Educating academic staff to reorient curricula in ESD

• Published in: International journal of sustainability in higher education 2018-01, Vol.19 (1), p.179-196
• Main Authors: Biasutti, Michele, Makrakis, Vassilios, Concina, Eleonora, Frate, Sara
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Barriers; Beliefs; Change Strategies; Cognitive ability; Collaboration; College Faculty; Colleges & universities; Contests; Core curriculum; Course Descriptions; Curriculum Design; Curriculum Development; Education; Educational Change; Educational Practices; Educational Principles; Educational Research; Environmental education; Faculty Development; Focus Groups; Foreign Countries; Higher Education; Innovations; Instructional Design; Interdisciplinary Approach; Interdisciplinary aspects; Job Skills; Pedagogy; Philosophy; Professional development; Qualitative Research; Role of Education; Skill Development; Sociology; Student Development; Student Evaluation; Sustainability; Sustainable development; Teacher Attitudes; Teacher Surveys; Teachers; Teaching Methods; Teamwork; Workshops
• ISSN: 1467-6370; 1758-6739
• DOI: 10.1108/IJSHE-11-2016-0214

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to present a professional development experience for higher education academic staff within the framework of an international Tempus project focused on reorienting university curricula to address sustainability. The project included revising curricula to phase sustainable development principles into university courses. Design/methodology/approach A qualitative approach was used to examine perceived professional development. Focus groups have been conducted with the academic staff who participated in the project. Findings The results provided evidence that revising their curricula offered the participants an opportunity to discuss different principles, teaching methods, didactic processes and practices in Education for Sustainable Development (ESD). Several strategies emerged during curricula revision such as a positive attitude towards meta-cognitive strategies and a goal-oriented approach to curriculum planning. Moreover, the project induced the academic staff to reconsider their teaching methods. Research limitations/implications The main limitation is the restricted generalisability of the findings, because of the small number of participants. Further research is needed to confirm the theoretical model that emerged. Implications of the results for professional development and the induction of change in academic staff are also discussed. Originality/value There is little information about training experiences for enhancing professional development in academic staff using ESD principles, and this study provides a starting point. According to the results, the project had an impact on the participants’ attitudes, teaching principles and methods, course design skills and assessment approaches.