Making the hidden curriculum visible: sustainability literacy in higher education

Despite strong political support for the development of sustainability literacy amongst the UK graduates, embedding sustainability in the higher education curriculum has met with widespread indifference, and in some cases, active resistance. However, opportunities exist beyond the formal curriculum for engaging students in learning about sustainability. Previous research has highlighted the potential of the university campus for experiential, place-based learning about and for sustainability. This has been conceptualised as the ‘informal’ curriculum, consisting of extra-curricular activities and student projects linking estates and operations to formal study. However, the impact of the so-called ‘hidden curriculum’ (the implicit messages a university sends about sustainability through the institutional environment and values) has been overlooked as a potential influence on student learning and behaviour. This article reports on a small-scale research project which utilised a phenomenographic approach to explore students’ perceptions of the ‘hidden sustainability curriculum’ at a leading sustainability university. The findings suggest that helping students deconstruct the hidden campus curriculum may enhance aspects of sustainability literacy; developing students’ understanding about sustainability and creating solutions to sustainability issues, enabling evaluative dialogue around campus sustainability and also self-reflection, which could be transformative and translate into pro-environmental behaviour change. This research is transferable to other contexts.     

Introduction to the Special Issue on From Equity to Adequacy to Choice

Under the apartheid state, higher education was structured to maintain and reproduce the subordinate social and economic position of non-Whites. The post-apartheid higher education sector suffered from fragmentation along racial lines, a lack of sustainability, and a structural incapacity to meet the challenges of restructuring and development. After more than a decade of reform, the Ministry of Education announced the plan to restructure the higher education system, consolidating 36 institutions into 21. Institutional mergers were perhaps the most significant structural change to the higher education system since post-apartheid desegregation of universities. This article examines the role of these new higher education institutions in promoting social cohesion within the university and by extension, the society at large. The institutional functions of the new universities are evaluated on the basis of the following indicators: (a) curriculum, (b) institutional climate, (c) perception of fair treatment of all students and (d) mechanisms to adjudicate community differences. Although all these aspects of institutional functions are important, it is the perception of fair treatment across the higher education system that informs desirable behavior that can promote social cohesion in society as a whole.     

Learning to Teach Offshore: Pre-Departure training for lecturers in transnational programs

The internationalisation of higher education in Australia over the past two decades has brought about dramatic changes in Australian universities. Growing numbers of international students have enrolled in Australian universities and the number of students studying offshore has also increased dramatically. While considerable material has been published on the ramifications of the increased numbers of onshore international students studying at Australian universities, there is relatively little published research on the specific challenges facing academics participating in offshore programs. The aim of this project was to examine the current pre-departure cross-cultural training taking place in the business faculties of three Australian universities in order to gain a better understanding of the adequacy of the support given to Australian academics teaching offshore. Twenty staff involved in offshore education were interviewed as part of this project, including academics with considerable offshore teaching experience, senior academic managers and cross-cultural trainers. While these institutions engage in little formal preparation for offshore teaching, a great deal of informal mentoring and briefing is taking place. We consider the implications of the new quality assurance framework for Australian universities, which requires that institutions be able to demonstrate the ways in which they ensure the quality of teaching and learning. Under this new system, universities are bound by the Australian Vice Chancellors' Committee's guidelines for the provision of education to international students. It appears that Australian universities will need to establish more formal mechanisms to ensure that offshore staff are adequately prepared for offshore teaching posts.     

Is students’ energy literacy related to their university’s position in a sustainability ranking?

Abstract

University rankings are increasingly important internationally, and in the UK include a sustainability ‘Green League’. However, there is little evidence about experiences of studying in ‘sustainable universities’. We report an empirical study at five universities in varied positions in the Green League, exploring students’ energy literacy, environmental attitudes and perceptions of their institution’s energy-saving efforts. Although the link to energy literacy is not clear, findings suggest that there are significant differences between students’ environmental attitudes at universities placed at different points in the league. In addition, students at higher ranked universities are more positive about their university’s energy-saving efforts, suggesting that these institutions may exhibit more overt manifestations of sustainability. This is important since students report being more likely to choose energy-conservation behaviours if there is visible representation of energy use. The study is the first to attempt a comparison between universities at different positions in a sustainability ranking.     

英国高校国际学生学费的变化及其对高等教育的影响

在全球化时代，高等院校学生的全球流动给国际学生输入国的政治、经济以及高等教育带来了重要影响。英国作为国际学生的主要接收国之一，其优质的高等教育吸引着来自世界各地的学生。在新自由主义意识形态、国际教育服务贸易理念与高等教育财政拨款投入制度的影响下，英国逐步向国际学生收取高额学费。英国高校国际学生学费的变化呈现出新的特点，影响着国际学生的来源结构、生源数量与质量，可能导致高校课程调整与师资流失。国际学生学费的变化引发了英国社会对高等教育市场化取向与国际学生公平教育权益的讨论，并实施了将国际学生学费与院校国际教育质量挂钩、以奖助学金形式平衡国际学生学费压力等具体改革举措。     

Sustainable Procurement: Integrating Classroom Learning with University Sustainability Programs

Organizations are facing increased pressure from various stakeholders to address issues of sustainability, resulting in a growing demand for sustainability education and training. Procurement groups remain the key drivers of many sustainability‐related strategies, placing pressure on universities to integrate sustainability concepts into the business curriculum. This article describes a replicable educational model that allows students to learn about sustainable procurement while concurrently promoting sustainability within the university community.     

