Research

19 pages, 268 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Team-Teaching as a Promising Pathway toward Interdisciplinary Sustainability Competency Development

by Jennifer R. Pollard, Jessica Ostrow Michel, Adam C. Simon and Mike Shriberg

Sustainability 2023, 15(15), 11534; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su151511534 - 26 Jul 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 834

Through a qualitative, interview-based inquiry on students’ learning in a single team-taught course focused on energy resources and policy implications, our team explored how team-taught interdisciplinary courses facilitate students’ development as leaders in energy resource sustainability. We conducted pre- and post-course interviews of [...] Read more.

Through a qualitative, interview-based inquiry on students’ learning in a single team-taught course focused on energy resources and policy implications, our team explored how team-taught interdisciplinary courses facilitate students’ development as leaders in energy resource sustainability. We conducted pre- and post-course interviews of nine undergraduate student participants and the two co-instructors for the course. The students self-identified as seven women and two men, ranging in age from 18 to 21 years. Six students were White, two were Asian/Asian American, and one was Black; the co-instructors were White men. To develop our findings, all interviews were subjected to a process of qualitative coding to derive themes, which we present with rich data from participants’ verbatim quotes. Findings revealed that constructivist-informed interdisciplinary instruction by the teaching team deepened students’ understandings of the importance of the knowledge of both energy science and policy, helping them to become holistically informed on critical issues in energy resource sustainability. Further, students recognized that an integrated understanding of these bodies of knowledge was critical to writing energy resource policy memos that constituted the central learning/assessment activity of the course. The kind of literacy afforded to the students through the team-teaching endeavor is foundational to students’ development as climate leaders. We suggest that this mode of teaching may represent an effective teaching enhancement for preparing energy sustainability and climate change leaders at the University of Michigan, other US institutions and internationally. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Innovative Pedagogies for Cultivating Leadership amidst the Climate Change Crisis)

12 pages, 232 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Training Leaders to Facilitate an Energy Transition: Retrospective Evaluation of Course Design

by Jonathan Newman, Sarah Mills and Sara Soderstrom

Sustainability 2023, 15(13), 9910; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su15139910 - 21 Jun 2023

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 687

Abstract

While there is a widely shared sense that policy action is required for the electricity system in the United States to decarbonize, most climate policy courses focus only on a handful of federal and state policies. In reality, however, there is a web [...] Read more.

While there is a widely shared sense that policy action is required for the electricity system in the United States to decarbonize, most climate policy courses focus only on a handful of federal and state policies. In reality, however, there is a web of state- and local-government-level policy choices that can serve to facilitate or hinder an energy transition, which is less discussed and researched in higher education. A new graduate course, first taught in Winter 2019 at the University of Michigan in the Ford School of Public Policy, employs a range of unique course design elements to introduce the idea of a complex web of policies and actors in the energy transition, and to provide students with practical skills to prepare them to be leaders in the transition. By interviewing students 18 months after finishing the Winter 2019 iteration of the course, in addition to surveying students enrolled in the second interaction of the course in the Fall 2020 semester, this study finds that student experiential learning and applied projects, in tandem with the instructor’s focus on local, real-world implications, was found to be effective in preparing students to be climate leaders. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Innovative Pedagogies for Cultivating Leadership amidst the Climate Change Crisis)

23 pages, 503 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Can Co-Creating and Participating in a Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) Develop Climate Change Leaders?

by Michaela T. Zint, Paige Porter and Michelle J. Bellino

Sustainability 2023, 15(12), 9781; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su15129781 - 19 Jun 2023

Viewed by 808

Abstract

There is an urgent need to develop climate leaders who can inspire and support mitigation and adaptation actions. This exploratory study assessed the experiences of two student populations: (1) remote learners who participated in, and (2) student co-creators who co-designed, the Massive Open [...] Read more.

