Abstract
This paper explores the experiences of three academic members of the University of Nottingham Open Online Course (NOOC) and Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) team, comprising an engineer (tutor), an engineering education specialist (facilitator) and a specialist in higher education pedagogy (convenor). The paper explores notions of what makes for effective teaching of sustainability within a multidisciplinary online context, and the extent to which this experience has impacted upon personal behaviours and attitudes to sustainability, from an Engineering Education for Sustainable Development (EESD) perspective. Team members’ experiences are further supported by findings from student and learner evaluations of the NOOC and MOOC courses. Key findings of the research include (a) Interdisciplinarity is a strength of the course (b) The course can lead to genuine change in the understanding of sustainability; (c) Teaching sustainability online is different; (d) Involvement in the course impacts upon teaching practices; (e) Cultural and disciplinary diversity within both the course team and the student cohort is a major contributor to the overall sustainable development learning experience in the NOOC/MOOC. It is hoped that the findings of the study will pave the way for engineering and non-engineering educators to explore the potential of integrating sustainability within the modules they teach, via online teaching and learning means.
Highlights
The engineering profession continuously evolves as it responds to environmental, social and economic demands (Carew & Mitchell 2001)
This paper explores the experiences of three academic members of the Nottingham Open Online Course (NOOC) and Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) team: one engineer, one engineering education specialist, and one specialist in higher education pedagogy
The paper explores notions of what makes for effective teaching of sustainability within a multidisciplinary online context, and the extent to which this experience has impacted upon personal behaviours and attitudes to sustainability, from an Engineering Education for Sustainable Development (EESD) lens
Summary
The engineering profession continuously evolves as it responds to environmental, social and economic demands (Carew & Mitchell 2001). (ii) the promotion and practice of collaboration across disciplines; (iii) institutional change for the promotion and practice of interdisciplinarity and transdisciplinarity, (as a disciplined focus approach was seen to stifle creativity and innovative problem solving opportunities, and did not allow faculty members to teach outside their departments, given the structure of the university); (iv) creating a focus on personal and social sustainability through the reduction of work load, reconfiguration of timetables, added community involvement in teaching, and improved job security for sessional lecturers, i.e. contract based non-faculty lecturers with teaching responsibilities; (v) coordinating planning and assessment strategies with the university’s academic plans, policies and implementation strategies, and using sustainable development indicators in evaluation criteria and performance indicators; (vi) integrating teaching , research and service, instead of overemphasising on peer-reviewed publication and research, and undermining the importance of teaching excellence (vii) encouraging and supporting transformative and transdisciplinary undergraduate learning through student-centered learning, collaborative group work, increased interaction between students and lecturers, reflective and active learning’ (Moore 2005). Looking through an engineering education perspective and a pedagogic lens, it offers one means of facilitating holistic learning and joint production that may support the development of sustainability literacy and competency both for engineers and for other university stakeholders
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