Business sustainability and undergraduate management education: an Australian study

The academic literature arguing that there is an urgent requirement for businesses to become more sustainable is rapidly expanding. There is also a demonstrated need for managers to develop a better understanding of sustainability and the appropriate strategies required to improve business sustainability. In addition, there have been international calls for educators to address sustainability in their programs. The aim of this study was to investigate the extent to which business sustainability was incorporated into undergraduate business and management courses in Australian universities. The high percentage of international students enrolled in these courses suggests our findings have implications beyond the Australian context. Students currently studying these courses are the managers and leaders of the future and their knowledge and skills will influence the extent to which business sustainability will be achieved. The findings demonstrate that more than half of Australian universities did not explicitly identify sustainability as part of their business/management curricula and those universities that did address sustainability did so, in most cases, only in a limited way.     

对高校大学生音乐教育的思考

普通高等学校自上世纪80年代开设音乐教育课程以来,取得了一定成效的同时,显露出准备不足的现状,在音乐教育的目的与功能、音乐师资建设、课程与教材、营造校园音乐文化氛围等方面存在着发展中的困惑,该文对此进行了思考,认为大学音乐教育的性质应是深化发展与理性的,师资队伍应是专业化、高教性的,课程与教材应符合国家对大学生培养目标要求,校园应营造高尚活跃的音乐文化氛围,以利于高校音乐教育的发展。     

高校生死教育需求调查研究

采用自编的问卷,以对待生死的总态度、对待死的态度、对待生的态度、与死亡有关的特殊问题探讨、对生死教育的需求以及课程设置等6个方面为内容,进行调查研究。研究发现:“重生轻死”的历史文化传统深深地影响着国人,人们较少讨论甚至回避死亡话题;大部分人为死亡所困扰,对死亡普遍有一种恐惧心理;许多学生缺乏对自杀的正确认识;等等。高校学生对生死教育有着较大的需求,在高校开展生死教育是必要的,也是可行的。今后应加强对生死教育课程的研究,根据高校的实际情况逐步开展生死教育。     

Sustainability policy and sustainability in higher education curricula: the educational developer perspective

Various studies have investigated the views of higher education staff and students about sustainability, yet educational developer perspectives are under-represented in the research. This project gathered educational developer perspectives about sustainability in the curriculum. It sought to capture their views about a national sustainability policy; about the relationship between educational development and sustainability curriculum change; and whether sustainability should form part of their own roles. It was informed by the ‘theory of the second-best’ and involved nine interviews. Educational developers raised concerns about the policy, whilst opinions about their own involvement varied. It is argued that policy should provide clearer statements about curriculum, and educational developers should be involved in its development.     

Who is listening? An examination of gender effects and employment choice in sustainability education in an undergraduate business school

Whilst universities acknowledge the importance of sustainability education, numerous problems exist in relation to the nature, delivery and outcomes of sustainability instruction. Many of these problems arise due to a lack of understanding about students’ perception towards, and knowledge about business sustainability. This article examines gender-specific perceptions of business sustainability issues, sustainability education and the importance students attach to sustainability in their choice of future employer. A paper-based self-complete survey was used to collect data from a convenience sample of 224 undergraduate marketing students at an Australian University. Factor analysis, T-tests, and multiple regression were used to test the hypothesised relationships. Results show significant differences between the female and male cohorts, supporting all but one of the hypothesised relationships. In addition, gender differences were observed across the constructs predicting employment choice. Implications for teaching practice and future research are provided.     

The I3E model for embedding education for sustainability within higher education institutions

This paper presents an evidence-based model (the I3E model) for embedding education for sustainability (EfS) within a higher education institution. This model emerged from a doctoral research that examined organisational learning and change processes at the University of Southampton to build EfS into the university curriculum. The researcher aimed to learn from real practice through acting as a facilitator for curriculum development in EfS within an interdisciplinary group of academic staff members. A critical friend position was also acquired within a community of practice to implement a programme which attempted to embed sustainability within the student experience. The I3E model identifies four overarching components that can support universities in their aim to embed EfS within the undergraduate curriculum. These integrated components are: Inform the university community about sustainability; Engage the different university stakeholders in the change process towards sustainability; Empower individuals and groups to make change happen within their sphere of influence and action; and Embed sustainability within existing university structures.     

Are full-time MBAs performing?

