Annotated Bibliography – Teaching Sustainability

This is an annotated bibliography of some of the available literature on Education for Sustainability (EfS) in higher education. The
bibliography is organised by type of publication to assist users locate information. The terms ‘environmental education’ (EE),
‘education for sustainability’ (EfS) and ‘education for sustainable development’ (ESD) are used interchangeably in the literature.
While education for sustainability (EfS) is Macquarie’s preferred definition, the terms used in the following reviews will reflect those
used by the authors in that particular reference.
There is currently a strong emphasis on using constructivist frameworks to integrate sustainability issues into curricula. This involves
the adoption of interdisciplinary / trans-disciplinary approaches to learning and teaching in conjunction with cooperative/collaborative
learning. Research on sustainability and learning and teaching practices is sparse in some disciplines, for example the arts and
humanities. Resources are more commonly available in fields linked to science-based subjects such as engineering and geography,
with business and management also well documented. To reflect this trend we have included a section titled Interdisciplinary
Approaches, which contains research papers, case studies and projects across disciplines which may be particularly useful for those
involved in teaching sustainability in the less well documented areas. Another important point to note is that much of the literature
remains focused on teaching the environmental aspects of sustainability, even though sustainability is now conceptualised in a much
broader way to include social, political and economic dimensions.

Table of Contents

Annotated Bibliography – Teaching Sustainability.....................................................................................................................................1

Table of Contents.....................................................................................................................................................................................1
Journals....................................................................................................................................................................................................2
Sustainability learning and teaching literature........................................................................................................................................2
Discipline specific approaches..............................................................................................................................................................17
Policy / research reports.........................................................................................................................................................................56
Websites.................................................................................................................................................................................................57

1
 Journals
Source Location
Australian Journal of Environmental Education http://search.informit.com.au/
Canadian Journal of Environmental Education www.emeraldinsight.com
Environmental Education Research www.tandf.co.uk/
Higher Education www.springer.com
Higher Education Policy www.palgrave-journals.com
Innovative Higher Education www.uga.edu/ihe/ihe.html
International Journal of Sustainable Development www.inderscience.com/
International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education www.emeraldinsight.com/products/journals/
Journal of Cleaner Production www.elsevier.com
Journal of Education for Sustainable Development http://jsd.sagepub.com/
Journal of Teacher Education for Sustainability http://ise-lv.eu/
Journal of Sustainability Education www.jsedimensions.org/

Sustainability learning and teaching literature

Author and Title Notes Keywords
year
Banjerjee, S.B. Teaching sustainability: A critical In this discussion paper Banjerjee explores different meanings of Analytical and
(2004) perspective. Paper presented at the the term ‘sustainable development’ and their implications for conceptual paper
Academy of Management Conference, business education. He considers assumptions behind the concept
New Orleans, USA, August 2004. and critically analyses how it is being deployed in organisational Business
studies literature. The paper begins with a discussion of the education
discourse of ‘sustainable development’, drawing attention to
limitations in way it is being taught in business schools. He uses Environmental
this as the basis for his framework on teaching sustainability, sustainability
which he believes should be taught from a critical perspective that

2
 challenges existing ways of thinking and stimulates debate among Social
students. Several themes central to the successful implementation sustainability
of a critical approach to teaching sustainability are addressed.
Banjerjee is a strong proponent of the multidisciplinary approach, Sustainable
arguing that sustainability must be taught from a critical development
perspective using a broad range of theoretical views. He believes
that the current focus on issues around sustainability as taught in Teaching
most business schools takes a narrow economic perspective. sustainable
development
This is a thoughtful consideration of current issues relevant to the
teaching of sustainable development in business education. While
Banjerjee provides a teaching framework, the paper does not
include specific information on teaching/assessment of
sustainability. For a continuation of this discussion refer to
Banjerjee’s chapter, Teaching sustainability: A critical
perspective, which is reviewed under the discipline specific
section of this resource.
Barth, M. Developing key competencies for This research paper reports on an explorative qualitative study Competencies
Godemann, J. sustainable development in higher undertaken in Germany. The aim of the study was to add to the
Rieckmann, M. education. International Journal of limited amount of research available on developing key Learning
Stoltenberg, U. Sustainability in Higher Education, competencies for sustainable development within higher education
(2007) 8(4), 416-430. (both in formal and informal learning environments). Focus Qualitative
groups (representing formal and informal learning situations) with research
students reveal that the development of key competencies is based
on both cognitive and non-cognitive dispositions. In order to Research paper
enhance competence development, the authors recommend the
creation of a new learning culture which involves a mix of Sustainable
formal/informal learning settings, encouraging learners’ to take development
responsibility for their own learning and the promoting of
interdisciplinary collaborations.
Blewitt, J. Higher education for a sustainable This paper presents a discursive analysis of the skills and General review

3
(2010) world. Education & Training, 52(6/7), knowledge requirements of a ‘green knowledge-based economy’.
477-488. Using policy and academic research literature, Blewitt explores Higher education
the nature and purpose of higher education in the 21st century and
how it can help create such an economy by developing approaches Learning
to learning and teaching that are social, networked and
ecologically sensitive. Graduate
attributes/skills

Sustainable
development

Blewitt, J. The sustainability curriculum: The A collection of papers written by scholars from a wide range of Environmental
Cullingford, C. challenge for higher education. disciplines, analysing the impact of the concepts and practices of education
(Eds) London: Earthscan. sustainability and sustainable development on various academic
(2004) disciplines (with the exception of science), institutional practices, Interdisciplinary
fields of study and methods of enquiry. Part one presents a variety approach
of views on sustainability and higher education, and its
relationship to issues such as lifelong learning and educational Sustainable
theory. A range of approaches are used, including eco-feminism development
and the global citizen. Part two focus on the way in which
different disciplines (built environment, logistics, accounting,
economics, social policy, sociology, politics, geography,
philosophy and accounting) have responded to the sustainability
agenda and offers suggestions for further development.
Corcoran, P.B. Higher education and the challenge of A collection of theoretical and research papers which critically Case studies
Wals, A.E.J. sustainability: Problematics, promise, explore sustainability as an outcome and process of learning, and
(Eds) and practice. Dordrecht, The as a mechanism for educational change and institutional Environmental
(2004) Netherlands: Kluwer Academic innovation. The authors provide historical, philosophical and education
Publishers. pedagogical perspectives on environmental learning and
organisational change within higher education through a diverse Environmental
range of perspectives offered by scholars from a variety of responsibility

4

Cortese, A.D. The critical role of higher education in
(2003) creating a sustainable future. Planning
for Higher Education, 31(3), 15-22.
disciplines and cultures. Part one provides a history of
sustainability initiatives in higher education and critically analyses Environmental
the meanings of ‘education’ and ‘sustainability’ within the context science
of diverging interests, norms, values and epistemologies. Part two
presents different perspectives on learning about sustainability Sustainable
within a higher education context, including topics such as development
environmental education, environmental justice, eco-feminism and
transformative education. Part three brings together these multiple
perspectives, supporting them with case studies.
This paper provides a brief introduction to the relationship Conceptual paper
between higher education and sustainability. The author presents
his vision of the role of higher education as a leader in creating a Long term
sustainable future. The paper is pitched at academics, senior planning
university administrators and planners. Cortese reflects the
mainstream view of his contemporaries, calling for an urgent Higher education
paradigm shift to transform education as a necessary step towards
preparing students to achieve a sustainable society. He promotes a Sustainable
systemic perspective emphasising collaboration and cooperation. development
A model of a university where the educational experience of Sustainability
students is fully aligned with the principles of sustainability and education
where sustainability is incorporated in all its operational functions
and actions is proposed. According to Cortese the curriculum
needs to be closely integrated with; research, understanding and
reducing the negative ecological and social footprint of the
institution, and improving local and regional communities so they
are socially, economically and environmentally sustainable.
Interdisciplinary systems thinking is critical to addressing
sustainable action on local, regional, and global scales over short,
medium, and intergenerational time periods. He emphasises
active, experiential, inquiry-based learning, real-world problem
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Cotton, D. Revolutions and second-best
Bailey, I. solutions: Education for sustainable
Warren, M. development in higher education.
Bissell, S. Studies in Higher Education, 34(7),
(2009) 719-733.
Ferreira, J. Mainstreaming education for
Ryan, L. sustainable development in initial
Tilbury, D. teacher education in Australia: A
(2007) review of existing professional
developmental models. Journal of
Education for Teaching: International
Research & Pedagogy, 33(2), 225-
solving and the role of the institution in practicing sustainability.
That is, making sustainability an integral part of operations,
planning, facility design etc., and forming partnerships with local
and regional communities. A small number of examples are
provided which highlight changes that have occurred in US
universities.
Abstract only Education for
Despite widespread policy support for education for sustainable sustainable
development in higher education, and a strong academic literature development
arguing for a radical rethink of curriculum, pedagogy and
institutional culture, progress towards the educational reforms Qualitative study
advocated remains limited. Based on in-depth interviews with
lecturers at a case-study university, this article explores reasons
for the slow pace of change, in particular how constraining
variables (such as class size, patchy managerial support,
perceived irrelevance to some disciplines, and conflict with
prevalent higher education pedagogies) inhibit the widespread use
of the holistic, interdisciplinary, transformative learning
approaches advocated by theorists. Coping strategies employed by
lecturers to bring education for sustainable development into their
teaching practices are investigated and reviewed in the context of
the ‘theory of the second best’. We conclude with a plea for
greater recognition in the literature of the merits of such ‘second-
best’ approaches in higher education.
This research paper reports on a study undertaken by the Australia
Australian Research Institute of Education for Sustainability
(ARIES) and funded by the Department of the Environment and Education for
Water Resources. The purpose of the study was to find a model sustainable
capable of facilitating the system-wide engagement needed to development
mainstream education for sustainable development (ESD), as there
are presently no models available even though many local and Research paper
6
 239. international policies recommend the incorporation of
sustainability into teacher education. The researchers evaluate Teacher education
seven models of professional development underpinning a number
of teacher education initiatives (both in Australia and
internationally). The methodology is based on literature searches,
a review of program documentation, and discussions with leaders
of the initiatives evaluated. No empirical data is collected, rather
the authors focus on how each of the initiatives intended to bring
about change in teacher education. Three models of professional
development are identified and discussed: the Collaborative
Resource Development and Adaptation Model, the Action
Research Model and the Whole-of-System Model.

The paper concludes by arguing that a systemic approach that

engages the whole of the teacher education system is necessary if
ESD is to be successfully mainstreamed in initial teacher
education. The authors propose a ‘Mainstreaming Sustainability
Model’ one that combines the best features of the Whole-of-
System and Action Research Models.
Gonczi, A. A conceptual framework for Abstract only Conceptual paper
(2006) sustainable leadership. Paper The notion of sustainability is, of course, most commonly
presented at the sustainable leadership associated with the environment and focuses on the need to Sustainable
in education symposium and sustain diversity, conserve our resources and to ensure that what leadership
conference, Sydney, NSW. Available we do today in meeting our perceived needs does not have a
at deleterious impact on future generations. How useful is this
http://sydney.edu.au/education_social metaphor of sustainability for the field of education? In their
_work/professional_learning/resources recent book Hargreaves and Fink (2006) argue that it is apposite
/papers/GoncziA_06_SustainableLead as the pace and direction of reform and change over the last
ership.pdf [accessed 21 June, 2010] decade has been such that it is has damaged educational systems
and the students in them in serious ways. One example they cite
is the standardization of curriculum, the very opposite of diversity.

