Variation in sustainability competency development according to age, gender, and disciplinary affiliation

2015 ◽  
Vol 16 (4) ◽  
pp. 537-575 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sonya Remington-Doucette ◽  
Sheryl Musgrove
Keyword(s):  
Student Attitudes ◽  
Teaching Practices ◽  
Teaching Practice ◽  
Sustainability Education ◽  
Academic Programs ◽  
Degree Programs ◽  
Pedagogical Practice ◽  
Program Structure ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Disciplinary Affiliation

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to present the results of a classroom assessment aimed at determining the extent to which five key sustainability competencies develop in students during an introductory transdisciplinary sustainability course. University sustainability programs intend to provide integrated education that fosters the key competencies students need to solve real-world sustainability problems. Translating sustainability competencies into effective pedagogical practice in integrated academic programs is not straightforward. This work builds on a previous study by both expanding the competencies evaluated and considering additional demographic characteristics. Design/methodology/approach – The paper summarizes previously identified key sustainability competencies and describes teaching methodologies used to foster these competencies in students. Development of competencies in students during a semester-long course is assessed using a pre-/post-test based on two case studies. The implications of the findings for teaching practice and overall program structure are discussed. Findings – Based on the assessment methods used here, four of the five sustainability competencies evaluated in this study developed differently in students according to gender, disciplinary affiliation and age. Females improved interpersonal competence more than males. Systems thinking competence improved for students associated with the three disciplinary affiliations considered in this study: sustainability major, sustainability minor and business major. Anticipatory competence improved for sustainability and business majors only, but not for students minoring in sustainability and majoring in other disciplines. Finally, normative competence improved for younger students only. Research limitations/implications – Insights for teaching practice and overall program structure are based on assessment of one introductory transdisciplinary sustainability course. Much additional work is needed to draw strong conclusions about general teaching practices and program structure for sustainability education. This study provides a flexible and field-tested rubric for further evaluative work in other sustainability courses or degree programs. Practical implications – Universities incorporate sustainability into their undergraduate curricula in many ways, ranging from certificates to entire degree programs focused on sustainability. The results of this study suggest that educators pay attention to gender diversity, classroom teaching practices, disciplinary perspectives and student attitudes and developmental stages as they figure out how to make sustainability part of undergraduate education. This information may help create more effective sustainability courses and academic programs, which may maintain the viability of current sustainability programs and promote the institutionalization of sustainability in higher education. Originality/value – This research contributes to undergraduate sustainability education by providing insight into how sustainability education might thoughtfully be integrated into academic programs. It also offers an assessment approach for use by other sustainability educators to evaluate effectiveness of teaching practice and overall program structure based on five key sustainability competencies commonly cited in the literature.

Assessing sustainability teaching and learning in geography education

2016 ◽  
Vol 17 (5) ◽  
pp. 698-718 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeffrey M. Widener ◽  
Travis Gliedt ◽  
Ashlee Tziganuk
Keyword(s):  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Research University ◽  
Assessment Tool ◽  
Sustainability Education ◽  
Initial Study ◽  
Geography Education ◽  
Degree Programs ◽  
Education Programs ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Sustainability Program

Purpose This study aims to understand if geographers, who teach in a new sustainability program, are conveying new knowledge, understanding, skills and competence about the integrated and holistic concept of “sustainability”, rather than individual human-environmental issues to the students. In other words, are geography professors creating effective sustainability courses in a department with a rich history in geography education? Design/methodology/approach This study utilizes the McKeown–Ice and Dendinger comprehensive assessment tool for sustainability teaching to examine how geographers teach sustainability from an integrated and holistic perspective. Surveys with students are used to evaluate and compare how effective three geography courses were at teaching sustainability. Findings The results suggest that each course was effective in teaching students the main concepts of sustainability. There were, however, differences in teaching practical solutions to achieve sustainability and in the coverage of the causes of sustainability problems. Geographers might consider altering their curriculum or pedagogy to build stronger interdisciplinary linkages to teach the integrated concepts of sustainability rather than its individual parts. Research limitations/implications This initial study focuses on one research university in the USA. Its proof of concept will be expanded to evaluate international sustainability education programs nested in existing departments and degree programs. Originality/value Sustainability education programs are being created across the globe and are often attached to existing degree programs exhibiting components of sustainability. How effective are they in teaching this interdisciplinary concept? This study validates a framework for assessing sustainability teaching and learning. It recommends changes to enhance the ability for integrated sustainability education programs to comprehensively teach sustainability.

