Abstract:

Climate change is one of the pressing challenges of our time, exacerbated by human activities in the Anthropocene that result in increased carbon emissions, driving more frequent and intense droughts, fires, and floods. Higher Education Institutions (HEIs), tasked with developing future leaders, are at the forefront of addressing these climate crises. In response, HEIs have committed to equipping students with the knowledge, skills, attitudes, and values necessary for responsible decision-making and sustainable action.

A prevalent assumption in integrating sustainability into HEI curricula is that knowledge acquisition is key to fostering pro-sustainable behaviors. However, this "knowledge deficit" approach is insufficient in addressing the complexities of behavior change and has been critiqued for overlooking non-cognitive factors. Many HEIs continue to rely on teacher-centered, transmissive learning methods that merely transfer knowledge, failing to produce the desired pro-sustainable behaviors. Instead, transformative learning approaches, which are student-centered and focused on behavioral change, are more effective.

Transformative learning experiences encourage action-oriented behavior change, enabling individuals to connect with their values and develop into responsible citizens capable of understanding complex systems and making informed decisions. These experiences are particularly suited for teaching sustainability as they aim to shift learners' worldviews and influence their actions.

To achieve a sustainable future, students must deeply engage with sustainability issues, using their knowledge and values to become agents of change. HEIs must transition from transmissive to transformative learning approaches, and faculty need adequate training to facilitate this shift. This presentation outlines the design and implementation of a professional development workshop that trained faculty to incorporate transformative learning in sustainability education.

The small-scale, exploratory study used surveys and focus groups to evaluate how faculty integrated the Burns Model of Sustainability Pedagogy into their courses pre- and post-workshop. Results indicated a significant pedagogical shift towards problem-based learning, role play, and simulations, moving away from traditional lectures. Participants noted the model's effectiveness in enhancing students' sense of place, understanding complex problems, fostering critical thinking, and questioning power dynamics. Challenges included time constraints, the need for support, and difficulties in developing place-based, project-based, and experiential learning experiences. Despite a strong inclination to incorporate the model's components, participants found synthesizing all dimensions challenging. The study highlights the need for incremental implementation and sustained institutional support to effectively adopt sustainability pedagogy in higher education.

Keywords:

Faculty Development, Sustainability Pedagogy, Transformative Learning, Andragogy.