7
 The impact of recent reforms on educational leadership has also
been substantial – so much so that there is evidence accumulating
that many potential leaders are opting not to take up such roles
and that many existing leaders are retiring early. Again this is the
antithesis of conservation of our resources
Gough, S. Curriculum development and This is a philosophical paper which proposes a terminological Curriculum
Scott, W. sustainable development: Practices, framework to analyse the relationship between sustainable development
(2001) institutions and literacies. Education development and curriculum development. The authors attempt to
Philosophy & Theory, 33(2). define both curriculum development and sustainable development Philosophical
in an inclusive way. Their framework proposes that literacy,
practices, organisational institutions and cultural institutions Policy
provide a set of conceptual categories to analyse the task of
developing curricula that will promote the targets set by the Sustainable
international community with respect to sustainable development. development
Refer also to Scott and Gough (2004), Key issues in sustainable
development. Terminology
Learning & Sustainability in the curriculum This booklet provides views about sustainability in the curriculum Definitions
Teaching project. Available at from around Macquarie University, and is an excellent
Centre www.mq.edu.au/ltc/pdfs/039_sust_in_ introductory resource to sustainable education within higher Graduate
Macquarie curric.pdf [accessed 21 April, 2010] education. Section 1 introduces the Macquarie principles of capabilities
University sustainability (environmental protection, social justice, economics
(2009) well-being, and diversity), explores the contexts of sustainability Teaching
in education and in the strategic direction of the university. sustainable
Section 2 presents a collection of papers authored by academics development
around the university: “Thinking about sustainability in statistics”
(Petocz), “Sustainability in the curriculum at MGSM” (Jones),
“Reflections of sustainability in the curriculum: Linguistics,
human sciences” (Rieschild), “Incorporating sustainability in the
business curriculum” (Chen), and “Sustainability in the Faculty of
Arts” (Techera). The booklet also includes a list of references and
other useful resources.

8
Moore, J. Seven recommendations for creating
(2005a) sustainability education at the
university level: A guide for change
agents. International Journal of
Sustainability in Higher Education,
6(4), 326-339.
Moore, J. Barriers and pathways to creating
(2005b) sustainability education programs:
Policy, rhetoric and reality.
Environmental Education Research,
11(5), 537-555.
Moore, J. Is higher education ready for
(2005c) transformative learning? A question
This research paper from Canada presents a set of Long term
recommendations designed to aid senior university administrators planning
create sustainability education programs. The recommendations
are not discipline specific, but rather intended to assist the Qualitative
transformation required at an institutional level to promote and research
develop ‘sustainability education’ across the campus. Results are
based on a series of workshops and interviews with university Research paper
staff and students, and interpreted within the framework of a
‘value focused thinking’ model. The recommendations are: Strategic
infusing sustainability in all decisions, promoting and practicing evaluation
collaboration and trans-disciplinary, focusing on personal and
social sustainability, integrating planning decision making and Sustainable
evaluation, integrating research, service and teaching, and creating development
space for pedagogical transformation.
This research paper outlines an action research project undertaken Action research
by the author within a large Canadian university. Using data from
in depth interviews with academic staff, administrators, senior Higher education
management and a small number of students, Moore discusses
some of the institutional barriers impeding the implementation of Qualitative
sustainability education and provides recommendations on how to research
create institutional change and sustainability programs at the
university level. The approach used is a participatory action Research paper
research model informed by feminist epistemology and research
methods. Like her other papers, Moore argues that both a Sustainability
transdisciplinary approach to research and teaching, and a shift to education
collaborative and transformative models of learning are necessary
in order to implement sustainability education at the tertiary level.
Refer to Velazquez et al. (2005) for another discussion of barriers
to the implementation of sustainability education.
Unlike Moore’s other papers which focus on sustainability Collaborative
education at the institutional level, this article considers the learning
9
 explored in the study of sustainability. potential benefits, drawbacks and implications of shifting
Journal of Transformative Education, university education toward a model of transformative learning Sustainability
3(1), 76-91. and sustainability within the classroom. Three models of group
learning are outlined (cooperative, collaborative and Sustainability
transformative). The objective of the paper is to address the education
growing body of literature calling for an urgent paradigm shift in
order to stop human caused environmental and social degradation. Transformative
While Moore reviews some of this literature, her argument is learning
largely based on her experiences as a PhD student and university
lecturer, and her shift from the natural to social sciences. Transdisciplinary
According to Moore sustainability education must be
“interdisciplinary, collaborative, experiential and potentially
transformative.” She provides her own definition of sustainability,
discusses the pedagogy of sustainability education and uses the
three models to demonstrate how sustainability education might
be practised in the classroom, particularly transformative learning
which is discussed in detail. She draws attention to the potential
difficulties involved in transformative learning, including the
emotional consequences for teachers and students. In concluding
she argues that the current models of academic teaching are not
structured to provide adequate support for any potential problems
that might occur as a result of transformative learning.
Pearson, S. Not yet learning for sustainability: The Abstract only Australia
Honeywood, S. challenge of environmental education The pathway for achieving sustainability outcomes in
(2005) in a university. International Research environmental education is littered with difficulty. The experience Case study
in Geographical and Environmental in this particular case study provides insight into the difficulties of
Education, 14(3), 173-186. sustainability education and the need for effective formal and Disciplines
informal delivery at various places in the society. Schools and
universities are key components of the formal delivery of Education
environmental education yet they do not always provide effective
environmental and sustainability learning. An overview of the Environmental,

10

Sammalisto, K. Integration of sustainability in higher
Lindhqvist, T. education: A study with international
(2008) perspectives. Innovative Higher
Education, 32(4), 221-233.
Shephard, K. Higher education for sustainability:
(2007) Seeking affective learning outcomes.
International Journal of Sustainability
in Higher Education, 9(1), 87-98.
secondary school curriculum in New South Wales and a detailed sustainability ‘
case study from the University of Newcastle show that the main
problems are an overloaded school curriculum and an inability to
develop transdisciplinary learning at that university. The current University
formal teaching of sustainability leads to variable school
outcomes. Of more concern, the university sector lags the rapidly
advancing sustainability values of business, community and
government. Universities may act as impediments on the pathway
to sustainability. Reinvigoration of environmental and
sustainability learning requires major structural changes that foster
transdisciplinary curriculum development, using fieldwork and
real environmental problems to realign delivery to a focus on
students, and realigning organisations to promote diversity.
Abstract only Curriculum
This study examined the impact of a procedure implemented and
used at one Swedish university to promote integration of the Environmental
concept of sustainability into courses. The study is based on a management
literature study and a case study at the University of Gävle in
Sweden, where faculty members are asked to classify their courses Indicator
and research funding applications regarding the contributions
thereof to sustainable development. The results of the study Sustainable
indicated that this procedure can indeed stimulate faculty development
members to integrate sustainable development in their courses. It
is clear that the reported changes in courses were also influenced
by other factors such as the increased general awareness of
environmental issues.
In this paper Shepherd attempts to interpret aspects of education Attitudes
for sustainability in relation to educational theories of the affective
domain (i.e. values, attitudes and behaviours). The author’s Behaviour
analysis is based on a literature review of affective learning
sources across a range of disciplines. Shephard argues for a Conceptual paper
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Sherren, K. Balancing the disciplines: A
(2005) multidisciplinary perspective on
sustainability curriculum content.
Australian Journal of Environmental
Education, 21, 97-106.
stronger focus on affective outcomes in sustainability education,
noting that the current focus on cognitive skills in teaching and Learning
assessment, has led to many teachers attempting to stimulate
critical analysis without encouraging particular values, attitudes or Teaching methods
behaviours. Educational research has, until recently, largely
overlooked the role of affect in learning and the value of this Value analysis
paper is that it addresses this crucial area, providing a theoretical
basis for developing sustainability outcomes. Four areas of interest
are identified by Shephard: assessment and evaluation, academic
credit for affective outcomes, roles for role models and designing
learning outcomes in the affective domain. As it is a conceptual
paper, no detailed practical information is provided.
The aim of this research paper is to address the lack of attention Australia
given to disciplinary content in contemporary literature on the
sustainability curriculum (which tends to be dominated by Education for
discussions of pedagogical methods and generic skills). Sherren sustainability
uses two forms of survey data in an attempt to clarify the
appropriate disciplinary mix for tertiary sustainability education, Environmental
and briefly explores the biases inherent in curriculum design. The education
data includes an internet survey of all environmental and
sustainability coursework activities at Australia’s 41 public and Higher education
private universities and a survey instrument designed to elicit an
‘ideal’ mix of disciplines for generalist sustainability education Interdisciplinarity
(the survey was distributed to attendees at an international
sustainability conference). According to Sherren the balance of Research paper
content should be shifted towards the humanities and social
sciences and slightly away from its current science focus, with University
results showing that the most critical deficiency of Australian curriculum
coursework sustainability programs is policy and political science.
One limitation of the research is that the survey is only based on a
small number of respondents; nevertheless it does address an issue
12

Sherren, K. Reflections on sustainability in
(2006) Australian university coursework
programs. International Journal of
Sustainability, 7(4), 400-413.
Sibbel, A. Pathways towards sustainability
(2009) through higher education.
International Journal of Sustainability
in Higher Education, 10(1), 68-82.
largely overlooked in research.
The purpose of this research paper is to discuss the degree to Australian
which ideas of sustainability have been integrated into the universities
Australian tertiary sector. The paper reports on the results of an
internet-based audit of tertiary environmental and sustainability Research paper
offerings. The results indicate that sustainability is not yet well
integrated in specialist or generalist coursework programs largely Sustainable
due to a ‘customer’ focused higher education sector – where the development
focus of coursework degrees is on understanding the environment
rather than human interactions with it. Sherren draws attention to Tertiary education
the current demand for marketable skills, named, specialised
degrees, and flexible program designs which she believes are
hindering the progression of education for sustainability. She then
discusses practical implications and provides recommendations to
inform the development of an appropriate generalist sustainability
curriculum. There is also an argument made for interdisciplinary
approaches to integrate teaching methods. The paper is easy to
read as the author makes a conscious effort to use minimal jargon
in order to make it accessible to practitioners. It provides a
valuable overview of progress towards sustainability in the
Australian university context supported by empirical findings.
Abstract only Curriculum
Purpose – The aim of this paper is to contribute to aligning higher development
education towards meeting the challenge of global sustainability.
Design/methodology/approach – The barriers to sustainability are Higher education
juxtaposed against the resources, responsibilities and potential of Consumers
higher education. Ideas from several models and from within
several disciplines are integrated to construct a framework through General review
the challenges can be examined and then translated into learning
outcomes, expressed as graduate attributes. Graduates
Findings – The focus of education for global sustainability has
13
 been on encouraging consumers to modify patterns of resource Sustainable
consumption and waste management. However, there are some development
significant limitations to relying on consumer action. Future
professionals, involved in managing resources or designing
options from which consumers make choices, are in a much better
position for influencing how social, cultural and environmental
resources are used. To actualise this potential requires that
higher education curricula offer experiences which develop
graduate attributes of self-efficacy, capacity for effective
advocacy and interdisciplinary collaboration, as well as raise
awareness of social and moral responsibilities associated with
professional practice.
Research limitations/implications – For higher education to
contribute towards achieving sustainability requires support of the
whole institution, and considerable professional development of
staff to help them appreciate how they can lead the next
generation to global sustainability. The next stage of the research
into the role of higher education in building a sustainable society
should focus on how these objectives can be achieved.
Originality/value – Considerable research has been dedicated to
describing the urgent and intractable nature of the problems facing
the global community and, to some extent, the need for higher
education to engage with these problems. This paper takes the
next step by presenting some guidelines for designing curricula to
develop graduate attributes required for this work.
Scott, W. Key issues in sustainable development A collection of papers already published in books and journals Curriculum design
Gough, S. and learning: A critical review. (some are abbreviated versions) accompanied by critical reviews
(Eds) London: RoutledgeFalmer. by leading scholars in the field of learning and sustainable Policy
(2004) development. This book is a companion book to Sustainable
development and learning: Framing the issues (2003) also by Sustainable
Scott and Gough. The same framework/chapter headings are used development

