scholarly journals Higher Education for Professional and Civic Values: A Critical Review and Analysis

2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (12) ◽  
pp. 4442 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kerry Shephard ◽  
Tony Egan
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Experiential Learning ◽  
Professional Education ◽  
Conceptual Analysis ◽  
Values Education ◽  
Civic Values ◽  
Role Modelling ◽  
Education Psychology ◽  
Educational Paradigms

Education for sustainable development (ESD) is generally thought to involve some degree of education for particular professional and civic values, attitudes and behaviours (leading to, as examples, being environmentally, socially and culturally responsible); although it is notable that the application of ESD in higher education is contested. This conceptual article analyses literature that describes how higher education addresses professional and civic values, mindfully or unintentionally, in an attempt to provide clarity to the arguments involved in this contestation. The article uses three disciplinary lenses (education, psychology and professional education) in the context of four educational paradigms (experiential learning; role modelling; assessment/evaluation; critical thinking) to explore the theoretical and practical bases of values-education. Our conceptual analysis confirms that values are: of great interest to higher education; a significant focus within experiential learning and in the context of role modelling; but challenging to define and even more so to assess or to evaluate the attainment of. Our three disciplinary lenses also lead us to conclude that encouraging students to develop a disposition to explore their world critically is a form of values-education; and that this may be the only truly legitimate form of values-education open to higher education.

scholarly journals Greening of higher education in the Republic of Serbia

Envigogika ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Vesna Nikolić ◽  
Jelena Ranitović ◽  
Slobodan Milutinović
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Environmental Protection ◽  
Professional Education ◽  
English Language ◽  
Environmental Problems ◽  
Education For Sustainable Development ◽  
Integrative Approach ◽  
New Paradigm ◽  
The Republic

Nowadays, Serbia is not at a satisfactory level of sustainability due to the well known events that occurred within the past two decades. According to the European Commission, environmental protection is an area in whichSerbiawill have to give its maximum effort to fully meet European standards and the requirements of sustainable development in the future. Poor water quality in some parts of the country, undeveloped systems for waste collection and recycling, illegal dumps, and industrial pollution are some  of the environmental problems affecting the Republic of Serbia. These findings encouraged the authors of the paper to focus on the environmental problems as a dimension of education for sustainable development in Serbian higher education.Regulatory frameworks of higher education and education for sustainable development in theRepublicofSerbiaare presented in the first part of the paper. The second part deals with observations on current staff development within professional education centres, where their abilities to work in the field of environmental protection are discussed. In the third part, an analysis of an autonomous and integrative approach to the environmental safety education is done, and the need and importance of greening higher education curriculum, as the new paradigm in the educational system, is emphasized.In this regard, an analysis of present ecological ideas and content in the syllabus of English language, which is one of the most common courses at Serbian faculties, and which is particularly important in response to the challenges of globalization, knowledge flow, international scientific research and mobility, is performed.Finally, as part of the authors’ concluding remarks, improvements related to the period before the reform of higher education and adoption of a national strategy for sustainable development, are presented. Also, their basic weaknesses and difficulties are described. New directions of the education for environmental protection in higher education, as well as the importance of training higher education lecturers in this area, are shown.

scholarly journals Critical Thinking Using Project-Based Learning: The Case of The Agroecological Market at the “Universitat Politècnica de València”

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (9) ◽  
pp. 3553
Author(s):  
Pablo Aránguiz ◽  
Guillermo Palau-Salvador ◽  
Ana Belda ◽  
Jordi Peris
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Critical Thinking ◽  
Experiential Learning ◽  
Real Life ◽  
Project Based Learning ◽  
Three Dimensions ◽  
Action Research Project ◽  
Sustainable Food ◽  
Technical Systems

Higher education institutions play an important role in the transition processes to sustainable development through developing critical thinking (CT) in their students. The case of the Research Methodology course of the International Cooperation Master’s degree at the Universitat Politècnica de València is a paradigmatic case of experiential learning, where students face their own realities related to sustainable topics through an action research project with the Agroecological Market (AM). The learning methodology is project-based learning and helps the participants to deeply analyze problems related to the transition of socio-technical systems, such as sustainable food. The objective of this research was to analyze the contribution of project-based learning to students’ critical thinking through a qualitative analysis of the pedagogical outputs obtained during the course. The analysis and results are structured in three dimensions of critical thinking: (i) students’ critical attitude towards reality; (ii) students’ ability to reason and analyze in order to form their own rigorous judgments; and (iii) students’ capacity to construct and deconstruct their own experiences and meanings. The results show that project-based learning using a real-life scenario helped students reflect on their critical thinking and the challenges that our societies face for a transition to sustainability.