A significant impact: a grassroots community of practice

2019 ◽  
Vol 12 (5) ◽  
pp. 943-956
Author(s):  
Robin O’Callaghan ◽  
Hunter King ◽  
Carrie Lewis Miller
Keyword(s):  
Teaching Practice ◽  
Potential Method ◽  
Pedagogical Practice ◽  
Instructional Technologies ◽  
Two Year Colleges ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Usa ◽  
Positive Experiences ◽  
Quality Professional Development ◽  
Academic Year

Purpose To determine the effectiveness of the Instructional Technologies and Learning Spaces Special Interest Group (SIG), a study was planned for the 2016–2017 academic year. An anonymous attitudinal survey was designed to help researchers determine the following: if the SIG webinars were useful to their teaching practice; if the participants had positive experiences in the webinars; what participants gained through webinar participation; if the webinar format was easy to use; if the participants intended to continue participating in future SIG offerings; and what gaps in SIG programming might exist. The paper aims to discuss these issues. Design/methodology/approach This mixed method study examines the attitudes of faculty who participated in events hosted by a SIG that was used to support faculty development for the fourth largest system of two-year colleges and four-year universities in the USA. Findings Results of the study indicate that the methods used by the SIG were well-received by faculty across the state and that the programming was found to be valuable and helpful in informing their pedagogical practice, particularly in online environments. Research limitations/implications Given the subjective nature of this study (i.e. mixed methods), some caution should be taken when interpreting the results. Originality/value This paper provides insight into a potential method of providing high-quality professional development to faculty at multiple institutions or across large geographic distances, including adjuncts and teaching assistants.

scholarly journals Visual approaches to property law pedagogy

2016 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 80-94 ◽  
Author(s):  
Francis King
Keyword(s):  
Teaching Practices ◽  
Teaching Practice ◽  
Legal Education ◽  
Teaching Profession ◽  
Early Career ◽  
Property Law ◽  
Student Body ◽  
Comprehensive Overview ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Visual Pedagogy

Purpose This paper aims to consider a more visual approach to property law teaching practices. This will be achieved by exploring the existence of “visual learners” as a student body, evaluating the use of more visual teaching techniques in academic practice, recognising the historic dominance of text in legal education, and examining the potential for heightening visual teaching practices in the teaching of property law. Design/methodology/approach The paper reviews and analyses some of the available literature on visual pedagogy, and visual approaches to legal education, but also introduces an amount of academic practitioner analysis. Findings This paper evidences that, rather than focusing on the categorisation of “visual learner”, the modern academic practitioner should use the customary use of more visual stimuli, consequently becoming a more “visual teacher”. This paper demonstrates that these practices, if performed effectively, can impact upon the information literacy of the whole student body. It also proffers a number of suggestions as to how this could be achieved within property law teaching practices. Practical implications The paper will provide support for early-career academic practitioners, who are entering a teaching profession in a period of accelerated and continual change, by presenting an overview of pedagogic practices in the area. It will also provide a stimulus for those currently teaching on property law modules and support their transition to a more visual form of teaching practice. Originality/value This paper provides a comprehensive overview of visual pedagogy in legal education, and specifically within that of property law, which has not been conducted elsewhere.