Full-time MBA students amount to about one-third of the 26,000 students enrolled on MBA programmes at UK universities. The programmes have become increasingly international in student composition and concerns have been expressed about performance, quality and comparability between programmes. Research into predictors of MBA success has been equivocal with few clear indicators. This paper presents two case studies at two post-1992 universities of full-time MBA programmes and the relationship between entry qualifications – interpreted widely – and graduation success. Full-time programmes inevitably attract overseas students from outside Europe and this creates differences, not only in culture and ethos, but also in content, teaching methods, assessment and attitudes to assessment. The discussion includes the competing perspectives of financial performance and education and the changing face of MBA programmes due to internationalisation. It concludes that there are broad similarities between the two institutions which has wider application and offers an approach that may enhance performance through improved application processes and the management of staff and student expectations.     

Conceptualizing climate change in the context of a climate system: implications for climate and environmental education

Today there is much interest in teaching secondary students about climate change. Much of this effort has focused directly on students’ understanding of climate change. We hypothesize, however, that in order for students to understand climate change they must first understand climate as a system and how changes to this system due to both natural and human influences result in climatic and environmental changes and feedbacks. The purpose of this article is to articulate a climate system framework for teaching about climate change and to stimulate discussion about what secondary students should know and understand about a climate system. We first provide an overview of the research on secondary students’ conceptions of climate and climate change. We then present a climate system framework for teaching about climate and climate change that builds on students’ conceptions and scientific perspectives. We conclude by articulating a draft conceptual progression based on students’ conceptions and our climate system framework as a means to inform curriculum development, instructional design, and future research in climate and environmental education.     

An examination of freshmen to senior general education gains across a national sample of institutions with different general education requirements using a mixed-effect structural equation model

This study investigated differences in freshmen to senior student general education gains across institutions with varying patterns of general education requirements using a mixed-effect structural equation model. The subjects were 6,409 students at 34 nation-wide colleges and universities. Students attending institutions where less than 40 percent of undergraduate curricular requirements were devoted to general education and where there was not equal distribution of general education courses within the requirement were found to have significantly higher general education gains than did students who attended institutions where 40 percent or more of the undergraduate curriculum was devoted to general education and there was equal distribution of courses within the general education requirement.Presented at the Association for Institutional Research Annual Forum, Atlanta, Georgia, May 10–13, 1992.     

美国研究型大学创业教育课程设置探析——基于三所大学的实证研究

创业教育作为年轻人应该拥有的第三本护照,是大学生学习知识、提升能力与职业发展不可缺少的教育内容。创业教育课程是大学生进行创业教育理论学习与实践探索的前提条件,是决定创业教育实施效果的核心要素。美国研究型大学在本科生创业教育课程的设置及其管理上具有丰富的经验,其明确的课程设置目标、专属多样的课程管理机构、独特的课程结构以及科学的课程内容对我国高校开展创业教育具有积极的借鉴意义。     

我国研究型大学通识课程建设——基于5所大学的实证研究

我国研究型大学一直重视通识课程在人才培养中的重要作用。当前,我国研究型大学通识课程建设存在管理机构薄弱、课程结构不协调、通选课程领域认识不同、师资结构不完善等问题。加强研究型大学通识课程建设,需要加强管理机构建设、协调课程结构、统一划分通选课程领域、优化师资队伍建设。     

The dilemma of change in Indian higher education

India has been trying to reform its higher education system for more than a half-century but the results in terms of systemic change have been minimal. The universities have expanded dramatically to meet the demands of an increasingly powerful middle class although resources have not been adequate to ensure the maintenance of standards. In India's bureaucratic environment, political will to change the universities has been inadequate. For these and other reasons, the mainstream of Indian higher education, now including 7,000 colleges and 150 universities serving more than 4 million students, suffers from deteriorating standards, occasional unrest and inadequate resources. However, at the margins of this seemingly unmovable system have been a variety of significant changes and reforms. The Indian Institutes of Technology, for example, provide high quality post-secondary education. Even within the traditional universities and colleges, some interesting reforms in curriculum have been successful in limited areas. This analysis points to the factors inhibiting reform and change as well as some examples of limited successes.     

论当前高校课程思政建设策略

高校对于课程思政建设过程中的若干问题已经形成广泛共识,但是仍有一些问题,学界还较少论及。对此,文章提出当前高校课程思政建设的“三大策略”:应坚守教书育人这一初心;应与一流课程建设紧密融合;应以服务国家战略为导向。在课程和专业教学日益国际化的环境下,教学实践中当做好国际理解教育与爱国主义教育相结合、跨文化教育与文化自信教育相结合、使命教育与美育相结合。     

Playing it up,playing it down,playing it safe: Queering teacher education

The impact of homophobia and heterosexism on the e/quality of schooling experiences for many students and teachers in Australia places a responsibility on teacher education institutions to incorporate anti-homophobia and anti-heterosexist education in their courses. This discussion, based on research undertaken in universities across New South Wales, Australia, explores pre-service teacher educators’ perceptions of the importance and relevance of including anti-homophobia and anti-heterosexist education in teacher education courses. It examines how the application or avoidance of addressing these issues is a result of their positioning in discourses of personal investment and social justice, as well as their articulation in curriculum.