Pedagogical approaches to developing understanding of sustainability in STEM graduates

Developing the ability of graduates to think critically and creatively about sustainability issues is a goal now embedded in the ‘graduate attributes’ of many Universities. However, there is no consensus on the best... [ view full abstract ]

Developing the ability of graduates to think critically and creatively about sustainability issues is a goal now embedded in the ‘graduate attributes’ of many Universities. However, there is no consensus on the best pedagogical approach to develop this ability/capability. There is little evidence of success in terms of enhanced student learning in STEM disciplines, especially in engineering.

This paper reviews current approaches to developing the graduate attribute of sustainability in STEM graduates. It describes the evaluation methods that have been used and evidence collected on the success of these approaches. It presents results from research undertaken at RMIT University to assess the effectiveness of new approaches to teaching sustainability of engineering projects.

Approaches to teaching sustainability range from traditional lectures to community-oriented and constructive-learning pedagogies. Project based learning is a common approach in engineering education, but outcomes for students are highly variable. Understanding of sustainability was identified as a gap in work readiness of recent graduates. Furthermore, the evaluation of students learning in sustainability needs further development. However, there are few new approaches with evidence of success.

Results are presented on the development of breadth and complexity of student understanding of sustainability, comparing a second and final year course, over a number of years. A substantial increase in breadth and complexity of student knowledge was found after the introduction of a sophisticated and complex framework tool. Focus shifted from “technical” and “environmental” to “social”.

A cultural change is needed to move STEM academics away from using traditional approaches to teaching and learning that are ill suited to developing the attribute of sustainability in graduates. The role of STEM graduates in promoting sustainability thinking in their future careers is critical to reaching the tipping point.

Key words:
Pedagogy for sustainability, graduate attribute of sustainability, project based learning.