Students’ Innovation in Education for Sustainable Development—A Longitudinal Study on Interdisciplinary vs. Monodisciplinary Learning

Abstract

Innovative ideas are essential to sustainable development. Students’ innovative potential in higher education for sustainable development (HESD) has so far been neglected. Innovation is often associated with an interdisciplinary approach. However, the results of research on diversity and its role in innovation are inconsistent. The present study takes a longitudinal approach to investigating student teams in project-based learning courses in HESD in Germany. This study examines how innovation develops in interdisciplinary student teams in contrast to monodisciplinary student teams. The results of the latent change approach from a sample of 69 student teams indicate significant changes in students’ innovation over time. Monodisciplinary student teams outperform interdisciplinary student teams in idea promotion (convincing potential allies) at the beginning, whereas interdisciplinary student teams outperform monodisciplinary student teams in idea generation (production of novel and useful ideas) in the midterm. There is no difference in the long term. The results indicate that interdisciplinary student teams have an advantage in the generation of novel ideas but need time to leverage their access to different discipline-based knowledge. We discuss practical implications for the design of interdisciplinary learning with strategies to support students in the formation phase in project-based learning in HESD.

Fostering Sustainability Knowledge, Attitudes, and Behaviours through a Tutor-Supported Interdisciplinary Course in Education for Sustainable Development

“…All tutorials started off with the application of interdisciplinary teaching methods to enhance disciplinary insights, more precisely, getting to know each other across disciplines. Since students experience difficulties in the formation phase of interdisciplinary teamwork in project-based learning [99], this approach aims at providing a common ground across disciplines. Furthermore, the interdisciplinary teamwork was guided by following steps: (1) formulation of an interdisciplinary project, (2) clarification of terms and concepts throughout the disciplines, (3) brainstorming about monodisciplinary theories, models, and methods related to the problem, (4) classification and structuring of brainstorming by identifying possible connections and discrepancies throughout the disciplines, (5) formulation of interdisciplinary goals, ( 6) self-study by reading papers across disciplines, (7) identification of interdisciplinary strategies and solutions, and (8) application of solution.…”

Knowledge Management in Relation to Innovation and Its Effect on the Sustainability of Mexican Tourism Companies

“…Furthermore, they are innovative and that will allow a growth of the company. The theoretical argument is practically reiterated that sustainability is of relevance and is related to innovation [59,63,64,[66][67][68], i.e., that these innovations in the company are aimed at making its activities and development sustainable.…”

“…Similarly, collaboration among supply chain organizations facilitates innovative practices that generate economic, social, and environmental benefits [65]. However, it is not only sufficient to innovate, but to do so with a focus on sustainable development [66], as green innovation practices [67] and innovative ideas [68] promote it. An attempt was made to assess an inverse relationship where sustainability commitment has a direct effect on the innovative business model, which was not possible to prove [69].…”

Examining the effect of functional diversity on organizational team innovation

“…With the numerous benefits of functional diversity in promoting innovation as highlighted above, several studies have been conducted to examine the relationship between functional diversity and innovation in several contexts. Some of these studies were conducted in the context of information and communication technology and software organisation (Batanero and Rotriguez-Martin, 2017), pharmaceutical organisations (Brunetta et al, 2020), educational institutions (Brabler and Schultze, 2021), engineering and mechanical organisations (Steuer-Dankert and Leicht-Scholten, 2019). However, studies examining functional diversity and innovation in the context of agricultural-based research teams in Ghana are shelved.…”