Academic entrepreneurship in the context of education

2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. 951-974 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sue Rossano-Rivero ◽  
Ingrid Wakkee
Keyword(s):  
Teaching Practices ◽  
Academic Entrepreneurship ◽  
Teaching Practice ◽  
Real Life ◽  
Qualitative Inquiry ◽  
Innovative Teaching ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Study Approach ◽  
External Actors ◽  
The University

Purpose This study aims to extend literature on academic entrepreneurship and entrepreneurial networking by examining how academics, in their role of entrepreneurial educators, network for the creation and execution of novel teaching practices in cooperation with external actors. Design/methodology/approach The empirical investigation is based on qualitative inquiry, using a case study approach. Specifically, eight cases originating at three universities in Germany, The Netherlands and Mexico were examined. The cases which constituted innovative teaching practices were selected following a replication logic. Each involved extensive participation of societal actors in course development or delivery and aimed to stimulate students to work on real life challenges and disseminate novel knowledge back to the world of practice. All courses were either introduced or taught by educators who possessed different levels and types of academic and industrial or entrepreneurial experience. Findings Based on eight cases the authors found that the networking behaviour of entrepreneurial educators is crucial for the generation of proximity with external actors and for the acquisition of key resources, such as an external actor to participate in teaching practice and for the generation of legitimacy for their innovations in teaching. The entrepreneurial and industrial experience of entrepreneurial educators emerges as an affordance to network with external actors, helping them to achieve a common understanding of the opportunity and to generate trust among them. Practical implications This study equips managers of higher education institutions with critical insights into innovating the teaching mission of the university and developing closer and stronger relationships with external actors of the university. Originality/value This study seeks to advance the literature on academic entrepreneurship by shifting the attention away from academic entrepreneurs as merely founders of spin-offs and collaborators with business on research and development towards entrepreneurial educators who see opportunities in establishing collaborations with external actors as part of their teaching activities. Further, it introduces the “social networking perspective” to this field. Vissa (2012) and Stam (2015) introduced this perspective as a logical extension to the study of the generation of social capital to reach entrepreneurial goals.

Distributed leadership

2013 ◽  
Vol 15 (1) ◽  
pp. 98-110 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aidan Davison ◽  
Paul Brown ◽  
Emma Pharo ◽  
Kristin Warr ◽  
Helen McGregor ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Distributed Leadership ◽  
Curriculum Reform ◽  
Teaching Practice ◽  
Sustainability Education ◽  
Learning Collaborative ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Interdisciplinary Approaches ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Australian Universities

Purpose – Interdisciplinary approaches to climate change teaching are well justified and arise from the complexity of climate change challenges and the integrated problem-solving responses they demand. These approaches require academic teachers to collaborate across disciplines. Yet, the fragmentation typical of universities impedes collaborative teaching practice. This paper aims to report on the outcomes of a distributed leadership project in four Australian universities aimed at enhancing interdisciplinary climate change teaching. Design/methodology/approach – Communities of teaching practice were established at four Australian universities with participants drawn from a wide range of disciplines. The establishment and operation of these communities relied on a distributed leadership methodology which facilitates acts of initiative, innovation, vision and courage through group interaction rather than through designated hierarchical roles. Findings – Each community of practice found the distributed leadership approach overcame barriers to interdisciplinary climate change teaching. Cultivating distributed leadership enabled community members to engage in peer-led professional learning, collaborative curriculum and pedagogical development, and to facilitate wider institutional change. The detailed outcomes achieved by each community were tailored to their specific institutional context. They included the transformation of climate change curriculum, professional development in interdisciplinary pedagogy, innovation in student-led learning activities, and participation in institutional decision-making related to curriculum reform. Originality/value – Collaborative, non-traditional leadership practices have attracted little attention in research about sustainability education in university curricula. This paper demonstrates that the distributed leadership model for sustainability education reported here is effective in building capacity for interdisciplinary climate change teaching within disciplines. The model is flexible enough for a variety of institutional settings.