14
 in each book; however the companion book provides an analysis
of the concepts underpinning sustainable development. Topics Theoretical
include: theoretical approaches to sustainable development, the approaches
policy context, language and meanings, lifelong learning, ideology
and philosophy, curriculum design, assessment and evaluation.
Svanstrom, M. Learning outcomes for sustainable The authors undertake an analysis of commonalities in learning Agreements
Lozano-Garcia, development in higher education. outcomes (LOs) for sustainable development (SD) in higher
F.J. International Journal of education. This investigation is within the context of the Tbilisi Conceptual paper
Rowe, D. Sustainability, 9(3), 339-351. and Barcelona declarations and LOs from various institutions in
(2008) the USA and Mexico. The authors identify the following Education
commonalities in LOs across countries and cultures: systemic or
holistic thinking, the integration of different perspectives, skills Sustainable
(e.g. critical thinking), change agent abilities, interpersonal/ development
intrapersonal dispositions, and different attitudes and values.
Many of the themes discussed closely reflect current discourse
about the teaching of SD in Australian universities. Given the
scarcity of papers which specifically focus on LOs and
sustainability, this article provides a good starting point.
Tilbury, D. Rising to the challenge: Education for The purpose of this paper is to provide a brief summary of the Australia
(2004) sustainability in Australia. Australian status of Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) in
Journal of Environmental Education, Australia. Informed by the findings of a national review of Education for
20(2), 103-114. environmental education’s contribution to sustainability, it sustainable
reviews trends and national initiatives which have played a role in development
the development of frameworks in ESD nationally. Progress in the
following settings are addressed: primary/secondary and higher Environmental
education, industry and community contexts. According to Tilbury education
ESD in Australia is “in progress”, and despite major developments
much work is yet to be done. While there have been developments UN Decade
in ESD since the publication of this paper, it nevertheless provides
a good introduction to its history in Australia since 2000, covering
the role of key agencies, policies, initiatives and projects. An

15

Vare, P. Learning for change: Exploring the
Scott, W. relationship between education and
(2007) sustainable development. Journal for
Education & Sustainable
Development, 1(2), 191-198.
Velazquez, L. Deterring sustainability in higher
Munguia, N. education institutions: An appraisal of
Sanchez, M. the factors which influence
(2005) sustainability in higher education
institutions. International Journal of
Sustainability in Higher Education,
6(4), 383-391.
interesting aspect to this paper is its mention of Macquarie
University’s part in these advancements.
In this conceptual paper Vare and Scott explore ideas behind Conceptual paper
education for sustainable development, proposing a framework
which views ESD as a set of two opposing but complimentary Education for
approaches. Their ideas are built on the work of Foster, Scott and sustainable
Gough. The ESD1 approach views sustainable development as development
expert knowledge-driven where the role of the non-expert is to
take actions/make decisions based on what has been learnt Learning
already. There is an emphasis on informed, skilled behaviours and outcomes
ways of thinking (principles, values etc), which are useful in
short-term situations where the need is clearly identified and
agreed. ESD2 by contrast is inherently a learning process, where
the core role for learning is as a collaborative and reflective
process. ESD2 is about building the capacity to think critically
about what experts say and to test ideas, exploring the dilemmas
and contradictions inherent in sustainable living. It is longer term
in outlook. The authors argue that strategies are needed to clearly
promote learning as an outcome, as well as the means to an end.
This paper provides a useful conceptual basis for developing
learning outcomes.
This brief paper explores factors that could obstruct the Higher Education
implementation of sustainability initiatives in higher education
institutions. The identification of such barriers, according to the International
authors, will assist in the prediction of potential future problems. organisations
The results of a literature review of published and unpublished
articles, conference proceedings, university reports, books, and Literature review
website documents between 1990-2002 are reported. While the
literature reviewed is not discipline specific most of the material is Research paper
from engineering, economics, sociology and related sciences. The
authors identify a number of obstacles preventing the success of Sustainable
16

Warburton, K. Deep learning and education for
(2003) sustainability. International Journal of
Sustainability in Higher Education,
4(1), 44-56.
sustainability initiatives on campuses around the world, including development
organisational structure and a lack of funding, interdisciplinary
research and standard definitions of concepts. They argue that the
conditions are currently not adequate for successful
implementation of sustainability programs. This paper is
interesting as it addresses issues which have been somewhat
overlooked in mainstream sustainability research. A negative is
that it does not consider solutions. Also refer to Moore (2005b).
Warburton reviews factors that influence deep learning and Analytical
discusses ways to encourage students to adopt these learning methods
strategies in sustainable education. He views such strategies as
necessary to maximise the benefits of environmental education, Environmental
particularly its role in developing skills such as critical/creative education
thinking, problem solving, effective decision-making and conflict
resolution. He promotes a cross disciplinary approach, arguing Learning styles
that in order to be successful sustainability education must assist
students develop a flexible style of learning that balances Sustainable
operation and comprehension learning. This, he believes, can be development
achieved by placing less emphasis on curriculum content and
more on contextual interpretation. Warburton outlines eight
guiding principles to encourage deep learning in sustainable
education. These are based on relevant educational literature, and
there is a good example demonstrating the application of these
principles to an undergraduate aquaculture course. The article
would have benefited from more examples of the practical
application of these principles across different disciplines.

Discipline specific approaches

Author and year Title Notes Keywords

17
INTERDISCIPLINARY
Marinova, D. A transdisciplinary approach to
McGrath, N. teaching and learning
(2004) sustainability: A pedagogy for life.
Seeking Educational Excellence.
Proceedings of the 13th Annual
Teaching Learning Forum, 9-10
February, 2004, Murdoch
University, Perth.
Buchan, G.D. Education for sustainability:
Spellerberg, I.F. Developing a postgraduate-level
Blum, W.E.H. subject with an international
(2007) perspective. International Journal
of Sustainability in Higher
Education, 8(1), 4-15.
http://lsn.curtin.edu.au/tlf/tlf2004/contents.html Australia
The Institute for Sustainability and Technology Policy at Case study
Murdoch University is presented as a case study of
transdisciplinarity in education for sustainability. The
authors adopt the view that universities must adopt a
transdisciplinarity approach if they are to meet the Education for
requirements for global sustainability. The centre is based sustainability
on the principles of learning to know, learning to do,
learning to live together and learning to be. The authors Transdisciplinarity
provide a good discussion of education for sustainability,
including an explanation of transdisciplinarity and how it
differs from interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary
approaches to sustainability.
This New Zealand article describes the development and Case study
structure of a Master’s-level unit “Aspects of sustainability:
An international perspective”. The course was designed for Curriculum
postgraduate students across all discipline/program areas development
(i.e. science, engineering, environmental/resource studies,
social sciences, commerce) and international students. The Interdisciplinary
authors describe the subject content (including learning approach
outcomes and assessment) and its evaluations by students.
The approach adopted is multidisciplinary with a strong Masters degrees
focus on peer learning. Appendices contain additional
resources including the structure of the main assessment. Sustainable
This is a valuable case study because at postgraduate level development
sustainability education is often embedded within single-
discipline subjects, rather than being taught as a separate
unit. As noted by the authors, there are only a few reports
in the literature on courses which are postgraduate,
18

Eagan, P. Teaching the importance of culture
Cook, T. and interdisciplinary education for
Joeres, E. sustainable development.
(2002) International Journal of
Sustainability in Higher
Education, 3(1), 48-66.
Lugg, A. Developing sustainability-literate
(2007) citizens through outdoor learning:
Possibilities for outdoor education
in Higher Education. Journal of
Adventure Education and Outdoor
Learning, 7(2), 97–112.
interdisciplinary, and based on an international view of
sustainability. The course could be adapted by educators
from other universities engaged in education for
sustainability.
Abstract only Corporate culture
Presents a case study of an interdisciplinary, graduate-level
seminar on the topic of international and business sector Environment
differences in approaches to sustainable development. The
importance of the course is that it mixed culture, business Industrial design
and environmental sciences in a study of sustainability. The
pedagogical structure of the course was designed to enable Sustainable
students to learn necessary skills for interdisciplinary, development
cross-cultural, and cross-business sector communication
about environmental issues through their participation in
the course. Discusses course design specifics and presents
results of a student survey about the effectiveness of the
course. Overall, students did find participation in the course
helpful for improving their ability to communicate about
environmental issues across disciplines, cultures, and
industries. Students also highlighted several key cultural
aspects that contribute to the different ways in which
countries and businesses within them respond to
environmental issues.
Abstract only Environmental
UNESCO’s challenge to Higher Education institutions to education
provide educational leadership in sustainable development
provides an impetus to develop innovative, Interdisciplinary
interdisciplinary curricula and pedagogy. Whereas Higher
Education curricula in sustainability and sustainable Outdoor education
development have tended to come from the environmental
sciences, recent studies have highlighted the need for more
19

Nikitina, S. Three strategies for
(2003) interdisciplinary teaching:
Contextualising, conceptualizing,
and problem-centering. Journal of
Curriculum Studies, 38(3), 251-
271.
holistic, experiential, interdisciplinary approaches. As a
pedagogical approach, outdoor learning may have
something to offer since it lends itself to holistic and
experiential learning and enables integration of knowledge
and skills from a range of discipline areas. Outdoor and
environmental education research suggests that educational
experiences in outdoor settings can be significant in
Developing environmental sensitivity and knowledge. Such
knowledge and attitudes are components of ecological
literacy and, more recently, sustainability literacy. This
paper considers how outdoor experiential pedagogy might
contribute to the current sustainability education agenda. It
focuses on Higher Education since this sector has the
obligation and the capability of instigating a ‘ripple’ effect’
in developing sustainability-literate citizens. It discusses
possibilities and issues arising from a review of outdoor,
environmental and sustainability education literature,
particularly, but not exclusively, from the UK. The paper is
a precursor to an empirical study into how outdoor
learning might contribute to the development of
sustainability-literate graduates.
Abstract only Epistemology
This paper distinguishes among contextualizing,
conceptualizing, and problem-centring as three basic Instructional
approaches to interdisciplinary curriculum. This typology is methods
based on the type of inquiry that takes place in the
classroom. For example, if the guiding epistemology in the Interdisciplinary
interdisciplinary work is that of the humanities, the mode of approach
connecting disciplinary material is likely to be
contextualizing, or embedding the facts and ideas in the Problem-oriented
cultural, historical, or ideological fabric. If the scientific instruction
20

Steiner, G. Higher education for sustainability
Posch, A. by means of transdisciplinary case
(2006) studies: An innovative approach
for solving complex, real-world
problems. Journal of Cleaner
Production, 14, 877-890.
method guides and sets the standard for integration,
conceptualizing work typically takes place. Finally, if the
spirit and mode of inquiry is that of the applied sciences or
creative product-development, the integrative process will
take the form of problem-based investigation of urgent or
tangible issues. Using empirical data from exemplary
university, pre-university, and professional programmes in
the US, I describe three integrative strategies and comment
on their strengths. This basic typology provides alternative
approaches to interdisciplinary material based on the
purpose of the class inquiry. In the hands of a good
instructor, several interdisciplinary strategies could be used
together for mutual benefit.
Two real life case studies are presented as an effective way Case study
of teaching sustainable development at advanced
undergraduate or postgraduate level. According to the Complex problem
authors, mutual learning based on real-world cases requires solving
an interdisciplinary approach, transdisciplinary problem-
solving processes, and self-regulated/self-responsible Interdisciplinarity
learning. This paper outlines the underlying philosophy,
design and organisation of this process. According to the Self-regulated
authors a redefinition of teachers’ and students’ roles is learning
needed to tackle the complexity and vagueness of the
concept of sustainable development. This involves a move Sustainable
away from traditional ‘transmissive’ modes of teaching development
where the teacher is the provider of information and the
student a passive recipient of that information, to an Transdisciplinarity
interactive model, where both are mutually involved in a
search for answers. Steiner and Posch propose that a
paradigm shift towards a holistic view involving systems
thinking is needed.
21

Stauffacher, M. Learning to research
Walter, A.I. environmental problems from a
Lang, D.J. functional socio-cultural
Wiek, A. constructivism perspective: A
Scholz, R.W. transdisciplinary case study
(2006) approach. International Journal of
Sustainability in Higher
Education, 7(3), 252-275.
A transdisciplinary case study approach is one way of
uniting these requirements and enabling students to
experience the process of sustainable development. The
case studies reported focus on two regions in Austria, once
prosperous but steadily in decline. The purpose of the
course is to explore how each area can achieve
ecologically, economically, and socially sustainable
development in the future. To achieve this aim, the
following teaching techniques are employed: group work,
field trips, workshops and the involvement of stakeholders
and practitioners. The joint involvement of academics,
students and stakeholders benefits all participants, enabling
them to develop the skills to contribute to the sustainable
development of society. While the general idea and
structure could be adapted to meet the needs of Australian
students using local content, on a practical level such
projects require considerable resources and place a high
demand on those involved.
Abstract only Case study
Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to present the
transdisciplinary case study (TCS) as a learning framework Coaching
based on what we call functional socio-cultural
constructivism and project-based learning (PBL). In doing Learning
so, the paper attempts to illustrate the applicability of TCS
to learn competencies and skills necessary to research Learning methods
problems of sustainable development.
Design/methodology/approach – TCS is considered a Research work
learning framework based on the principle of self-regulated
learning; i.e. students must actively deal with the Case study
requirements as well as plan and execute their project work
22

