When
curriculum is mentioned, what comes usually to our mind is the formal
curriculum. However, there exist other curricula that offer opportunities for
embedding sustainability. An example is the three-curriculum approach,
comprising formal, informal and campus curricula (Hopkinson et al 2008).
The
diagram, showing the key links, indicates how the three curricula fit into a
typical university model adapted from the 4-C model comprising campus, curriculum, culture
and community (Blake and
Sterling 2011).
In
this framework, the first opportunity is the formal curricula. Literature
indicates five approaches to integrating sustainability into formal curricula:
§ Including some
environmental coverage in an existing course (Lozano 2010)
§ Adding modules to
existing courses (Minguet et al 2011)
§ Embedding
sustainability at the whole programme level (Roberts and Roberts 2008)
§ Developing new courses
(Lozano 2010, Lukman et al 2009)
§ Developing a new
discipline (Sibbel 2009)
Note: The last
approach above, i.e. developing a new discipline (e.g. ‘Sustainability Science’),
will be discussed in detail in a future blog post on the Research Pathway.
Turning
to formal curricula, a number of studies have demonstrated that sustainability
could be linked virtually to any discipline or programme (Hopkinson et al 2008)
and a list of ESD (Education for Sustainable Development) teaching
opportunities in conventional disciplines, ranging from Agriculture (e.g.
organic food) to Tourism (e.g. green travel) is available from Chalkley and
Sterling (2011).
The
second opportunity is informal curricula. Informal curricula exist outside
their formal counterpart and are largely student driven, voluntary, open to all
and non-credit bearing; they involve activities that influence the wider
student experience and examples include volunteering, internships, clubs and
societies and events (Hopkinson et al 2008). This is an effective way to
harness students’ potential for sustainability locked in their kinship to the
environmental movement (Helferty and Clarke 2009) and their passion for
sustainability (Beringer and Adomssent 2008).
According
to Lipscombe (2008), the extra-curricular sphere has much potential to advance
sustainability because of the following strengths: (1) being an interface
between curriculum, campus and community (2) its subject neutrality and
openness for internal and external influences, so it is not defended as in the
case with formal curricula (3) its fluidity facilitates changes quicker than those
in formal curricula. Another source of rich sustainability potential is
spiritually-oriented service learning (Podger et al 2010).
The
third opportunity is campus curricula. Campus curriculum is the use of campus
environmental management and sustainability as an educational resource for
supporting students’ learning about sustainability (Hopkinson et al 2008). Campus
sustainability projects have potential to enhance pedagogy because they give
access to local, hands-on, experiential education (Savanick et al 2008).
Moreover, campus curricula can tap into a rich source of sustainability
leverage points hidden in two interlocking subsystems (i.e. academia and
operations) of universities (Beringer and Adomssent 2008), whose divide is well
known (Djordjevic and Cotton 2011). Therefore, campus sustainability projects
facilitate linking of operations and academia while using operations as an
educational resource (Savanick et al 2008). Moreover, engaging external
stakeholders in such projects can improve the projects while strengthening the
university-community relationship (Savanick et al 2008).
The
next post, the third part of the Education pathway, will outline a practical
programme for integrating sustainability across the curriculum of a typical
university.
Books and Reports
2014 (to be published)
BOOK:Higher Education and Sustainable Development: A model for curriculum renewal, by Desha, C. and Hargroves, K.
Useful Resources
BOOK:Higher Education and Sustainable Development: A model for curriculum renewal, by Desha, C. and Hargroves, K.
2013
BOOK: The Sustainable University: Progress and prospects, by Sterling, S., Maxey, L. and Luna, H. (editors)
BOOK: Higher Education for Sustainability: Cases, Challenges, and Opportunities from Across the Curriculum, by Johnston, L.F. (editor)
2009
BOOK: The Handbook of Sustainability Literacy:skills for a changing world, by Stibbe, A. (editor)
2008
BOOK:Journeys around Education for Sustainability, by Parker, J. and Wade, R. (editors)
2005
BOOK: Values in Higher Education, by Robinson, S. and Katulushi, C. (editors)
2004
BOOK: The Sustainability Curriculum: The Challenge for Higher Education, by Blewitt, J. and Cullingford, C. (editors)
2003
BOOK: Key Issues in Sustainable Development Learning: A Critical Review, by Gough, S. and Scott, W. (editors)
BOOK: Sustainable Development and Learning. Framingthe Issues, by Scott, W. and Gough, S.
