Higher Education's Role in Sustainability

Introduction

In the last two decades, there has been a greater emphasis on environment and climate change, with countries coming together to formulate principles in international environmental law to respond to climate change. One of the principles is that of sustainable development, which emphasises on the need for development to be sustainable with respect to the impact on environment. The concept of sustainable development has become central to the discourse on environment protection and climate change, and has also impacted the higher education sector, with more and more institutions adopting courses or including modules on sustainable development in their programmes (Cotton, et al., 2007). The concept of education for sustainable development (ESD) is now being included in the curriculum for higher education (Cotton, et al., 2007). However, an important question that arises is whether the programmes created in sustainability education are impactful and achieving the objectives for which they were formulated. Exploring this question, a study has found that there is a high level of critical debate about the concept of sustainable development in the higher education sector, and that there are accessibility issues with the language of ESD and that some lecturers may find the language inaccessible (Cotton, et al., 2007). A more recent study indicates that there is an increase in the research and practice around the concept of higher education for sustainable development (Lozano, et al., 2017). The current study explores the same themes with regard to a case study on the Nottingham Business School. As there is no universally applied curricula on ESD, it is reasonable to expect that different universities and schools are applying ESD in different ways. Therefore, a case study approach is applied in this research study to explore how the Nottingham Business School devises the curriculum on ESD, and how it is perceived by the teachers and students who participate in this curriculum. The overarching research question in this study is related to the ways in which ESD is adopted and perceived in the Nottingham Business School. The research methodology adopted for this research is qualitative. Qualitative research was chosen for this study because it is appropriate in studies that involve layers of information or perspectives; in this case, the perspectives of the teachers and students are being explored for which qualitative research is appropriate (Collis & Hussey, 2009). As such there is no numerical data used in this research study (Creswell, 2013). Qualitative research was also chosen because the researcher could have flexibility in formulating research design; in this case, the research design was focussed on the collection of narratives of the students and teachers. There was no pre-specified methods or hypotheses that were used in this research study (Willis & Jost, 2007).

Two methods of data collection were applied: a secondary data collection through desk based research, which was used for the purpose of conducting a literature review; and primary data collection on the case study using a survey method. The case study method was useful for collecting focussed primary data on one case, which in this case was the Nottingham Business School (Myers, 2013). A single unit, which can be an organisation, can be studied in a case study (Bryman & Bell, 2015). A case study is useful for gathering in-depth and focussed information on a specific event or a person. The next sections in this dissertation are organised as follows. The next section is a literature review in which the literature related to the important themes related to the topic of study are explored. The section after that reports the findings of the primary data collected through a survey method. Then the dissertation provides a discussion section in which the findings of the survey method are linked back to the discussion in the literature review section. The last section in this dissertation is the conclusion, in which the dissertation concludes with the final findings of the study based on the literature review and the findings related to the case study.

Literature Review

The principal themes that are related to the topic of sustainability in higher education, including international law on sustainability and theoretical perspectives are discussed in this section. This section is divided into sub sections to discuss the relevant themes.

