Pathways towards sustainability through higher education

Abstract

Purpose-The aim of this paper is to contribute to aligning higher education towards meeting the challenge of global sustainability. Design/methodology/approach-The barriers to sustainability are juxtaposed against the resources, responsibilities and potential of higher education. Ideas from several models and from within several disciplines are integrated to construct a framework through the challenges can be examined and then translated into learning outcomes, expressed as graduate attributes. Findings-The focus of education for global sustainability has been on encouraging consumers to modify patterns of resource consumption and waste management. However, there are some significant limitations to relying on consumer action. Future professionals, involved in managing resources or designing options from which consumers make choices, are in a much better position for influencing how social, cultural and environmental resources are used. To actualise this potential requires that higher education curricula offer experiences which develop graduate attributes of self-efficacy, capacity for effective advocacy and interdisciplinary collaboration, as well as raise awareness of social and moral responsibilities associated with professional practice. Research limitations/implications-For higher education to contribute towards achieving sustainability requires support of the whole institution, and considerable professional development of staff to help them appreciate how they can lead the next generation to global sustainability. The next stage of the research into the role of higher education in building a sustainable society should focus on how these objectives can be achieved. Originality/value-Considerable research has been dedicated to describing the urgent and intractable nature of the problems facing the global community and, to some extent, the need for higher education to engage with these problems. This paper takes the next step by presenting some guidelines for designing curricula to develop graduate attributes required for this work.

Teaching Interdisciplinary Sustainability Science Teamwork Skills to Graduate Students Using In-Person and Web-Based Interactions

“…Just as theoreticians and decision makers have called for increased interdisciplinary approaches to answering sustainability questions, experts in learning and educational science have started to assess the degree to which university classes are effectively teaching this material [4,6,[12][13][14]. These authors agree on the importance and interdisciplinary nature of strong sustainability science.…”

“…These authors agree on the importance and interdisciplinary nature of strong sustainability science. One argues that exercises aimed at developing self-efficacy in solving sustainability problems must combine with lessons in "interdisciplinary collaboration" within this context; they also call for assessing the degree to which these skills are taught in higher education [14]. Another reports that the ability to gain skills in interdisciplinary scientific teamwork varies across individuals, and they argue for including substantial dialogue about the challenges of this endeavor in classes aimed at building these skills [13].…”

Learning for a Sustainable Economy: Teaching of Green Competencies in the University

“…Indeed UNESCO, in the resolution adopted on the report of Commission III at the 20th plenary meeting in 2003 [14] (p. 35), indicates an appropriate path to take by pointing to the "Earth Charter" as a fundamental framework of general reference in any training process towards sustainable development; there are a great deal of "good practice" cases to date that have followed its guidelines [15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22]. However, an international consensus on what the general key competencies in sustainability should precisely be does not yet seem to have been reached, as is reflected in the ample existing literature ( [23][24][25][26][27][28][29][30][31][32][33][34][35][36]; among others).…”

Teaching Sustainability through Traditional Wisdom:A Conceptual Framework for Business Studies

“…Hence, it is critical to develop 'sustainability literate' workforce, who 'understand the need for change to a sustainable way of doing things; have sufficient knowledge and skills to decide and act in a way that favours sustainable development; [and are] able to recognize and reward other people's decisions and actions that favour sustainable development' 23 . There are several frameworks and models developed to integrate and promote sustainability through higher education with the key objective of creating and nurturing a sustainability literate workforce 32,40,41 . …”