Welsh, M.A. The ecollaborative: Teaching
Murray, D.L. sustainability through critical
(2003) pedagogy. Journal of Management
Education, 27(2), 220-235.
within their own worldviews and goals. TCS methods are
essential as we tackle complex real-world problems.
Findings – The paper discusses challenges and obstacles of
such an approach and present lessons learned since 1994,
on both the viewpoints of students and of teachers. It
conclude that case study learning is a demanding task,
especially in a transdisciplinary context where more
challenges emerge than in PBL, since goals of teachers,
case agents, and students have to be balanced.
Practical implications – TCS or courses like it are
important for universities at the present time.
Under present budget restrictions and a wide-ranging
mistrust of society toward universities, there is a necessity
for a new contract between society and research: students
should learn to take over responsibility in societal contexts
and be able to communicate beyond the “ivory tower”.
Originality/value – The learning goals of TCS differ from
the goals of most university courses. They are more
comprehensive and include complex problem solving,
societal context, and group processes. The ambitious goal is
that students become enabled to tackle complex, real-world
problems.
This case study of an interdisciplinary honours level course Case study
is offered by the authors as a flexible template for
consideration by educators, rather than a fixed format to Collaboration
follow. While the course, ‘Ecollaborative’, is designed for
management students, it brings together teams of students Critical pedagogy
from business, industrial design, and environmental studies
to create or redesign a product (e.g. business plan) for a Innovation
corporate client using principles of sustainable design and
development. A detailed overview of the course structure Sustainability
23
 and experience, a brief discussion of critical pedagogy, and
its relationship to teaching about sustainability is provided. Team-work
According to the authors the use of critical pedagogy, a
collaborative approach to innovation management, and a
real-world context, empowers students to move beyond
discipline-specific models of new product development to
use principles of sustainability to drive innovation.
Students are given an opportunity to develop a range of
graduate attributes including communication skills (through
teamwork), critical and creative thinking, personal and
professional judgement, and the experience of being an
active participant in solving real world social and
environmental problems. An appendix provides the course
activities which is useful because it can be adapted to other
disciplines. The philosophy behind the course design is
similar to that reported in Steiner and Posch (2006),
however this example would be less time and resource
intensive.
ARTS
History
Pawson, E. Environmental history and the This conceptual paper explores the nature of Interdisciplinary
Dovers, S. challenges of interdisciplinary: An interdisciplinary work in environment history, drawing on
(2003) antipodean perspective. three brief Australian and New Zealand projects. As noted Intersections
Environment & History, 9, 1-23. by the authors the theory and practice of interdisciplinarity
in environmental history is ‘contested ground’, as they Issues
discuss both the intellectual and practical issues/problems
that arise when members of different disciplinary cultures Narratives
work together, namely as a result of the diverse discursive
practices, languages used, types of evidence examined and Problems
understandings of the world. While focusing on
environmental history the issues raised in this discussion

24

Law
Hammer, R. Integrating interdisciplinary
(1999) perspectives into traditional
environmental law courses.
Journal of Geography in Higher
Education, 23(3), 367-380.
Kift, S. 21st century climate for change:
(2008) Curriculum design for quality
learning engagement in law. Legal
Education Review, 18, 1-30.
paper are relevant to scholars who are involved in teaching
and research in other interdisciplinary areas including
ecological economics, environmental philosophy,
political/social ecology, environmental politics etc.
This paper considers practical strategies to integrate a range Case study
of interdisciplinary perspectives into traditional
environmental law courses using a case study. The author’s Critical reasoning
intention is to address some of the shortcomings of
environmental law courses and promote an interdisciplinary Environmental law
approach to connecting the theory and practice of this area
of law with other disciplines. This approach is in line with Environmental
the contemporary pedagogical approaches to sustainability, values
demonstrating that the teaching of environmental law need
not be confined to traditional legal doctrine, but can be set Interdisciplinarity
in a wider interdisciplinary context. The approach adopted
is student-centred involving workshops, IT and Teaching &
collaborative learning. There is an emphasis on developing learning
a critical understanding of the development, and role, of
environmental law, using problem questions and case
studies. Assessment is based on a written portfolio, which
requires students to produce several pieces of written work
drawing upon different academic and practical skills. The
appendices contain detailed documentation relating to the
course including course outline, instructions for teaching
methods, assessment, marking criteria etc.
Although this conceptual paper (based on a keynote address Australian higher
at an ALTA conference) does not focus specifically on education sector
sustainability education, it identifies and considers the
challenges of Australian legal education in the 21st century, Conceptual paper
particularly graduate attributes. Kift explores legal
25

Marcum, T.M. It’s not easy being green: Bringing
Perry, S.L. real life to the undergraduate legal
(2010) environment of business
classroom. Journal of Legal
Studies Education, 27(1), 81-104.
education internationally and the challenges of educating Curriculum design
graduates as global citizens within the broader context of
transformative pedagogy, ethical values, Graduate attributes
personal/professional citizenship and life long learning.
Addressing the difficulties of curriculum renewal in the Law education in
face of rapid changes within the Australian higher the 21st century
education sector including quality assurance frameworks,
graduate attributes and the demands of external drivers
(employers, government, and professional associations),
she proposes an integrative approach to law curriculum
renewal. This is a detailed and thorough consideration of
the current status of Australian legal education, and
arguments are backed up with relevant examples from
contemporary research, theory and policy.
This paper addresses law education as part of a US Active/experiential
undergraduate business curriculum, using a semester long learning
case study to teach students how to apply legal principles to
real-world situations. The business used in the case study is Case study
TerraCycle, a socially responsible company which has a
focus on sustainability and ‘being green’. When involved in Legal education
a major lawsuit the company makes effective use of blogs
to elicit media and public sympathy. Adopting an active Teaching
and experiential learning approach the course not only sustainability
provides business students with an introduction to legal
principles, but also incorporates concepts of sustainability Undergraduate
and ethics and is highly engaging. A detailed description of business
the course is provided, and the appendices contain teaching curriculum
exercises and sample essay questions. Although based on
US curricula, there are few papers available which integrate
law and the teaching of sustainability. Thus the case study
could be substituted for another more relevant to Australian
26

Poustie, M.R. Engaging students and enhancing
(2001) skills: Lessons from the
development of a web-supported
international environmental law
conference simulation.
International Review of Law
Computers & Technology, 15(3),
331-344.
students. A negative of the case study is that it is resource
intensive and requires a lot of preparation.
Abstract only Active learning
This article discusses a move from a traditional lecture and
tutorial based environmental law class to a class involving Environmental law
a large element of web supported simulation in the context
of a simulated international environmental conference in Law education
session 1999–2000. Lectures and tutorials were retained for
support purposes, but much class time was devoted to Online role-play
plenary sessions of the conference. The key reasons for the
change were (1) the desire to move to an active learning
environment where students were at the centre of the
learning process and would be learning by doing; and (2) to
integrate and enhance negotiating, team working and IT
skills in the class. Students were given a unique insight into
environmental law decision-making.
The role-playing of students acting as state and NGO
delegations on the basis of the real positions of these
delegations was a strong motivating factor in the learning
process. Although the class co-ordinator established the
framework for negotiations the progress of those
negotiations and the ultimate outcome was a matter for the
students. While the outcome was an important motivating
factor it was not significant in terms of the learning
experience as students were assessed by means of a
reflective report which was designed to assess what they
had learned from the process in terms of legal
understanding, negotiating issues and team-working.
Although there were some student concerns regarding a
27
 perceived lack of environmental law content identified in
the evaluation of the class the assessed student reports
demonstrated this to be unfounded. The web-support
aspects facilitated: (1) asynchronous learning—particularly
negotiation and the development of negotiation skills; (2)
the provision of ready access to a range of conference
documentation and learning materials; and (3) just-in-time
access to documentation such as updated versions of the
draft treaty as negotiations progressed. Although the design
and prep-aration of the simulation was fairly onerous, once
established little new effort was required to run the
simulation again. There were departmental resource issues
in terms of web-support staff which somewhat delayed the
availability of the web-support facilities, but these have
now been addressed. The evaluation of the project has
demonstrated that the web-supported simulated conference
has considerable educational value in facilitating active
learning and the integration and enhancement of key skills
in the law curriculum. It has also demonstrated that other
types of simulation may be possible within the law
curriculum.
Philosophy
Palmer, C. Sustainability and philosophy. In J. This book chapter outlines the contributions that Philosophy
(2004) Blewitt & C. Cullingford (Eds), philosophical debate has made to exploring the meaning/s
The sustainability curriculum: The of sustainability and associated ethical/political ideas, and Sustainability
challenge for higher education. discusses the place of sustainability in Anglo-American
London: Earthscan (pp. 232-244). philosophy. While it is not directly relevant to education for
sustainability, scholarly work on philosophy and
sustainability is rare.
BUSINESS AND ECONOMICS
Accounting

28
Coulson, A. Accounting and sustainability,
Thomson, I. encouraging a dialogical approach;
(2006) Integrating learning activities,
delivery mechanisms and
assessment strategies. Accounting
Education: An International
Journal, 15(3), 261-273.
Cowton, C. Accounting education for
(2004) sustainability. In J. Blewitt & C.
Cullingford (Eds), The
sustainability curriculum: The
challenge for higher education.
London: Earthscan (pp. 156-165).
This paper describes an honours level undergraduate course Accounting
“Accounting and Sustainability” designed to introduce education
elements of dialogic education into the accounting
curriculum. The unit comprises of a large group Assessment
collaborative project aimed at producing a shadow account
on a major UK company. The paper describes in detail the
learning activities, delivery mechanisms and assessment Design
tasks developed by the authors. Their approach to
curriculum design is based is Paolo Freire’s dialogic Dialogic
educational model which promotes a combination of action
and reflection, involving a series of dialogic encounters Sustainability
situated in interrelated problems. Within this framework
teachers and students become mutual co-investigators in an
open and ongoing discourse, and the role of the lecturer
moves to that of a facilitator.
The authors draw attention to several practical constraints
when applying this type of approach, most of which are due
to its deviation from traditional teaching modes (i.e. the
traditional lecture/tutorial model is not adopted, classes are
not held every week, there are no exams). Nevertheless it
provides an interesting alternative to curriculum design for
those involved in the design of similar subject areas and/or
general accounting courses.
Cowton explores the relationship between accounting and Accounting
sustainability, reflecting on how sustainability might be education
incorporated into undergraduate accounting programs in the
UK. Despite its absence in mainstream accounting Sustainability
curricula, he emphasises the importance and relevance of
sustainable development to accounting education. The UK
argument made is that while there is still a lot that needs to
29