International environmental law and sustainability

One of the most seminal definitions of sustainable development is contained in the 1987 Brundtland Commission Report, which defines sustainable development to be development that “meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs” (WCED , 1987, p. 43). Sustainable development is a part of the international environmental law and the link between the two is discussed at some length in this section. International environmental law has developed over a period of time to include some of the common goals of humanity related to environment and sustainability (Bodansky, 2010). The foundational principles of international environmental law are important for building an understanding on the concept of sustainability in higher education. In order to understand how higher education in the UK or Nottingham incorporates sustainability, it would be important to first understand how sustainable development as a concept has evolved over a period of time. The concern with the environment has grown over a period of time as issues like depletion of resources and climate change have come more to the forefront of discourse on environment. For instance, when the United Nations came into being in 1945, there was no mention of environmental protection or conservation of natural resources in the UN Charter (Sands, 2003, p. 31). However, it was only later that steps were taken in the direction of conservation of resources and environment. For instance, the 1949 UN Conference on the Conservation and Utilization of Resources (UNCCUR) recognised the UN as having competence over environmental matters (United Nations, 1949). This led to the adoption of the United Nations Conference on the Human Environment 1972 held in Stockholm, Sweden (i.e. 1972 Stockholm Declaration) and the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development 1992, held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (i.e. 1992 Rio Declaration). These steps were taken under the aegis of the UN to recognise the link between human rights and the environment, which was addressed for the first time in 1972 Stockholm Conference (Fitzmaurice, 2014, p. 590). The 1972 Stockholm Declaration proclaimed in the Principle 1 of its Preamble that both the natural and the man-made aspects of our environment are essential to our well-being and to the enjoyment of our basic human rights, including the right to life. Principle 1 of the 1972 Stockholm Declaration also states that human beings have a solemn responsibility to protect and improve the environment for the use of the present as well as the future generations. This is also an indication to the principle of sustainable development because it relates to the responsibility of the present generation to preserve resources and environment for the future generations. The link between sustainable development and rights becomes clearer with the 1992 Rio Declaration, in which Principle 1 states that human beings are “entitled” to a healthy and productive life. It has been argued that the 1992 Rio Declaration adopts a weaker verb ‘entitle’ as compared to “to have a right”, which reveals a distancing from the link between human rights and the environment (Tladi, 2007). On the other hand, it has been argued that the 1992 Rio Declaration concentrates on the principle of sustainable development as a form of political effort to involve third world countries where the focus on environmental protection from economic exploitation has a specific link to development; in such a context, it would be more effective to consider protection of environment from a developmental perspective rather than as a human right (Postiglione, 2010 ). The second argument is made by developing countries and it is not reflective of the approach of the developed countries. Postiglione (2010) makes a limited argument about sustainable development, which is not applicable to the responsibility of all nations to ensure that their developmental needs do not outweigh the need to protect environment.

More recent efforts to include sustainable development within an international environmental law discourse come in the Johannesburg Declaration on Sustainable Development in 2002, which is considered to be the descendant of the Rio Declaration. Principle 3 of the Johannesburg Declaration identifies environmental degradation as responsible for world’s indignity and indecency; and Principle 11 identifies the protection and management of natural resources as the essential requirements for sustainable development. Also important is the development of declaring the decade of 2005-2014 as the Decade of Education for Sustainable Development by the United Nations; one of the goals of this initiative was to create an environment in which integration of the principles, values and practices of sustainable development into all aspects of education and learning can be done. Thus, it can be said that the concept of sustainable development is one of the most important and universally recognised concepts in environmental law (Alogna, 2016). The United Nations has also developed Sustainable Development Goals, which link social, economic, and environmental goals (Costanza et al., 2016). The Sustainable Development Goals were adopted by the UN in 2015 (Lustig, 2016). The concept of sustainable development while being an integral part of the international environmental law, is also a concept that has come to be recognised as an essential part of the idea of sustainable living; a specific concern in this area is the ways in which the First World lifestyle impacts the non-renewable resources of the world as well as the environment (Trainer, 2010). The adoption of sustainable development within general lifestyle as well as industry wide processes is an important development because it indicates the response to growing environmental degradation and depletion of resources around the world (Jefferson, 2015). In First World countries like the UK, USA, and Australia, which are industrialised countries, restriction on use of non-renewable resources as per sustainable development principles has been challenging because of the over reliance on these resources in an industrialised society (Jefferson, 2015). Because economic prosperity and accessibility to resources are interrelated, there is a dilemma because without access to resources continued economic prosperity is jeopardised but, continued use of resources is also unsustainable (Jefferson, 2015).