There is an urgent need to develop climate leaders who can inspire and support mitigation and adaptation actions. This exploratory study assessed the experiences of two student populations: (1) remote learners who participated in, and (2) student co-creators who co-designed, the Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) Act on Climate: Steps to Individual, Community and Political Action (AoC). It examines the extent to which participation and involvement in the course facilitated the development of climate leadership practices of both populations. MOOC remote learners’ answers to discussion prompts (2099 responses from 705 learners) and student co-creators’ interview responses (n = 10, r = 83%) were qualitatively analyzed, informed by Kouzes and Posner’s (2018) five key practices of effective leaders. Findings suggest that remote learners and student co-creators engaged in these key leadership practices to varying degrees. For example, both groups “modeled the way” by taking climate change action consistent with their values and “inspired a shared vision” by conveying desired futures for the planet. Both remote learners and student co-creators attributed these practices to a range of features embedded in the MOOC (e.g., being prompted to research and take mitigation and adaptation actions) and the process of co-creation (e.g., having the agency to creatively and collaboratively produce course content). Given the positive potential for both populations, this paper argues for more research, including experimental studies, to learn how MOOCs and co-creation processes can best be designed to support participants’ climate leadership development. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Innovative Pedagogies for Cultivating Leadership amidst the Climate Change Crisis)

16 pages, 277 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Environmental Justice Pedagogies and Self-Efficacy for Climate Action

by M’Lis Bartlett, Jordan Larson and Seneca Lee

Sustainability 2022, 14(22), 15086; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su142215086 - 14 Nov 2022

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2115

Abstract

As institutions of knowledge and innovation, colleges and universities have a responsibility to prepare students to lead in a world impacted by climate change. While sustainability and climate change have been increasingly addressed on campuses, several aspects of typical climate change education, such [...] Read more.

As institutions of knowledge and innovation, colleges and universities have a responsibility to prepare students to lead in a world impacted by climate change. While sustainability and climate change have been increasingly addressed on campuses, several aspects of typical climate change education, such as the use of fear appeals, and crisis narratives, have served to disempower and disengage students from the issue. Evidence suggests that incorporating justice-oriented concepts and pedagogies may help students build the skills and confidence to engage in complex social concerns. This qualitative study sought to understand the ways in which an undergraduate environmental justice course at the University of Michigan might contribute to students’ sense of self-efficacy for climate change action. Findings indicated that teaching from a justice perspective supported students’ understanding of root causes, the need for collective action, and their empathy for others. Self-efficacy for climate action was most apparent when students were (1) confident in a particular skill set and (2) when the scale of the problem matched their ability to address it. This supported prior evidence that environmental justice can serve as a critical pedagogical approach for encouraging engagement and empowerment in climate action. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Innovative Pedagogies for Cultivating Leadership amidst the Climate Change Crisis)

25 pages, 2070 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Living Learning Communities as Climate Change Pedagogy: Understanding the Impact of the Sustainable Living Experience on Climate Change Leadership among First Year Students

by Emily Canosa, Joseph Trumpey, Luis M. Espinoza Bardales and Jacqueline Cardoza

Sustainability 2022, 14(21), 14282; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su142114282 - 01 Nov 2022

Viewed by 1521

Abstract

This study sought to understand the relationship of environmentally-themed Residential Learning Communities (RLCs) with aspects of Climate Change Leadership (CCL) among first-year college students. Two years of survey data were used to assess changes in CCL among students at the University of Michigan, [...] Read more.

This study sought to understand the relationship of environmentally-themed Residential Learning Communities (RLCs) with aspects of Climate Change Leadership (CCL) among first-year college students. Two years of survey data were used to assess changes in CCL among students at the University of Michigan, including participants in an RLC known as the Sustainable Living Experience (SLE), neighboring residents, and students in other residence halls. Results showed greater increases in likelihood of reporting positive CCL outcomes for SLE participants, and in many cases also for neighboring students. These effects were often greater for SLE participants who are also underrepresented minority students. Findings indicated that the presence of an environmentally-themed RLC may be related to the development of CCL for neighboring students in addition to program participants. The study also observed campus-wide positive effects on several CCL outcomes after the first year of college, indicating that the campus environment and infrastructure itself can also be leveraged in support of student CCL outcomes. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Innovative Pedagogies for Cultivating Leadership amidst the Climate Change Crisis)

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18 pages, 1470 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Toward Identifying Sustainability Leadership Competencies: Insights from Mapping a Graduate Sustainability Education Curriculum

by Alexander K. Killion, Jessica Ostrow Michel and Jason K. Hawes

Sustainability 2022, 14(10), 5811; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su14105811 - 11 May 2022

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2114

Abstract

Graduate sustainability programs are tasked with educating and preparing the next generation of leaders to address the causes and effects of global climate change. As the urgency of addressing sustainability challenges like climate change has grown, including through higher education sustainability education, so [...] Read more.

