Hostname: page-component-6b989bf9dc-cvxtj Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-04-15T01:31:50.125Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Inspiration From the Classroom: A Mixed Method Case Study of Interdisciplinary Sustainability Learning in Higher Education

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  06 October 2017

Sue Noy ,
Rebecca Patrick ,
Teresa Capetola  and
Janine McBurnie
Sue Noy*
Affiliation:
School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Deakin University, Geelong, Australia
Rebecca Patrick
Affiliation:
Health, Nature and Sustainability Research Group, School of Health and Social Development, Deakin University, Geelong, Australia
Teresa Capetola
Affiliation:
Health, Nature and Sustainability Research Group, School of Health and Social Development, Deakin University, Geelong, Australia
Janine McBurnie
Affiliation:
School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Deakin University, Geelong, Australia
*
Address for correspondence: Sue Noy, School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Deakin University, 221 Burwood Highway, Burwood VIC 3125, Australia. Email: s.noy@deakin.edu.au
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Within higher education there is widespread support for developing students’ interdisciplinary skills. Despite this, evidence for, and practice of, cross-faculty interdisciplinary sustainability learning remains in its infancy. Recent articles have shown that Australia is no exception. This article provides a case study of interdisciplinary learning and teaching within a cross-faculty Education for Sustainability (EfS) undergraduate subject involving science, arts, business, and health students at an Australian university. A description of the subject and its theoretical context provides a platform for presenting the findings of a mixed method enquiry into how pedagogy supports interdisciplinary sustainability learning. The sequential explanatory research design involved a post-subject quantitative survey analysed using SPSS, augmented by qualitative student journal data (n = 67) using phenomenological analysis within NVivo. The study found that students, regardless of discipline background, valued the processes and pedagogy used to promote interdisciplinary collaboration and awareness. The experience left students feeling more skilled and confident of their ability to contribute to future interdisciplinary sustainability collaboration. This case study, replete with a subject description, theoretical context for an innovative pedagogical approach and study results, provides higher education professionals with a template for deliberative curriculum and pedagogy that promote interdisciplinary knowledge, skills and confidence that may contribute to transformative learning that supports EfS goals. The article presents a strong case for future EfS curriculum frameworks and strategic education policy to include deliberative interdisciplinary pedagogy. It also challenges higher education institutions to create flexible systems that facilitate cross-faculty interdisciplinary learning that is necessary for preparing students for the future.

Keywords

education for sustainabilityinterdisciplinary learninghigher educationpeer learningmixed methodscase study
Type
Feature Articles
Information
Australian Journal of Environmental Education , Volume 33 , Issue 2 , July 2017 , pp. 97 - 118
Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s) 2017 

