Education for sustainable development with transdisciplinary-oriented courses - experiences and recommendations for future collaborations in higher education teaching

Hilger, Annaliesa; Keil, Andreas

doi:10.1080/03098265.2021.1946765

Cited by 8 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 36 publications

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“…Td and tf research processes are often new for non-scientific actors and are characterised as "research borderland" (Felt et al 2013, p. 522) for scientific actors. This creates diverse expectations and uncertainties, as well as competing demands (Hilger and Keil 2021). In such situations, clarity about roles can provide the actors in the field with a "vocabulary" (Wittmayer and Schäpke 2014, p. 493) which could reduce uncertainty, enhance the process of role-taking, and enable confident role-making.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Beyond practitioner and researcher: 15 roles adopted by actors in transdisciplinary and transformative research processes

2021

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To tackle complex sustainability problems, science and practice must join forces and interact in the processes of knowledge co-production. This central claim of sustainability science requires all actors to do more than simply participate in a workshop or carry out traditional research. It is essential to provide clarity to actors about the roles to adopt in these processes, especially in terms of planning collaborations—with whom, when, and how. Therefore, in this paper we identify, describe, and discuss 15 roles for actors involved in such processes. We undertook a systematic literature review to identify papers with precise descriptions of transdisciplinary (td) and transformative (tf) research processes. We focused on the common occurrence of activities undertaken by actors by applying 72 activity codes a total of 549 times. Subclusters of activities were identified by means of a hierarchical cluster analysis and these were condensed into 15 roles. The roles can be categorised in four activity realms: field, academia, boundary management, and knowledge co-production. The roles of the Data Supplier, the Field Expert, and the Application Expert are adopted by actors who originate from the field, whereas the roles of the Scientific Analyst and the Knowledge Collector are primarily adopted by researchers. Furthermore, we identified 10 roles within the activity realms of the knowledge co-production process and boundary management. The high number and diversity of roles, especially in the realm of boundary management, reveals the importance of a comprehensive approach to coordination, communication, and process design.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Beyond practitioner and researcher: 15 roles adopted by actors in transdisciplinary and transformative research processes

2021

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“…Transdisciplinarity is an approach to problemsolving and decision-making that recognizes the interconnected and complex nature of sustainability challenges and the need for integrated solutions [20]. Thus, transdisciplinary approaches involve collaboration and the integration of knowledge and expertise from multiple courses, including natural and social sciences, engineering, arts, and humanities, and local communities [21].…”

Section: Training Managers For Sustainable Developmentmentioning

confidence: 99%

Training Future Managers to Address the Challenges of Sustainable Development: An Innovative, Interdisciplinary, and Multiregional Experience on Corporate Sustainability Education

Anholon,

Sigahi,

Cazeri

et al. 2024

World

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This paper presents an innovative experience involving students and professors from diverse backgrounds and regions that was designed to integrate corporate sustainability (CS) knowledge into undergraduate programs. An action research approach was adopted, with the course running over one semester. The course involved 146 students with diverse academic backgrounds from universities across Brazil along with eight professors from Brazil, Chile, and South Africa. The proposed approach provides actionable insights into the integration of sustainability concepts in the higher educational setting, thereby contributing to the development of a more environmentally and socially conscious generation of professionals. The learning outcomes are discussed in the light of the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) Agenda, particularly SDG 7 (affordable and clean energy), SDG 9 (industry, innovation, and infrastructure), and SDG 13 (climate action). In addition, it is important to highlight that the dissemination of the course’s key features can be useful for universities, professors, and researchers engaged in training future professionals capable of addressing real-world problems of innovation and sustainability. By employing an action research methodology and fostering collaboration among students and professors with diverse academic backgrounds and from different countries, including Brazil, Chile, and South Africa, this paper presents a multiregional and interdisciplinary perspective that sets it apart from conventional practices. The emphasis on providing actionable insights and its potential applicability for universities, professors, and researchers involved in training future professionals further underscore its distinctive contribution to education for sustainable development.

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“…Specific national spaces of deliberation have the potential to influence the adoption of improved pedagogical strategies. The Conference for the Rectors of Universities in Spain (CRUE, in Spanish) (Cebrián et al, 2021) and the Deutsche UNESCO-Kommission e.V in Germany (Hilger and Keil, 2022) serve as cases in point.…”

Section: Qualitative Content Analysismentioning

confidence: 99%

Service-Learning as a niche innovation in higher education for sustainability

Álvarez-Vanegas,

Ramani,

Volante

2024

Front. Educ.

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Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) is a framework proposed by UNESCO to develop knowledge, skills, values, and behaviors in youth for sustainable development. As part of the global development agenda, higher educational institutions are expected to integrate ESD into their curricula. Service-Learning is a type of experiential learning in which students combine academic coursework with community service which is aligned with the learning objectives of their academic program. In light of the global trend, our paper investigates how universities are responding to this call through the introduction of Service-Learning programs. First, a comprehensive review of UN documents presents the background and structure of ESD. Second, a systematic review of the academic literature analyses how Service-Learning is being introduced in higher educational institutes. Key findings are that Service-Learning programs align with most of the UNESCO framework components, but higher education institutions are finding it challenging to implement them. Educators play a pivotal role in implementation, and unless they are trained and incentivized and this is systematized, not only Service-Learning but also ESD may fail to transform learning environments. Furthermore, there is a need for impact evaluation, particularly in terms of key sustainability competences. The three major challenges are insufficient educator capacity, funding, and educator attitudes. These challenges can be addressed through university-based projects addressing local problems that have a visible impact, as well as collaboration with local communities, other institutions and, social enterprises.

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Education for sustainable development with transdisciplinary-oriented courses - experiences and recommendations for future collaborations in higher education teaching

Cited by 8 publications

References 36 publications

Beyond practitioner and researcher: 15 roles adopted by actors in transdisciplinary and transformative research processes

Beyond practitioner and researcher: 15 roles adopted by actors in transdisciplinary and transformative research processes

Training Future Managers to Address the Challenges of Sustainable Development: An Innovative, Interdisciplinary, and Multiregional Experience on Corporate Sustainability Education

Service-Learning as a niche innovation in higher education for sustainability

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