Graduate sustainability programs are tasked with educating and preparing the next generation of leaders to address the causes and effects of global climate change. As the urgency of addressing sustainability challenges like climate change has grown, including through higher education sustainability education, so has the attention on the competencies students ought to master to become sustainability leaders. Yet little is known about which sustainability leadership competencies are critical to bring about change or how curricula are addressing them. We used course descriptions from the University of Michigan’s School for Environment and Sustainability, to identify the sustainability leadership competencies targeted across its historically successful graduate curriculum, along with faculty members’ associated cognitive processing expectations following Bloom’s Taxonomy. The programs’ courses varied in the extent to which they addressed ten leadership competencies but were consistent in terms of associated cognitive processing expectations. We recommend that other sustainability education programs similarly examine their curricula and ensure that students regardless of their specializations have the opportunity to graduate with the knowledge, skills, and mindsets to affect change. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Innovative Pedagogies for Cultivating Leadership amidst the Climate Change Crisis)

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18 pages, 1530 KiB

Open AccessArticle

From Theory to Practice: The Student Experience Evaluating Development Projects Focused on Nature-Based Solutions

by Rosina Bierbaum and Marissa Lazaroff

Sustainability 2022, 14(9), 5722; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su14095722 - 09 May 2022

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1867

Abstract

Graduate students often seek hands-on experiences in the international development field. Given that Multilateral Development Banks (MDBs) provide hundreds of billions of dollars in aid each year, we expected that reviewing the design, implementation, and outcomes of their environmental projects would provide valuable [...] Read more.

Graduate students often seek hands-on experiences in the international development field. Given that Multilateral Development Banks (MDBs) provide hundreds of billions of dollars in aid each year, we expected that reviewing the design, implementation, and outcomes of their environmental projects would provide valuable learning outcomes for students. This novel study on Nature-based Solutions (NbS) in the Global Environment Facility (GEF) gave students the opportunity to engage directly with practitioners in the review of 50 environmental projects across 45 countries. A team of professionals from the Scientific and Technical Advisory Panel (STAP) of the GEF and eight students from the University of Michigan School for Environment and Sustainability and the University of Maryland School of Public Policy developed lessons learned from reviewing the GEF portfolio over a twenty-year time span. When screening projects for enabling conditions including theory of change, climate risk screening, multi-stakeholder engagement, and adaptive management, most had stronger explanations of the environmental than the social outcomes sought, and only more recent ones incorporated climate risk screening. The process and findings associated with this educational experience contributed to students’ climate change leadership development; for example, by learning about the tradeoffs and possible co-benefits of improving both environmental conditions and livelihoods in less developed countries. Our research led to practice advice for the design of future GEF projects, as well as ideas for future coursework to further bridge the gap between theory and practice in academia, which we believe to be essential to preparing the next generation of climate leaders. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Innovative Pedagogies for Cultivating Leadership amidst the Climate Change Crisis)

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21 pages, 1657 KiB

Open AccessArticle

An Exploration of the Relationship between Sustainability-Related Involvement and Learning in Higher Education

by Trevion S. Henderson, Jessica O. Michel, Alex Bryan, Emily Canosa, Clara Gamalski, Kelly Jones and Jeremy Moghtader

Sustainability 2022, 14(9), 5506; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su14095506 - 04 May 2022

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2201

Abstract

Higher education institutions are charged with developing civically engaged leaders to address the pressing issues facing the country and the world. While existing literature suggests institutional practices, such as promoting co-curricular involvement, hold promise for fostering key learning outcomes, educational literature suggests the [...] Read more.

Higher education institutions are charged with developing civically engaged leaders to address the pressing issues facing the country and the world. While existing literature suggests institutional practices, such as promoting co-curricular involvement, hold promise for fostering key learning outcomes, educational literature suggests the benefits of participation may not be shared by all students. Using structural equation modeling, we examine the role of background characteristics (i.e., race/ethnicity and gender) and co-curricular participation in sustainability-related activities in fostering climate change leadership development and sustainability activism. We find that women reported significantly higher systems thinking, futures thinking, leadership development, and activism. Additionally, our results suggest systems thinking and futures thinking are key learning outcomes related to students’ climate change leadership development and activism. Moreover, we find a small negative relationship between sustainability literacy and leadership development and activism, suggesting there might exist an inflection point at which more knowledge about climate change and sustainability issues makes students less likely to engage in leadership and activism behaviors. We discuss the implications of this work for sustainability education pedagogy in higher education. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Innovative Pedagogies for Cultivating Leadership amidst the Climate Change Crisis)

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