Higher education for sustainability by means of transdisciplinary case studies: an innovative approach for solving complex, real-world problems

Abstract

Sustainable development and the interplay between its ecological, social, and economic dimensions can be regarded as a highly complex task. As a logical consequence, educating for sustainable development also has a complex character. Traditional unidirectional educational processes are only of very limited use when educating for sustainable development: Firstly, the initial state of the considered system (case) cannot be described precisely; secondly, the target state of the system is also not sufficiently known; and thirdly, the process between initial state and target state and potential barriers that might have to be passed are also not exactly known. Pure analytically based solutions are therefore, not available; a dynamic mutual learning process is required instead. Mutual learning based on real-world cases requires an interdisciplinary point of view, transdisciplinary problem-solving processes, and self-regulated and self-responsible learning. Consequently, besides analytical capabilities and deterministic process planning, dealing with the complex problem of sustainable development requires creativity, social competencies and specific communication skills in order to cope with the dynamic change that characterizes the developments in most facets of society and nature. A “vassal” that puts together all these requirements towards an educational process for sustainable development can be a transdisciplinary case study approach: In Austria this was first applied by the University of Graz within the “Erzherzog Johann case study”. In order to educate for sustainable development, the students had to work on a “real-world problem”, the development of possible ways to achieve ecologically, economically and socially sustainable development of the abandoned iron ore mining region of Eisenerz in the middle of Austria. As a core characteristic of this “real-world” case study, besides the cooperation among students, teachers and researchers of the university, the interaction with stakeholders of the region was of outstanding importance. Within transdisciplinary case studies students, teachers and researchers have to abandon the role paradigm of the teacher as provider of information and the students as “consumers” of the provided information. Knowledge and competences imparted in university classes need to be applied simultaneously within the real-world case to allow a demand-driven process of mutual learning in which students are self-responsible and decide which tools to apply in the process of attaining sustainable development. Because of the dynamics of this process, students experience the process of sustainable development instead of purely memorizing its characteristics. The process of educating for sustainable development and practical applied sustainability therefore, becomes sustainable.