Pedagogies for sustainability: insights from a foundational sustainability course in the built environment

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Orana Sandri ◽  
Sarah Holdsworth
Keyword(s):  
Transformative Learning ◽  
Academic Support ◽  
Sustainability Education ◽  
Pedagogical Practice ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Education Literature ◽  
Effective Implementation ◽  
Capability Building ◽  
Research Findings

Purpose This paper aims to draw on an in-depth qualitative case study of an undergraduate sustainability education course to show the extent of pedagogical reflection and teaching capability demonstrated in lived practice to support transformative, systemic and capability building learning processes, as advocated in the literature, for effective sustainability education. Design/methodology/approach Transformative learning and capability building are an essential part of sustainability education according to the growing body of literature. This approach to education, however, necessitates critical, learner-centred pedagogies which challenge traditional transmissive modes of teaching. Findings This paper finds that pedagogy which supports the learning experiences and outcomes advocated in sustainability education literature requires significant reflection on behalf of the educator and also motivation, capability and experience to do this, thus more research and academic support is needed which focusses on pedagogical development within sustainability education. Originality/value Literature on sustainability education often assumes that teachers are capable of reflecting on and transforming their pedagogical practice, and therefore, the pedagogical implications of sustainability education are often understated in research findings. This paper highlights why pedagogical reflection plays a crucial role in the effective implementation of sustainability education.

Peer assessment through digital storytelling: experiences of pre-service IT teachers

2018 ◽  
Vol 35 (3) ◽  
pp. 217-228 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zeynep Tatli ◽  
Nursel Uğur ◽  
Ünal Çakiroğlu
Keyword(s):  
Personal Development ◽  
Teaching Practices ◽  
Digital Storytelling ◽  
Teaching Practice ◽  
Peer Assessment ◽  
Data Gathering ◽  
Assessment Method ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Alternative Means ◽  
Special Case

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to reveal the contribution of the digital storytelling to the peer assessments experiences of pre-service teachers within the teaching practices. Design/methodology/approach The study is carried out as a special case study. Both qualitative and quantitative data gathering tools were used together to investigate a special case in depth (Yıldırım and Şimşek, 2011; Çepni, 2007). In this study, the case investigated was the process whereby the senior year pre-service teachers enrolled in the faculty of education provided assessments of themselves and their peers through the teaching practice course, using digital storytelling. The contributions of the assessment method employed, in the experiences and personal development of the pre-service teachers, were investigated through interviews with pre-service teachers involved. Findings The results suggested that pre-service teachers’ perspectives were quite positive toward the use of digital storytelling for peer assessment in their teaching practices. The prominent contributions were: they caused easily tolerate personally as they did not take a direct form, and that they considered peer assessment through digital storytelling as an alternative means of assessment to effectively reflect the process. Receiving more detailed feedback about their classroom experiences and their teaching skills was helpful for pre-service IT teachers. Suggestions due to the findings were also included. Originality/value In the study, peer assessment digital stories in the teaching practice courses offers the benefits of confidence with, different perspectives, satisfaction, and objectivity. These benefits can help pre-service teachers to focus on shortcomings regarding their teaching experiences, and take care for the correction. Further studies can be provided about the digital storytelling processes in various assessment processes of the instructions to reveal the potential of digital narratives in other domains as well.

How do teaching quality and pedagogical practice enhance vocational student engagement? A mixed-method classroom observation approach

2020 ◽  
Vol 34 (6) ◽  
pp. 987-1000
Author(s):  
Yanmin Zhao ◽  
James Ko
Keyword(s):  
Student Engagement ◽  
Mixed Method ◽  
Teaching Practice ◽  
Classroom Observation ◽  
Teaching Quality ◽  
Pedagogical Practice ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Quantitative Sample ◽  
Field Notes ◽  
Vocational Learning

