Implementing a holistic process for embedding sustainability: a case study in first year engineering, Monash University, Australia

Abstract

a b s t r a c tWhile there is clear recognition of the need to incorporate sustainable development into university curricula, there is limited research that examines how to achieve that integration or evaluates its impacts on student learning. This paper responds to these knowledge gaps through a case study of curriculum renewal that involved embedding sustainability into a first year engineering curriculum. The initiative was guided by a deliberative and dynamic model for curriculum renewal that brought together internal and external stakeholders through a structured sequence of facilitated workshops and meetings. That process identified sustainability-related knowledge and skills relevant for first year engineering, and faculty members teaching in the first year program were guided through a process of curriculum renewal to meet those needs. The process through which the whole of curriculum renewal was undertaken is innovative and provides a case study of precedent in the field of education for sustainability. The study demonstrates the contribution that can be made by a web-based sustainability portal in supporting curriculum renewal. Learning and teaching outcomes were evaluated through 'before and after surveys' of the first year engineering students. Statistically significant increases in student's self-reported knowledge of sustainability were measured as a result of exposure to the renewed first year curriculum and this confirmed the value of the initiative in terms of enhancing student learning. While applied in this case to engineering, the process to achieve integration of sustainability into the curriculum approach is likely to have value for other academic disciplines. Considering student performance on assignments and exam questions relating to sustainability would provide a stronger basis for future research to understand the impact of initiatives like this on student learning.

Identifying and overcoming obstacles to the implementation of sustainable development at universities

“…Cantalapiedra et al 2006;Ferrer-Balas et al 2009;Lozano and Lozano 2014;Verhulst and Lambrechts 2015;Wu and Shen 2016), curricula (e.g. Watson et al 2013;Aktas et al 2015;Alonso-Almeida et al 2015;Azeiteiro et al 2015;von Blottnitz et al 2015;Dlouhá and Burandt 2015;Lozano et al 2015b;Rose et al 2015;Verhulst and Lambrechts 2015), and research (e.g. Cantalapiedra et al 2006;Ferrer-Balas et al 2009;Lozano and Lozano 2014).…”

Promoting sustainable human development in engineering: Assessment of online courses within continuing professional development strategies

“…The former approach calls for including a specific course to the curriculum, namely the option ii, while the latter comprises different range of integration, specifically options i, iii and iv. Vertical integration might not provide students with adequate opportunities to incorporate SD into their professional practice (Lourdel et al, 2005;Rose et al, 2015); instead, intertwining SD as a concept within regular courses has been described as the most favourable approach for integrating SD (Lozano and Lozano, 2014). These different approaches can be combined depending on the university strategy.…”

“…The integration of SD into engineering curricula has been conducted according to different approaches, primarily through the implementation of SD individual courses (Boks and Diehl, 2006;Davidson et al, 2010;Kamp, 2006), as well as through whole curriculum reform (Fenner et al, 2005;Lozano and Lozano, 2014;Rose et al, 2015;von Blottnitz et al, 2015). The educational strategy of curriculum reform has been focused either by integrating changes in content (Lozano and Lozano, 2014;Watson et al, 2013), emphasising a new framing of learning outcomes (Biswas, 2012) or focusing on the articulation of competencies (Wiek et al, 2011).…”

“…In the same vein, international institutions recognise the impact that engineering has on societies, ethics and ones' individual value-base (UNESCO, 2010). Consequently, abundant literature reflects the increasing need for improving the connections between engineering and SD (Lozano and Lozano, 2014;Mulder et al, 2012;Rose et al, 2015).…”

Participatory Development of Key Sustainability Concepts for Dialogue and Curricula at The Ohio State University

“…However, in the last decade, the number of universities that have incorporated sustainability into their curricula has risen [2,6,7]. Specific case studies describing the challenges, successes, and recommendations of universities undertaking such curricular change have been widely documented [1,2,[6][7][8][9][10][11][12]. Reviews of the literature have provided additional insight into university experiences with SD in the curricula [13,14], including Lozano and colleagues' recent worldwide survey of university sustainability programs [15].…”