Sustainable Course Research Articles

Strategic insights for sustainable tourism development in Kashmir Valley: SWOT and QSPM analysis

Promoting sustainable tourism entails fostering environmentally responsible growth that endures, achieving a delicate balance between honoring the rich history, preserving culture, and navigating the challenges posed by diverse altitudes in the Kashmir Valley. A knowledge test was created to measure the stakeholders' understanding of sustainable tourism to guide further analysis with the selected stakeholders. Our research delved into this objective by conducting real-world analysis, including questionnaires and interviews with key stakeholders. A Quantitative Strategic Planning Matrix (QSPM) was utilized and built on the foundation of the SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats) framework to drive sustainable tourism effectively. The results underscore the intricate landscape the valley operates within, revealing varied levels of stakeholder satisfaction across different aspects. Understanding these nuanced perspectives is crucial to charting a sustainable course for the region. In this light, the existing strategies aimed at managing the area, with a focal point on promoting sustainable tourism. The emphasis is on recognizing and tackling the challenges while seizing the weaknesses and threats that could impact the industry's reputation for excellent service and environmental stewardship. It is about aligning strategies to ensure a harmonious coexistence between tourism growth and the natural, cultural, and social fabric of this adorable valley.

The system of international legal norms and principles – the basis of legal regulation of the activities of national law enforcement bodies

It is indicated that the introduction of advanced international and European norms regarding the functioning of law enforcement agencies into Ukrainian legislation is a key indicator that the country not only declares a sustainable course for the democratization of all aspects of public life, but also takes concrete measures for its implementation. Ukraine has made significant progress in this direction, but there are still a number of challenges, the legal analysis of which will contribute to the further approximation of the domestic system of law enforcement agencies to global and European standards. In this context, one of the priority areas of scientific research is the justification of the need to update and improve the ethical codes of conduct of law enforcement officers based on international standards. This task becomes particularly relevant in view of the need for constant improvement of professional ethics and standards of behavior in the law enforcement sphere. This approach will not only improve the efficiency of law enforcement agencies, but also strengthen public trust in them, which is crucial for building the rule of law and civil society. In addition, it will allow Ukraine to demonstrate its commitment to the principles of the rule of law and the protection of human rights in the international arena. The article examines the system of international legal norms and principles that form the basis of legal regulation of the activities of national law enforcement agencies. Two groups of international standards are distinguished. The first group includes international legal acts that declare human rights and freedoms, primarily those that may be violated by the unethical behavior of law enforcement officers as representatives of state bodies. The second group represents international legal standards of professional and ethical behavior of employees of a specific law enforcement agency, the norms of which directly indicate the proper behavior of law enforcement officers in a specific area of law enforcement activity (judicial, prosecutorial, police, investigative, etc.). The main emphasis is on the need to cover the rules of professional ethical behavior of employees of all law enforcement agencies without exception, including those legally endowed with special rights and competence.

Sunfuel Electric: charting a differentiated go-to-market-strategy in the EV charging space

Learning outcomes After completion of the case study, students will be able to understand the service offerings within the nascent electric vehicle (EV) sector and end-consumer needs of EV charging services, understand the reasoning behind Sunfuel Electrics (SFEs) prioritisation of destination charging for their first go-to-market (GTM) strategy and appreciate SFE’s use of community marketing and alliance partners to execute its various strategies. Connect game-theory with the proposed strategies. Case overview/synopsis SFE was an early start-up in EV charging space. The co-founders believed that any success would hinge on their ability to play a differentiated game and carve a distinct yet profitable niche in the EV charging arena. SFE deliberately focussed on “destination charging” and identified a segment that they were confident of making a difference: the discerning high-end consumer. Soon, SFE’s success caught the eye of its deep-pocketed competitors who also entered the same space. As a single service company, the co-founders set in motion a back-up plan and identified three new strategic thrust areas to maintain SFE’s competitive edge. The first involved entering the city charging segment, and the second was a pioneering concept branded “E-Trails” targeted at a community of EV owners who were motor enthusiasts. Thirdly, SFE conceptualised an EV-Roadhouse concept, promising a full-bouquet of select premium services at a pit-stops along the highway. The co-founders needed to test which and to what extent would these initiatives would translate into real gains and if returns were commensurate with investments and SFE’s ability to deliver a scalable consistent experience. Specifically, if these proposed asset-light avenues added the required heft to their GTM strategy. Complexity academic level This case study is suitable for post-graduate students in marketing, strategy, entrepreneurship and sustainability courses. Supplementary materials Teaching notes are available for educators only. Subject code CSS 8: Marketing.