Theoretical approaches to sustainable development

One of the theoretical approaches to sustainable development is found in the utilitarianism theory, which emphasises on the greatest good for the greatest number of people (Thiroux & Krasemann, 2012). From a utilitarian perspective, it is to everyone’s advantage that environment and resources are sustainably utilised because human good and environment and nature are interlinked. The utilitarian approach would argue that for the greater good of the human kind, there should be an emphasis on the protection of the environment. From an ‘anthropocentric’ perspective also, environment and ecology are to be protected because interests of the humankind can be protected if the environment is protected (McShane, 2009). The utilitarian theory is criticised for its anthropocentric approach because it accords intrinsic value only to humans while non-humans have instrumental value, which means that they are important only to the extent that they can provide use for the human kind (Brennan & Lo, 2016). However, it may be argued that having a utilitarianism approach can be beneficial because it can lead to the identification of legal rights and value species, ecosystems, resources for the value that hold to human beings and through this value, sustainable approach can be development with regard to the environment and non-renewable resources (Wolff, 2008).

Sustainable development and higher education

The interest in higher education sector for the incorporation of sustainable development in higher education can also be traced back to the development of the concept of sustainable development in international law. For instance, the Rio+20 People’s Sustainability Treaty on Higher Education is one of the recent international efforts that have made a significant contribution to sustainable higher education. The treaty was developed by a network of 30 higher education institutions under the stewardship of United Nations University Institute of Advanced Studies of Sustainability and International Association of Universities. The 1992 Rio Declaration is the foundational step for this development because as discussed earlier, the Rio Declaration was the first time that sustainable development was emphasised on. The 1992 treaty requires all signatories to redefine the conceptualisation of quality education and to hold sustainable development with high regard. As the concept of sustainable development has become central to the discourse on environment protection and climate change, it also has had an impact on the higher education sector (Cotton, et al., 2007). The concept of education for sustainable development (ESD) has been developed and is now gaining traction in the higher education curriculum (Cotton, et al., 2007). In a study involving lecturers and exploring their views of sustainable development and its contribution to the higher education curriculum, the researchers found that there is a high level of critical debate about the concept of sustainable development in the higher education sector (Cotton, et al., 2007). The findings of this research suggest that there are accessibility issues with the language of ESD and that some lecturers may find the language inaccessible (Cotton, et al., 2007). It was also revealed that there is a high level of support for incorporating ESD although there are some ambiguities on how this incorporation into the curriculum is to be achieved. In another research study involving a course of sustainable development taught in the Griffith School of Environment in Brisbane (Australia), Howlett, Ferreira, and Blomfield (2016) found that the use of reflective practice and critical thinking has allowed students to change their attitudes towards environment and sustainable development. Students reported to developing more planetary consciousness due to their involvement in this course (Howlett, et al., 2016). This suggests that the development of a curriculum that is focussed on sustainable development education can be impactful in developing reflective and critical thinking. Indeed, literature does suggest that one of the crucial areas of consideration is the development of the university curricula for the incorporation of sustainable development (Sterling & Thomas, 2006 ). For instance, it has been revealed through empirical research that despite the increasing interest in sustainability issues in international and national contexts, higher education institutions till 2006 had not been able to respond in a systematic manner to embedding sustainability concepts, values and skills into the learning experience (Sterling & Thomas, 2006 ). 10 years later in 2017, research indicates that there is significant increase in the research and practice around the concept of higher education for sustainable development as more and more institutions of higher learning seek to provide sustainability education to future generations of professionals (Lozano, et al., 2017). To this end, there is improvement in the way sustainability development has been incorporated in universities’ curricula, with an emphasis on the design and delivery of sustainability-oriented competences (Lozano, et al., 2017). At the same time, there are differences of opinions on how pedagogical approaches can be formulated to better deliver sustainability development in university courses for developing sustainability competences (Lozano, et al., 2017).

The need to create stronger curricula for integrating sustainability development education in higher education comes from the understanding that the institutions for higher learning are somewhat responsible for creating or advancing the kind of thinking, teaching and research that has led to unsustainability in industrial and other processes, due to which they have a responsibility to now focus on changing these attitudes towards unsustainable practices (Howlett, et al., 2016). It has been argued that it is the responsibility of the universities and other institutions of higher learning to develop “curricula and pedagogical practices that foster interdisciplinary and creative ways of thinking about human-environment interactions, as a necessary pre-condition for achieving a sustainable future” (Howlett, et al., 2016, p. 2). What is being stressed on is the development of critical thinking and a reflective capacity amongst the students of the institutions of higher learning towards the planet and its ecology and resources (Howlett, et al., 2016).

