Sustainable development competencies and student-centered teaching strategies in higher education institutions: the role of professors as gatekeepers

Abstract

Purpose This study aims to investigate the role of professors as gatekeepers for sustainable development competencies (SDC) in disciplinary study programs. It aims to understand which factors are crucial for professors to integrate SDC into their teaching, their basic understanding of SDC, the actual degree of SDC integration and how suitable they perceive student-centered teaching strategies for teaching SDC. Design/methodology/approach The results are based on the qualitative content analysis of interviews with 16 professors after they participated in a didactic training program focused on combining student-centered teaching strategies with SDC. Findings Psychological factors, like the attribution of responsibility, value orientations and cost-benefit considerations, are not the only reasons for integrating SDC into a course, as disciplinary requirements play their role. When teaching SDC, professors focus on systems-thinking, strategic and normative competencies. They consider student-centered teaching strategies especially suitable to teach systems-thinking and interpersonal competencies. Social implications Promoting changes toward teaching SDC may best be done by supporting professors’ intrinsic motivations: by fulfilling the need for growth in teaching skills, activating values and creating an environment in which everybody feels responsible for teaching SDC. Originality/value Teaching SDC with student-centered teaching strategies is relevant even in study programs that show little relation to sustainability issues. professors are experts in their field, but not necessarily in the field of sustainability. Understanding how such professors might include sustainable development competency development in their syllabi can widen the influence of SDC on higher education.

Sustainability in hospitality education: research trends and future directions

“…We found that a majority of prior studies adopted quantitative approaches without reference to theoretical frameworks. Thus, we recommend that future work should incorporate a more robust research design, for example, a system thinking approach (Gombert-Courvoisier et al, 2014;R€ ogele et al, 2022). Additionally, academics in the SHE domain should consider tools such as action research (List, 2006), mixed methods (Kerkhoff, 2017) as well as complexity sciences (Mitleton-Kelly, 2003;Phelps and Hase, 2002).…”

“…Thus, we recommend that future work should incorporate a more robust research design, for example, a system thinking approach (Gombert-Courvoisier et al. , 2014; Rögele et al. , 2022).…”

Educating the educators to be a driving force in higher education towards sustainable development

“…Since the educators in HE might function as gatekeepers for the student’s development of SL, support in developing good teaching practices that can improve the student learning environment is important. Rögele et al (2022) points out educators’ challenge in combining knowledge transmission with competence building in their teaching. This challenge, as well as the organizational context, must be addressed when educating the educators.…”

Improving sustainability teaching by grouping and interrelating pedagogical approaches and sustainability competences: Evidence from 15 Worldwide Higher Education Institutions

“…In this context, there has been increasing research during the last 15 years on pedagogical approaches (see Cotton & Winter, 2010;Desha & Hargroves, 2014;Segalàs et al, 2010), sustainability competences (e.g., Bianchi, 2020;Brundiers et al, 2021;Lozano et al, 2019), and how to connect them in an effective way (see Lozano et al, 2017Lozano et al, , 2019Sipos et al, 2008). Educators play a key role in this process, since they are the ones who can facilitate the development of sustainability competences in their students (Ceulemans & De Prins, 2010;Desha et al, 2019;Kalsoom & Khanam, 2017;Rögele et al, 2022).…”

“…In this process, one of the main priorities of HEIs has been incorporating sustainability into their curricula (Holm et al, 2015; Rögele et al, 2022; Seatter & Ceulemans, 2017), which is instrumental in educating students with the skills and capabilities to make societies more sustainable (Lozano, 2006; Stough et al, 2018).…”