2001
BOOK: Sustainable Education – Re-visioning Learningand Change (Schumacher Briefing No 6), by Sterling, S.
1996
BOOK: Education for Sustainability, by Huckle, J. and Sterling, S. (editors)
Websites, web pages & blogs
Education for sustainable development (HEA)
http://www.heacademy.ac.uk/education-for-sustainable-development
Sustainability Education - The University of Gloucestershire
Guide to Quality and Education for Sustainability in Higher Education - Leading Curriculum Change for Sustainability: Strategic Approaches to Quality Enhancement project
Education for sustainable development (ESD) – The Higher Education Academy
Greener Curriculum: Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) – National Union of Students (NUS)
Embedding Sustainability into Teaching, Learning and Curriculum in the learning and skills sector - Learning and Skills Improvement Service (LSIS)
Embedding sustainable development in the curriculum- EAUC
A Pedagogy for ESD? - Bill Scott's blog
Sustainability and Pedagogy – Center for Teaching, Vanderbilt University, US
Effective pedagogy in education for sustainability - Te Kete Ipurangi (TKI), New Zealand
Resources on Sustainability Curriculum - Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE)
International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education
References & Bibliography
Beringer, A. and Adomssent, M. (2008)
Sustainable university research and development: inspecting sustainability in
higher education research. Environmental Education Research, 14(6), pp.607-623.
Blake,
J. and Sterling, S. (2011) Tensions and transitions: effecting change towards
sustainability at a mainstream university through staff living and learning at
an alternative, civil society college. Environmental Education Research,
17(1), pp.125-144.
Chalkley, B. and Sterling, S. (2011) Hard
times in higher education: the closure of subject centres and the implications
for education for sustainable development (ESD). Sustainability, 3, pp.
666-677.
Djordjevic, A. and Cotton, D.R.E. (2011) Communicating the sustainability message in
higher education institutions. International
Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education, 12(4), pp. 381-394.
Helferty, A. and Clarke, A. (2009) Student-led
campus climate change initiatives in Canada. International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education, 10(3), pp.287-300.
Hopkinson, P., Hughes, P. and Layer, G. (2008)
Sustainable graduates: linking formal, informal and campus curricula to embed
education for sustainable development in the student learning experience. Environmental
Education Research, 14(4),
pp.435-454.
Lipscombe,
B.P. (2008) Exploring the role of the
extra-curricular sphere in higher education for sustainable development in the
United Kingdom. Environmental Education Research, 14(4), pp.455-468.
Lozano, R. (2010)
Diffusion of sustainable development in universities' curricula: an empirical
example from Cardiff University, Journal of Cleaner Production, 18,
pp.637-644.
Lukman,
R., Krajnc, D. and Glavic, P. (2009) Fostering collaboration between
universities regarding regional sustainability initiatives – the University of
Maribor. Journal of Cleaner Production,
17, pp. 1143-1153.
Minguet,
P.A., Martinez-Agut, M.P., Palacios, B., Pinero, A. and Ull, M.A. (2011)
Introducing sustainability into university curricula: an indicator and
baselines survey of the views of university teachers at the University of
Valencia. Environmental Education
Research, 17(2), pp. 145-166.
Podger, D.M., Mustakova-Possardt, E. and Reid,
A. (2010) A whole-person approach to educating for sustainability. International Journal of Sustainability in
Higher Education, 11(4),
pp.339-352.
Roberts, C. and Roberts, J. (2008) Starting
with the staff: how swapshops can develop ESD and empower practitioners. Environmental Education Research, 14(4), pp. 423-434.
Savanick, S., Strong, R. and Manning, C.
(2008) Explicitly linking pedagogy and
facilities to campus sustainability: lessons from Carleton College and the
University of Minnesota. Environmental Education Research, 14(6), pp.667-679.
Sibbel,
A. (2009) Pathways towards sustainability through higher education. International Journal of Sustainability in
Higher Education, 10(1),
pp.68-82.
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