Institutionalizing interdisciplinary sustainability curriculum at a large, research-intensive university: challenges and opportunities

Ward, Mercedes; Bowen, Brenda B.; Burian, Steven J.; Cachelin, Adrienne; McCool, Daniel

doi:10.1007/s13412-015-0315-z

Cited by 6 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 9 publications

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“…In comparison, the theme of awareness is relatively positive, with many comments centering on successes occurring on campus, and suggested (or noticed) solutions for some of the barriers mentioned by participants during the discussion taking place at the table. These results mirror some of the efforts made by the University of Utah to enhance their interdisciplinary sustainability curriculum by creating new faculty and staff positions, and build learning communities and seminars, while developing special degrees and certificates with a focus on administrative support and coherence (Ward et al, 2016).…”

Section: Opportunities and Resourcessupporting

confidence: 52%

“…Since the United Nations' seventeen Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) came into effect in 2016, numerous universities, colleges, and other organizations involved in higher education have been compelled to participate in tasks and targets to adopt and inspire humane and adaptive strategies, attitudes, and behaviours spanning local and global scales. As a result, higher education institutions are developing effective tactics to teach students about sustainability in interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary ways with both top-down and bottom-up approaches (e.g., Ward et al, 2016); Wood et al, 2016. Over a decade ago, Cotton et al (2007) described a need to further investigate the roles, perceptions, and experiences of academics who teach and research topics to do with sustainability in order to put into practice effective approaches to teaching these topics across curricula. Today, a broader body of literature concerning how higher-education institutions have integrated sustainability into teaching practices exists.…”

Section: Island Universitymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Today, a broader body of literature concerning how higher-education institutions have integrated sustainability into teaching practices exists. Many universities have generated sustainability programs and are beginning to publish evaluations of their success (e.g., Filho, 2018;Ward et al, 2016). One example is Dmochowski et al's (2016) Gaard, Blades, and Wright's (2017) outline of strategies to assess sustainability curricula already in place at an institution, and Savelyeva and McKenna's (2011) interviews of twenty faculty members' from a variety of countries (along with their observations of classes and assessment of course documents that had already been altered to address sustainability).…”

Section: Island Universitymentioning

confidence: 99%

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Teaching sustainability across curricula: understanding faculty perspectives at Vancouver Island University

McCunn

Bjornson

Alexander

2019

The Curriculum Journal

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Sustainability initiatives in higher education are growing in importance. This case study may guide faculty at other institutions who seek to gain deeper insight into the state of sustainability education where they work. Members of the Vancouver Island University Sustainability Advisory Committee hosted a workshop for faculty, students, and staff to explore how sustainability is incorporated into teaching and learning at the institution, to share perspectives, and examine ways to enhance individual and collective pedagogical practices. A World Café activity posed four questions for participants to answer as they rotated between tables. The resulting qualitative data was content analyzed and interpreted. Key themes and categories from data concerning participants' successes and inspirations while teaching and learning at VIU, challenges and barriers in blending sustainability into coursework, faculty's perceptions of student perspectives of sustainability in VIU courses, and about resources and opportunities to integrate sustainability in interdisciplinary courses are reported and discussed. This case study differs from research in that it does not describe an evaluation of a program but, rather, explicates a process that faculty working at a new university can use to elicit information from their peers and develop networks to engage their university in interdisciplinary sustainability for years to come.

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Section: Opportunities and Resourcessupporting

confidence: 52%

Section: Island Universitymentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Island Universitymentioning

confidence: 99%

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Teaching sustainability across curricula: understanding faculty perspectives at Vancouver Island University

McCunn

Bjornson

Alexander

2019

The Curriculum Journal

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“…The model of SE used in this study consists of: 1) development of Higher Order Cognitive Skills (HOCS) by means of problem solving and critical thinking (Zoller, 2015); 2) integrated, interdisciplinary classes combining topics of science, technology, environment, society, policy, sustainability, etc. (Coops et al, 2015;Ward et al, 2016); 3) experiential and applied learning opportunities including the use of learning communities, community based research, mentoring, and dissemination (McPherson et al, 2016;Wilson & Pretorius, 2017); and 4) a strong interwoven focus on the environment and social justice (Drolet et al, 2015;Wiek et al, 2014).…”

Section: Sustainability Education (Se)mentioning

confidence: 99%

Integrating a sustainability education model into STEM courses at a tribal college

Caughman

2022

tpre

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Indigenous scholars have been historically excluded from Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) and are currently underrepresented in STEM degree programs and jobs. Having a population with STEM skills is crucial for rural sovereign Native American communities to manage their natural resources, infrastructures, and technologies. Thus, STEM education must be transformed to welcome and support the achievement of Indigenous scholars. This research explores the impacts of implementing a Sustainability Education (SE) pedagogy in science courses at a tribal college that serves rural and semirural Native American students. Using pre- and post- surveys as well as phenomenographic interviews this work aims to understand student attitudes towards the combined science and sustainability curriculum. Results indicate that students are receptive to this curriculum and that they have a positive experience in sustainability focused science courses. Additionally, the SE science courses positively impacted students’ science identities, which has been shown to contribute to persistence in science. Tribal Colleges and Universities and other institutions of higher learning can use this work to better understand what leads to Indigenous student success in STEM and update pedagogies accordingly.

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“…Through their role in human formation, knowledge production, and innovation, universities play an essential role in achieving SDGs. Universities have endeavored to include interdisciplinary and sustainability principles in their curricula [2] and have created tools for measuring key sustainability competencies [3]. At its 40th Session in Paris 2019, the Executive Board of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) proposed a new framework of Education for Sustainable Development for 2030, which aims to build a just and sustainable world using a threefold approach: (a) individual transformation, (b) societal transformation, and (c) technological advancement [1].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Analysis of Competency Assessment of Educational Innovation in Upper Secondary School and Higher Education: A Mapping Review

et al. 2022

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Despite the plethora of studies reported during the last decade in relation to educational innovation in teaching and assessment of competencies, a consensus is seemingly lacking on a definition that establishes the scope and boundaries competency assessment. This research gap motivated a systematic review of the literature published on the topics of “educational innovation in teaching” and “assessment of competencies” in upper secondary and higher education during the period from January 2016 to March 2021. The main objective of the study was to define and evaluate educational innovation in teaching and assessment of competencies in upper secondary and higher education following PRISMA guidelines for a systematic literature review (SLR) on a curated corpus of 320 articles. We intended to answer the following questions: (1) What do “educational innovation in teaching” and “assessment of competencies” represent for upper secondary and higher education? (2) How are they evaluated? Lastly, (3) are efforts exerted toward the standardization of transversal competencies? The SLR seeks answers to these questions by examining nine research sub-queries. The result indicated that the greatest effort toward educational innovation in competencies was made at the higher education level and targeted students. Competencies were revised through associations with the Sustainable Development Goals of the 2030 Agenda. In addition, the methodologies used for teaching and evaluation of competencies were reviewed. Finally, the study discussed which technologies were used to develop the proficiencies of students.

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Institutionalizing interdisciplinary sustainability curriculum at a large, research-intensive university: challenges and opportunities

Cited by 6 publications

References 9 publications

Teaching sustainability across curricula: understanding faculty perspectives at Vancouver Island University

Teaching sustainability across curricula: understanding faculty perspectives at Vancouver Island University

Integrating a sustainability education model into STEM courses at a tribal college

Analysis of Competency Assessment of Educational Innovation in Upper Secondary School and Higher Education: A Mapping Review

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