Teaching Managing Sustainability to Non-business Undergraduates
An Exploration in Fluidity Teaching
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.31686/ijier.vol2.iss3.151Abstract
This paper reviews the challenges and opportunities facing business and environmental management education while outlining pedagogies recommended for creating an environment which encourages transformational education. This approach, deemed ‘fluidity teaching’ is used to teach managing sustainability to non-business majors with the objective of promoting critical thinking and heightened problem solving skills. The course positively impacted student’s awareness of sustainable management complexities and solutions. Techniques utilized help students gain ownership of their learning process and knowledge gathering thus allowing them to make multidisciplinary linkages and offer complex suggestions across boundaries. Finally, students’ assessments indicated they felt they developed critical thinking skills which lead to rich discussions and ‘thinking for themselves’ in determining viable solutions in sustainability issues.
References
Bacon, C.M., Mulvaney, D., Ball, T.B., DuPuis, E.M., Gliessman, S.R., Lipschutz, R.D., Shakouri, A. (2011), "The creation of an integrated sustainability curriculum and student praxis projects", International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education, Vol. 12 Iss: 2, pp.193 – 208. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/14676371111118237
Dehler, G.G., Welsh, M.A., Lewis, M.W. (2001), “Critical pedagogy in the ‘new paradigm': Raising complicated understanding in management learning”, Management Learning, Vol. 32 Iss: 4, pp. 493-511. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/1350507601324005
Dopico, E., Garcia-Vazquez, E. (2011), “Leaving the classroom: a didactic framework for education in environmental sciences”, Cultural Studies of Science Education, Vol.6 Iss: 2, pp. 311-326. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11422-010-9271-9
Hatcher, D. L., and Spencer, L.A., (2000) Reasoning and Writing: From Critical Thinking to Composition. American Press, Boston, MA.
Karen, I., Fortuin, P.J., Bush, S.R. (2010), "Educating students to cross boundaries between disciplines and cultures and between theory and practice", International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education, Vol. 11 Iss: 1, pp.19 – 35. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/14676371011010020
Kearins, K., Springett, D. V. (2003), “Educating for sustainability: Developing critical skills”, Journal of Management Education, Vol. 27 Iss:2, pp.188-204. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/1052562903251411
MacVaugh, J., Norton, M. (2012), "Introducing sustainability into business education contexts using active learning", International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education, Vol. 13 Iss: 1, pp. 72 – 87. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/14676371211190326
Naeem, M.A., Peach, N.W. (2011), "Promotion of sustainability in postgraduate education in the Asia Pacific region", International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education, Vol. 12 Iss: 3, pp. 280 – 290. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/14676371111148063
Podger, D.M., Mustakova-Possardt, E., Reid, A. (2010), "A whole-person approach to educating for sustainability", International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education, Vol. 11 Iss: 4, pp. 339 – 352. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/14676371011077568
Pretorius, R.W. (2004), "An environmental management qualification through distance education", International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education, Vol. 5 Iss: 1, pp. 63 – 80. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/14676370410512599
Sipos, Y., Battisti, B., Grimm, K. (2008), "Achieving transformative sustainability learning: engaging head, hands and heart", International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education, Vol. 9 Iss: 1, pp. 68 – 86. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/14676370810842193
Welsh, M .A., Murray, D.L. (2003), "The ecollaborative: Teaching sustainability through critical pedagogy", Journal of Management Education, Vol 27 Iss: 2. pp. 220-236. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/1052562903251415
Hasan, S., Komur, S. (2008), “The relationship between critical thinking skills and in-class questioning behaviours of English language teaching students”, European Journal of Teacher Education, Vol: 31 Iss:4. pp 389-402.Table 1. Student reported assessments in various categories Fall 2009-Fa02013 (n=125) DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/02619760802420784
Class assessment ranking (1 to 5, 1 being low and 5 being high)
Business course rankings
Does the written work contribute to the course understanding?
66
61
Does the course encourage you to think for yourself?
71
Not available
The class encouraged discussion and dialogue?
90
Not available
Overall course rating?
71
25
*This number differs from the number of students having taken the course as not all students who took the course completed course evaluations
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2014 Dr. Nancy A. Hubbard
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
Copyrights for articles published in IJIER journals are retained by the authors, with first publication rights granted to the journal. The journal/publisher is not responsible for subsequent uses of the work. It is the author's responsibility to bring an infringement action if so desired by the author for more visit Copyright & License.
How to Cite