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

Ajzen, I. (2002). Perceived behavioral control, self-efficacy, locus of control, and the theory of planned behavior. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 32, 665–683.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Beilin, R., & Bender, H. (2010). The getting of interdisciplinarity: the everyday practice of environnmental curriculum design. In Davies, M. & Devlin, M. (Eds.), Interdisciplinary higher education: Perspectives and practicalities (pp. 181–193). Bingley, UK: Emerald Group Publishing.Google Scholar
Bender, H. (Ed.) (2011). Reshaping environments: Theory and practice in a complex world. Melbourne, Australia: University of Melbourne.Google Scholar
Briggs, L. (2012). Tackling wicked problems: A public policy perspective. Canberra, Australia: Australian Government. Retrieved from http://www.apsc.gov.au/publications-and-media/archive/publications-archive/tackling-wicked-problems.Google Scholar
Brookfield, S. D. (2005). The power of critical theory: Liberating adult learning and teaching. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.Google Scholar
Bryman, A. (2008). Social research methods (3rd ed.). Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press.Google Scholar
Bryman, A., & Cramer, D. (1994). Quantitative data analysis for social scientists (2nd ed.). London, UK: Routledge.Google Scholar
Bryson, C., & Hand, L. (2007). The role of engagement in inspiring teaching and learning. Innovations in Education and Teaching International, 44, 349–362.Google Scholar
Buszard, D., & Kolb, J. (2011). Institutional innovation to deliver post-secondary education for sustainability. Sustainability, 4, 80–84.Google Scholar
Christie, B. A., Miller, K. K., Cooke, R., & White, J. G. (2012). Environmental sustainability in higher education: How do academics teach? Environmental Education Research, 19, 385–414.Google Scholar
Cranton, P. (1994). Understanding and promoting transformative learning: A guide for educators of adults. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass Publishers.Google Scholar
Cranton, P. (2011). A transformative perspective on the scholarship of teaching and learning. Higher Education Research and Development, 30, 75–86.Google Scholar
Creswell, J. W. (2013). Qualitative inquiry and design: Choosing among five approaches (3rd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.Google Scholar
Creswell, J. W., & Plano Clark, V. L. (2011). Designing and conducting mixed methods research (2nd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Google Scholar
Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts. (2009). Living sustainably: The Australian Government's National Action Plan for Education for Sustainability. Canberra, Australia: Author.Google Scholar
Fenner School of Environment and Society. (2016). Fenner School — About us. Retrieved from http://fennerschool.anu.edu.au/about-us Google Scholar
Gale, F., Davison, A., Wood, G., Williams, S., & Towle, N. (2015). Four impediments to embedding education for sustainability in higher education. Australian Journal of Environmental Education, 31, 248–263.Google Scholar
Global University Network for Innovation. (2011). Higher education in the world 4: Higher education's commitment to sustainability: From understanding to action. Retrieved from http://www.guninetwork.org/report/higher-education-world-4/documents Google Scholar
Golding, C. (2009). Integrating the disciplines: Successful interdisciplinary subjects (9780734041234). Melbourne, Australia: University of Melbourne Google Scholar
Granados-Sánchez, J., Wals, A. E. J., Ferrer-Balas, D., Waas, T., Imaz, M., Nortier, S., Svantröm, M., Van't Land, H., & Arriaga, G. (2011). Sustainability in higher education: Moving from understanding to action, breaking barriers for transformation. In Global University Network for Innovation (Ed.), Higher Education in the World, 4: Higher Education's Commitment to Sustainability: From Understanding to Action (pp. 193–207). Barcelona, Spain: Global University Network for Innovation.Google Scholar
Higgins, A., & Thomas, A. (2016). Education for sustainability in universities: Challenges and opportunities for change. Australian Journal of Environmental Education, 32, 91–108.Google Scholar
Hocking, C., & Riddle, M. (2014). Aiming for full coverage — Integrating sustainability education into all undergraduate courses at La Trobe University, Australia: Achievements, lessons learnt and barriers addressed. In Brandli, L., O. G. Kuznet va, Leal Filho, W., & Paço, A. M. F. d. (Eds.), Integrative approaches to sustainable development at university level: making the links (pp. 479–493): Cham, Switzerland: Springer.Google Scholar
Jones, P., Selby, D., & Sterling, S. (2010). Sustainability Education: Perspectives and practice across higher education. London, UK: Earthscan.Google Scholar
Jones, S., & Watt, K. (2010). Pluridisciplinary learning and assessment: Reflections on practice. In Davies, M., Devlin, M., & Tight, M. (Eds.), Interdisciplinary higher education: Perspectives and practicalities (vol. 5, pp. 195–207). Bingley, UK: Emerald.Google Scholar
Leihy, P., & Salazar, J. (2011). Education for sustainability in university curricula. Policies and practice in Victoria.Google Scholar