Interculturalism, Sustainable Development and Higher Education Institutions

2009 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 23-34 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jagdish S. Gundara ◽  
Namrata Sharma
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Sustainable Development ◽  
International Students ◽  
Professional Education ◽  
Higher Education Institutions ◽  
Research And Teaching ◽  
European Institutions ◽  
Intellectual Knowledge ◽  
Teaching In Higher Education ◽  
Forms Of Knowledge

This paper establishes links between the fields of sustainable development and intercultural education. It is written on the premise that diverse forms of knowledge exist within different societal and national contexts, and curricula therefore need to draw on these in order to be 'non-centric'. That is, curricula should not draw more heavily from one source of knowledge while excluding or marginalising others. For instance, as this paper examines, higher education institutions in socially diverse or multicultural societies have a great deal of intellectual knowledge and expertise in education. However, the knowledge – including languages, histories, and cultures – of subordinated groups such as international students in European institutions is often entirely left out of the curriculum. In conclusion, the paper poses a number of challenges for research and teaching in higher education, especially including the need for intercultural professional education of academics so that they develop deeper intellectual understandings and competences in this area.

scholarly journals Experiential approaches to sustainability education: towards learning landscapes

2019 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
pp. 139-156 ◽  
Author(s):  
Malin Backman ◽  
Hannah Pitt ◽  
Terry Marsden ◽  
Abid Mehmood ◽  
Erik Mathijs
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Experiential Learning ◽  
Experiential Education ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Sustainability Education ◽  
Holistic Approach ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Alternative Approach ◽  
Research Questions

Purpose This paper aims to critically reflect the current specialist discourse on experiential approaches to higher education for sustainable development (HESD). Limitations to the current discourse are identified, and as a result, an alternative approach to the study of experiential education (EE) within HESD is suggested. Design/methodology/approach Three research questions are addressed by analysing the literature on EE and experiential learning (EL) within HESD in specialist academic journals. Findings There is a consensus among authors regarding the appropriateness of experiential approaches to HESD. However, limitations to the current discourse suggest the need for an alternative approach to studying EE within HESD. Therefore, this paper proposes the application of the learning landscape metaphor to take a more student-centred and holistic perspective. Originality/value The learning landscape metaphor has previously not been applied to EE within HESD. This alternative conceptualisation foregrounds student perspectives to experiential initiatives within HESD. The holistic approach aims to understand the myriad influences on students learning, while allowing examination of how experiential approaches relate to other educational approaches within HESD.

Education for sustainable development (ESD)

2014 ◽  
Vol 15 (2) ◽  
pp. 188-207 ◽  
Author(s):  
Helen Kopnina ◽  
Frans Meijers
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Environmental Ethics ◽  
Professional Education ◽  
Evaluation Studies ◽  
Qualitative Evaluation ◽  
Education For Sustainable Development ◽  
Statistical Testing ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Content Type

Purpose – This article aims to explore the challenges posed by the conceptual framework and diversity of practice of education for sustainable development (ESD). The implications of plurality of ESD perspectives and methodological approaches as well variations in ESD practice will be addressed. Critical framework for conceptualizing of ESD which takes environmental ethics into account will be proposed through the discussion of The Ecocentric and Anthropocentric Attitudes Toward the Sustainable Development (EAATSD) scale. Design/methodology/approach – The paper opted for a general review approach, covering literature that provides an overview of the concepts and practices of ESD, as well as program evaluation studies. Additionally, qualitative evaluation of EAATSD scale with students of higher professional education was conducted, using in-depth interviews and dialogue with individual students as well as classroom discussions. Findings – It was found that there are wide and inconclusive debates about the aims of ESD based on the critique of sustainable development discourse in general and instrumentalism embedded in ESD in particular. According to the qualitative evaluation, EAATSD scale can be used for testing anthropocentric and Ecocentric Attitudes Towards Sustainable Development in students of higher education. Based on these results, this scale was found to be revealing of the critical view of paradoxes and challenges inherent in multiple goals of sustainable development as well as useful for testing anthropocentric and ecocentric attitudes in students of higher education. Research limitations/implications – Reliability of the scale needs further statistical testing, and as is the case in conventional EE/ESD evaluations, and consequent research is necessary to improve institutional, national, and international applicability to particular cases. Future research should draw from this critical review in order to devise alternative evaluation tools. Practical implications – In practice, this implies that currently administered evaluations of generic ESD, while useful in concrete cultural or institutional settings, might be premature. The article concludes with the reflection upon which conceptual, methodological, cultural, and ethical challenges of ESD which should be useful for ESD researchers and practitioners in different national settings. Originality/value – This article fulfills an identified need to address the paradoxes of sustainable development and to study how ESD can be more effective.