Business and Management
Banerjee, S. Teaching sustainability: A critical
(2004) perspective. In C. Galea (Ed.)
Teaching business sustainability.
Sheffield, UK: Greenleaf
Publishing Ltd.
Collins, E. Exposing students to the potential
Kearins, K. risks of stakeholder engagement
(2007) when teaching sustainability: A
classroom exercise. Journal of
Management Education, 31(4),
be done, the revival of social/ethical accounting in research
and other scholarly activities has ensured it is more
established than has been the case previously. While not
directly relevant to Australian accounting degree programs,
the article provides a useful overview of the literature and
developments in sustainable accounting from the late
eighties until 2004.
Banerjee provides an overview of the diverse discourses on Business education
sustainability, drawing attention to the lack of consensus on
the terms meaning and that research on the environmental Critical analysis
and social dimensions of corporate sustainability is in its
early days. He critically discuses the assumptions behind Organisational
the concept of sustainability and how it is being used in planning and
organisational studies literature, noting the lack of available management
literature and academic debate in university classrooms
which is needed to develop thoughtful, self reflective Teaching
practitioners who possess both management and sustainability
citizenships skills. He argues that a multidisciplinary
approach is essential in order to both teach the basic
concepts of sustainability, and to critique its assumptions.
Banerjee offers a multidisciplinary framework to teach
students examining three perspectives that educators can
use to develop a course on teaching sustainability critically:
theoretical, multidisciplinary and local and global
perspectives.
Abstract only Experiential
In-class, stakeholder negotiation exercises are proposed as learning
a means of students experiencing and reflecting critically
on the potential and the risks of an increasingly popular Negotiation
mechanism for advancing sustainability—stakeholder exercises
30
 521-540.
Galea, C. (Ed.) Teaching business sustainability:
(2004) Vol.1 From theory to practice.
Sheffield, UK: Greenleaf
Publishing Ltd.
Kashyap, R. Toward a responsive pedagogy:
Mir, R. Linking social responsibility to
Iyer, E. firm performance issues in the
(2006) Classroom. Academy of
Management Learning &
engagement. This article reviews the theoretical framework
for stakeholder engagement and for an issue-based rather Stakeholder
than firm-centric approach to classroom stakeholder engagement
negotiation exercises. An example of a classroom exercise
is given as the basis of a possible template for replicating Teaching
the exercise. This assists students to recognize the potential sustainability
and risks associated with stakeholder engagement at
individual, organizational, and societal levels.
This book is a must have for academics involved in the Business education
teaching of business sustainability. It consists of a
collection of essays on business sustainability aimed at Definitions
providing educators with the tools to teach sustainability at
the university/professional development level. Filling a gap Environmental
in the existing literature, it aims to theoretically unite the education
different and disparate pedagogies and contextual
perspectives on sustainable education. Twenty three articles Social
are divided into three thematic groups – ‘theory, critique responsibility of
and ideas’, ‘learning from current practice’ and ‘tools business and
methods and approaches’. The first part explores and business ethics
critiques thinking behind the teaching of sustainability, the
second contains the experiences of educators and Sustainable
successful leading edge approaches they have used, and the development
third contains tools, methods and approaches that can be
used to teach business sustainability. Reviews of some of
these chapters are located in the section on business
education.
Abstract only Business education
The current paradigm of business pedagogy has come
under additional scrutiny for its inability to link socially Social
responsible behaviour by firms to their performance in responsibility
ways that students find meaningful. We suggest a
31
 Education, 5 (3), 366–376.
Rands, G.P. A principle-attribute matrix for
(2009) environmentally sustainable
management education and its
application. Journal of
Management Education, 33(3),
296-322.
pedagogical approach that examines aspirational as well as
consequentialist antecedents of socially responsible
behaviour by firms. We also advance a framework where
the “dependent variable” of firm behaviour, that is,
competitive advantage, can be rendered more inclusive of
nonmarket and idealistic elements. Our framework suggests
that social responsibility can then be rendered endogenous
to firm performance. We argue that an emphasis on such an
approach can offer business schools a way to make social
responsibility more meaningful to students.
Abstract only Attributes
The environmental threats humanity faces have led
businesses to increasingly commit to improve their Attitudes
environmental performance and to increasing attempts to
address environmental issues in management education. Environmental
This article presents a matrix of (a) principles that can sustainability
underlie and (b) attributes that can be generated by
environmentally focused management education and uses Knowledge
the matrix to identify topics, assignments, and assessment
mechanisms that can be incorporated into environmental Principles
management education. Particular focus is given to skills
related to facilitating organizational change. Environmental Service learning
change–related course projects are suggested as particularly
helpful in the development of these attributes, and use of Skills
service learning applied to campus sustainability issues is
suggested as offering significant opportunities for engaging
students in change-oriented projects. Observations
related to implementing such projects based on the author’s
experience with them are offered. The article’s concepts
and ideas can provide guidance to instructors wishing to
incorporate environmental sustainability into their
32

Stubbs, W. Teaching sustainability to business
Cocklin, C. students: Shifting mindsets.
(2008) International Journal of
Sustainability in Higher
Education, 9(3), 206-221.
Willard, B. Teaching sustainability in business
(2004) schools: What, why and how. In C.
Galea (Ed.), Teaching business
sustainability. Sheffield, UK:
Greenleaf Publishing Ltd.
management courses; an application with respect to human
resources is included.
This paper describes a framework designed to assist MBA Australia
students understand and reconcile the various perspectives
on sustainability. The authors propose to shift students’ Business education
thinking by engaging them with different perspectives of
sustainability rather than exposure to one version. The Case study
purpose is to provide a frame of reference to help students
make sense of how organisations implement sustainability Ecology
and the assumptions that underlie their behaviour, while at
the same time developing their critical and reflective Economics
thinking skills. The framework is based on a review of the
corporate sustainability literature. Background information MBA courses
is provided on the unit “Corporate sustainability: The
business case” offered as part of the MBA program at an Teaching
Australian university. The authors then outline three major
worldviews on sustainability: ecocentrism, ecological
modernisation and the neoclassical economic worldview,
going on to discuss the characteristics of organisations
within each of these worldviews. The article concludes by
discussing implications of the framework for teaching
sustainability to business students. This is a useful
framework which could be applied to other postgraduate
business courses.
Willard promotes the idea that economics of sustainability Business education
is a legitimate component of core MBA courses, noting that
this area is often relegated to electives in MBA programs Case studies
that are not linked to core business strategy in the
curriculum. While business schools encourage their MBA courses
students to comply with environmental, labour and human
rights regulations, they do little to promote the significant Teaching
33

Wood, K. Sustainability in a business
(2004) context. In C. Galea (Ed.),
Teaching business sustainability.
Sheffield, UK: Greenleaf
Publishing Ltd.
benefits of sustainable development to business. Willard sustainability
shows how the systematic addressing of these issues can
provide new profit opportunities. He presents and discusses
a template of potential business benefits that can be used by
educators as a business case stimulator. A hypothetical IT
company is used to demonstrate potential benefits for
human resources, initiatives to help the planet and profits.
The use of real case studies, according to Willard, will
assist business schools to demonstrate how leading
sustainable development companies are “doing well while
doing good”. The integration of the business case into core
curriculum will also develop corporate leaders who will
promote sustainable development.
Wood presents an innovative method to address the Business education
challenges of teaching sustainability. She argues that
traditional teaching methods can be ineffective in business Experiential
sustainability education because they fail to address the learning
challenges of teaching this area. According to Wood a
systems approach is more appropriate. Her ‘Five Pillars’ of Multidisciplinary
Sustainability Model proposes that sustainability cannot be models
learned as a separate discipline, rather sustainability is
embedded in organisations through a systems approach and Systems approach
strategic application of the following pillars: business
alignment, sustainability knowledge, personal and Teaching
organisational leadership, systems thinking, enabling sustainability
technology and processes. The paper provides details on
how to execute this program, including the input of
business stakeholders, both to curriculum design and
evaluation of the learning program. Through workshops,
the model challenges teams to apply their knowledge to
real time projects.
34
Marketing
Bridges, C.M. Going beyond green: The “why Abstract only Marketing
Willhelm, W.B. and how” of integrating Teaching sustainable marketing practices requires that curriculum
(2008) sustainability into the marketing curricula advocate a “triple bottom line” approach to
curriculum. Journal of Marketing personal and marketing decision making, emphasizing Marketing
Education, 30(1), 33-46. requirements for a sustainable lifestyle, company, education
economy, and society. These requirements include
environmental/ecological stewardship (maintenance and Marketing
renewal of “natural capital”), social stewardship (equitable pedagogy
distribution of resources, human, and community well-
being), and economic stewardship (valuing financial Sustainable
continuity over profit). In this article, the authors suggest marketing
how marketing educators might incorporate these practices
sustainability principles into marketing pedagogy.
Toward that end, the authors (a) offer a formal definition Sustainability
of the term sustainability, (b) examine the current role of
sustainability in marketing strategy at the firm level, (c)
present a brief history of academic literature relevant to this
topic and review current initiatives at academic institutions,
(d) offer resources for integrating sustainability into
marketing curricula, and (e) propose and describe the
implementation of an MBA-level marketing elective
dedicated to the topic of sustainability.
SCIENCE
Chemistry / bio-molecular sciences
Ranke, J. Developing and disseminating Abstract only Chemistry
Bahadir, M. NOP: An online, open-access, Considerable efforts have been put into the development of education
Eissen, M. organic chemistry teaching green and sustainable chemistry (1–5). An important aspect
Konig, B. resource to integrate sustainability of striving for sustainable development is teaching the Sustainability
(2008) concepts in the laboratory. Journal means and the tasks to future professionals in an effective
of Chemical Education, 85(7), manner (6, 7). Taking on this challenge for basic practical

35
 1000-1005.
Wright, H.A. The current state of sustainability
Ironside, J.E. in bioscience laboratories: A
Gwynn-Jones, D. statistical examination of a UK
(2008) tertiary institute. International
Journal of Sustainability in Higher
Education, 9(3), 282-294.
organic chemistry education in higher education, a
collaborative project of six German universities (Table 1)
has created a collection of lab experiments accompanied by
background information on sustainable development for
classical as well as alternative laboratory techniques and
evaluation of chemical substances and reactions (8). This
collection is freely accessible on the Internet in English,
among other languages.1 The German title “Nachhaltigkeit
im Organisch-chemischen Praktikum” (NOP) can be
translated in English as “Sustainability in the Organic
Chemistry Laboratory Course”.
Abstract only Behaviour
Purpose – This study aims to identify the current barriers to
sustainability in the bioscience laboratory setting and to Higher education
determine which mechanisms are likely to increase
sustainable behaviours in this specialised environment. Laboratories
Design/methodology/approach – The study gathers
qualitative data from a sample of laboratory researchers Research paper
presently conducting experimentation in the biological
sciences. A questionnaire, regarding sustainability in the Sustainable
laboratory, was developed and distributed to all bioscience development
researchers at Aberystwyth University.
Findings – Although the majority of respondents had United Kingdom
favourable attitudes to sustainability, almost three-quarters
(71 per cent) stated that they were not conducting their
research in the most sustainable way possible. The factors
most likely to hinder sustainable behaviour were lack of
support, lack of information and time constraints. However,
monetary costs and benefits, closely followed by “other”
costs and benefits, were most likely to encourage
sustainable behaviour in the laboratory.
36
 Research limitations/implications – There is a need to
extend the present research to other types of biological
research, such as field-based studies. Different biological
disciplines may have different consumable requirements
and waste streams, thereby changing the barriers to
sustainability observed.
Practical implications – The findings have immediate
practical implication for higher education institutions
wishing to adopt researcher-approved mechanisms to
reduce the environmental impact of biological laboratory
research.
Originality/value – This is the first study to design a
sustainability questionnaire which is specific to research
scientists and laboratory users. The paper is therefore of
immense value to the numerous global higher education
institutions with working laboratories which seek to
minimize the environmental impact of research
Computing
Payne, L. Using a Wiki to support Abstract only Activity-led
(2009) sustainability literacy. ITALICS, It is becoming increasingly important that students develop learning
8(1), 45-52. an awareness and understanding of sustainability issues:
that they develop their ‘sustainability literacy’. For the past Collaborative
few years we have included some explicit coverage of this working
for computing students. Computing students tend to be very
strategically-orientated and reject material which seems to Computer assisted
them to be of no direct relevance to their career assessment
development. Helping students to see the relevance of
sustainability to them is not easy. To encourage their Sustainability
engagement, in 2007/8, they were given a group literacy
assignment which required them to derive sustainability
'tips' for an IT development company.