Sustainable environmental design: evaluating the integration of sustainable knowledge in Saudi Arabian architectural programs

By aligning Saudi Vision 2030 with the UN's SDGs, this study highlights the significant role of integrating sustainable environmental design knowledge into architectural education in Saudi Arabia. Viewing this integration as a moral obligation, it emphasizes equipping future architects with the skills to create environmentally responsible and resource-efficient buildings, fostering a sustainable and resilient built environment. This paper aims to examine the degree of integration of sustainability knowledge and assess the structural models incorporated into the architectural programs of six Saudi Arabian universities. Adopting a quantitative approach with qualitative insights, this research focuses on universities certified by the National Architectural Accrediting Board (NAAB) or accredited by recognized national and international bodies. This study is limited to the meso-level (curricular management) and includes structural models, course descriptions, learning outcomes, course sequences, and alignment with program visions and missions. A comprehensive review was conducted on all courses related to sustainability, collecting data from program websites. The main variables analyzed included sustainable environmental knowledge, total contact hours dedicated to sustainability courses, distribution across various course types, and patterns over a 5-year period. The units of analysis encompass program plans, vision and mission statements, learning outcomes, course syllabi, and descriptions. The findings reveal significant disparities in sustainability emphasis among programs, with Imam Abdul Rahman Al-Faisal University dedicating 42% of contact hours to sustainability, compared to 25 to 11% at other universities. This study highlights the need for integrating sustainability across design studio levels to provide students with practical skills across disciplines. Most programs use a “linear/parallel” or “partially integrated” model, requiring sustainability principles in graduation projects. However, elective sustainability courses are unpopular and do not adequately address curriculum gaps. This study highlights the necessity of further investigating the effectiveness of incorporating sustainability knowledge in architectural programs. Exploring specific areas for future research to enhance the integration of sustainability in architectural education is also recommended.

Sustainability and health promotion actions in Brazil

This study explores sustainable programs or actions implemented within the work environments of students enrolled in a Postgraduate Program in Health Promotion in Brazil. Seventy participants, primarily healthcare professionals, were tasked with identifying the sustainable actions during the Health Promotion and Sustainability course. Responses were analyzed using the IraMuTeQ V. 0.7 alpha 2 program. Of these participants, 15 individuals did not identify any actions, while 55 highlighted various initiatives. Key strategies included waste management, health education, promotion of physical exercise, optimization of food resources, composting, and conscientious water usage. These actions not only offer potential cost savings but also contribute to a more responsible utilization of natural resources and the attainment of Sustainable Development Goals.

Improved social equity learning in an introduction to sustainability course

Purpose This paper aims to examine the impact on diverse students’ social equity outcome measures that result from incorporating social justice education and inclusive practices into an introductory course on sustainability offered online asynchronously, online synchronously and in-person. Design/methodology/approach From fall 2020 to fall 2021, 706 students took “Introduction to Sustainability” at Michigan State University. A revised curriculum increased inclusive practices and social justice content centered on race and other social identities; institutional, individual and implicit bias; interrupting bias; socialization; and spheres of influence. Students’ self-reported change was examined using a retrospective pre/post survey. Findings Students reported significant growth in social equity understanding and practice across teaching modes with in-person instruction associated with the largest reported growth. Students reported growth regardless of their racial/ethnic identity or gender, with instructor effects varying in expected ways. The gap in social equity understanding between students with low precourse ratings (on outcome measures) and those with high precourse ratings was significantly smaller after the course. Research limitations/implications This study is not without limitations. First, the authors were limited in the student-specific information that they could collect. Second, the authors did not have access to an alternative course that could serve as a control. Third, the authors did not have the resources to also conduct an in-depth, thorough qualitative study. Furthermore, the authors did not conduct their investigation during “normal” campus life because it took place during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. The pandemic was a factor that could not be accounted for and might have impacted the outcomes. Originality/value This study is novel in identifying and incorporating specific social justice education material, tools and practices for improved teaching of social equity components of sustainability.

