Teaching sustainability

Does style matter

Bibliographic Data

ID21721073
AuthorsFethiye Ozis (0000-0003-1484-8961, Northern Arizona University, corresponding author), Shannon Lynn Isovitsch Parks, Shannon Parks (0000-0002-8479-1756, University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown), Deborah L Sills (0000-0001-7399-9482, Bucknell University), Mustafa Akca, Mustafa Özgür Akça (0000-0001-7988-0095, Covenant Health), Christine Kirby (0000-0002-1809-352X, Northern Arizona University)
Year2022
Volume23
Issue8
Pages194-210
Publication date2022-12-19
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueInternational Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1467-6370 • E-ISSN: 1758-6739
PublisherEmerald (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1108/ijshe-09-2021-0392
PMID36506221
OpenAlexW4281691130
LanguageEN
Citations received5
References cited24

Purpose: This paper aims to analyze how a tangram activity improved students' abilities to explain sustainability, articulate a positive perception of sustainable design and relate sustainability with innovation in engineering design. Design/methodology/approach: The concept of paradigm shift was introduced in the classroom by using a tangram activity to help students understand that sustainable design requires out-of-the-box thinking. Instructors from three institutions teaching various levels of sustainability courses to engineering majors used the activity to introduce sustainable design, then measured the understanding and appreciation of the concepts introduced through the tangram activity with pre- and post-activity surveys. Findings: Findings from the study indicate that students' perceptions of sustainability significantly improved due to the activity, without regard to the institution. The activity also significantly improved students understanding of the connection between sustainability and innovation, across all three institutions, across all majors and across all years of study except second-year students. Improving engineering students' views on sustainability may lead, over time, to changes in the industry, in which environmental performance is incorporated into the engineering design process. Originality/value: Active learning approaches are needed for affective-domain learning objectives in the sustainability field for students to learn the necessary attitudes, values and motivations to implement sustainability in engineering design. Simple, easily implemented active learning techniques, such as the tangram activity presented here, can be implemented across the curriculum or to the public to introduce the paradigm shift necessary with sustainable design

Curriculum · Engineering ethics · Mathematics education · Pedagogy · Perception · Social sustainability · Sustainability · Sustainability science · Chemistry and Chemical Engineering · Computer Science · Engineering · Engineering Education and Curriculum Development · Psychology · Sustainability in Higher Education · Artificial Intelligence · Ecology

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