Search

Purpose: This paper aims to examine the embedding of sustainability courses in the accounting curriculum by using the Delta Business School in New Zealand as an example. The focus of this paper is an effective learning strategy on sustainability education, which other business schools could follow using this approach. Design/methodology/approach: Each course's published outline was subjected to an in-depth analysis. Semi-structured interviews were used to gather information from the course controllers and students. Findings: The findings revealed that while some courses are considered stand-alone sustainability courses, others incorporate a technical focus on accounting as required by the professional accounting bodies: Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand, certified public accountant (Australia) and Association of Chartered Certified Accountants. Research limitations/implications: The research is limited to sustainability education content at a single university. Practical implications: Students at tertiary education institutions, who will be future managers, are dependent on business schools to teach them the importance of sustainability. Social implications: Sustainability education in accounting could be instrumental in transforming the nature and role of the accountant in society. Originality/value: This paper contributes to the discussion required to understand how sustainability education is embedded within the accounting curriculum and the perceptions of lecturers and students with regard to sustainability education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This viewpoint paper addresses the use of sustainability frameworks in embedding education for sustainability into the curriculum of higher education institutions (HEIs). The purpose of this paper is to explore the paradox that sustainability frameworks must facilitate transformation of existing structures whilst also being well-enough aligned with current conditions to be readily adopted by today's HEIs. Design/methodology/approach: This paper proposes a set of four criteria for assessing the suitability of sustainability frameworks for use across the curriculum: relevance to current curricula, language, institutional fit and concept of the future. Using these criteria, this paper assesses how various frameworks align with the current (unsustainable) state of affairs and their transformative potential. The frameworks assessed are: the sustainable development goals (SDGs), the three pillars framework and the capitals approach. Findings: This paper finds that each of the frameworks has strengths and weaknesses: the SDGs and the capitals approach perform well on alignment but less well on transformational criteria. Conversely, the three pillars framework performs well on transformation criteria but less well on alignment criteria. By applying the criteria set out in this paper, the authors hope those working to embed sustainability into the curricula of HEIs will be better equipped to navigate the tensions presented by sustainability transitions. Originality/value: Using a novel set of criteria for assessing sustainability frameworks, this paper provides guidance that was previously lacking in education for sustainability professionals who are attempting to embed sustainability into the curriculum at HEIs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Students experience a range of benefits by participating in work-based learning (WBL) including increased employability skills, career development learning and enhanced industry networks. However, some approaches to WBL are not easily accessed by all students, with placement-based models placing demands on students to attend a physical worksite over a sustained period of time. This paper explores the emergence of non-placement WBL (NPWBL) as a global solution to broadening access to work-related activities. This approach is arguably a more sustainable model that enables students to engage in meaningful work-learning opportunities without the need for extended, physical proximity in a workplace. Design/methodology/approach: Through a review of the literature, a typology of NPWBL is offered that organizes activities around the degree to which a student practices work and engages with an industry partner. Findings: New and different NPWBL activities are continuing to emerge due to placement activities being described as resource intensive and in some cases unable to meet the demands of industry, specifically small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and large student cohorts, international students and those with disabilities. The NPWBL typology presented here has been developed to meet these challenges, while ensuring the authenticity of WBL is maintained. Research limitations/implications: This paper highlights the need for rich discussions around the sustainability of WBL activities to ensure relationships between institutions and industry continue to thrive. Practical implications: NPWBL is less-resource intensive and offers a sustainable option for universities without compromising on quality, meaningful experiences for students. The typology can be a useful prompt for educators to consider their objectives for student learning when embedding a NPWBL activity in curriculum. Originality/value: The NPWBL typology is unique and valuable as it organizes NPWBL activities around the learning practices of the external partner (industry or community) and the learning practices of the student. This enables the typology to be transferrable across disciplines. The paper closes with reflective questions for educators when designing NPWBL activities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: While sustainability experts point to interrelated social, economic and environmental goals, students may think about sustainability primarily as natural resources. To prepare students to tackle global challenges to well-being, this paper aims to show that educators need to assess and address students' shortcomings in considering socioeconomic dimensions. Design/methodology/approach: This study coded essays on the meaning and components of sustainability written by 93 undergraduate and graduate students in environmental policy, business and engineering courses at US and Austrian universities. Then, the study reviewed a teaching strategy using diverse experts, case studies and assignments. Finally, the analysis evaluated students' final projects proposing sustainability legislation with social, economic and environmental dimensions. Findings: Students usually connect sustainability with limited natural resources affecting current and future generations, but seldom think that sustainability means acting on prominent socioeconomic challenges like poverty, food insecurity, pandemics and violence. Teaching in diverse courses through multidimensional case studies and legislation broadened and deepened students' understanding and preparedness to act. Originality/value: Despite experts' attention to the interconnected Sustainable Development Goals, educators and policymakers need information on whether students associate sustainability with socioeconomic challenges. Open-response questions can reveal gaps in the respondents' sustainability beliefs. In a wide range of courses, teaching can use diverse experts and multidimensional case studies and legislative assignments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to think through the value of History as a way of interrogating ideas around environmental change as well as bridging the gap between definitions of natural and cultural heritage. In terms of the sustainability in higher education imperative, it argues that youth climate change movements and endeavours to diversify curriculum content make this a moment of critical mass to push forward with new historical programmes that embed environmental themes in a wider intellectual pedagogy. Design/methodology/approach: This paper looks to combine an urgent need to engage with environmental sustainability with progressive endeavours at decolonising the curriculum to explore how humanities (and History, in particular) can be brought into the service of the ecological university. Findings: Thereafter, it looks specifically at "green heritage" in the city as a useful example in which the greening agenda can be used to re-contextualise historical approaches, encourage useful conversations around the role of History as a conservation and heritage management tool and build active partnerships with local stakeholder groups. Originality/value: The originality of this approach lies in thinking both of content and intellectual practice, pedagogy as content and behaviour and in reconstructing the terrain of a theme such as heritage to think through opportunities for sustainability in education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The achievement of the sustainable development goals (SDGs) for all communities and jurisdictions require a comprehensive roadmap that encompasses all dimensions of data infrastructure, social, economic, environmental and governance ecosystems. With this in mind, this paper aims to establish the link between the curriculum and intended learning outcomes of undergraduate and postgraduate subjects offered by the University and sustainability. This study is a part of a wider university strategy to embed sustainability knowledge and values in the university curricula. The 17 SDGs developed as a part of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainability Development was used as tool to measure and map how the subjects are linked with sustainability. Design/methodology/approach: To incorporate sustainability into the curriculum, this paper developed an interdisciplinary approach for analysing the interconnection between the SDGs, the expected subject learning points and the relevant aspects of sustainability (geospatial information, the legal, policies and institutional components). As part of the approach, in the first phase of the study, qualitative data were collected through a review of published information on the SDGs and the content of the subjects available in the subject handbook. Subject codes were assigned to the keywords and key phrases extracted from the SDGs and the subject content, and then compared and matched to establish the