Sustainability agency in unsustainable structures: rhetoric of a capable transformative individual

While sustainability as a practice has been implemented in education for a long time, the conceptualisation of an impactful sustainability actor has not been as thoroughly formulated. The theory of structuration is relevant as a lens for critical reflection on the transformative potential of individuals educated in sustainability as a practice, who are often described as change-makers and mandated to enact sustainability. This paper examines sustainability agency using materials produced for a set of online sustainability courses. This text corpus is utilised as a representation of climate and sustainability education. The materials repeat systemic framings present in sustainability rhetoric, such as the contexts and targets in which sustainability transformation occurs. Additionally, through a qualitative content analysis of the textual corpus descriptions emerged as attributes of the agents to enact sustainability. This uncovers the juxtaposition between the often-repeated perception that sustainability must be achieved by capable agents and the capacities they possess. Further, our content analysis suggests a rhetorical process of othering within sustainability, for example by positioning “people”—the general population—as the cause of the sustainability crisis, and “us”—the educated—as the solution. Through our findings, the article concludes that when utilising the concept of sustainability agency—be it in theoretical, educational, or practical work—one ought to pay significant attention to the structures wherein the activities take place. The full comprehension of the transformative potential of individual agents ought to include an acknowledgement of the difference between educated capability and capacity—the latter of which necessitates dominance over the structural resources.

Undergraduate experiences with sustainability courses: insights for diversifying sustainability education

Undergraduate experiences with sustainability courses: insights for diversifying sustainability education

The Impact of Sustainability Courses: Are They Effective in Improving Diet Quality and Anthropometric Indices?

There are studies on the effect of general nutrition education on diet quality and anthropometric measurements, while studies showing the effectiveness of sustainable nutrition education, which also addresses the effect of food on the environment, are quite limited. This study aimed to investigate the effects of sustainable nutrition education on diet quality, anthropometric measurements, and the carbon footprint (CFP) and water footprint (WFP) of diet. A total of 160 university students received 1 h of sustainable nutrition education for 6 weeks. Before, at the end of, and 2 months after the courses, 24 h food consumption records were taken to assess diet quality and CFP and WFP values of diet, and Mediterranean diet (MedDiet) and Healthy Eating Index (HEI)-2020 scores were evaluated. The results of the study showed that sustainable nutrition education increased MedDiet score by 1.86 points and HEI-2020 score by 7.38 points. This education program also decreased body weight, body mass index (BMI), fat mass, and neck circumference. Sustainability education has a positive impact on calcium, potassium, and magnesium intakes, a negative impact on vitamin B12 and zinc intakes, and no effect on total protein intake. Education resulted in a 22% reduction in CFP and a 10% reduction in WFP.

Measurement of sustainable attitudes: a scale for business students

PurposeThis study aims to present the development and validation of a scale to measure the attitudes of Latin American business students toward sustainable management practices in the economic, social and environmental dimensions.Design/methodology/approachUsing a nonprobabilistic sample, the appreciation for sustainable practices in students (ASP-S) scale was administered to a total of 653 undergraduate and graduate business students in Argentina, Colombia, Mexico and Peru. A range of psychometric validity (construct, convergent and discriminant) and reliability criteria were applied.FindingsConstruct, convergent and discriminant validity was obtained from the ASP-S scale across all samples. During the internal validation process, two factors were found: systemic consciousness (ten items) and sustainable business leadership (nine items), both of which obtained acceptable reliability indices. The resulting structure is equivalent in all four countries.Originality/valueThe instrument can be applied by educators and learning assurance areas to diagnose and measure the effectiveness of pedagogical strategies used in sustainability courses taught at Latin American business schools. As a result, it has applications for curriculum design. As a valid and reliable instrument set in the context of regional business praxis, it can promote an understanding of sustainable behaviors and practices in future Latin American leaders.

Charting the Sustainable Course: Navigating the Saudi Arabia Medical and Wellness Tourism Roadmap with Business Model Canvas (BMC)

Medical and wellness tourism has emerged as a pivotal sector with significant economic implications globally, especially after the COVID-19 pandemic. This study delves into the landscape of Saudi Arabia’s medical and wellness tourism, recognizing its importance as a key player in the tourism industry. The study aims to elevate this sector to new heights on the global stage by employing the Business Model Canvas (BMC) as a strategic tool. BMC allows for a comprehensive analysis of the medical tourism industry in Saudi Arabia, breaking down key elements across its nine blocks: key partners, key activities, key resources, value propositions, customer segments, channels, customer relationships, cost structure, and revenue streams. The results of this study shed light on the unique selling proposition (USP) as a crucial strategic step for Saudi Arabia to distinguish itself and enhance its position in the international medical tourism arena. By identifying and maximizing the unique aspects within each BMC block, the study presents a roadmap for Saudi Arabia, navigating the challenges and capitalizing on the potential of the medical and wellness tourism sector. This research serves as a guide, emphasizing the strategic importance of a well-defined business model to shape the future of medical and wellness tourism in Saudi Arabia and establish a prominent global presence.