Challenges of Foreign Language Teaching and Sustainable Development Competence Implementation in Higher Education

2018 ◽  
Vol 29 (1) ◽  
pp. 44-56 ◽  
Author(s):  
Balčiūnaitienė Asta ◽  
Teresevičienė Margarita
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Foreign Language ◽  
Language Teaching ◽  
Competence Development ◽  
Foreign Language Teaching ◽  
The Sustainable Development ◽  
Language Studies ◽  
Empirical Level ◽  
Language Classes

Abstract The article aims to emphasize the role of foreign language teaching in fostering sustainable development competence in higher education. Foreign language classes enable students to analyze actual topics about sustainable development, to discuss problems, to share personal emotions and experiences. English as a foreign language curriculum aims to build students’ basic language communicative skills with the focus on sustainability, communication for the enhancement of sustainable development competence. The present paper aims to analyze the correlation of sustainable development competence between English as a foreign language studies in the system of higher education. The article overviews the importance of the sustainable development competence development on the theoretical level as well as introduces the practices of the importance of sustainable development competence elements in foreign language classes on the empirical level. The research was planned and performed in 5 universities of Lithuania, in which the respondents studying English (average age of participants was 22 years old) expressed their opinions on the sustainable development topics and usefulness of sustainable development competence. The results of the research demonstrate that students are more engaged in topics and materials on sustainable development and it is challenging for pedagogues to constantly update their materials, to apply innovative English as a foreign language teaching strategies related to sustainable development in foreign language classroom. Therefore, the research findings with the embedded elements for sustainable development competence development encourage educators to search for innovative ways of English as a foreign language teaching in higher education.

LA EDUCACIÓN AMBIENTAL PARA EL DESARROLLO SOSTENIBLE EN LA FORMACIÓN DE TÉCNICOS COMPETENTES.

2015 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Pedro Rodríguez Orozco ◽  
Madelin Rodríguez Rensoli
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Management ◽  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Environmental Education ◽  
Key Words ◽  
Professional Education ◽  
Middle Level ◽  
The Sustainable Development ◽  
Palabras Clave ◽  
Middle Level Students

El desarrollo de la educación ambiental para el desarrollo sostenible, se convierte en una necesidad de la formación de los estudiantes del nivel técnico medio dentro de la Educación Técnica Profesional (ETP), es por ello que en el presente artículo, a partir de aplicar los métodos de revisión documental y sistematización, se debate acerca de los términos educación ambiental y gestión ambiental para el desarrollo sostenible, posibilitan identificar la necesidad que tienen el tratamiento metodológico y didáctico para que los docentes y funcionarios incorporen los temas medio ambientales en la formación de los técnicos medios de la especialidad de Refrigeración.   Palabras clave: Educación ambiental; Desarrollo sostenible y Educación Técnica Profesional   ABSTRACT   The development of the environmental education for the sustainable development becomes a necessity for the formation of the technical middle level students of the Technical Professional Education. Hence, it is debated in this article, by applying the methods of documentary review and systematization, the terms environmental education and environmental management for the sustainable development, identify the need for the methodological and didactic treatment, so that the docents and officials incorporate the environmental topics into the technician´s formation in the specialty of refrigeration.   Key words: Environmental Education, Sustainable development, and Technical Professional Education   Recibido: diciembre 2015Aprobado: febrero 2015

INTERNATIONAL GRANT COOPERATION AS A TOOL FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF PROFESSIONAL COMPETENCIES OF UNIVERSITY TEACHERS

2018 ◽  
pp. 4-8
Author(s):  
Milan Chmura
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Czech Republic ◽  
Professional Education ◽  
European Countries ◽  
International Project ◽  
The Czech Republic ◽  
University Teachers ◽  
Quality Of Higher Education ◽  
Education And Development

The education and development of university teachers have its justifcation and its importance is signifcant not only in the Czech Republic but also abroad. This study provides an analysis of further professional education of university teachers in the Czech Republic and in selected European countries. Subsequently, it presents an international project with participants from the Czech Republic, Ukraine, Slovakia and Poland, which, ultimately, plays a role in the improvement of the quality of higher education.

scholarly journals Semi-Systematic Literature Review on Sustainability and Sustainable Development in Higher Education Institutions

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (14) ◽  
pp. 7683
Author(s):  
Amila Omazic ◽  
Bernd Markus Zunk
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Literature Review ◽  
Systematic Literature Review ◽  
Higher Education Institutions ◽  
Main Research ◽  
Agenda 2030 ◽  
Research Themes ◽  
Development Goals

Public sector organizations, primarily higher education institutions (HEIs), are facing greater levels of responsibility since adopting and committing to the Agenda 2030 for Sustainable Development (SD) and its 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). HEIs are expected to provide guidance for various stakeholders on this matter, but also to implement this agenda and the SDGs in their institutions. Although the role of these organizations has been recognized, the fields and issues that HEIs should address on their path towards sustainability and SD are still unclear. To provide further clarity, a semi-systematic literature review on sustainability and SD in HEIs was conducted to identify both the key concepts and main research themes that represent sustainability and SD in HEIs and to identify research gaps. This review increases our knowledge of this topic and enhances our understanding of sustainability and SD in the context of HEIs.

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