum throughout this book helped to validate the idea that curriculum for sustainability in higher education is an interdisciplinary and diverse subject. With over 30 years of research and teaching experiences in manufacturing, materials and mechanical engineering, management/industrial engineering and higher education for Sustainability/Engineering Education the editor, Davim is a good example of the diversity of knowledge and experience within the field of sustainability. Davim (2017) organized the book thematically, using six themes or parts to explore and highlight the diversity and interdisiplinarity of sustainability in higher education. Each part, or what this review will refer to as chapters, presented diverse examples that illustrated various aspects of curriculum for sustainability in higher education. Chapter 1, Education for Sustainable Development and Its Role in the Promotion of the Sustainable Development Goals (Garcia, da Silva, Simas Carvalho, & de Andrade Guerra) explored education for sustainable development and how it can contribute in the attainment of the sustainable development goals that were conceived at the Rio +20 Summit (United Nations, 2012). The reviewed literature and discussions utilized throughout this chapter did a good job of demonstrating of how education could be utilized as a tool in the achievement of each of the 17 sustainable development goals. According to de Haan (2006), education and sustainable development are interdependent with one another. The authors of this chapter also argued that educational institutions should be utilized as platforms to explore, debate and assess sustainability challenges that deal with societal, environmental and economic disparities. Umoh (2010) also emphasized the importance of education in the process of balancing these sustainability pillars. Chapter 2, Explicit Economics: Addressing Conscious Consumption for Sustainability (Venkatesan) illustrated how our current market and economy allows the consumer to disregard the impact their consumptive habitats are having on the welfare of others. The author affirmed that this approach " promotes the perception that price alone is indicative of the true cost of a good " (p. 30). Brown (2009) compared this market behavior of providing incomplete information on the actual cost of products to a Ponzi scheme where we are meeting current demands in part by overconsuming the earth's natural capital and setting ourselves up for an eventual collapse when these assets are depleted. This chapter was concluded with a motivational argument that the best way to achieve economic sustainability is to empower conscious consumption at the individual level through education and the development of sustainable social norms. Chapter 3, Greening Networks: Mapping Sustainability Beyond Institutional Boundaries (Vellani & Nanjee) effectively highlighted the importance of partnerships and collaboration when attempting to expand sustainability. Three case studies focusing on researchers and non-government organizations, professional associations, and students and staff collaborations were presented within this chapter. The authors of this chapter used these efforts as examples of how silos between disciplines and professions can be seen as barriers to sustainability and should be broken down.
Higher education for sustainability – a change of education genre?
Envigogika, 2014
This paper reflects on the role of universities in social changes, particularly in processes of societal transformation towards sustainable development. It is based on the document Peoples' Sustainability Treaty on Higher Education Towards Sustainable Development, produced for and introduced on the occasion of the Rio+20 Conference in 2012, which presents a vision for an overall transformation of universities related to the society-wide requirement for sustainable education involving every aspect of higher education institutions (curricula and teaching, campus operations, community engagement, cultural change). Within this framework, the authors demonstrate the main changes currently underway in higher education within six spheres that include: value-based preconditions for action, a holistic approach, knowledge management, an emphasis on learning processes and competencies (the importance of which is growing among education objectives), and methods of evaluating quality of learning process and learning outcomes. They recapitulate the impact of these trends within the Czech education environment and opportunities for future development; they show how real world changes in progress are related to the transformation of both scientific paradigms and education theories. They propose describing this development as a change of education genre, primarily with respect to how knowledge is communicated. They show what new processes in education will gradually have to be taken into account, and offer potential future research topics related to these.
IAU, founded in 1950, is the leading global association of higher education institutions and university associations. It has Member Institutions and Organisations from some 130 countries that come together for reflection and action on common concerns. IAU partners with UNESCO and other international, regional and national bodies active in higher education. It is committed to building a Worldwide Higher Education Community. IN FOCUS The Contribution of Higher Education to Sustainable Development ACTIVITIES IAU-ACUP Seminar on Doctoral Education IAU 14 th General Conference Reports on IAU Work on: • Internationalization • Higher Education/Research for Education For All (and MDGs) • Doctoral Programmes • Guidelines for an Institutional Code of Ethics in Higher Education Other IAU News IAU winner of ISIC 2012 award for work on Acces and Succes in HE Vol.
2013
The aim of this paper is to present the findings of the last two GUNi interconnected researches on barriers, solutions and actions identified in Higher Education Institutions when they try to implement changes in their performance for achieving sustainability. In the first research participated sustainability scholars and experts from different parts of the world. The main conclusions of it are summarized in two lists with the main barriers and the possible solutions for embedding sustainability into higher education. The second research was conceived as a continuation of the previous one, but instead of having a global and general focus it was centered in the case of Spain. As an initial exploration,