Sustainability studies put
emphasis on social-environmental-technical problems with local manifestations
and global impacts. This makes especially poignant the need for educational
experiences in which students confront the challenges of crossing cultural,
national, and geographical boundaries in a globalized world andunderstand the
historical, epistemological and ethical underpinnings of these diverse cultural
conditions. The success criteria to evaluate the educational experiences
demanded by the globalization of education, however, are yet to be specified
and used in novel educational opportunities. A brief review of international
sustainability education options currently available to students reveals a gap
between the knowledge students may need to succeed in a globalized world and
the opportunities available. Into this landscape, we introduce The Global
Classroom, an international collaboration between Leuphana University of
Lüneburg in Germany and Arizona State University in the US. The project strives
for an interdisciplinary and cross-cultural approach to equipping students with
the knowledge, skills, and attitudes required to take on sustainability
challenges in international settings. We discuss the structure and organization
of the Global Classroom model and share preliminary experiences. The article
concludes with a reflection on institutional structures conducive to providing
students with the international learning opportunities they may need to tackle
sustainability problems in a globalized world.
References
[1]
Brundiers, K., & Wiek, A. (2011). Educating students in real-world sustainability research: Vision and implementation. Innovative Higher Education, 36, 107-124. doi:10.1007/s10755-010-9161-9
[2]
Brundiers, K., & Wiek, A. (2013). Do we teach what we preach? An international comparison of problem-and project-based learning courses in sustainability. Sustainability, 5, 1725-1746.
[3]
Crow, M. M. (2010). Organizing teaching and research to address the grand challenges of sustainable development. BioScience, 60, 488-489. doi:10.1525/bio.2010.60.7.2
[4]
De Haan, G. (2006). The BLK “21” programme in Germany: A “Ges-taltungskompetenz”-based model for education for sustainable development. Environmental Education Resources, 1, 19-32.
doi:10.1080/13504620500526362
[5]
Elkana, Y., Laubichler, M. D., & Wilkins, A. S. (2010). Call to reshape university curricula. Nature, 467, 788. doi:10.1038/467788c
[6]
Ferrer-Balas, D., Adachi, J., Banas, S., Davidson, C. I., Hoshikoshi, A., Mishra, A., Motododa, Y., Onga, M., & Ostwald, M. (2008). An international comparative analysis of sustainability transformation across seven universities. International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education, 9, 295-316. doi:10.1108/14676370810885907
[7]
Lang, D. J., & Wiek, A. (2012). The role of universities in fostering urban and regional sustainability. In H. A. Mieg, & K. Töpfer (Eds.), Institutional and social innovation for sustainable urban development (pp. 393-411). London: Earthscan.
[8]
Rowe, D. (2007). Education for a sustainable future. Science, 317, 323-324. doi:10.1126/science.1143552
[9]
Sipos, Y., Battisti, B., & Grimm, K. (2008). Achieving transformative sustainability learning: Engaging head, hands and heart. International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education, 9, 68-86.
doi:10.1108/14676370810842193
[10]
Steinemann, A., & Asce, M. (2003). Implementing sustainable development through problem-based learning: Pedagogy and practice. Journal of Professional Issues in Engineering Education and Practice, 129, 216-224. doi:10.1061/(ASCE)1052-3928(2003)129:4(216)
[11]
Strayer, J. F. (2007). The effect of the classroom flip on the learning environment: A comparison of learning activity in a traditional classroom and a flip classroom that used an intelligent tutoring system. Ph.D. Thesis, Columbus, OH: Ohio State University.
[12]
Thomas, I. (2009). Critical thinking, transformative learning, sustainable education, and problem-based learning in universities. Journal of Transformative Education, 7, 245-264.
doi:10.1177/1541344610385753
[13]
Van der Leeuw, S., Wiek, A., Harlow, J., & Buizer, J. (2012). How much time do we have? Urgency and rhetoric in sustainability science. Sustainability Science, 7, 115-120.
doi:10.1007/s11625-011-0153-1
[14]
Whitmer, A., Ogden, L., Lawton, J., Sturner, P., Groffman, P. M., Schneider, L., Hart, D. et al. (2010). The engaged university: Providing a platform for research that transforms society. Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment, 8, 314-321. doi:10.1890/090241
[15]
Wiek, A., Withycombe, L., & Redman, C. L. (2011a). Key competencies in sustainability—A reference framework for academic program development. Sustainability Science, 6, 203-218.
doi:10.1007/s11625-011-0132-6
[16]
Wiek, A., Withycombe, L., Redman, C. L., & Banas Mills, S. (2011b). Moving forward on competence in sustainability research and problem solving. Environment: Science and Policy for Sustainable Development, 53, 3-12. doi:10.1080/00139157.2011.554496
[17]
Wiek, A., Xiong, A., Brundiers, K., & van der Leeuw, S. (2013). Integrating problem-and project-based learning into sustainability programs—A case study on the School of Sustainability at Arizona State University. International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education, under Review.
[18]
Yasin, R. M., & Rahman, S. (2011). Problem oriented project based learning (POPBL) in promoting education for sustainable development. Procedia Social and Behavioral Sciences, 15, 289-293.
doi:10.1016/j.sbspro.2011.03.088