McClam, S., & Flores-Scott, E. M. (2012). Transdisciplinary teaching and research: What is possible in higher education? Teaching in Higher Education, 17, 231–243.Google Scholar
Mansilla, V. B. (2010). Learning to synthesize: A cognitive-epistemological foundation for interdisciplinary learning. In Frodeman, R., Klein, J. T., & Mitchman, C. (Eds.), Oxford handbook of interdisciplinarity (pp. 288–306). New York, NY: Oxford University Press.Google Scholar
Mansilla, V. B., Duraisingh, E. D., Wolfe, C. R., & Haynes, C. (2009). Targeted assessment rubric: An empirically grounded rubric for interdisciplinary writing. Journal of Higher Education, 80, 334–353.Google Scholar
Mezirow, J. (2000). Learning as transformation: Critical perspectives on a theory in progress (1st ed.). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.Google Scholar
Moon, J. (2006). Learning journals (2nd ed.). New York, NY: Routledge.Google Scholar
Moore, J., Pagani, F., Quayle, M., Robinson, J., Sawada, B., Spiegelman, G., & Van Wynsberghe, R. (2005). Recreating the university from within: Collaborative reflections on the University of British Columbia's engagement with sustainability. International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education, 6, 65–80.Google Scholar
Moustakas, C. E. (1994). Phenomenological research methods. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
National Academy of Sciences, National Academy of Engineering, & Institute of Medicine. (2005). Facilitating Interdisciplinary Research. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press.Google Scholar
O'Byrne, D., Dripps, W., & Nicholas, K. A. (2015). Teaching and learning sustainability: An assessment of the curriculum content and structure of sustainability degree programs in higher education. Sustainability Science, 10, 43–59.Google Scholar
Peters, J. M. (1997). Reflections on action research. In Quigley, B. A. & Kuhne, G. W. (Eds.), Creating practical knowledge through action research: Posing problems, solving problems, and improving daily practice. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass Publishers.Google Scholar
Ralph, M., & Stubbs, W. (2014). Integrating environmental sustainability into universities. Higher Education, 67, 71–90.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
RMIT University. (2017). Sustainability. Retrieved from https://www.rmit.edu.au/about/our-strategy/values/living-our-values/sustainability Google Scholar
Scottish Government. (2010). Learning for change: Scotland's action plan for the second half of the UN Decade of Education for Sustainable Development. Edinburgh, Scotland: Author. Retrieved from http://www.gov.scot/Publications/2010/05/20152453/7 Google Scholar
Sherren, K. (2005). Balancing the disciplines: A multidisciplinary perspective on sustainability curriculum content. Australian Journal of Environmental Education, 21, 97–106.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, 68–86.Google Scholar
Sriskandarajah, N., Bawden, R., Blackmore, C., Tidball, K. G., & Wals, A. E. J. (2010). Resilience in learning systems: Case studies in university education. Environmental Education Research, 16, 559–573.Google Scholar
Sterling, S. (2010). Learning for resilience, or the resilient learner? Towards a necessary reconciliation in a paradigm of sustainable education. Environmental Education Research, 16, 511–528.Google Scholar
Sterling, S. R., Maxey, L., & Luna, H. (Eds.). (2013). The sustainable university: Progress and prospects. London, UK: Routledge.Google Scholar
Taylor, E. W., & Cranton, P. (2012). The handbook of transformative learning: Theory, research, and practice (1st ed.). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.Google Scholar
Tilbury, D. (2011). Education for sustainability: A guide for educators on teaching and learning approaches. Retrieved from http://www.glos.ac.uk/docs/download/Sustainability/Education-for-Sustainability-A-Guide-for-Educators-on-Teaching-and-Learning-Approaches.pdf Google Scholar
Tilbury, D., & Cooke, K. (2005). A national review of environmental education and its contribution to sustainability in Australia: Frameworks for sustainability — Key findings. Canberra, Australia: Australian Government Department of the Environment and Heritage and Australian Research Institute in Education for Sustainability (ARIES).Google Scholar
UNESCO. (2009a). Bonn Declaration. Retrieved from http://www.esd-world-conference-2009.org/fileadmin/download/ESD2009_BonnDeclaration080409.pdf Google Scholar
UNESCO. (2009b). Review of contexts and structures for education for sustainable development 2009. Key findings & ways forward. Retrieved from http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0018/001877/187757e.pdf Google Scholar
University Leaders for a Sustainable Future (ULSF). (2000). Talloires Declaration. Retrieved from http://www.ulsf.org/programs_talloires.html Google Scholar
Vincent, S., & Focht, W. (2010). Environmental reviews and case studies: In search of common ground: Exploring identity and core competencies for interdisciplinary environmental programs. Environmental Practice, 12, 76–86.Google Scholar
Yin, R. (2009). Case study research: Design and methods (4th ed., vol. 5). Los Angeles, CA: Sage.Google Scholar