TY - JOUR
T1 - Real-world learning opportunities in sustainability
T2 - from classroom into the real world
AU - Brundiers, Katja
AU - Wiek, Arnim
AU - Redman, Charles
N1 - Copyright:
Copyright 2016 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.
PY - 2010/9/21
Y1 - 2010/9/21
N2 - Purpose – Academic sustainability programs aim to develop key competencies in sustainability, including problemsolving skills and the ability to collaborate successfully with experts and stakeholders. These key competencies may be most fully developed in new teaching and learning situations. The purpose of this paper is to analyze the kind of, and extent to which, these key competencies can be acquired in realworld learning opportunities. Design/methodology/approach – The paper summarizes key competencies in sustainability, identifies criteria for realworld learning opportunities in sustainability programs, and draws on dominant realworld learning models including project and problembased learning, service learning, and internships in communities, businesses, and governments. These components are integrated into a framework to design realworld learning opportunities. Findings – A “functional and progressive” model of realworld learning opportunities seems most conducive to introduce students (as well as faculty and community partners) to collaborative research between academic researchers and practitioners. The stepwise process combined with additional principles allows building competencies such as problem solving, linking knowledge to action, and collaborative work, while applying concepts and methods from the field of sustainability. Practical implications – The paper offers examples of realworld learning opportunities at the School of Sustainability at Arizona State University, discusses general challenges of implementation and organizational learning, and draws attention to critical success factors such as collaborative design, coordination, and integration in general introductory courses for undergraduate students. Originality/value – The paper contributes to sustainability education by clarifying how realworld learning opportunities contribute to the acquisition of key competencies in sustainability. It proposes a functional and progressive model to be integrated into the (undergraduate) curriculum and suggests strategies for its implementation.
AB - Purpose – Academic sustainability programs aim to develop key competencies in sustainability, including problemsolving skills and the ability to collaborate successfully with experts and stakeholders. These key competencies may be most fully developed in new teaching and learning situations. The purpose of this paper is to analyze the kind of, and extent to which, these key competencies can be acquired in realworld learning opportunities. Design/methodology/approach – The paper summarizes key competencies in sustainability, identifies criteria for realworld learning opportunities in sustainability programs, and draws on dominant realworld learning models including project and problembased learning, service learning, and internships in communities, businesses, and governments. These components are integrated into a framework to design realworld learning opportunities. Findings – A “functional and progressive” model of realworld learning opportunities seems most conducive to introduce students (as well as faculty and community partners) to collaborative research between academic researchers and practitioners. The stepwise process combined with additional principles allows building competencies such as problem solving, linking knowledge to action, and collaborative work, while applying concepts and methods from the field of sustainability. Practical implications – The paper offers examples of realworld learning opportunities at the School of Sustainability at Arizona State University, discusses general challenges of implementation and organizational learning, and draws attention to critical success factors such as collaborative design, coordination, and integration in general introductory courses for undergraduate students. Originality/value – The paper contributes to sustainability education by clarifying how realworld learning opportunities contribute to the acquisition of key competencies in sustainability. It proposes a functional and progressive model to be integrated into the (undergraduate) curriculum and suggests strategies for its implementation.
KW - Competences
KW - Curricula
KW - Experiential learning
KW - Higher education
KW - Problem solving
KW - Sustainable development
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U2 - 10.1108/14676371011077540
DO - 10.1108/14676371011077540
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:77957149203
SN - 1467-6370
VL - 11
SP - 308
EP - 324
JO - International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education
JF - International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education
IS - 4
ER -