link between the subjects and the SDGs. Six university schools offering over 2,157 subjects were investigated. In the second phase, a survey was conducted involving subject coordinators with the purpose of validating the findings of the first phase and determining the strength of the linkages between the subjects and the SDGs. In the third phase, a plugin was designed to be used in the digital twin platform developed in the UoM, allowing visualisation of the research outcomes. Findings: Based on the interim findings, it was found that some subjects within the schools are linked to more than one SDG. However, not all of the subjects within the schools can be linked to the SDGs. There is a scope of improvement for embedding sustainability in more subjects within the schools. Some of the schools were also found to have weak linkages with sustainability, which demonstrate the challenge in technical subjects in linking their subject contents with sustainability. Originality/value: This study provides a methodology which enables the integration of sustainability into current state of the curricula at the university to be established. Further, with the advancement of geospatial technology and new visualisation opportunities through the use of the digital twin platform provides capabilities to communicate the outcomes of sustainability and involvement of each faculties and departments more effectively to the university community and wider stakeholders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: With the global adoption of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs), it has become increasingly important for educators to develop a responsive curriculum where future event practitioners understand, value and implement sustainability as a core component of meeting and event management. The purpose of this paper is to explore the viewpoints of industry to embed sustainability as part of developing a Meeting and Event Management curriculum that is responsive to industry needs, and in so doing, contribute to quality education (SDG4). Design/methodology/approach: Qualitative data were generated from 10 key informant interviews amongst top-level meeting and event professionals. Open questions elucidated industry viewpoints to develop content for a Meeting and Event Management curriculum at Advanced Diploma level in South Africa. Content analysis and data interpretation revealed key topics that guided the embedment of SDGs in the curriculum as knowledge, skills, values and attitudes. Findings: Curriculum content was linked to six specific, corresponding SDGs, namely: good health and well-being; quality education; decent work and economic growth; industry, innovation and infrastructure; climate action and partnerships for the goals. Originality/value: The paper contributes valuable industry insights into academic educators concerned with responsive curriculum development in the field of meeting and event management by outlining how SDGs can be integrated as competencies and learning outcomes in a tertiary qualification. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to examine how the process of creating and implementing sustainability competencies across a university illuminate dynamics of organizational change. The push to advance education for sustainable development in higher education will likely require transformation of existing policies and practices. A set of shared sustainability competencies could guide the integration of sustainability throughout an institution. Design/methodology/approach: This paper reports on a case study of one US university, the University of New Hampshire (UNH) that developed institutional-level sustainability competencies. The process used to create and implement sustainability competencies is outlined, and key factors that influenced the associated organizational change are identified. Findings: Very few US universities have institutional-level sustainability competencies. At UNH, drivers of organizational change such as overcoming disciplinary boundaries, developing a common vision and working from the bottom-up enabled the creation of institutional sustainability competencies, but the same processes were not enough to drive deeper implementation of the competencies. Originality/value: This paper not only identifies the context-specific drivers of the development of institutional sustainability competencies, but also identifies universal themes that can be applied to other institutions embarking on a similar process. Additionally, this paper serves as a foundation for future research exploring how the process of creating institutional sustainability competencies may be linked to how effective they are in shaping subsequent sustainability education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This paper aims to compare the findings from a survey of a cohort of students at an Australian regional university across two time points: immediately on commencing their first semester of study and at the end of their final semester of study to determine whether, and in what ways, these students' views concerning sustainability appear to have changed. This paper reports on a longitudinal study of the attitudes, beliefs and perceptions of undergraduate business students regarding a range of sustainability issues. Design/methodology/approach: A paper-based questionnaire was delivered to approximately 250 first year and 150 third year students. Findings: A factor analysis shows small but statistically different positive differences, which indicate that the revised curriculum has been successful in raising student awareness and achieving behaviour change. Research limitations/implications: The study focussed on Australian undergraduate university business students, which reduced generalizability of the findings. Practical implications: The findings of this study can inform instructors in higher education of student attitudes towards sustainability and climate change adaption and in turn inform changes to tertiary curriculum in sustainability and climate change adaption. Originality/value: The authors confirm that the research is original and that all of the data provided in this paper is real and authentic. As the paper reports on the third phase of the longitudinal study, some parts of the methodology have been previously published but differ as they reflect the third phase of the study. The results of this study have not been previously published. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: While sustainability-oriented education is increasingly placing importance on engaging students in inter- and transdisciplinary learning processes with societal actors and authentic challenges in the centre, little research attends to how and what students learn in such educational initiatives. This paper aims to address this by opening the "black box" of learning in a Challenge Lab curriculum with transformational sustainability ambitions. Design/methodology/approach: Realist evaluation was used as an analytical frame that takes social context into account to unpack learning mechanisms and associated learning outcomes. A socio-cultural perspective on learning was adopted, and ethnographic methods, including interviews and observations, were used. Findings: Three context-mechanism-outcome (CMO) configurations were identified, capturing what students placed value and emphasis on when developing capabilities for leading sustainability transformations: engaging with complex "in-between" sustainability challenges in society with stakeholders across sectors and perspectives; navigating purposeful and transformative change via backcasting; and "whole-person" learning from the inside-out as an identity-shaping process, guided by personal values. Practical implications: The findings of this paper can inform the design, development, evaluation and comparison of similar educational initiatives across institutions, while leaving room for contextual negotiation and adjustment. Originality/value: This paper delineates and discusses important learning mechanisms and outcomes when students act as co-creators of knowledge in a sustainability-oriented educational initiative, working with authentic challenges together with societal actors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose Whereas the integration of sustainability into business schools has received increasing attention in recent years, the debate continues to be generic rather than recognising the peculiarities of the more quantitative sub disciplines such as accounting and finance which may of course be intimately linked to professional standards. The purpose of this paper, therefore, is to examine the extent to which sustainability is integrated into accounting and finance curricula in business schools, how, and to understand some of the challenges of doing so.Design/methodology/approach This paper presents the findings from a systematic form of literature review which draws on the previous literature about how sustainability is embedded into business school curricula and the challenges in doing so. A particular focus is placed on how the ways in which sustainability is integrated into accounting and finance curricula in business schools.Findings The paper demonstrates that accounting and finance lags behind other management disciplines in embedding sustainability and that institutional commitment is oftentimes a strong imperative for effective integration of sustainability.Practical implications This paper is a call to practitioners and researchers alike to explore new ways of integrating sustainability in the accounting and finance curricula, including working across boundaries to provide learning opportunities for future accountants, financial managers and generalist managers.Originality/value The paper offers an original analysis and synthesis of the literature in the context of the accounting and finance curricula in business schools, and proposed a conceptual framework to further develop sustainability education in the context of business schools. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: India is unique, having enshrined in law the teaching of sustainability education (SE) within all levels of formal education. This study aims to examine the integration and perceptions of SE within the higher education (HE) sector in India and identify any lessons that can be exported about the teaching of SE from the Indian HE environment. Design/methodology/approach: Focusing on a science-based teaching and research institute at a private university in India, a quantitative, cross-sectional study examined the extent to which SE was integrated into the university and how it was perceived by students and staff. Data were collected through two online questionnaires administered to lecturers and undergraduate students during the 2017 academic year. Findings: Most students reported that their university experiences had contributed significantly to their knowledge about sustainability. Results also showed there was a positive association between the teaching and learning about sustainability, although staff and students reported that this could be improved by including more active, student-centred teaching and learning approaches. However, students felt that they had learnt the most about sustainability from the informal "hidden" rather than the "formal" curriculum. This suggests that research is now required into ways to capitalise on this as a medium to further develop, not just Indian, but students' worldwide sustainability literacy. Originality/value: To the best of the authors' knowledge, this paper is the first to present a detailed study of the perceptions of the contribution of the "formal" and the informal "hidden" curriculum to SE by students and staff at an Indian university. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This research aims to investigate the role of project-based-learning within graduate sustainability curricula through the lens of key competence development. Project-based learning has become a widely recommended pedagogy for sustainability education. It is hypothesized that through collaboration, student autonomy and real-world application, students develop key competencies for sustainability. This paper also aims to examine the connection between project-based learning and competence development on a program level from the student perspective. Design/methodology/approach: This two-year comparative case study follows the project-based-learning journeys of nine graduate sustainability students from three programs: the Master's of Sustainability at Arizona State University, the Master's of Sustainability Science at Leuphana University of Lüneburg and the Global Sustainability Science Master's, an ASU and Leuphana collaboration. Over four semesters, the students each took part in four competence-oriented self-assessments and interviews to map their perceived learning throughout their programs. Additional contextual information was gathered from program and course materials and descriptions, instructor interviews and in vivo observations. Findings: The defining aspects of project-based learning including collaboration, student autonomy and real-world connection do contribute to students' self-perceived competence development. Student-driven and program-driven project-based learning experiences equally foster this result, as long as the pedagogical challenges of balancing support and student independence associated with each are mitigated through instructor actions, program design or individual student coping skills. Originality/value: The results of this research can support higher education institutions in designing sustainability programs aimed at competence development through project-based learning. The focus on the curricular and program level combined with repeated overtime student-reported attribution to specific courses and activities bridges the gap between individual course case studies and theoretical recommendations for curriculum design. In addition to length and depth, this study also forefronts student experience of curricula as delivered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the extent to which universities’ strategic plans affect the level of incorporation of sustainability within the curriculum design and property portfolio.Design/methodology/approach This research adopted a case study approach. The case study institution was Deakin University in Australia. This paper used a qualitative research method. Desk-top study included the review of the University’s Strategic Plan, policy agenda on sustainability and the documents on sustainability courses and units. Semi-structured interviews were held with academics who have course development and management responsibility within the university, colleagues who have a sustainability-focused role on estate management and colleagues whose roles are to manage sustainability initiatives at the institution level. All interviews were recorded and transcribed. Content analysis was used to analyse the interview data.Findings Despite the University having clear strategic aims and initiatives on the incorporation of sustainability within the curriculum design and property portfolio, there is disconnection between policy development and policy implementation. As a result, the incorporation of sustainability varies largely between curricula within the institution. The incorporation of sustainability within the property portfolio is clear and effective. However, within the curriculum, it is polarised. The level of incorporation depends on the nature of the course or unit and is largely driven by the initiatives of the individual academic. Good practice identified in the incorporation of sustainability within the curriculum is to use a problem-based approach supported by real life projects to enhance the students’ authentic learning experience. A good practice for successfully incorporating sustainability into the property portfolio is to have clear vision of what it has planned to achieve and to ensure that there is a balance between sustainability and value for money.Originality/value This is pioneering research to investigate the incorporation of sustainability into higher education in a more comprehensive way. This paper considered the impact of strategic planning on the incorporation of sustainability within a higher education, on both curriculum design and property portfolio management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose – This paper seeks to make a contribution to debate regarding the place of sustainability in the management education curriculum with data regarding the opinions on this question of business leaders across both developed and emerging markets.Design/methodology/approach – The analysis in this paper was conducted at the invitation of the secretariat of the UN PRME, led by a team from Ashridge and EABIS, supported by Accenture, and presented for the first time at the 2nd Global Forum for Responsible Management Education convened by the UN in New York in June 2010. The analysis draws on data collected by Accenture as part of the UN Global Compact-Accenture CEO Study 2010, which included in-depth interviews with 50 CEOs, Chairpersons and Presidents of UN Global Compact member companies and an online survey of 766 Global Compact member CEOs.Findings – Among CEOs of those organizations that have begun thinking in a sophisticated way about trends relating to sustainability, there is a growing consensus across both developed and emerging markets, and across different industries and organization type, that management education is one of the most important elements in stimulating the kind of organizational change required to effectively address those trends.Practical implications – The data suggest that debate in business schools about whether or not sustainability is a real issue deserving of their consideration is becoming less relevant. Questions that become more important include: how to do management education for sustainability well? And how can we effectively stimulate the kind of organizational change that needs to occur in business schools for sustainability to be embraced across the faculty?Research limitations/implications – Areas for further research include empirical research on both the most effective pedagogical approaches for management education for sustainability, and the most effective strategies for organizational change for sustainability within business schools themselves.Originality/value – This paper presents a snapshot of business leader opinion from the first part of 2010, and thus complements earlier similar surveys of business leader opinion on the question of the place of sustainability in the management education curricula. This will be of particular interest to administrators and teaching faculty within business schools across both developed and emerging markets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This paper aims to learn how sustainability and the circular economy were being integrated into the curriculum of a Dutch university and to transfer that knowledge back to a US university business school curriculum. Given the resistance toward integrating sustainability into the US business school curriculum, the Dutch university served as a role model for education for sustainable development. Design/methodology/approach: This case study used ethnographic methods of participant observation over a four-month residency at the Dutch university. Findings: Themes observed are as follows: success in the current context relied upon sustainability being integrated into the culture and lifestyle, legislative enforcement, a focus on urban sustainability, use of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and collaboration as a key to success. The course proposal shifted to a class on the SDGs which is broader, more inclusive, and interdisciplinary. The proposal to integrate circular economy into the US business school curriculum shifted to a class on the SDGs. It was determined that the SDGs presented a more amenable approach to introduce sustainability into the business school curriculum and meet the objectives of education for sustainable development. Research limitations/implications: This case study is based upon the author's experience at one university in the Netherlands. Limitations include the generalizability of the findings to another university as well as the question of transferability across cultures. Practical implications: This case study offers one suggestion for integrating sustainability into the business school curriculum. Social implications: Integrating sustainability into the