Creating Sustainable Competencies in Engineering Through Biomimetics Courses

The United Nations 2030 plan establishes the incorporation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as a multidisciplinary focus for training new specialized human resources. In engineering, the SDGs have been integrated into the curriculum as optional subjects. In this report, we present an investigation into implementing the SDGs in a Biomimicry and Sustainability course offered during the spring and fall semesters of 2022, with 194 students divided into six groups. Using challenge-based learning, students proposed utilizing wind or solar resources to generate electricity in a selected region. They were asked to conduct extensive research and precise engineering calculations to ensure the viability of their alternative energy sources. Additionally, each group had to select three or more SDGs that best aligned with their proposal, justifying their choices. The evaluation of the reports was based on rubrics and checklists that assessed the integrity of their argumentation and the adequacy of the report components. Most students chose SDGs 7, 11, and 13. In an anonymous survey, students expressed that incorporating the SDGs into the assignment significantly enhanced the importance of their learning experience. We recommend that other educators follow suit and incorporate the SDGs into their students’ projects or proposals, irrespective of whether their institution has a sustainability plan, aiming to transform sustainability into a competency rather than a fixed concept.

Charting a sustainable course: how normative factors shape intentions for Autonomous Rapid Transit commuting

With the continuous advancement of technology, transportation methods have undergone significant transformation, giving rise to innovative solutions like Autonomous Rapid Transit (ART). ART systems are designed to utilize hydrogen energy, serving as an efficient and eco-friendly power source. This not only addresses issues related to traffic congestion but also presents a promising solution to environmental challenges. However, the success of implementing such technologies to mitigate these challenges relies heavily on the support and acceptance of potential users. This study aims to explore the intention of users to adopt ART as a mode of transportation in the context of Sibu, Sarawak, Malaysia. This study conducted a comprehensive survey involving 350 respondents and employed Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM) to analyse the data. The findings of this study reveal that several critical factors significantly influence the behavioural intention to use ART for commuting. Specifically, subjective norms, perceived behavioural control, and individual attitudes have a significant impact on the intention to embrace ART as a sustainable mode of transportation. However, the study also finds that personal norms do not exhibit a significant relationship with behavioural intention. This insight underscores the pivotal role of societal influences compared to individually internalized values in shaping user decision-making with regard to the adoption of ART for commuting. It is imperative for policymakers to take into account the perspectives and considerations of users when formulating policies related to the introduction and promotion of new public transportation modes where private transportation has traditionally been prevalent.

Data-driven analytics for student reviews in China's higher vocational education MOOCs: A quality improvement perspective.

Higher vocational education is the core component of China's national education system and shoulders the mission of cultivating high-skilled and applied talents. The wide application of Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) has effectively improved the curriculum system of China's higher vocational education. In the meantime, some MOOCs suffer from poor course quality. Therefore, from the perspective of sustainable course quality improvement, we propose a data-driven framework for mining and analyzing student reviews in China's higher vocational education MOOCs. In our framework, we first mine multi-level student demands hidden in MOOC reviews by combining web crawlers and text mining. Then we use an artificial neural network and the KANO model to classify the extracted student demands, thereby designing effective and sustainable MOOC quality improvement strategies. Based on the real data from China's higher vocational education MOOCs, we validate the effectiveness of the proposed data-driven framework.

Spreadsheet-based application integrated with Virtual reality for teaching economic and environmental assessment of subsurface gasification and combustion for hydrogen production

Herein we developed an education game based on a spreadsheet- activity and virtual reality (VR) for teaching the fundamentals of gasification and combustion. The game could be used as a valuable resource to motivate students at the undergraduate and senior high school level to consider economic and environmental assessment including sustainability concerns as they design a hypothetical chemical product or process. The proposed game is intended to be incorporated into any sustainability course design or chemical engineering course. The game is suitable for both chemistry majors and non-chemistry majors as it introduces fundamental energy changes in chemical reactions and design principles. Additionally, the game can be adapted for high school outreach activities. The game is freely available and encourages students to think critically while considering several factors in making key industrial decisions about a product or process. Factors considered include the water availability, socioeconomic impact, environmental impact, and proximity of technological location to infrastructures. The game is designed to raise awareness about hydrogen as an energy carrier, including its economic aspects and its wide range of industrial applications. It could also be used as a means of recruiting students into chemical sciences and engineering degree programs.

Medical tourism and medical tourists: providing a sustainable course to integrating health treatments with tourism.

