Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-94fs2 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-11T10:43:39.590Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Three Academics’ Narratives in Transforming Curriculum for Education for Sustainable Development

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  29 August 2013

Fiona Wahr ,
Jenny Underwood ,
Luise Adams  and
Verity Prideaux
Fiona Wahr*
Affiliation:
School of Education, RMIT University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Jenny Underwood
Affiliation:
School of Fashion & Textiles, RMIT University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Luise Adams
Affiliation:
School of Fashion & Textiles, RMIT University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Verity Prideaux
Affiliation:
School of Fashion & Textiles, RMIT University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
*
Address for correspondence: Fiona Wahr, School of Education, RMIT University, PO Box 71, Bundoora VIC 3083, Australia. Email: s9903771@student.rmit.edu.au
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

The expectation is that higher education curricula which purports to incorporate education for sustainable development (ESD) supports university graduates in becoming more sustainable. It would then follow that if academics are to offer such curricula they need to be adequately equipped with the motivations, knowledge and skills to teach it. However, the extent to which ESD has resulted in genuine higher education curriculum change, and academic readiness for it, is debatable. As such, this article presents the academic experiences of three of the authors involved in a curriculum change process to embed ESD within a Bachelor of Arts (Textile Design) degree program. Individual post-project narratives of our experiences are summarised and thematically analysed. The analysis reveals these experiences as disorienting, yet subsequently transformative. The findings suggest promoting academics’ transformative learning should be a focus of ESD curriculum change efforts. The findings support commitment to long-term, facilitated professional development to achieve transformative change; an often espoused, yet under-reported initiative.

