Six dimensions of sustainability
A framework for organizing diverse university sustainability curricula at The Ohio State University
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 21720569 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Maria Manta Conroy (0000-0002-9470-1929, The Ohio State University, corresponding author), Becky Mansfield (0000-0003-2120-462X, Florida State University), Elena G Irwin (0000-0001-7908-5964, The Ohio State University), Elena Irwin, Gina Jaquet (The Ohio State University), Gregory E Hitzhusen (The Ohio State University), Gregory Hitzhusen, Jeremy Brooks (0000-0002-9615-1852, The Ohio State University) |
| Year | 2024 |
| Volume | 25 |
| Issue | 9 |
| Pages | 316-332 |
| Publication date | 2024-12-16 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1467-6370 • E-ISSN: 1758-6739 |
| Publisher | Emerald (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1108/ijshe-08-2023-0344 |
| OpenAlex | W4401648472 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 2 |
| References cited | 17 |
Purpose Integrating sustainability into university curricula brings diverse challenges and conflicts as separate units vie for ownership of courses and topics. This case study presents a six dimensions sustainability framework developed at The Ohio State University to organize curricula under an inclusive strategy. Design/methodology/approach An interdisciplinary group of faculty focused on sustainability education engaged in a three-phased process including review of sustainability definitions from diverse disciplines; analysis of key aspects of the definitions in conjunction with course descriptions and learning outcomes; and identification of commonalities across the key aspects. This yielded six foundational dimensions of sustainability which serve as a means to assess curricular contributions across University units and topics. The six dimensions framework has been used in practice in multiple contexts. Findings The six dimensions framework provides a way to identify and foster diverse sustainability curricula efforts. It has enabled academic units to describe their disciplinary and interdisciplinary perspectives on diverse sustainability topics and the University to advance a broad sustainability vision. Originality/value The six dimensions framework provides a novel “big tent” approach to integration of sustainability into higher education curricula. The framework provides guidance about what counts as sustainability while maintaining the breadth that widens participation
Curriculum · Curriculum development · Discipline · Engineering ethics · Higher education · Originality · Pedagogy · Political science · Qualitative research · Social science · Sociology · Sustainability · Sustainability organizations · Sustainability science · Engineering · Environmental Education and Sustainability · Service-Learning and Community Engagement · Sustainability in Higher Education · Ecology
Education for Sustainable Development
Implementing the sustainable development goals at University level
Applying SDGs as a systematic approach for incorporating sustainability in higher education
Synergizing education, research, campus operations, and community engagements towards sustainability in higher education
Current practice of assessing students’ sustainability competencies
The patterns of curriculum change processes that embed sustainability in higher education institutions
Key competencies in sustainability
Higher education for sustainable development
Planetary Boundaries
| Unique citing works | 2 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 2 |
| Citation span | 2025 - 2026 (2) |
| Citation velocity | current |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 2 |