Medical tourism (MT) is an expanding multidisciplinary economic activity that combines the healthcare and tourist industries, with patients increasingly travelling worldwide for medical treatments. MT provides economic benefits to destinations while raising ethical, quality, informed and risk concerns for medical tourists. Greater cross-disciplinary studies and collaboration across sectors are advocated.

Perspectives of older people on environmental sustainability: A cross-cultural validation study between five countries

The global agenda to move societies towards a more sustainable course of development also affects the lives of older people in our ageing populations. Therefore, it is important to understand the drivers, intentions and behaviours concerning sustainability among older adults. The aim of this study is to translate and cross-culturally validate an existing instrument (SustainABLE-16 Questionnaire), developed in the Netherlands, which measures how older people view the theme of environmental sustainability in their daily lives, for use in Romania, Poland, North Macedonia and Israel. The SustainABLE-16 covers three domains: 1) Pro-environmental behaviours; 2) Financial position; and 3) Beliefs. The scale was translated in Romanian, Polish, Macedonian, Albanian and Hebrew. Its 16 items were appraised for relevance by older people and experts in the field. A total of 2299 older people, including the original Dutch respondents, were included for the assessment of the level of measurement invariance across six languages, spoken in five countries. As the initial validation of the SustainABLE-16 did not meet internationally-recognised fit requirements, the shorter SustainABLE-8 was validated instead. This instrument proved valid for use in all participating countries (configural validity). Subsequently, increasingly constrained structural equation models were applied to test their fit with the data, ensuring that the fit did not deteriorate. The test results of measurement invariance across the countries indicated that items were stable, achieving partial scalar invariance, with five items demonstrating full scalar invariance. The shorter SustainABLE-8 functions uniformly across all language groups and can, therefore, be used to evaluate sustainable practices among older people. A better understanding of the drivers and practices among older citizens across Europe could, in turn, feed into more fitting public policies on sustainability in the built environment.

Reinforcing infrastructure equity through leveraging Envision rating system within construction education

PurposeConstruction education rarely addressed the importance of disseminating knowledge on infrastructure equity, thus impeding progress toward creating equitable and sustainable developments. This study aims to investigate the existing sustainability courses under the American Council for Construction Education (ACCE) accredited construction management (CM) programs to examine the integration of infrastructure equity topics and assess improvement in CM students’ knowledge and awareness to address this issue through an intervention.Design/methodology/approachTo achieve these objectives, this research reviewed the sustainability course descriptions of the ACCE-accredited undergraduate and graduate CM curricula. Furthermore, the study implemented a workshop within a CM sustainability course that taught the students about the key concepts of infrastructure equity as well as how to address this issue by leveraging the Envision infrastructure rating system.FindingsThe course review results showed that most sustainability courses lack topics such as infrastructure equity and social sustainability. Moreover, the analysis of pre- and postworkshop surveys indicated that guided training could improve the students’ understanding as well as boost their confidence to address and mitigate infrastructure inequity issues.Originality/valueThe findings of the study are valuable for increasing awareness of infrastructure equity and facilitating the future construction workforce with the required expertise to develop equitable infrastructure systems.

A Multi-Project Evaluation of Engineering Students’ Performance for Online PBL: Taking the Sustainable Decision Analysis Course as an Example

In order to meet the growing demand for engineering professionals who can incorporate sustainable solutions into their work, sustainability courses have been launched in online problem-based learning (PBL) environments through various real-life projects. Nonetheless, the conventional one-off grading approach may fail to capture the intricate variations in students’ performance across different projects. To address this problem, a multi-project evaluation framework utilizing the probability exceedance method (PEM) is proposed, which can fuse linguistic evaluation data presented in probability distributions without the need to obtain weights of criteria. In the case study, a comprehensive evaluation of the performance of students majoring in engineering management is conducted within a study group over an online PBL course on sustainable decision analysis. The sensitivity analysis demonstrates that consistent scores can be achieved after assigning different values of fuzzy measures to each criterion. This study enables teachers to holistically evaluate students without being bound by rigid numerical standards or strict weighting schemes, thus allowing them to focus on other educational tasks while ensuring effective and reliable results. Moreover, it contributes to educational innovation by introducing a modern and comprehensive approach for engineering student assessment in online PBL, aligning with the evolving needs of educational sustainability in higher education.

The Natural Environment in Social Work Curriculum: A Narrative Reflection of Teaching-Learning through a Sustainability Course Design and Delivery

The Natural Environment in Social Work Curriculum: A Narrative Reflection of Teaching-Learning through a Sustainability Course Design and Delivery