Abstract:

This paper investigates innovative evaluation methods within higher education, particularly in the field of Sustainability Leadership, specifically focusing on transitioning from traditional knowledge dissemination and teacher-centered evaluation to a competency-oriented emancipatory approach. It emphasizes implementing the 21st EWA (Empowering Wholeness Adaptive) Edu didactic and philosophical model (Holman and Švejdarová 2023), integrating holistic system-thinking perspectives to enhance the learning environment and feedback mechanisms.

The research methodology encompasses three distinct sources of primary data to evaluate the effectiveness of the transformative feedback approach. The study begins with an analysis of individual reflections involving 42 participants from intensive week-long courses focused on Strategic Sustainability Management for future leaders. This phase allows participants to self-assess their skills and competencies, and their perceptions of the role of feedback in the educational process. Following the individual reflections, a survey was conducted among the participants, gathering 58 responses that provided quantitative data on the impact of the didactic and philosophical model on feedback efficacy, skill development, and competency enhancement. Lastly, the practical part includes semi-structured interviews with three experts in transformational education in the Czech Republic.

These components collectively aim to assess how the transformative feedback that forms a part of the 21st EWA Edu model impacts skill and competence development and the integration of continuous feedback mechanisms. The findings suggest that constant and structured purpose-driven feedback mechanisms, such as peer feedback, individual reflections, and 360-degree evaluations significantly enhance skill and competence acquisition, and overall learners' engagement.

Keywords:

Feedback Mechanisms, Competency-Based Learning, Innovative Evaluation Methods, System-Thinking in Wholeness, Strategic Sustainability Management, Sustainability Leadership.