business school curriculum through the SDGs might help overcome resistance. Originality/value: The findings offer an alternative approach for integrating sustainability into the business school curriculum that is aligned with AACSB standards and which might face less resistance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose -- This paper aims to present an overview of the design and implementation of a curriculum review undertaken at Plymouth University, UK, to gauge the incidence and status of sustainability in degree programmes across the curriculum. The paper outlines the methodological approach taken, reviews findings and summarises the effects and limitations of the exercise. Design/methodology/approach -- Rather than creating a criteria-based auditing tool, which might have been interpreted by academics as top-down evaluation of practice, emphasis was placed on self-evaluation of how the degree programmes were implementing sustainability in a number of broad areas, such as curriculum content, pedagogical approaches and student engagement. A review tool was created and distributed to all undergraduate and postgraduate degree programmes in the four campus-based faculties in the university. In particular, the review was designed to contribute the institutional annual submissions to the Learning in Future Environments index. Findings -- The paper discusses findings in some key areas relating to curriculum content, pedagogical approaches, partnerships and student engagement. Some of the obstacles and limitations identified by programme leaders in implementing education for sustainable development are discussed and areas of future consideration are included. Originality/value -- The review contributes to the limited national and international examples available of institution-wide curriculum reviews in the arena of education for sustainable development. The discussion of the problems, benefits and implications will be of value to other higher education institutions considering undertaking their own curriculum review. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose This paper aims to describe a two-stage sustainability curriculum assessment, providing tools and strategies for other faculty to use in implementing their own sustainability assessments.Design/methodology/approach In the first stage of the five-year curriculum assessment, the authors used an anonymous survey of sustainability faculty and requested data that would verify the survey’s self-reporting: updated sustainability syllabi, and answers to the question, “where have you integrated the three aspects of sustainability – biological systems, social systems, economic systems – into this course?” Finding that the self-reporting results did not match the evidence on the syllabi, the authors interrogated their methods from the faculty workshop trainings for sustainability curriculum transformation.Findings The authors’ workshops had not provided clear definitions for “sustainability” and the learning outcomes expected in sustainability courses. They had also not addressed the role of transformative pedagogy in teaching a holistic approach to sustainability. The research identified and transcended five key barriers to implementing sustainability curriculum: an over-reliance on faculty volunteers, unclear and unenforced expectations about sustainability implementations, a failure to recognize and circumvent institutional and philosophical barriers to teaching sustainability’s interdisciplinary approach through disciplinary-based curriculum, conceiving of sustainability pedagogy as transmission rather than transformation, and overlooking the ecology of educational systems as nested within the larger sociopolitical environment.Research limitations/implications This study confirms the limitations of faculty self-reporting unless augmented with verifiable data.Practical implications Sustainability educators can use this research to devise curriculum or program assessment on their campuses: the mixed-methods approach to data collection, the inquiry into sustainability workshop trainings, the elements required on sustainability syllabi for building a coherent sustainability studies program, the resources for practicing a transformative sustainability pedagogy, and the barriers to sustainability implementation along with strategies for surmounting these barriers will all be of use.Originality/value This paper explores and combats root causes for an all-too-common disconnection between positive faculty self-assessment and syllabi that do not fully integrate sustainability across the disciplines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose – The purpose of the paper is to advance the understanding of the role design education plays in sustainable development. It presents a capacity building framework that can be accommodated in various levels of design curriculum development. The framework allows for a macro-view on the key clusters of competencies for ecodesign while allowing for alignment with quantitative and qualitative approaches to evaluation and assessment. The proposed framework does not intend to be universally prescriptive, and it should provide a context for the development bespoke educational programmes and activities. Design/methodology/approach – The research utilises a variety of data sources and methods to provide answers to the research questions. Empirical data were collected through the course of a two-year programme of capacity building with design educators in Wales. This two-year programme incorporated a series of workshops and scoping discussions with teaching staff. Additional data were collected through a literature review and best practice scanning. Thus, the research did not follow a linear process. Instead, it was performed according to an iterative process, evolved by interaction between a theoretical foundation (capacity building, ecodesign education) and empirical material (workshops, literature review). Findings – Design education may need to situate itself away from the traditional art or engineering setting to facilitate greater interdisciplinary learning. This repositioning of design education will allow for multidisciplinary relationships with other schools and communities such as social science, business or planning. There will be a role for the promotion of international design institutes that provide a more concentrated experience of the value of design and design education. Research limitations/implications – This paper sought to explore the context of capacity for sustainable development as it relates to design education. It briefly highlighted some gaps in the literature on capacity building for ecodesign education along with proposing a conceptual framework of key competencies. The intention is to initiate a discussion on the means by which these can be integrated into mainstream design education, lifelong learning and entrepreneurship training. Originality/value – There is no similar framework presented in the literature. Much of the research originates from original research conducted with four universities in a unique programme of capacity building. The paper provides the basis for deeper insights into the interdisciplinary perspectives required. This is something the authors hope to report on this year. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate the practice of teacher trainees on science and the relevance of science education. The study focuses on teacher trainees' practice on science teaching and its relevance to understanding science education. Design/methodology/approach – The study employed a survey method using questionnaires. The samples consist of 80 teacher trainees, majoring in Science Education, from a teachers training institute in Malaysia. The teacher trainees were asked to complete a set of questionnaires on the relevance of their content knowledge of science to Science Education, application of student's home culture in classroom science and in infusing moral education in classroom lessons. The data obtained from the questionnaires were analyzed using descriptive statistical and inferential statistical (independent samples t-test). Findings – The results showed that the female trainees' practice of science and the relevance of science education is significantly higher than that of their male counterparts. Besides that, the findings indicate that there is no significant difference between the male and female trainees on their practices of students' home culture applied in classroom science and applying moral education in teaching science. The findings also indicated there is a need to bring in students' home culture into the teaching and learning of science. Practical implications – Findings of this paper suggest one approach that could be adopted to make science education more relevant to the students understanding is by incorporating teaching strategies that are designed to promote content learning through a cultural relevant curriculum. This will make schools a better place to inculcate environmental concerns for a sustainable future. Originality/value – This paper highlights the need to educate trainee teachers (male and female) and bring them closer to gain cooperation and commitment to achieve sustainability. The paper also proposes the need to bring in students' home culture, priorities and concern into the teaching and learning of science. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose – This paper aims to discuss a shift from the mentality of limitless growth and expansion to the new sustainability paradigm in HRD practice, and identifies what corresponding changes are needed in human resource development (HRD) university programs. Design/methodology/approach – The paper is based on a review of the literature in HRD and related fields, and of curricula of a sample of HRD programs in the USA. Findings – Five themes were found in the academic literature: critique of HRD's fixation with performance outcomes and lack of emphasis on developing sustainable and responsible members of society; role of HRD in embedding sustainability in organizational cultures; training and development methods, aimed at increasing sustainability awareness and at developing related skills; sustainable leadership and leadership development; and interconnectedness of HRD, sustainability, corporate social responsibility (CSR), and business ethics. Review of the contents of a sample of HRD graduate programs suggested that these programs rarely incorporate sustainability-focused courses or course segments. Research limitations/implications – Future research needs to conduct an in-depth review and analysis of the existing HRD graduate coursework in a larger sample of HRD programs to determine the extent of coverage of sustainability-related topics. In addition, a review of the literature from related fields (e.g. business and management, HRM, and engineering), is needed to identify successful examples of sustainability-related curricular innovations. Furthermore, it would be beneficial to conduct action research-based studies of experimental development and implementation of courses and/or teaching modules, focused on sustainability issues. Practical implications – There are three main areas where changes in HRD curricula are needed: economic foundations of HRD (to demonstrate the economic necessity of the paradigm change); systems theory (to provide a solid understanding of the systemic nature of inter-relationships between the economy, environment, and society); and self-leadership and individual moral development as related to individual employees' role in promoting sustainable organizations. Originality/value – While there is some research on the role of HRD in organizational sustainability, this article is the first to address issues of corresponding changes in HRD academic curricula. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to study how experts on teaching sustainability in engineering education contextualize sustainability; also to evaluate the understanding of sustainability by engineering students. The final aim is to evaluate what pedagogy experts believe provides better opportunities for learning about sustainability in engineering education. Design/methodology/approach – The authors used conceptual maps (cmaps) analysis with two taxonomies of four and ten categories. The first taxonomy clusters the significance of sustainability in environmental, technological, social and institutional aspects and shows the main trends; the second (of ten categories) divides the previous categories into greater detail. To evaluate the experts' cmaps two indices were defined that provide information about what experts think sustainability is most related to and evaluate how complex they see the sustainability concept. In total, 500 students from five European engineering universities were then surveyed and the results compared with those of the experts. Finally, interviews were held with experts to try to determine the best pedagogy to apply to achieve learning around sustainability. Findings – The results show that Engineering Education for Sustainable Development (EESD) experts consider that institutional and social aspects are more relevant to sustainability than environmental and technological ones. The results were compared with the understanding of sustainability by a sample of more than 500 engineering students who had taken courses on sustainability at five technical universities in Europe. This comparison shows a mismatch among the EESD "experts'" and the students' understanding of sustainability, which suggest that sustainability courses in engineering degrees should emphasise the social and institutional aspects versus environmental and technological ones. Moreover, courses should emphasize more the complexity of sustainability. Originality/value – The paper emphasizes the lack of priority that social and institutional aspects are given in sustainability courses and promotes a discussion about how these two elements and complex thinking can increase their importance in the engineering curriculum. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose According to the 2014 joint report drafted by the Quality Assurance Agency and Higher Education Academy (QAA/HEA), universities have a key role to play in the development of sustainability literate graduates who can contribute to an environmentally responsible society. This paper aims to assess language students’ understanding of sustainable development (SD) issues.Design/methodology/approach Study 1 surveys two cohorts of final-year language students about to enter the graduate job market, and Study 2 surveys first-year language students before and after the inclusion of SD content in one of their modules. The questions to the students are provided along with qualitative and quantitative results.Findings Results suggest that only 48 per cent of language graduates are currently aware that they will need to take account of the environmental impact of their work as professional practitioners and 52 per cent do not consider it appropriate to learn about SD during their degree. However, results also suggest that incorporating SD early on in the language curriculum could contribute positively to the development of sustainability literate graduates.Originality/value While many language departments are aware of the importance of integrating sustainability into their curricula, and while employers are increasingly demanding sustainability literate graduates, there is little evidence that language students leave university with a real understanding of sustainability issues. This paper presents evidence of the current situation, as well as a novel way to integrate sustainability into the language curriculum to remedy the situation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate what are perceived to be the main challenges associated with the integration of social sustainability into engineering education at the KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm. Design/methodology/approach – Semi-structured interviews were conducted with programme leaders and teachers from four engineering programmes. The paper focuses on how the concept of social sustainability is defined and operationalised in the selected engineering programmes, how social sustainability is integrated and taught, and what resources are required to support teachers and programme leaders as social sustainability educators. Findings – The findings show that programme leaders and teachers at KTH struggle to understand the concept of social sustainability. The vague and value-laden nature of the concept is considered a challenge when operationalising educational policy goals on social sustainability into effective learning outcomes and activities. A consequence is that the responsibility for lesson content ultimately falls on the individual teacher. Study visits and role-play are seen as the most effective tools when integrating social sustainability into the engineering curriculum. Allocation of specific resources including supplementary sustainability training for teachers and economic incentives are considered crucial to successful integration of social sustainability. The findings indicate that social sustainability education needs to be built on a theoretical foundation. It is therefore suggested that a literature canon be established that clarifies the contours of social sustainability. Practical implications – The findings of the paper can be used as a basis for discussion regarding measures for improving social sustainability training in engineering education, a subject which has attracted relatively little attention, to date. Originality/value – There is a noticeable lack of empirical research on how technical universities integrate social sustainability into engineering education. The paper provides an account of how actors directly involved in this work – programme leaders and teachers – define and operationalise the social dimension of sustainable development in their engineering curricula, the pedagogical tools they consider effective when teaching social sustainability issues to engineering students, and the resources they believe are needed to strengthen those efforts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This paper aims to present the results from a questionnaire distributed to a group of Spanish postgraduate teacher students pursuing a Master's Degree in Secondary School Education. The aims of the administered questionnaire were to identify students' perceptions of the development of sustainability competencies; to analyse the relationship between students' perceived level of competence and the subject area, previous teaching experience and previous participation in sustainability projects; and to explore the strengths and limitations of the assessment tool used. Design/methodology/approach: An ad hoc questionnaire of 18 items was designed to analyse students' self-conception of the development of four sustainability competencies. A set of six units of competence were identified and three levels of acquisition for each unit Knowledge (referred to conceptual learning), Knowhow (related to practical skills) and Do (linked to the demonstration in action and its transferability to real-life situations). The sample included 183 postgraduate secondary teacher students from different disciplines and subject areas. Findings: The findings of this study show that students positioned themselves for the four sustainability competencies in a medium level of competence. No statistical significant differences exist between the subject areas and the level of sustainability competence. A statistically significant difference was found between previous teaching experience and participation in sustainability projects in relation to their perceived level of sustainability competencies. Participation in sustainability projects is clearly shown as a differentiating factor in the levels of sustainability competencies. Originality/value: An empirical study has been conducted to investigate preservice teachers' perceptions on the self-development of four sustainability competencies, considering three levels of acquisition (Know, Knowhow and Do). This study provides insights into ESD teaching and learning approaches and the assessment of Education for Sustainable Development outcomes. It also points out the importance of conceptualising sustainability competencies and operationalising these competencies in assessment tools that can help measure sustainability competencies' development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Sustainability within tertiary curriculum