37

Earth / planetary sciences
Jones, P. Embedding education for
Trier, C.J. sustainable development in higher
Richards, J.P. education: A case study examining
(2008) common challenges and
opportunities for undergraduate
programmes. International
Journal of Educational Research,
47, 341–350.
Most students, and particularly computing students, are
very active users of Web 2.0 tools and spend much of
their time communicating using social networking sites
(Face book, MySpace, Bebo) and image, video and music
sharing sites (YouTube, flickr). They routinely use chat and
message board services and some use blogs. They view
such communication tools as natural and ‘part of life’.
Therefore, to support the development of submissions for
their sustainability assignment, students’ collaborative
work was supported by requiring them to use a wiki site.
Whilst all students have accessed a wiki, at least in the
form of the online encyclopedia Wikipedia, most students
had never created one but readily saw its relevance to
collaborative working and welcomed the opportunity to
create one.
Abstract only Curriculum
This paper explores the perceptions of academics and content
students towards embedding Education for Sustainable
Development (ESD) into undergraduate degree Education for
programmes in the School for Earth, Ocean and sustainability
Environmental Science (SEOES) at the University of development
Plymouth. The main purpose of the research was to identify
current ESD related teaching and learning in a science- Pedagogy
based undergraduate programme and the opportunities for,
and barriers to, further extensions of ESD. The results Students’ &
indicate that there is general support for the embedding of lecturers’
ESD in the curriculum, but there is considerable perceptions
uncertainty expressed by lecturers concerning how this can
best be done. There is a general concern that additional Teaching methods
38

Engineering
Brown, A. (Ed.) Engineering education for a
(2003) sustainable future: Proceedings of
the 14th annual Australasian
Association for Engineering
Education and 9th Australasian
Women in Engineering Forum.
Australasian Association for
Engineering Education, RMIT,
Melbourne.
Desha, C.J. Surveying the state of higher
Hargroves, K. education in energy efficiency, in
(2010) Australian engineering curriculum.
Journal of Cleaner Production, 18,
652-658.
embedding into the degree programme might lead to and practices
reductions in the amount of core subject matter being
taught. The programme and ESD agendas are to an extent
seen by lecturers as conflicting. ESD is viewed mainly in
terms of curriculum content as opposed to the pedagogy
employed.
Selection of interesting and diverse papers authored by Australia
academics from engineering departments across Australia.
Topics covered include: flexible learning, sustainable Engineering
engineering education, graduate attributes, TAFE, first education
year, active/problem based learning, global sustainability,
women in engineering, electrical/software engineering. Graduate attributes
Sustainable
development
This research paper presents the results of a survey of 27 Australia
Australian universities on the status of energy efficiency
(EE) education in engineering programs. The research Energy efficiency
project addresses the lack of data available (both nationally
and globally) on the extent to which sustainability related National survey
knowledge and skills are present or absent in curricula. The
survey is designed to ascertain the extent of EE education State of
and to identify best methods to increase the extent to which engineering
this area of education is embedded in engineering curricula. education
Heads of Department, teachers of EE and students are
surveyed, with results showing that EE education across Sustainable
Australian universities is highly variable. The authors development
provide suggestions for embedding sustainability within
engineering curricula, however these recommendations are
targeted at senior management in engineering departments,
39

Johnston, S.F. Towards culturally inclusive global
(2001) engineering. European Journal of
Engineering Education, 26(1), 77-
89.
Hayles, C.S. Curriculum change for
Holdsworth, S.E. sustainability. Journal for
(2008) Education in the Built
Environment, 3(1), 25-48.
not at the level of individual lecturers.
This discussion paper addresses how to best develop Australia
engineering graduates who are able to deal successfully
with both the technical and broader social, political, Cultural inclusion
economic and ecological challenges of working effectively
across disciplines and cultures. In response to the Engineering
increasing number of engineers being employed by education
multinational/transnational corporations and expectations
for them to work across national and cultural boundaries, Globalisation
Johnston offers ideas about how Australian universities can
prepare students to be more culturally sensitive and
inclusive. Using a ‘discourse approach’ Johnston explores
ways in which engineering practice, in particular, the
selection of the problems to be solved and the criteria for
`successful’ solution always takes place within a cultural
context. The paper provides a good discussion of concepts
including internationlisation, globalisation and economic
rationalism within Australian engineering education.
This paper describes a pedagogical research project (funded Capacity building
by Victorian Government’s Department of Sustainability
and Environment (DSE) Greenhouse Policy Unit) designed Case study
to embed sustainability within core curricula of schools
across RMIT University. Using the School of Property, Curriculum design
Construction and Project Management as a case study the
article describes the project’s aims, challenges, steps Reflective practice
involved and outcomes. Adopting an action learning
approach the collaborative interdisciplinary team develop a Sustainability
strategy that requires both changes to the content and mode education
of delivery –moving away from traditional lecture format to
one more interactive. The aim is to both build knowledge
and foster values and behaviours that will deepen students
40
 understanding, equipping them with the capabilities to see
sustainability as an integral part of any decision making
process that has long-term implications for both the built
and natural environments. Teaching strategies are designed
to build capacity through reflective practice and to
personalise the experience for students. A limitation of the
paper is that no student evaluations are provided (the
authors note they will be published at a later date).
Lourdel, N. The authors present cognitive maps as a useful tool for Assessment
Sustainable development cognitive
Gondran, N. improving learning and evaluating students’ understanding
map: A new method of evaluating
Laforest, V. of sustainability. Evidence from a study of third year Cognitive mapping
student understanding. Journal of
Debray, B. undergraduate engineering students is provided in support
Sustainability in Higher
Brodhag, C. of the proposal. Findings indicate that prior to undertaking Education
Education, 8(2), 170-182.
(2007) a sustainability course students’ perceptions of
sustainability mainly focused on environmental and Research paper
economical aspects, while after the course the maps
reflected an increasingly diverse understanding of Sustainable
sustainability. This approach to assessment provides a development
novel alternative to more recognised forms of evaluating
students’ knowledge and will also assist in the development Training
and evaluation of students’ creative thinking and problem
solving skills.
Holmberg, J. Embedding sustainability in higher Abstract only Curriculum
Svanström, M. education through interaction with In this paper, three universities compare their work on the greening
Peet, D.-J. lecturers: Case studies from three integration of sustainable development into their
Mulder, K. European technical universities. educational programmes. The purpose is to show examples Education for
Ferrer-Balas, D. European. Journal of Engineering of how this can be done and to illustrate important sustainable
Seglàs, J. Education, 33(3), 271-282. generalised success factors. Methods used to achieve development
(2008) embedding of sustainability in curricula through individual
interaction with teachers and other actors are described. Engineering
The three universities are all technical universities with education

41

Murray, P.E. Promoting sustainability values
Murray, S.A. within career-oriented degree
(2007) programmes: A case study
analysis. International Journal of
Sustainability in Higher
Education,
8(3), 285-300.
relatively high ambitions for their activities in relation to
sustainable development. Individual
interaction
Abstract Attitudes
Purpose – This paper aims to analyse an initiative to
provide learners on “career-based” programmes with Behaviour
opportunities to reflect upon their values within the context
of sustainability. Case study
Design/methodology/approach – An international literature
review relating values and behaviour to the sustainability Sustainable
agenda led to the development of “sustainability training” development
workshop activities for construction students at the
University of Plymouth. The activities, drawing on good
practice from a range of education for sustainability
initiatives and the behavioral discipline Neuro Linguistic
Programming, enable participants to elicit and reflect upon
their core values and to relate these to key sustainability
issues. Following multiple pilots the workshops were
offered as voluntary field trials to students, their
effectiveness being measured through structured feedback.
Findings – The feedback returns demonstrate the popularity
of the enquiry-based learning techniques utilized and the
effectiveness of the individual activities in achieving their
aims. Constructive criticism centred on the need to simplify
some of the activity instructions.
Practical implications – This research shows that open-
ended enquiry-based learning techniques are useful for
promoting sustainability values within educational
programmes. As the activities described here are not
discipline-specific, they have potential to be adapted for
similar disciplines at other institutions and for use with
42
 other career-based disciplines.
Originality/value – Much is written about the need to
embed sustainability values in the curriculum. This paper
describes a method of fulfilling this need and may be of
significant value to those attempting to embed
sustainability within educational programmes.
Paten, C.J.K. Engineering sustainable solutions Abstract only Case study
Palousis, N. program: Critical literacies for Purpose – While a number of universities in Australia have
Hargroves, K. engineers portfolio. International embraced concepts such as project/problem-based learning Curricula
Smith, M. Journal of Sustainability in Higher and design of innovative learning environments for
(2005) Education, 6(3), 265-277. engineering education, there has been a lack of national Education
guidance on including sustainability as a “critical literacy”
into all engineering streams. This paper was presented at Higher education
the 2004 International Conference on Engineering
Education in Sustainable Development (EESD) in Industrial
Barcelona, Spain, outlining a current initiative that is education
seeking to address the “critical literacy” dilemma.
Design/methodology/approach – The paper presents the Sustainable
positive steps taken by Australia’s peak engineering body, development
the Institution of Engineers Australia (EA), in considering
accreditation requirements for university engineering
courses and its responsibility to ensure the inclusion of
sustainability education material. It then describes a current
initiative called the “Engineering Sustainable Solutions
Program – Critical Literacies for Engineers Portfolio”
(ESSP-CL), which is being developed by The Natural Edge
Project (TNEP) in partnership with EA and Unesco.
Findings – Content for the module was gathered from
around the world, drawing on research from the publication
The Natural Advantage of Nations: Business Opportunities,
Innovation, and Governance in the Twenty-first Century.

43

Perdan, S. Teaching sustainable development
Azapagic, A. to engineering students.
Clift, R. International Journal of
(2000) Sustainability in Higher
Education, 1(3), 267-279.
Steinemann, A. Problem-based learning: Pedagogy
Parts of the first draft of the ESSP-CL have been trialled at
Griffith University, Queensland, Australia with first year
environmental engineering students, in May 2004. Further
trials are now proceeding with a number of other
universities and organisations nationally and
internationally.
Practical implications – It is intended that ESSP-CL will
be a valuable resource to universities, professional
development activities or other education facilities
nationally and internationally.
Originality/value – This paper fulfils an identified
information/resources need.
Abstract only Engineering
Sustainable development is a complex concept which education
concerns a wide range of social, techno-economic and
environmental issues. Without addressing all these Sustainable
dimensions, teaching of sustainable development would not development
be complete. Therefore, taught modules and teaching
materials for engineering students should include not only
technological analysis and economic evaluation, but also
environmental and social considerations. This paper
outlines the way in which a multidisciplinary approach to
teaching sustainability has been embodied in learning
programmes and activities in engineering at the University
of Surrey, UK. More specifically, it describes a project to
develop a comprehensive IT-based learning resource
comprising a set of multidisciplinary case studies and
support material in order to aid engineering students in
understanding the concepts inherent in sustainability and
how solutions can be developed.
This paper is a case study of a unit “Sustainable Urban Case study
44
(2003) and practice. Journal of
Professional Issues in Engineering
Education and Practice @ ASCE,
October, 216-224.
Environmental studies
Cohen, N. Designing the sustainable
(2010) foodshed: A cross-disciplinary
undergraduate environmental
studies course. Innovative Higher
Education, 35, 51-60.
Development”, which requires students to develop projects
aimed at making their campus and community more Curricula
sustainable. At the end of the course students present their
ideas to a panel of university administrators, with an Engineering
opportunity to have their ideas implemented in university education
policy. Thus the unit provides an important link between
theory and application, and between education and Learning
professional practice. There is a strong emphasis on
problem-based-learning, and the author details how the Problem based
course develops students critical cognitive skills (problem learning
solving, creative/critical thinking) and professional skills
(interpersonal/personal judgement) as they tackle Universities
interdisciplinary, real world problems. The benefits of PBL
are examined in relation to the following themes;
applicability, problem solving, active learning, motivation,
and professional skills. Excerpts from the course syllabus
including available topics, instructions for assessment and a
reflection exercise provide adequate details for readers
looking to develop similar units. This is a well rounded,
easy to read paper which not only provides a good
discussion of the benefits of PBL (supported by excerpts
from student evaluations) but also the challenges of PBL
(i.e. time and resource constraints).
This article describes a US undergraduate course that Design education
integrates design and the liberal arts to teach students about
ecological systems, using a study of the university campus Foodshed
to connect theory and practice. Details of the learning
objectives, unit structure, content, assessment tasks and Food systems
teaching activities are outlined. There is also a discussion
of logistical/pedagogical problems encountered, student Liberal arts
45
 feedback on the course and an overall evaluation. The education
course requires design and liberal arts students to work
together to develop innovative solutions to improve Teaching methods
sustainability of the university’s food system, which
develops their research, problem solving and Sustainability
communication skills. The approach used is an
active/student-centred learning approach that relies heavily
on collaborative project work.
Eisen, A. Teaching water: Connecting across Abstract only Interdisciplinary
Hall, A. disciplines and intro daily life to A central problem in higher education is how to best teaching
Lee, T.S. address complex societal issues. develop in students interdisciplinary thinking and
Zupko, J. College Teaching, 57(2), 99-104. application skills necessary to work and engage effectively Pedagogy
(2009) in the twenty-first century. Traditional university structures
make addressing this problem especially challenging. Societal context
Using as a model courses with diverse perspectives on
water taught by teams of interdisciplinary faculty, we Water
explore one successful approach. We highlight the
importance of institutional infrastructure and pedagogical
strategies that nurtured our approach and allowed it to
work.
Ellis, G. Making sustainability ‘real’: Using Abstract only Action
Weekes, T. group-enquiry to promote Sustainable development is now widely held as a competence
(2008) education for sustainable transcendental ideal of town and country planning, yet the
development. Environmental way in which it is taught in planning schools remains Education for
Education Research, 14(4), 482- problematic. This arises from a range of factors, including sustainable
500. the all-persuasive nature of sustainability and the lack of development
solid examples of success through implementation. The
issue of how best to promote learning for sustainable Planning
development in planning has arguably intensified in the last
two years in the case of the Royal Town Planning Institute- Sustainable
sponsored ‘fast track’ one-year Masters, which has reduced regeneration