Findings

This section depicts the findings of the survey instruments. The data was collected through a survey under a sample of the university stakeholders including students and teachers in the Nottingham Business School. This section is divided into two parts. The first part reports the findings from the student survey and the second part reports the findings from the teacher survey.

Student’s perceptions on the sustainability education linked curriculum in the Nottingham Business School

A total of five questions were posed to the students in the survey. The questions related to the availability of the sustainability education linked curriculum in their course; the level of interest in the course and the impact of the course on the development of more awareness of sustainability education; the values, skills and knowledge being imparted through the course; the impact in terms of the awareness of and interest in sustainability; and the changes desired for in the curriculum. Seven students have responded to the survey. With respect to the first question, that is, the availability of the sustainability education linked curriculum in their course, while two students have responded to the question with an affirmative on the availability of the sustainability education in their course, the majority of the students have claimed that there is no specific module related to this in their course and that it is indirectly included in the course. One student mentioned that their course curriculum has a topic about the Environment, Politics and Business in the 21st Century that directly addresses the topic. With respect to the second question, that is, the level of interest in the course and the impact of the course on the development of more awareness of sustainability education, one student responded:

It is quite interesting though there is nothing new that we learn. I feel the school can do a better job at teaching and engaging with students – making it more realistic rather than all theoretical.

Therefore, this student did not report to learning something new from the course and was critical of the way the course is being taught in the school with a lack of a practical component in the course teaching. The majority of students claimed that there is an increase in the awareness levels of climatic crisis at hand and also an understanding on the need to look at alternatives to energy production, recycling, and ways of commuting to work every day. The last student responded to this question by stating that although he believed that this was the most important topic at this time, it is extremely undervalued. With respect to the third question which sought information on the values, skills and knowledge being imparted through the course, one student responded as follows:

Learning about people’s carbon footprint, the impact it has on society and the world, and what that means for the future. We are also learning new ways of renewable energy such as the Kinetic Pavement that generates energy by a person’s footprint, which is brilliant since it is a mechanism that requires everyone’s participation rather than one that doesn’t require human effort (such as solar or wind panels).

The response indicates that climate change is one of the principal components for study in their course, where emphasis is put on the values and skills needed to reduce carbon footprint as a way to respond to the problems created by climate change. Another student responded that the course leads to a better understanding of new customs like use of environmental friendly products, and promoting and using new ways of transportation and recycling. The student’s response also indicates that some of the values and skills being imparted through their course relates to tackling bio-based plastics, and importance of Corporate Social Responsibility to environment management. The fourth question in the survey sought to understand the impact on students in terms of the awareness of and interest in sustainability through the imparting of the course. One student responded as follows:

Not really, it is rather uninteresting. I understand the impact, for that, the message is well conveyed. When it comes to sharing passion for the subject, it is rather lacking. However this is a global problem, rather than a school-based one. I feel these type of courses should be taught to politicians, whom to this day, still seem to not take global warming seriously or perhaps too lightly.

The response suggests that the student does not see the value of the course being imparted at the school level and also finds the course uninspiring. Most of the students however, believed that the course had a positive impact on their and everyone’s lives. The students did mention that it is frustrating to hear the same thing over and over again, but saw the importance of repeated emphasis on the messages provided through the course. They also noted that it was important that the course be taught at the school level (in contrast to the above response by another student), because schools have a duty to educate young citizens, and the message can be taken forward by the students to persons around them. In other words, the students appear to suggest that there is a potential of a widespread impact of the course. One student suggested that the values of the course should be in all courses, such as, Law, Economics, Accounting, and Medicine. The last question sought to ask the students what changes they desired for in the curriculum being offered at this time. Majority of the students suggested that the schools need to make the subject interesting by involving personalities like Greta Thunberg or Leonardo Di Caprio to motivate students. They also suggested that writing 500 word essays about the topic was not inspiring and useful. One student responded as follows:

I think there should be a student board regarding the subject. Educating the citizens of Nottingham regarding the global warming crisis rather than young students. Young students and citizens are aware of the problem, and it is the older generation that has taken more of a relaxed stance to it. We need to educate people, teaching them that this is something that must be done collectively, not individually. It must be teamwork, not the young generation vs the old one.