is hard to measure and often perceived to be illusive in nature. Existing higher education sustainability assessment tools rarely focus on the curriculum. This paper aims to establish and implement a tool that can measure sustainability integration within curriculum. The Faculty of Engineering and IT (FEIT) at University of Technology Sydney (UTS) is used as a case study. Design/methodology/approach: A set of seven sustainability competencies are identified by means of a systematic literature review as the current knowledge of Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) competencies. ESD competency integration into the curriculum is assessed by implementing a two-tier scanning mechanism. In the first step, subject outlines (SOs) are used to identify sustainable subject learning outcomes (SLOs) and assessment learning outcomes (ALOs). Step 2 involves analysing ALOs and SLOs for constructive alignment with student experience. SPSS, a statistical software, is then used to statistically reflect the results. Findings: An initial scan of SOs found that stated ESD outcomes made up 22.4 per cent of FEIT undergraduate courses. A more detailed investigation which involved assessing subject material and student experience for the seven ESD outcomes resulted in a 7.7 per cent sustainability integration into the FEIT undergraduate courses. SPSS produced tables showing individual competency distribution over course candidature year. Lifecycle assessment was invisible from the curriculum. Research limitations/implications: Case study outcomes are limited to UTS, and therefore, specific-study outcomes cannot be generalised. This study attempted to trace sustainability learning outcomes through the curriculum. However, a more detailed study should also assess subject pedagogy and artefacts as these may enable or inhibit sustainability competency. Originality/value: Study developed several methods to establish and evaluate subject level ESD claims. Academic staff and management are able to replicate methods of this study to map ESD within their courses, schools and/or faculties triggering conversation around ESD's actual integration within curriculum. Based on ESD distribution, specific intervention recommendations are proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose – This paper aims to explore the holistic picture of sustainability curricula in Asian higher education. Design/methodology/approach – Content analysis was conducted based on Asian management education for sustainability in higher education. Online courses arrangement, teaching methods, instructors’ educational background and cross-referencing data between triple bottom line and sustainability courses have been investigated. Findings – The paper provides empirical insights about the current state of sustainability education in Asia. The results show that there is an opportunity for interdisciplinary integration, as there are imbalanced sustainability courses offered by business, science and engineering schools. It also suggests that Asian universities should add an international connection and active promotion of sustainability education on their Web sites. Research limitations/implications – Findings are based on web-based sustainability -related courses. Future research could apply method of case study to do a deeper study. Practical implications – The paper provides an overview of Asian management education for sustainability and curricula analysis through our research, and that this will further assist in the development of interdisciplinary integration in Asian management education for sustainability. Originality/value – This paper is the first attempt to gain better understanding of sustainability-related courses offered in leading business/management colleges in Asia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to contextualize the potential contribution that experiential learning and a learner-centred pedagogical approach may have when aiming to embed sustainability-focused and corporate social responsibility issues in businesses throughout the core curriculum targetted at international cohorts of undergraduate management students. Design/methodology/approach – A new conceptual framework for experiential learning that draws on both scholarly and experimental learning. Using learner-centred learning, the approach aims to engage each student to act both as a learner and a mentor, thus empowering them into enhancing their own and the overall class’ learning experience. Findings – Applying the diversity of students’ individual cultural mindsets to analyse and critically evaluate some of the current most pressing organizational and national/international dilemmas in sustainability. The preliminary outcomes seem to indicate that this approach enriches the students’ learning experience and motivates them to become reflective practitioners and sustainability-focused leaders in their future organizational roles. Research limitations/implications – A framework for an empirical mapping of this important area of teaching and learning (T&L) aimed at a highly international body of undergraduate management students. This is currently under-represented in academic writing and practice, as most of the comparable situations so far mainly address post-graduate cases and do not reflect on the international diversity of the student body. Practical implications – This research reflects on the importance of embedding diverse views on the same issues based on different cultural and socio-economic perspectives, and therefore it brings value to the students’ experience in view of enhancing their global and international human relations awareness and negotiation skills in view of more meaningful sustainability-focused plans and actions. Social implications – Students become aware of differences in needs, resources, cultural perceptions, business standards, practices and policies in place in different countries, and they will be committed to embedding sustainability issues in their future life as business practitioners and will be able to ensure the most appropriate business responses to a planet and humanity under pressure. Originality/value – A rather innovative T&L approach to embed sustainability issues in undergraduate management students training in a highly international context. This is currently under-represented in academic writing and practice, in spite of the numerous programmes that nowadays bring students from all over the world to study together at higher education/university undergraduate level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose – This paper aims to contribute to the ongoing debate about the relevance of sustainability in management education through exploration of the needs and expectations of a key group of business schools’ stakeholders – senior executives of leading corporations. Design/methodology/approach – The paper presents findings from a survey regarding sustainability within management education returned by executives from a wide span of global companies. The study includes 194 survey responses by senior executives from companies that are signatories of the United Nations Global Compact. Findings – Results from a survey of executives from leading multinational enterprises reveal widespread recognition that sustainability issues are increasingly important for effective management, thus that managers must be appropriately trained for these emerging challenges. Survey results also indicate the kinds of skills and qualities seen as valuable by corporate leaders. Research limitations/implications – It is not possible to extrapolate from this study the aggregate sentiment of all senior business executives, but the sample of 194 respondents is significant. Practical implications – The expressed demand from business leaders provides context for business school faculty and administrators involved in the development of appropriately trained professionals. Originality/value – The study provides indication of demand from a significant subset of influential executives, providing support for the on-going progress of the integration of sustainability topics and training in the curricula of business and other fields. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to describe a concentrated strategy to embed sustainability teaching into a (chemical) engineering undergraduate curriculum throughout the whole programme. Innovative teaching approaches in subject-specific context are described and their efficiency investigated. Design/methodology/approach – The activities in chemical engineering include a week-long module introducing fundamentals of chemical engineering in the first year, a number of industrially relevant case studies within enquiry based learning (EBL) that have a great societal impact. Information regarding the transition towards EBL, the case studies on fuel cell effectiveness and sustainable plant design are provided in this contribution. Emphasis is placed on the methods of assessment of student learning, and evaluation of student preferences of delivery is included. Student focus groups and diamond ranking are used to evaluate the effectiveness of delivery. Findings – Focus groups and diamond ranking have confirmed that students appreciate that sustainable development is a key issue for future engineers to understand and the case study workshops are a realistic, enjoyable and effective teaching method. Originality/value – The paper describes the authors' efforts to embed sustainability into a curriculum from week 1 of chemical engineering curriculum, as well as providing input on sustainability into the curriculum of the remaining engineering disciplines. These approaches can be useful for other engineering higher education providers in ensuring effective sustainability education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the integration of Okala curriculum into Interior Design coursework. Okala, as a teaching package, is utilized extensively in industrial design education. However, this study examines the expansion and insertion of Okala modules in an existing interior design curriculum. The Okala modules included were: broad ecological information, eco-design history, and strategies and processes for ecological design implementation. To interpret if the integration was effective, an online survey was developed and distributed to students enrolled in the course. Design/methodology/approach – The survey was administered at the end of the spring 2009 semester. To evaluate the effectiveness of Okala modules and the perceived perceptions of the students' awareness toward the environment – ecologically, economically and sustainably – the researchers used the New Ecological Paradigm (NEP) questionnaire. Developed by Dunlap and Van Liere in 1978, the NEP has been a reliable instrument in several previous studies, has measured other populations' attitudes toward the environment, and correlates well with the intent of researching Okala modules. Findings – The key findings suggest that the incorporation of Okala modules: heightened students' confidence that humans' ability to produce environmentally-friendly technologies will not allow for environmental collapse; equalized students' feelings about humans' and nature's rights; and did not change students' perception about Earth's capabilities and limits. Overall, the study had successfully determined students' environmental feelings prior to and after course instruction. Originality/value – This paper exposes the importance of integrating sustainable development and interdisciplinary coursework into the content of a curriculum-required course. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to share the content and early results from an interdisciplinary sustainability curriculum that integrates theory and practice (praxis). The curriculum links new topical courses concerning renewable energy, food, water, engineering and social change with specialized labs that enhance technological and social-institutional sustainability literacy and build team-based project collaboration skills. Design/methodology/approach - In responses to dynamic interest emerging from university students and society, scholars from Environmental Studies, Engineering, Sociology, Education and Politics Departments united to create this curriculum. New courses and labs were designed and pre-existing courses were "radically retrofitted" and more tightly integrated through co-instruction and content. The co-authors discuss the background and collaborative processes that led to the emergence of this curriculum and describe the pedagogy and results associated with the student projects. Findings - Interdisciplinary student teams developed innovative projects with both campus and community-based partners. However, the incentives for an integrated sustainability curriculum faced persistent obstacles including the balkanization of academic knowledge, university organizational structure, and the need for additional human and financial investments. The team is currently designing the second phase of this integration and expanding a social learning network through collaborations with five universities in the Americas and Europe. Originality/value - This paper shows the development process, design and content of an interdisciplinary sustainability curriculum that integrates engineering with the social and ecological sciences while enlivening campus-community relationships through student projects. Several replicable practices include the contents and integration of topical classes, the strategies to overcome the obstacles for developing interdisciplinary student teams engaged in problem-based learning and approaches to negotiate institutional hurdles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose – This paper aims to examine how both the amount and type of coursework impact students’ conceptualizations of sustainability. Previous research demonstrates that academic coursework influences students’ environmental attitudes, yet few studies have examined the impact of coursework on how students conceptualize “sustainability”. Design/methodology/approach – Data are examined from the 2011 Sustainability Survey, which yielded a sample of 552 students at a medium-sized university in the southeastern USA. A series of four linear regression models estimate the impact of academic coursework on students’ conceptualizations of sustainability (ecosystems/nature, eco-efficiency, community/well-being and systemic change/innovation). Findings – The results indicate that the type of course that students take significantly impacts the way in which students conceptualize this term; the number of courses taken has no statistically significant impact. This suggests that mere exposure to a particular theme in a class, rather than continued exposure to courses related to sustainability, is more important in shaping students’ perceptions. Originality/value – This study expands on previous research by examining the influence of the number and type of academic coursework on students’ conceptions of sustainability and provides a framework for understanding the varied ways in which sustainability is defined. This has important implications for how students approach ways to achieve a sustainable future. The results suggest that students may be exposed to particular messages within an academic division that encourage students to emphasize particular elements of sustainability. While not problematic on its face, the data demonstrate that students lack an integrated or holistic understanding of sustainability. They usually view sustainability through the same prism as the academic division where their coursework was located, and this has implications for students’ continued perceptions of sustainability, academic programming of sustainability and the practice of it. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to consider the understanding and presence of sustainability within entrepreneurship education. The extant literature on sustainability within the entrepreneurship discipline remains extremely limited. Previously, sustainability within an entrepreneurship context has related to economic viability as opposed to sustainability in its broadest sense. This study explores, through a survey of entrepreneurship educators, three key research questions, namely, how entrepreneurship educators believe that entrepreneurs can contribute to solving sustainability problems. Second, to what extent education about sustainability is integrated within existing entrepreneurship curricula. Finally, what considerations are being made to include sustainability within future programmes. Design/methodology/approach – This study represented part of a larger university project exploring the associations between the sustainability and entrepreneurship disciplines. This part of the study involved a web-based survey from entrepreneurship academics drawn from Australia, New Zealand, UK, and the USA which provided 54 completed questionnaires. Findings – The study uncovered much good practice led by “champions” within the entrepreneurship discipline. However, embedded sustainability practice was typically limited and it was more typically regarded as an “add-on” to traditional entrepreneurial teaching. Practical implications – The study proposes three ways in which sustainability might be more meaningfully integrated into entrepreneurship programmes. First, the QAA (2012) guidelines for enterprise and entrepreneurship need to be reconsidered to encapsulate the sustainability agenda. Second, for entrepreneurship educators to reconsider their pedagogical approaches to encapsulate systems thinking as more holistic educational perspective. Finally, the authors call for entrepreneurship educators to revise their programmes to embed the core facets of social, environmental, economic, and more recently ethical sustainability. Originality/value – The study offers a novel insight into entrepreneurship educators attitudes to sustainability and their approach to it within their curricula. This study provides an initial benchmark regarding the levels of sustainability provision within entrepreneurship curricula which will be of interest to the entrepreneurship academic community, the sustainability community, and policy makers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to present innovative strategies to promote sustainability-focused education, in a case study of a multi-institutional program designed to prepare students for management positions in global apparel and footwear companies. The program is unique in focusing upon management education occurring outside the business school, extension of faculty resources through inter-institutional collaborations, and use of the internet for course delivery. Design/methodology/approach – Faculty from three institutions collaborated to develop ten 1-credit web-based graduate courses and delivered them inter-institutionally. Through collaboration with global companies and other stakeholders and through field research, the faculty built a shared vision of sustainability education, identified learning outcomes, developed practical and applied learning experiences and created tools to assess learning. Findings – Industry experts agreed that the courses and learning outcomes were important and addressed industry needs. The internet-based platform and learning activities engaged students and encouraged development of creative strategies for addressing sustainability issues. Practical implications – Students and institutions benefitted from the award-winning program. Specific outcomes are discussed. Originality/value – The strategies used in development of the program provide examples for other educational institutions for how to negotiate institutional factors in pursuit of the UN Principles for Responsible Management Education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose – The aim of this paper is to respond to calls for higher education institutions to address sustainability within the curriculum. Institutions that aim to graduate citizens with prescribed attributes relevant to sustainability may need to develop teaching and learning support-programmes appropriate to the varied nature of students' worldviews. Design/methodology/approach – The research described here used the NEP (Revised New Ecological Paradigm) and statistical cluster-analysis to explore if individuals within cohorts of students could reasonably be clustered into subgroups with identified sustainability attributes relevant to the design of learner-support programmes. Findings – All seven programme cohorts in one institution's annual intake clustered