Abstract
The examination of pedagogies that promote effective sustainability learning has led to vigorous academic discussion, as has research regarding the role of competence-based learning for sustainability. This paper investigates the role of a study abroad program, the Engineers without Borders Design Summit, in promoting the acquisition of sustainability competencies in its students. This study analysed both content of the program pedagogy and the written learning reflections of 137 student participants to examine if the program resulted in sustainability competence acquisition. The study’s findings suggested that students did acquire sustainability competencies during the program, but also that students may become competence-literate but context-lacking as they acquire competency skillsets without understanding their purpose for use as sustainability tools or to promote sustainability outcomes. Therefore, this study recommends that competence-based education for sustainability requires situation of competence acquisition within sustainability contextualisation to ensure full competence potential is fulfilled. This study suggests that contextualisation can occur in a number of ways, including the use of defined sustainability principles as boundary conditions to frame learning environments, the use of sustainability epistemic teachers as “guides” to connect learning to sustainability and the facilitation of student experiences with unsustainability to promote personally motivated action towards sustainability.
Highlights
While no single pedagogy or program holds a panacea response to sustainable development, education that shapes young people’s life direction, self-identity, and relationship to broader social and cultural values and ethics [5] remains important if a generation of graduates are to become active professionals able to influence sustainability transitions and construct healthy, if not flourishing, socio-ecological systems
This study aims to contribute this area of research by utilizing a case study to assess the impact of an international study abroad program and pedagogy, the Engineers without Borders Design Summit, on the acquisition of sustainability competence in its program participants as they study human-centered design in real-world settings
The findings of this study indicate that students attending the Design Summit program do acquire sustainability competencies as defined by the sustainability competencies framework presented by Wiek et al [18]
Summary
The Sustainability Challenge and Education for Sustainable Development. Higher education institutions are tasked with the important challenge of equipping graduates with the skills and knowledge to address grand challenges facing the world. While no single pedagogy or program holds a panacea response to sustainable development, education that shapes young people’s life direction, self-identity, and relationship to broader social and cultural values and ethics [5] remains important if a generation of graduates are to become active professionals able to influence sustainability transitions and construct healthy, if not flourishing, socio-ecological systems. Research exploring effective ways to engage in sustainability education remains an ongoing academic discussion, one that holds diverse perspectives and highlights the potential of differing pedagogies in addressing and overcoming the sustainability crisis.
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