This response suggests that having more student involvement in the designing of the course through a body like the Student Board, would be useful. Another student suggested that the course should be included in other branches of study, rather than just the business subjects so that all students participate in this.

Teachers’ perceptions on the sustainability education linked curriculum in the Nottingham Business School

A total of five questions were posed to the teachers in the survey. The questions related to their participation in the teaching of any sustainability linked courses; the designers of the curriculum for the course and the role played by the participants; their satisfaction with the design of the curriculum with respect to incorporation of sustainability education and the areas they thought are open to revisiting in their curriculum; whether the learning objectives of the curriculum are met by the design vis a vis sustainability education; and their perceptions on the impact of the sustainability education that they have noticed in their students. With relation to the first question, five teachers responded in the negative on teaching anything related to sustainability education in their courses. This suggests that the majority of the teachers who responded to the survey do not teach anything related to sustainability in their courses. One teacher however, noted that the course was taught and the following was stated to be the nature of the course as per the teacher:

My subject looks at the evolving world around us. Understanding a changing world on a day-to-day basis and studying the ways we adhere to new social, environmental and business related changes. We explore the impact each and every business has when it comes to sustainability, their Corporate Social Responsibility and its role in society.

Therefore, the course as mentioned by the teacher involves different components including the concept of Corporate Social Responsibility and its role in the society. It appears that the course also includes the new social, environmental and business related changes and the responses to the same. From the response of the teacher above, it is suggested that the teacher teaches a specific course related to sustainability development, as they not that their subject looks at the evolving world around them. With relation to the second question, which was related to the designers of the curriculum for the course and the role played by the teachers in the designing of the course, one teacher responded as follows:

It is organised by a board of professors and associates with regards to a constantly changing business world. I personally (along with my colleague) design and write the syllabus. It is a syllabus that requires constant, let us say “updating”. Each year, we update the curriculum, adding and removing topics of discussion and study since each year is different to one another.

The above response suggests that there is a proper committee or a board that is responsible for the formulation of the course in the school and the syllabus is designed by the committee. Moreover, it is revealed that the syllabus is also regularly updated to make it more relevant. With respect to the third question, which relates to the satisfaction of the teachers with the design of the curriculum with respect to incorporation of sustainability education and the areas they thought are open to revisiting in their curriculum, one teacher responded as follows:

Due to time constraints, we don’t manage to get out much from the lecture theatre, which is a pity since I think the students would be a lot more engaged in the subject if they had to see what they are studying in person rather than on a piece of paper or in a lecture room. We are currently organising a trip to a few sustainable companies in the UK. Unfortunately, we were not able to push that initiative for the scholastic year of 2019-20. We are making more and more improvements however every year, though I do wish the administration was quicker to act on such requirements.

This response reveals that there are some gaps in the way sustainability education is being taught in the school, with the less time given to the course being one of them. The teacher suggests that if more time is given to the lecture theatre, more students would be engaged with the subject. However, the teacher also notes that they are working on improving these aspects of the course. With respect to the fourth question, which was whether the learning objectives of the curriculum are met by the design vis a vis sustainability education, one of the teachers noted that they are not able to meet the objectives of the course because of time constraints which reduces the time spent in the lecture theatre. With respect to the fifth question, which related to their perceptions on the impact of the sustainability education that they have noticed in their students, one teacher responded as follows:

I do believe that students leave the school with a broader knowledge on the subject. We make sure to teach them that business is not just about making money, but also about being ethical: understanding the demands of society, promoting women in the workplace, equality, the impact of sustainability and enhancing a more green approach.