into three subgroups with identifiable attributes. Practical implications – The results are discussed in relation to how post-compulsory education institutions can define the sustainability characteristics of their students and to the pedagogic literature that addresses diversity in student groups. Originality/value – The approach may help higher education institutions better understand the needs of individual students within large groups and to develop appropriate support programmes for students with similar attributes and needs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to build a detailed description of the Global Seminar (GS) curricula model by exploring its on-the-ground participatory practices in America, Europe, Africa, Asia, and Australia. Design/methodology/approach - Within a qualitative research design framework, the authors interviewed 20 faculty members from the USA, Mexico, Costa Rica, Italy, Australia, Sweden, Honduras, South Africa, Germany, Austria, and Denmark. They observed 11 class sessions; and analyzed available course documents. Findings - The GS model provides a broader notion of teaching and learning for sustainability that incorporates greening and education for sustainability into curricula. This participatory model proves the emerging shift towards a new paradigm of teaching and learning for sustainability in academia. Originality/value - This paper shows how academia can address sustainability through curricula models that promote a fundamental change to the dominant academic paradigm and challenge the existing understanding of sustainability in higher education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the integration of trans-disciplinary approaches in the sustainability curriculum for mining and petroleum engineering degrees. The Brundtland Report is cited as a reference for sustainable development in conformance to economic, environmental and functional objectives while taking note of the crowded state of engineering undergraduate and graduate programs. It is noted that University of Arizona offers sustainable resource development courses aside from integrating it.

The article presents information on the reflective journal writing technique used in design studio as a part of the curriculum of students. It informs that the aim of the method is to increase awareness of students towards sustainability and sustainable design. It further informs that the journals can contextualize the complex information and can analyze the concepts which the students face during their professional life. It focuses on the pedagogical method that records reflections like annotations on drawings, preliminary sketches andphotographs.

Purpose: This study aims to report on how programme directors address sustainability within engineering education at Swedish universities and engineering colleges. Design/methodology/approach: The study was performed as a survey with follow-up interviews around the following core questions: to what extent do programme directors possess a deep understanding of the subject of sustainable development? Which are the core competencies in sustainable development that programme directors identify as important for their engineering students to acquire during their basic training? To what extent are those competencies integrated into engineering education today and what kind of support do programme directors receive from their department to integrate these competencies into the curriculum? Findings: Programme directors believe that learning for sustainable development is important mainly based on their personal convictions. However, out of 10 potential learning objectives extracted from the literature, only four-six are implemented in degree programmes. Learning objectives and activities are not always aligned, as students are required to learn about interdisciplinary collaboration without working with students from other faculties. The programme directors receive some support from the department, but they express a need for additional support. Examples of support that they suggest are faculty training, efficient teaching material and incorporation of sustainability in the quality assessment instruments for degree programmes. Originality/value: This study is the first comprehensive, national survey of what programme directors think about sustainability in higher education. Their views are important in the attempt to accelerate the integration of sustainability in higher education curricula. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose This study aims to identify the content in introductory business sustainability courses in the USA to determine the most frequently assigned reading material and its sustainability orientation.Design/methodology/approach In total, 81 introductory sustainable business course syllabi reading lists were analyzed from 51 US colleges and universities. The study utilized frequency counts for authors and readings and R analysis of key words to classify readings along the sustainability spectrum.Findings The study reveals the most frequently assigned authors and readings in US sustainable business courses (by program type) and places them along the sustainability spectrum from weak to strong. In total, 55 per cent of the top readings assigned in the sample advocate a weak sustainability paradigm, and 29 per cent of the top readings advocate a strong sustainability paradigm.Research limitations/implications This study focused on reading lists of introductory courses in the USA; cases, videos and supplemental materials were excluded, and the study does not analyze non-US courses.Practical implications The findings of this study can inform instructors of the most commonly assigned authors and readings and identify readings that align with weak sustainability and strong sustainability. Instructors are now able to select sustainable business readings consistent with peers and which advance a weak or strong sustainability orientation.Originality/value This is the first research to identify the most commonly assigned authors and readings to aid in course planning. This is also the first research to guide instructors in identifying which readings represent weak versus strong sustainability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose This study aims to provide a complete understanding of academic research into higher education for sustainable development (HESD).Design/methodology/approach This study utilizes a systematic review of four scientific literature databases to outline topics of research during the UN’s Decade of Education for Sustainable Development (DESD).Findings This study compares research trends and United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization’s (UNESCO’s) strategic perspectives, worldwide topics and the number of studies. The results show that the research trends did not match UNESCO’s perspectives well and that researchers’ focus on popular events led to the variation between the numbers of articles each year. In summary, the findings indicate that most researchers base their topics on environmental issues, and research trends indicate the need for the integration of HESD.Practical implications This study provides a systematic review of higher education for academic research into sustainability, and it has implications for researchers and educators by identifying the gaps between the research conducted and the UN’s policies during the DESD.Originality/value This study attempts to offer an integrated view of HESD and to understand the bias of research trends during the DESD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose -- The purpose of this article is to explore sustainability commitments' potential implications for the curriculum of introductory economics courses. Universities have signed the Talloires Declaration, committing themselves to promoting students' environmental literacy and ecological citizenship, thereby creating pressure to integrate sustainability across the curriculum. Design/methodology/approach -- A case study approach involving qualitative research methods and the three largest public universities in British Columbia, Canada, was used. As one component of a larger study, 11 of the 19 economists who delivered the course over the study period were interviewed. The theoretical framework was informed by ecological economics scholarship on how mainstream economic thought represents environment-economy linkages. Findings -- Findings suggest that universities' sustainability commitments have not influenced principles of economics curriculum. Sustainability is not salient to lecturers; prospects that mainstream economics departments will integrate sustainability into curriculum in a timely manner without external pressure appear limited. Practical implications -- While institutions often enthusiastically report on courses that contribute to students' ecological literacy, identifying curriculum that may confound student understanding of sustainability receives less emphasis. Introductory economics courses appear to merit scrutiny from this perspective. Originality/value -- About 40 per cent of North American university students take an introductory economics course, relatively few take more advanced economics courses. This course, thus, teaches many students economic theory and the economics profession's approach to evaluating public policy, and has potential to contribute to knowledge of sustainability. Few studies examine how undergraduate economics curriculum addresses sustainability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses a study on the contributions of the Asia-Pacific region to the practice of sustainability in higher education (HE) in different countries and regions. Both international and regional policy contexts were reviewed in the study along with the context of sustainability innovation within the HE sector. It was found in the study that creative initiatives were offered by the Asia-Pacific region which shows understanding the learning dimensions of sustainability. Also, there is a need for global trends to promote systemic change in educational arenas, including strategic integration within HE institutions. It was found that there is a need to harness national policy, change in HE curricula by collaboration with external communities and stakeholders.