Developing Whole-Systems Competency in Higher Education To Meet Emerging Market Demand and Societal Sustainability

Fisher, P. Brian

doi:10.1089/sus.2014.9816

Cited by 3 publications

References 5 publications

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Weaving Equity and Sustainability into the Fabric of Higher Education: The University of Utah Experience

et al. 2019

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Sustainability is an idea that is celebrated, loathed, or deemed entirely useless given its many meanings and approaches. While scholars broadly agree it must include merging ecology, economy, and equity, there remain serious challenges, such as how each dimension is weighted, integrated, and presented. Definitional issues and disciplinary foundations are another chronic problem even as the number of sustainability programs in higher education continues to grow. At the same time, colleges and universities across the country are reaffirming their commitment to equity education, recognizing the critical importance of graduates' abilities to speak across differences and bridge ethnic divides. This article offers consideration of how a systems thinking assessment tool, designed to match those created by the American Association of Colleges and Universities, might support general education requirements while advancing both sustainability and equity. In this article, we share a rubric and strategy designed to clarify definitional issues and make the inseparability of equity and sustainability explicit at institutions of higher education.

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Weaving Equity and Sustainability into the Fabric of Higher Education: The University of Utah Experience

et al. 2019

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Gaps in sustainability education

Fisher

McAdams

2015

International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education

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Purpose -This paper aims to examine how both the amount and type of coursework impact students' conceptualizations of sustainability. Previous research demonstrates that academic coursework influences students' environmental attitudes, yet few studies have examined the impact of coursework on how students conceptualize "sustainability". Design/methodology/approach -Data are examined from the 2011 Sustainability Survey, which yielded a sample of 552 students at a medium-sized university in the southeastern USA. A series of four linear regression models estimate the impact of academic coursework on students' conceptualizations of sustainability (ecosystems/nature, eco-efficiency, community/well-being and systemic change/innovation). Findings -The results indicate that the type of course that students take significantly impacts the way in which students conceptualize this term; the number of courses taken has no statistically significant impact. This suggests that mere exposure to a particular theme in a class, rather than continued exposure to courses related to sustainability, is more important in shaping students' perceptions. Originality/value -This study expands on previous research by examining the influence of the number and type of academic coursework on students' conceptions of sustainability and provides a framework for understanding the varied ways in which sustainability is defined. This has important implications for how students approach ways to achieve a sustainable future. The results suggest that students may be exposed to particular messages within an academic division that encourage students to emphasize particular elements of sustainability. While not problematic on its face, the data demonstrate that students lack an integrated or holistic understanding of sustainability. They usually view sustainability through the same prism as the academic division where their coursework was located, and this has implications for students' continued perceptions of sustainability, academic programming of sustainability and the practice of it.

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A Center-Based Model for Self-Directed Learning in Sustainability

Manning

Jones

Buehlman

et al. 2022

Self-Directed Learning and the Academic Evolution From Pedagogy to Andragogy

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An innovative platform for self-directed learning around sustainability issues in higher education is achievable via a center-based framework that uses a living lab model. This chapter identifies classroom and institutional barriers and challenges to sustainability-focused self-directed learning using interview data from undergraduate students who have contributed to real change on campus and in the community. The authors posit an alternative framework for sustainability-focused self-directed learning housed in an interdisciplinary center by providing insight on the necessary structures, resources, and processes. This chapter concludes with a discussion of how self-directed learning (1) supports emerging adults' developmental processes in navigating the borderland of adolescence to adulthood and (2) contributes to potential solutions to wicked problems.

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Developing Whole-Systems Competency in Higher Education To Meet Emerging Market Demand and Societal Sustainability

Cited by 3 publications

References 5 publications

Weaving Equity and Sustainability into the Fabric of Higher Education: The University of Utah Experience

Weaving Equity and Sustainability into the Fabric of Higher Education: The University of Utah Experience

Gaps in sustainability education

A Center-Based Model for Self-Directed Learning in Sustainability

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