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to investigate vocational teaching behaviours in facilitating pedagogical practice concerning students' classroom engagement.Design/methodology/approachA mixed-method approach with quantitative classroom observations and qualitative field notes was conducted at two higher vocational institutions in Guangdong province, south of China. Sixty lesson observations were rated combining with supplementary field notes from 20 teacher participants analysed through a comparative coding process.FindingsMeans of dimensions of teaching behaviours and student engagement were calculated based on taking the averages of the means of items theoretically associated with each dimension. Through thematic analysis of observational notes, vocational instructions and students' engagement in vocational learning environment were more diversified in terms of vocational teaching practice, which manifested that vocational teaching behaviours focused more on adjusting students' practical learning.Research limitationsThe limitation is shown that the quantitative sample is small, yet affords greater depth of data for further discussion.Originality/valueThis study develops its setting and orientation by applying the classroom observation instrument into the Chinese high vocational context and offers more in-depth insights and exploration of the characteristics of teaching practice in vocational classrooms.

Doctor of Business Administration (D.B.A.): A Viable Credential for Faculty in Programmatically Accredited Business Degree Programs?

10.28945/3529 ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 11 ◽  
pp. 217-226 ◽  
Author(s):  
Helen L MacLennan ◽  
Anthony A Pina ◽  
Kenneth A Moran ◽  
Patrick F Hafford
Keyword(s):  
Doctoral Program ◽  
Business Administration ◽  
Academic Programs ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Degree Programs ◽  
Business Programs ◽  
Professional Degree ◽  
Doctor Of Philosophy ◽  
Business Practitioners ◽  
The University

Is the Doctor of Business Administration (D.B.A) a viable degree option for those wishing a career in academe? The D.B.A. degree is often considered to be a professional degree, in-tended for business practitioners, while the Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) degree is por-trayed as the degree for preparing college or university faculty. Conversely, many academic programs market their D.B.A. programs to future academicians. In this study, we investigat-ed whether the D.B.A. is, in fact, a viable faculty credential by gathering data from univer-sity catalogs and doctoral program websites and handbooks from 427 graduate business and management programs to analyze the terminal degrees held by 6159 faculty. The analysis indicated that 173 institutions (just over 40% of the total) employed 372 faculty whose ter-minal degree was the D.B.A. This constituted just over 6% of the total number of faculty. Additionally, the program and faculty qualification standards of the six regional accrediting agencies and the three programmatic accrediting agencies for business programs (AACSB, IACBE, and ACBSP) were analyzed. Results indicated that all these accrediting agencies treated the D.B.A. and Ph.D. in business identically and that the D.B.A. was universally considered to be a valid credential for teaching business at the university level. Suggestions for future research are also offered.

Correlation between sustainability education and engineering students’ attitudes towards sustainability

2018 ◽  
Vol 19 (3) ◽  
pp. 459-472 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kuok Ho Daniel Tang
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Engineering Students ◽  
Sustainability Education ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Fundamental Knowledge ◽  
Students Attitudes ◽  
Development Course ◽  
Beliefs And Attitudes ◽  
Insight Into

Purpose The purpose of this study is to investigate the impacts of a sustainable development course on the beliefs, attitudes and intentions of a cohort of engineering students in a university in Miri, Malaysia, towards sustainability. Design/methodology/approach Questionnaire survey was conducted among the cohort of students encompassing the three facets mentioned. Findings The respondents expressed low to medium agreement towards all the survey items related to beliefs, attitudes and intentions. A sense of moral obligation towards sustainability is linked to higher sustainability awareness, willingness to safeguard sustainability and a sense of responsibility towards sustainable development. The respondents were generally perceived to have fundamental knowledge of sustainable development. Research limitations/implications This study shows that a sustainable development course called Engineering Sustainable Development offered in a university in Miri, produced positive impacts on the beliefs, attitudes and intentions of the engineering students towards sustainable development. Sustainable development courses are generally instrumental to impart the value and practices of sustainability among university students. Originality/value As limited correlational studies on whether sustainable development courses effectively shape the beliefs and attitudes of students have been previously conducted, this study provides insight into the effectiveness of one of such courses and how the course can be further improved to enhance its effectiveness.

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