Keywords

education for sustainable developmentsustainabilitytransformative learninghigher educationcurriculum changeprofessional developmentnarrative
Type
Feature Articles
Information
Australian Journal of Environmental Education , Volume 29 , Issue 1: Creating our next courageous steps , July 2013 , pp. 97 - 116
Copyright
Copyright © The Authors 2013 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Australian Campuses Towards Sustainability. (2011). Green Gown Wwards Australasia, 2011 winners. Retrieved from http://www.acts.asn.au/index.php/programs-and-initiatives/green-gown-awards-australasia/green-gown-awards-australasia-2011/2011-green-gown-award-australasia-winners/Google Scholar
Barth, M., & Rieckmann, M. (2012). Academic staff development as a catalyst for curriculum change towards education for sustainable development: an output perspective. Journal of Cleaner Production, 26, 28–36.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Biggs, J. (2003). Teaching for quality learning at university: What the student does (2nd ed.). Berkshire, UK: Open University Press and Two Penn Plaza.Google Scholar
Biggs, J., & Tang, C. (2007). Teaching for quality learning at university: What the student does (3rd ed.). Berkshire, UK: Open University Press.Google Scholar
Bradbury Huang, H. (2010). What is good action research?: Why the resurgent interest? Action Research, 8 (1), 93.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Coghlan, D., & Brannick, T. (2009). Doing action research in your own organization: London: Sage Publications.Google Scholar
Corcoran, P.B., & Wals, A.E.J. (2004). Higher education and the challenge of sustainability: Problematics, promise and practice. Dordrecht: Kluwer Academic Publishers.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cortese, A. (1999). Education for sustainability: The need for a new human perspective. Retrieved from http://www.secondnature.org/pdf/snwritings/articles/humanpersp.pdfGoogle Scholar
Cotton, D.R.E., Warren, M.F., Maiboroda, O., & Bailey, I. (2007). Sustainable development, higher education and pedagogy: A study of lecturers’ beliefs and attitudes. Environmental Education Research, 13 (5), 579–597.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cowton, C. (2004). Accounting education for sustainability. In Blewitt, J. & Cullingford, C. (Eds.), The sustainability curriculum: The challenge for higher education (pp. 157–166). London: Earthscan.Google Scholar
Cranton, P. (2009). Transformative learning and AVE for social sustainability. Rethinking Work and Learning, 93–105.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cranton, P., & King, K. (2003). Transformative learning as a professional development goal. New Directions for Adult and Continuing Education, 98, pp. 31–37.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Davis, S.A. (2001). Integration of the concepts of sustainability into teaching at post-secondary institutions. Unpublished Doctor of Philosophy, University of Mississippi.Google Scholar
de la Harpe, B., & Thomas, I. (2009). Curriculum Change in Universities: Conditions that facilitate education for sustainable development. Journal of Education for Sustainable Development, 3 (1), 11.Google Scholar
Down, L. (2006). Addressing the challenges of mainstreaming education for sustainable development in higher education. International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education, 7 (4), 390–399.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hazelton, J., & Haigh, M. (2008). Incorporating sustainability into accounting curricula: Lessons learnt from an Action Research study. Accounting Education, iFirst, 1–20.Google Scholar
Hegarty, K. (2008). Shaping the self to sustain the other: Mapping impacts of academic identity in education for sustainability. Environmental Education Research, 14 (6), 681–692.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Holdsworth, S., Bekessy, S., Mnguni, P., Hayles, C., & Thomas, I. (2006). Beyond leather patches (BELP): Sustainability education at RMIT University. In Filho, W.L. & Carpenter, D. (Eds.), Sustainability in the Australasian University Context. Frankfurt am Main: Peter Lang.Google Scholar
Holdsworth, S., Wyborn, C., Bekessy, S., & Thomas, I. (2008). Professional development for education for sustainability. How advanced are Australian universities? International Journal for Sustainability in Higher Education, 9 (2), 131–146.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Intolubbe-Chmil, L., Spreen, C.A., & Swap, R.J. (2012). Transformative learning: Participant perspectives on international experiential education. Journal of Research in International Education, 11 (2), 165–180.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Jones, P., Trier, C.J., & Richards, J.P. (2008). Embedding education for sustainable development in higher education: A case study examining common challenges and opportunities for undergraduate programmes. International Journal of Educational Research, 47 (6), 341–350.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Joseph, P. (2010). Holistic curriculum. In Kridel, C. (Ed.), Encyclopedia of curriculum studies (pp. 446–448). Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications.Google Scholar
Karm, M. (2010). Reflection tasks in pedagogical training courses. International Journal for Academic Development, 15 (3), 203–214.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kember, D. (2000). Action learning and action research. Improving the quality of teaching and learning. London: Kogan Page.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kohler Riessman, C. (2008). Narrative methods for the human sciences. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.Google Scholar
Lang, J.R., Thomas, I., & Wilson, A. (2006). Education for sustainability in Australian universities: Where is the action? Australian Journal of Environmental Education, 22 (2), 45–58.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lourdel, N., Gondran, N., Laforest, V., Debray, B., & Brodhag, C. (2007). Sustainable development cognitive map: a new method of evaluating student understanding. International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education, 8 (2), 170–182.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Mackie, M., & Kagawa, F. (2007). Opportunities and challenges for students and tutors in integrating sustainability into design studio teaching.Google Scholar
