Seeking learning outcomes appropriate for ‘education for sustainable development’ and for higher education

Abstract

This article shares and extends research-based developments at the University of Otago, New Zealand, that seek to explore how students' worldviews change as they experience higher education with us. We emphasise that sustainability attributes may be described in terms of knowledge, skills and competencies but that these are underpinned by affective attributes such as values, attitudes and dispositions; so that 'education for sustainable development' is substantially a quest for affective change. We describe approaches to categorise affective outcomes and conclude that 'education for sustainable development' objectives comprise higher order affective outcomes (leading to behavioural change) that are challenging for higher education to address. Our own work emphasises the need for student anonymity as these higher order outcomes are assessed, evaluated, monitored, researched or otherwise measured using research instruments that focus on worldview. A longitudinal mixed-effects repeat-measures statistical model is described that enables higher education institutions to answer the question of whether or not 'education for sustainable development' objectives are being achieved. Discussion links affect to critical reasoning and addresses the possibility of documenting and assessing the development of lower and mid-order affective outcomes. We conclude that 'education for sustainable development' objectives need to be clearly articulated if higher education is to be able to assess, or evaluate, their achievement.

Designing Learning for Sustainable Development: Digital Practices as Boundary Crossers and Predictors of Sustainable Lifestyles

“…Instructional design in higher education is relying on outcome-based curriculum with taxonomies of learning outcomes; however, critics claim that they need to be considered with a coercion to the knowledge they are applicable for [35]. In the past, the outcome-oriented curriculum in higher education has not adequately addressed the affective domain of learning; currently, authors are considering approaches for SDE that integrate affective learning outcomes [17,21]. Carew and Mitchell [36] are introducing SDE, the Structure of the Observed Learning Outcome (referred to as the SOLO taxonomy of learning outcomes) [37], which could provide a framework for the transition from the uni-structural and multi-structural (unrelated aspects) to the relational (understanding relations) and extended abstract (applying knowledge integrating multi-structural and relational).…”

“…Awareness is defined as "concern about and well-informed interest in a particular situation or development" [28]. Fishbein [29] noted that people do not usually need to make decisions, but rather consider how they intend to behave [17]. He examined behavioral intention as a predictor of actual behavior, and found that several contextual and personal factors affect whether the behavior is aligned with attitudes and behavioral intention [26].…”

Integrating Sustainability into Higher Education Curricula through the Project Method, a Global Learning Strategy

“…According to García, Junyent, and Fonolleda [52] assessing professional competencies in education for sustainability is complex and although there are recent studies that offer tools in this regard [43,53], there is still a lack of research that allows assessing the existence of changes or improvements in the professional knowledge of university students [54,55].…”

Pentáculo Ambiental: Instrumento Para Verificação Das Atitudes Ambientais

“…Os atributos da sustentabilidade podem ser descritos em termos de conhecimentos, aptidões e competências que estão sustentados por propriedades afetivas, como valores e atitudes (SHEPHARD et al, 2015). Além disso, a educação na família é um importante passo para a defesa da EA (SABO, 2011).…”