46

Hurlimann, A.C. Responding to environmental
(2009) challenges: An initial assessment
of higher education curricula needs
by Australian planning
professionals. Environmental
Education Research, 15(6), 643-
659.
the opportunities for students to engage in wider (and
perhaps even deeper) concepts, including that of
sustainable development. This paper explores this through
discussion of a specific project developed at Queen’s
University Belfast, facilitated by a grant from the UK
Higher Education Academy. Working with a local
community, this entailed a group of students working on
their Masters thesis collectively addressing issues of
sustainable regeneration in a small Irish market town. The
design of the project draws heavily on the concepts of
enquiry based learning, experiential learning and action
competence, which are seen as being central to improving
education for sustainable development (ESD). The paper
explores the benefits of such an approach and discusses the
ways in which this experience can help enhance student’s
experience of ESD.
This exploratory study investigates the perceptions of Australia
environmental planning professionals in relation to
curricula needs. An online survey (including qualitative and Consultation
quantitative components) of planning professionals across
Australia is undertaken to ascertain key gaps in the Curriculum
education (e.g. knowledge and skills) of environmental
planners. Results indicate gaps in environmental Environment
knowledge with regard to climate change and water
management, and in skills relating to critical thinking and Professionals
independent enquiry. The findings of this research suggest:
a need to review and update current urban planning Sustainability
curricula in Australia, to offer continual education for
planners in practice and address any existing/further Urban planning
knowledge/skill gaps identified. Two limitations of the
article are: the small sample size (N=50); and that no
47

Napan, K. A process that empowers: Self and
Mamula-Stojnic, L. peer assessment as a component of
(2005) education for sustainability. Paper
presented at the Making a
Difference: Evaluations and
Assessment Conference, 30
November-1 December, 2005,
Sydney.
Geography
Dengler, M. Classroom active learning
(2008) complemented by an online
discussion forum to teach
sustainability. Journal of
suggestions or framework are offered. However this is only
an exploratory study and the authors point out that further
research is required to establish the best way to facilitate
this planning. Given the increasing importance of
environmental education, and the key role urban planners
play in influencing a more sustainable future, these results
could be of particular benefit to urban planning and related
environmental curricula, and to the implementation of
sustainability.
Abstract only Assessment
The tertiary education sector has wholeheartedly accepted
ideas of postmodernism, reflective teaching and learning, Education for
empowerment and sustainability and these terms are very sustainability
present in teaching contents across disciplines, but when it
comes to assessment, educators more often revert to Collaborative
traditional and familiar methods which do not reflect the learning
principles of education for sustainability and the needs for
development of reflective, collaborative practitioners Resource
committed to lifelong learning. This paper explores management
practical ways of employing learning contracts and self and education
peer assessment combined with reflective journal writing
for the purpose of creating empowering contexts for Reflection
collaborative learning where students can become lifelong
learners committed to continuous improvement of their Self/peer
knowledge and skills and open to challenge with regard to assessment
their beliefs and attitudes.
This case study of a UK Masters course “Principles of Active learning
Environmental Sustainability” identifies some of the
pedagogical benefits that active learning coupled with an Blended/ hybrid
online discussion forum, can bring to sustainability delivery
48
 Geography in Higher Education,
32(3), 481-494.
Haigh, M.J. Promoting environmental
(2006) education for sustainable
development: The value of links
between higher education and non-
education. Dengler outlines the course design and discusses
how active learning develops critical thinking, problem Course design and
solving skills and citizenship. Several role playing delivery
exercises developed by the author are described in detail.
The first example is a mock climate change negotiation Critical thinking
exercise designed to expose students to the practical
complexities of negotiating an international treaty and to E-learning
develop critical thinking skills. A number of other teaching
activities are also described including classroom writing Environmental
exercises and an online discussion forum. government for
sustainability
The study lends support to previous research which
promotes e-learning as an effective way of increasing
student participation, especially for students who are
reluctant to engage in traditional classroom discussions. It
also supports active learning as a way of encouraging the
development of critical thinking skills by exposing students
to complex issues of environmental governance in practice
and the challenges of finding solutions framed in
environmental and social justice. A limitation of the case
study is that it is based on a small class size of only 10
students, however the author addresses the transferability of
these activities to larger classes. As the teaching activities
offered can be practised in any classroom, they provide a
more accessible option than the program outlined by Haigh
(2006) which would require considerably more time,
resources and commitment at an institutional level.
This detailed case study examines the impact of a joint Case study
community based land reclamation project between Oxford
Brookes University and the NGO Earthwatch (which is Earthwatch
based in the USA but has branches in other countries
49
 governmental organisations
(NGOs). Journal of Geography in
Higher Education, 30(2), 327-349.
Mathematics
Petocz, P. What on earth is sustainability in
Reid, A. mathematics? New Zealand
(2003) Journal of Mathematics, 32, 135-
144.
including Australia). The aim of the affiliation is to develop Education for
teaching and research by linking traditional university sustainable
applied geography research to sustainability education, development
with the ultimate goal of promoting environmental
education and the cause of sustainable development. The Environmental
focus of the study is the benefits that Earthwatch project education in the
volunteers felt that they gained by way of environmental community
sustainability education. Data is obtained via surveys and
focus groups. Experience based
learning
The author argues that informal environmental education
by way of experience based learning has succeeded where Lifelong learning
traditional environmental sustainability education has
failed, and provides the most effective way to promote life NGOs
long learning. Engaging students in such projects makes
them aware of their personal responsibilities and their Non-formal
capacity to effect change in relation to sustainable education
development, which they will carry into the workplace. For
more practical ‘how to’ activities that can be used in the
classroom refer to Dengler (2008).
Reid and Petocz examine problems of integrating Conceptions
sustainability into the curriculum of university mathematics
courses, and suggest ways in which teachers can Curriculum
successfully achieve this without compromising the
discipline specific content. They report the findings of two Mathematics
studies – one on university teacher understandings and education
conceptualisations of sustainability, and another on
university student perceptions of sustainability. In both Research paper
studies interview data is analysed using a
phenomenographic approach. The authors discuss how Sustainability
50
 different views influence approaches to learning and
teaching of sustainability in mathematics. Student
responses to learning activities demonstrate how broader
and more holistic conceptions of maths allow integration
with broader conceptions of sustainability, while narrower
conceptions inhibit engagement. Finally the authors draw
attention to the importance of creating learning
environments that encourage students to use broader
conceptions and apply deeper learning strategies - the
article by Warburton (2003) also points to the importance
of deep learning strategies.
Technology
Filho, W.L. Education for sustainable Abstract only Education for
Manolas, E. development: current discourses Technology education is a well-established field of sustainable
Pace, P. and practices and their relevance to knowledge whose applications have many ramifications. development
(2009) technology education. For example, technology education may be used as a tool
International Journal of in meeting the challenges of sustainable development. Initiatives and
Technology & Design Education, However, the usefulness of technology education to the practices
19(2), 149–165. sustainability debate as a whole and to education for
sustainable development in particular, has largely been Secondary and
overlooked in the past. Indeed, there is a paucity of higher education
academic studies which examine the contribution
technology education may provide to education for Transformative
sustainable development. On the basis of the need to pedagogies
address this knowledge gap, this paper reviews the state of
affairs in relation to education for sustainable development
and considers its links and appropriateness to technology
education.
A further objective of this paper is to present examples of
initiatives and existing practices around the world, drawing
partly from the results of the 1st European Conference on

51
 Education for Sustainable Development held in Greece in
October 2007, as well as from other initiatives undertaken
in Europe and North America. Finally, some measures that
may be adopted in order to enhance the contribution of
technology education to education for sustainable
development are outlined.
HUMAN SCIENCES
Education
Hammond, C. Interdisciplinarity: Bridging the Abstract only Education for
McCallum, F. university and field of practice Modeling inter-disciplinary teaching and learning practices sustainability
(2009) divide. Australian Journal of within a critical pedagogical framework has produced
Teacher Education, 34(2), 50-63. powerful learning outcomes for graduates of the Interdisciplinarity
Primary/Middle Bachelor of Education degree at the
University of South Australia. This paper explores the Teacher education
notion of how best to prepare beginning teachers to work
with students in their middle years of schooling in Studies
of Society and Environment. Of particular focus are teacher
education courses that model interdisciplinary ways of
working. The inquiry found that interdisciplinary course
work was replicated and built upon by beginning teachers
and where schools encouraged the notion of
interdisciplinarity beginning teachers flourished as
designers of curriculum. The authors argue that Studies of
Society and Environment is currently well placed to be
incorporated into interdisciplinary curriculum frameworks
and assist in meeting the goals of middle schooling
philosophy.
Martin, K. Sustainability and teacher Abstract only Professional skills
Summers, D. education. Journal of Further & Sustainability is now a key concept in both government
Sjerps-Jones, H. Higher Education, 31(4), 351-362. policy and wider global concerns. Issues of climate change Sustainability
(2007) and global warming can no longer be ignored in teacher

52

Summers, M. Education for sustainable
Childs, A. development in initial teacher
Corney, G. training: Issues for
(2005) interdisciplinary collaboration.
Environmental Education
Research, 11(5), 623-647.
education programmes in the post-compulsory education Teacher education
and training sector. Government policy-makers, notably the
Department for Education and Skills (DfES), Learning
Skills Council (LSC) and the Teacher Training Agency
(TTA) are all looking to educators to take the lead. This
article proposes that sustainability needs to be embedded in
a notion of professionalism that has a professional values
framework at its heart. This framework should underpin all
teacher education programmes and energise professional
practice. A college in the south-west of England is used as
an example of how post-16 institutions can embed
sustainability, not only in teacher education programmes
but the whole ethos of the college.
Abstract only Interdisciplinary
This article considers interdisciplinary approaches to
education for sustainable development (ESD) in initial Education for
teacher training (ITT) partnerships in the light of recent sustainable
national policy initiatives. In identifying challenges for development
interdisciplinary innovation, it brings to bear research
evidence from three sources: questionnaires sent to ITT Teacher education
partnership schools; questionnaire surveys of geography
and science graduate student teachers; and questionnaire
surveys of their school mentors. Key findings are that:
schools are not yet well developed as sites for student
teacher learning in the domain; student teachers generally
have greater understanding of sustainable development than
their mentors; geography mentors perceive themselves to
be better prepared for mentoring in this area than their
science counterparts (who feel ill-prepared); for both
students and mentors, there are significant gaps in
understanding of ESD compared with representations found
53