McAlpine, L., Oviedo, G.B., & Emrick, A. (2008). Telling the second half of the story: Linking academic development to student experience of learning. Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, 33 (6), 661–673.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Mezirow, J. (Ed.). (1990). How critical reflection triggers transformative learning. In Fostering critical reflection in adulthood (pp. 1–18). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.Google Scholar
Moon, J.A. (1999). Reflection in learning and professional development. London: Kogan Page.Google Scholar
Moon, J.A. (2004). A handbook of reflective and experiential learning. Theory and practice. London: RoutledgeFalmer.Google Scholar
Morrison, G., Ross, S., & Kemp, J. (2007). Designing effective instruction (5th ed.). Hoboken, NY: Jonh Wiley & Sons.Google Scholar
Reid, A., & Petocz, P. (2006). University lecturers’ understanding of sustainability. Higher Education: The International Journal of Higher Education and Educational Planning, 51 (1), 105–123.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Sauvé, L. (2005). Currents in environmental education: Mapping a complex and evolving pedagogical field. Canadian Journal of Environmental Education, 10 (1), 11–37.Google Scholar
Sipos, Y., Battisti, B., & Grimm, K. (2008). Achieving transformative sustainability learning: Engaging head, hands and heart. International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education, 9 (1), 68–86.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Smith, K. (2009). Transnational teaching experiences: An under‐explored territory for transformative professional development. International Journal for Academic Development, 14 (2), 111–122.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Southwell, D., & Morgan, W. (2009). Leadership and the impact of academic staff development and leadership development on student learning outcomes in higher education: A review of the literature: A report for the Australian Learning and Teaching Council (ALTC): QUT Department of Teaching and Learning Support Services.Google Scholar
Stephens, J., Hernandez, M., Román, M., Graham, A., & Scholz, R. (2008). Higher education as a change agent for sustainability in different cultures and contexts. International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education, 9 (3), 317–338.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Sterling, S. (2004). An analysis of the development of sustainability education internationally: Evolution, interpretation and transformation. In Blewitt, J. & Cullingford, C. (Eds.), The sustainability curriculum: The challenge for higher education (pp. 43–62). London: Earthscan.Google Scholar
Sterling, S. (2010). Transformative learning and sustainability: Sketching the conceptual ground. Learning and Teaching in Higher Education, (5), 17–33.Google Scholar
Stringer, E., McFadyen Christensen, L., & Baldwin, S. (2010). Integrating teaching, learning and action research: Enhancing instruction in the K-12. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.Google Scholar
Sustainability Victoria. (2012). Premier's sustainability awards 2012. 2011 Winner: Tertiary education, RMIT University. Retrieved from http://sustainabilityawards.vic.gov.au/2011-winner-tertiary-educationGoogle Scholar
Svanström, M., Lozano-García, F.J., & Rowe, D. (2008). Learning outcomes for sustainable development in higher education. International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education, 9 (3), 339–351.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Taylor, E.W. (2008). Transformative learning theory. New Directions for Adult and Continuing Education, (119), 5–15.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Thomas, I., & Nicita, J. (2002). Sustainability education and Australian universities. Environmental Education Research, 8 (4), 475–492.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Tilbury, D. (2004a). Environmental education for sustainability: A force for change. In Corcoran, P.B. & Wals, A.E.J. (Eds.), Higher education and the challenge of sustainability. Problematics, promise and practice (pp. 97–112). Dordrecht: Kulwer Academic Publishers.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Tilbury, D. (2004b). Rising to the challenge: Education for sustainability in Australia. Australian Journal of Environmental Education, 20 (2), 103–114.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Tilbury, D. (2011). Higher education for sustainability: A global overview of commitment and progress. In GUNI (Ed.), Higher education in the world 4: Higher Education's commitment to sustainability from understanding to Action (pp. 18–28). Barcelona: GUNI Higher Education in the World 4.Google Scholar
Tilbury, D., Podger, D., & Reid, A. (2004). Action research for change towards sustainability: Change in curricula and graduate skills towards sustainability (Final report). Australian Government Department of the Environment and Heritage and Macquarie University.Google Scholar
Underwood, J. (2009). Re-design: In pursuit of a sustainable future. In Rouse, E. (Ed.), Fashion and wellbeing? 11th Annual Conference for IFFTI (pp. 482–493). London: International Foundation of Fashion Technology Institutes.Google Scholar
Underwood, J., Wahr, F., Lynas, E., & Beale, C. (2011). A group approach to embedding sustainability within a degree curriculum: Collaborative, creative, iterative. In Hegarty, K., Chambers, D. & Beringer, A. (Eds.), Proceedings of the 10th International Conference of Australasian Campuses Towards Sustainability, 2011 (pp. 63–68). Melbourne, Australia: RMIT, Australasian Campuses Towards Sustainability.Google Scholar
Wals, A.E.J. (2009). Review of context and structures for education for sustainable development 2009. Paris: UNESCO.Google Scholar
Wals, A.E.J. (2010). Mirroring, Gestaltswitching and transformative social learning: stepping stones for developing sustainability competence. International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education, 11 (4), 380–390.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wals, A.E.J., & Blewitt, J. (2012). Third wave sustainability in higher education: Some (inter) national trends and developments. In Sterling, S. (Ed.), Sustainability education: Perspectives and practice across higher education (pp. 55–74). Hoboken: Earthscan.Google Scholar
Wals, A.E.J., & Jickling, B. (2002). ‘Sustainability’ in higher education: From doublethink to newspeak to critical thinking and meaningful learning. International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education, 3 (3), 221–232.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ziegenfuss, D.H., & Lawler, P.A. (2008). Collaborative course design: changing the process, acknowledging the context, and implications for academic development. International Journal for Academic Development, 13 (3), 151–160.CrossRefGoogle Scholar