Medicine
AUQA Proceedings of the 2005
(multiple authors) Australian universities quality
(2005) forum: Engaging communities.
Sydney, Australia, 6-8 July.
Melbourne: AUQA.
Psychology
Koger, S.M. Psychology and environmental
Scott, B.A. sustainability: A call for
(2007) integration. Teaching for
Psychology, 34(1), 10-18.
in the literature. Some implications and possible ways
forward for interdisciplinary ESD in teacher education
partnerships are discussed.
A series of papers which focus on themes of quality Cultural safety
assurance; internationalisation; teaching & learning;
community engagement; plagiarism and academic values; Indigenous health
and transnational education in higher education. While
there is no direct focus on sustainability, the overarching Medical education
theme is community engagement which includes
sustainability and social responsibility. The paper by Policy
Gregory Phillips, “’Relationships, Respect and
Responsibility’: Cultural Safety and Ensuring Quality
Curriculum for Indigenous Health in Medical Education”
outlines the implementation of an Indigenous Health
Curriculum Project which is based on the notion of
‘cultural safety’. The author suggests that relationships,
respect and responsibility (all aspects of cultural safety) can
be used to ensure quality implementation of Indigenous
health in medical education. This is a policy paper,
presenting the content of the overarching framework. There
are no specific details on the implementation.
In this paper Koger and Scott address the issue of Environmental
psychology’s relevance to environmental education, and education
the lack of attention it has received in curricula
development, noting that few undergraduate programs link Psychology
psychology to environmental issues. As they point out education
human behaviour is the primary cause of ecological
damage and psychology is an essential discipline for
understanding why individuals behave in unsustainable
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Saunders, C.D. The emerging field of conservation
(2003) psychology. Human Ecology
Review, 10(2), 137-149.
ways. The authors provide examples of how research in
several traditional areas of psychology (learning, cognitive,
social, developmental, clinical/ abnormal and health
psychology) can inform our understanding of
environmental issues. While they offer suggestions for
integrating sustainability issues into psychology courses
these are not discussed in detail. Koger and Scott have
developed an online resource Teaching Psychology for
Sustainability which is also reviewed in this bibliography
under the website section.
The intention of this discussion paper is to explore the Conservation
possibilities of psychology research geared towards the psychology
goal of environmental sustainability. Saunders defines
conservation psychology, explores its relationship to other Environmental
disciplines (conservation biology, environmental psychology
psychology and other fields of social science), speculates
on the types of research topics that this area might address Environmentally
and discusses them in relation to two outcome areas: responsible
motivating people to act in environmentally friendly ways behaviour
and encouraging people to care about the natural world and
their role in it. She also addresses the process of Human-nature
determining research questions, and provides a framework relationships
for using and considering such research (both theoretical
and applied). While the ideas outlined in this paper appear Environmental
to be largely the author’s personal opinion, they are values
adequately supported by evidence from the literature.
Sustainable
relationship with
nature
Psychology
55

Policy / research reports
Author and Title
year
Dawe, G. Sustainable development in higher
Jucker, R. education: Current practice and
Martin, S. future developments. A report for the
(2005) Higher Education Academy (HEA),
UK.
Tilbury, D. A national review of environmental
Cooke, K. education and its contribution to
(2005) sustainability in Australia:
Frameworks for sustainability (Vol. 5
Further and higher education).
Canberra: Australian Government
Department of the Environment and
Water Resources and Australian
Research Institute in Education for
Sustainability (ARIES).
research
Notes Keywords
Reports the results of a study commissioned by the HEA, the Literature review
purpose of which was to investigate how different disciplines were
contributing to the development of sustainability literate graduates, Policy
identifying good practice in approaches to teaching and curriculum
development/barriers to embedding sustainable development in Research study
institutional teaching and learning strategies, and assessing the
support required for the embedding process. Several Sustainable
recommendations are made, emphasising the importance of development
adopting a broader and more flexible approach to the development
and teaching of academic disciplines. The report is based on a Teaching
literature review, a survey and focus groups with staff across approaches
several higher education institutions in the UK. It provides a
useful overview of the approaches to teaching currently adopted in
the practice of teaching sustainability.
The purpose of this review (undertaken by ARIES) was to assess Australia
current practice in Environmental Education (EE), and identify
areas of need across the various sectors. The report is useful for Education for
anyone involved in the design and delivery of EE, i.e. policy sustainability
makers, funding bodies, educators and researchers. It can be
downloaded in several sections and there are summary brochures Higher education
available. Volume 5 is on Further and Higher Education, and it
provides an overview of current approaches to sustainability in Policy
universities and TAFE. Chapter 5.2 discusses sustainability and
the curriculum. A number of recommendations for policy, practice
56
 Executive Summary:
http://www.aries.mq.edu.au
PDF Version:
http://www.aries.mq.edu.au
[accessed 19 July 2010]
and research are offered and the authors argue that learning for
sustainability initiatives can assist in achieving organisational
change within the sector. This is a policy document intended for
change at the faculty/institutional level and does not contain
examples of individual teaching strategies. Refer also to the
summary of Macquarie University, ARIES under the following
section on websites.

Websites
Author and Title Notes Keywords
year
AASHE Association for the Advancement of A US based association of colleges and universities developed Higher education
Sustainability in Higher Education to empower the higher education sector lead the sustainability
(AASHE) ‘transformation’. The site only has a small section on education Sustainable
www.aashe.org [accessed 13 July 2010] programs with a sustainability focus (the remainder is focused development
on policy, professional development, conferences, newsletters,
blogs etc), and this section contains links to resources (research
papers, conference papers, discussion forums etc) on curriculum
and co-curricula activities. Most resources are strongly oriented
towards the US higher education sector, and viewing of some
requires membership to the association.
ALTC Graduate skills. Collaborative project Business
(multiple funded by the ALTC A collaborative action research project funded by the ALTC education
authors www.graduateskills.com/ designed to addresses the issue of how to embed graduate skills
including within business faculties in a way that is educationally Graduate
some from meaningful and professionally relevant for students, academics capabilities
Macquarie) and their future employers. The site contains many practical
(2009) resources including identified standards for the development of Sustainability
graduate skills, a literature review of recent research on

57

Benn, S. Education for sustainability: Integrating
UNSW environmental responsibility into
(1999) curricula: A guide for UNSW faculty
www.ies.unsw.edu.au/Zoldsite/about/gree
ningUNSW/greeningCurriculum/educatio
n/EducationForSustainabilityTesting.pdf
[accessed 19 July 2010]
Griffith Ethical behaviour and social
University responsibility toolkit
(2005) www.griffith.edu.au/gihe/teaching-
learning-curriculum/graduate-attributes
[accessed 19 July 2010]
education for sustainability and resources for assessment and
learning activities. Such activities include stakeholder analyses,
debates and case studies. The resources are empirically based,
developed from workshops undertaken with university students.
Other graduate capabilities considered are critical thinking,
ethical practice and teamwork. This site is an excellent resource
for anyone involved in teaching of sustainability within
business/management education. Tasks could also be modified
for use in other discipline areas.
Although published over 10 years ago, this concise resource Assessment
(available as a PDF document) is an excellent summary of key
learning and teaching issues associated with education for Learning
sustainability. It also provides a range of strategies to assist staff outcomes
integrate sustainability into curricula. Topics include the
development of learning outcomes, curriculum design, teaching Teaching
activities across a range of disciplines (arts and social sciences, activities
fine arts, design, built environment, commerce and economics,
engineering, law, life sciences, medicine, science and Teaching
technology) and assessment. There is case studies, a sustainability
sustainability checklist and links to references and resources
(although most of these are now outdated). Refer also to the Toolkit
Griffith University toolkit.
This toolkit (available in PDF) is designed to assist academics Assessment
involved in teaching ethical behaviour and social responsibility.
While sustainability is only mentioned a few times in this Perspectives of
resource, some of the themes covered under the broad title of staff/ students/
social responsibility share commonalities with issues relevant to employers/
sustainability. This is not a “how to” guide, but rather a resource graduates
that brings together perspectives of academic staff, students,
graduates and employers on graduate attributes relating to ethics Teaching
58
 and social responsibility. Nevertheless, it does contain excellent activities
ideas and examples of teaching activities, assessment tasks and
links to resources. Griffith has produced a series of toolkits on Toolkit
the teaching of other graduate attributes which are also available
on the website.
Macquarie The Australian Research Institute in Based at the Graduate School of Environment, Macquarie Australia
University Education for Sustainability (ARIES) University, this research centre specialises in education,
www.aries.mq.edu.au [accessed 13 July participatory change and learning for sustainability. Working in Government
2010] collaboration with all disciplinary backgrounds to inform, policy
promote and support change in sustainability, the centre adopts a
systems based, participatory and holistic approach, with a large Research projects
number of projects involving action research. While the centre
does undertake research in the area of sustainability and Resources on
education, there are only a few links to teaching and learning sustainability
resources (most of which relate to pre-service teacher
education). Nevertheless the site does provide links to a large
number of resources including research projects, government
reports and policy documents, and publications for the general
community and business sector.
Sustainable Teachsustainability.com.au: A resource This online resource exchange developed and maintained by Australia
Living sharing database for teachers UNSW is designed as a one stop shop for high school teachers
Challenge www.teachsustainability.com.au on sustainability teaching resources. The site and associated High school
Team, Faculty [accessed 13 July 2010] education projects are designed to complement the UN Decade
of the Built of Education for Sustainable Development (2005-2014) and the Sustainable
Environment, NSW Government’s Learning for Sustainability: NSW education
UNSW Environmental Education Plan. The layout and search functions
of the database are very well organised and include case studies Teaching
of lessons, resources available to download (Word, PowerPoint resources
and PDF format), links to websites, and networking
opportunities. Teachers are encouraged to upload and share their
contributions. The site covers a wide variety of topic areas

59
 including business and economics, built environment,
biodiversity, policy and research, globalisation, and indigenous
studies, however, some of the resources provide only limited
information. While designed to support high school teachers, it
can be used by anyone involved in sustainable education, and
may be particularly useful for education lecturers and students.
Higher The Education for Sustainable The HEA is a UK organisation that works with individual Case studies
Education Development (ESD) Project academics to provide access to professional recognition, advice
Academy www.heacademy.ac.uk/ourwork/teaching and support, networking and development opportunities. The Higher education
andlearning/sustainability [accessed 27 objective of the sustainability project is to assist institutions,
May 2010] teachers and educational developers develop curricula and Research projects
pedagogy that will give students the skills and knowledge to live
and work sustainability. There are links to a number of UK Teaching
networks, newsletters, research projects and resources including sustainability
academic papers. These papers relate to funded research projects
(both in progress and complete) are presented in the form of
project reports, case studies etc. Unfortunately the website does
not include much in the way of practical strategies however as
its focus is solely on higher education its content is more
relevant than other sites such as UNESCO which have a broader
focus.

United Teaching and learning for a sustainable The purpose of this website developed by UNESCO is to Experiential
Nations future: A multi media teacher education promote and improve the integration of Education for learning
Decade for program. www.unesco.org/education/tlsf/ Sustainable Development into the educational strategies and
Education for [accessed 27 May 2010] action plans at all levels/sectors of education on a global scale. Reflection
Sustainable The website is user friendly because of its simple design and
Development common template for all sections. It contains 25 modules (multi Practical activities
media) on sustainability which although focused at high school
level can be adapted to other levels of education. Teaching
The “Dissemination and Training Toolbox” contains guidelines sustainability

60
 and sample resources to assist in planning and facilitating
workshops and developing students’ practical skills including
100 hours of interactive activities designed to enhance the
teacher's understanding of sustainable development and related
themes. The resource is intended to accommodate for all
learning types and a diverse student body. It is aimed at
teachers, student teachers, teacher educators, curriculum
developers, education policy makers and authors of educational
materials. A holistic and interdisciplinary approach is adopted,
with a particular focus on experiential learning and reflection.
The site also contains links to other useful websites.
Scott, B.A. Teaching psychology for sustainability: A The purpose of this site is to provide resources to assist teachers Teaching
Koger, S.M. manual of resources integrate psychology and environmental issues into their resources
(and www.teachgreenpsych.com/tg_overview. courses. It is very comprehensive and includes general
contributions html [accessed 27 May 2010] resources, teacher resources (discussion topics, class activities, Teaching
from other multimedia resources and suggested readings), a bibliography sustainability
leading and collection of syllabi from teachers currently involved in
teachers & teaching psychology for sustainability. The site is very user Psychology
researchers in friendly with sub discipline resources organised in the same
the field) way. The resource section is extensive, covering all the main
(2005) sub disciplines of psychology, i.e. cognition,
motivation/emotion, social psychology, environmental
psychology and research methods. In addition to teaching
materials there is a list of books, journal articles and other
published scholarly material on the area (including tables of
contents for edited volumes and links to publisher sites for
authored books). A limitation of the site is that it only focuses
on environmental sustainability.

61