The response of the teacher above suggests that there are positive outcomes of the course in the school, with the students learning more about sustainability and the environment due to the inclusion of the course. One very important and insightful comment of the teacher is that students learn that business is not just about making money but also about being ethical. Another important comment of the teacher is that the students learn more than environmental sustainability through these courses, including, understanding the demands of society, gender justice, equality and inclusion of green approaches.

Discussion

Some of the findings in this research echo the literature. The findings through the survey of the students indicated that while there is an interest in sustainable development, there are important gaps in how this knowledge is being disseminated in the education sector. In the Nottingham Business School, the majority of the students reported that they did not have a dedicated course or programme on sustainability, and even when the programmes are these, the students are not engaged in the course due to one or the other reasons. Literature indicated that the courses on sustainability development are being included in the schools and that such courses do have an impact on the higher education sector (Cotton, et al., 2007). However, the literature also suggested that there is a high level of critical debate about the concept of sustainable development in the higher education sector (Cotton, et al., 2007). This is also seen in the findings of this research. The students and teachers who are involved in the sustainability courses in the Nottingham Business School have a critical approach to the courses, in terms of the curricula, the mode of development of the curricula and the level of achievement in terms of the goals of the curricula. For instance, the responses by the teachers involved in the teaching of this curriculum reveal that while the teachers are aware that there are significant benefits of this course to their students, they are not entirely satisfied with the way the courses are being taught in the schools. They have pointed out that there are gaps in the way sustainability education is being taught in the school, with the less time given to the course being one of them. The lesser time given to the students may be one of the reasons why there is less engagement by the students. One of the teachers also noted that they are not able to meet the objectives of the course because of time constraints which reduces the time spent in the lecture theatre. Literature has revealed that there are positive impacts of the sustainability courses on the students, with a research involving a course of sustainable development taught in the Griffith School of Environment in Brisbane (Australia) by Howlett, Ferreira, and Blomfield (2016) finding that the use of reflective practice and critical thinking has allowed students to change their attitudes towards environment and sustainable development. Students reported to developing more planetary consciousness due to their involvement in this course (Howlett, et al., 2016). This suggests that the development of a curriculum that is focussed on sustainable development education can be impactful in developing reflective and critical thinking. In the current research, the findings of the survey also reveal that the students have positive notions of the impact of the course on their perceptions and knowledge about sustainability and environment. However, the important issue is that of the development of the curriculum and the involvement of the teachers and students in the development. Literature does suggest that this is one of the crucial areas of consideration (Sterling & Thomas, 2006 ). In some universities there is improvement in the way sustainability development has been incorporated in universities’ curricula, with an emphasis on the design and delivery of sustainability-oriented competences (Lozano, et al., 2017). In Nottingham Business School, it appears that the students are not directly involved in the formulation of the curriculum, which is one of the gaps that is noted by one of the participants in the survey. Teachers’ survey has indicated that teachers are involved in the formulation of the curriculum. This is a positive sign. However, it may be useful to also include students in the making of the curriculum as this may engage them and also take in their inputs. Another important finding of the survey was there were some students who were not able to link sustainability education with higher education, whereas one student did point out that it is the duty of the university to provide such education. This statement echoes a discussion in the literature, where it has been noted that there is an increasing understanding that the institutions for higher learning are responsible for creating or advancing the kind of thinking, teaching and research that has led to unsustainability in industrial and other processes, due to which they have a responsibility to now focus on changing these attitudes towards unsustainable practices (Howlett, et al., 2016).

Conclusion

The findings of the literature review as well as the survey indicate that there is increase in the involvement of the sustainability education programme in higher education. However, there are areas where improvement is needed to increase the engagement between the students and the programmes. One of the areas that need improvement is to create stronger curricula for integrating sustainability development education in higher education. At this point, the curriculum is not able to engage all the students with some students questioning the way the knowledge is tested through essays and others talking about the lack of sufficient lecture time. The last point was also reiterated by some teachers who stated that providing more lecture time would be better for engaging students. Another area that needs improvement is that students should be involved in the process of curricula development on sustainability education as this would help to bring in their inputs as well. Also important is the need to develop some critical thinking and a reflective capacity amongst the students of the institutions of higher learning towards the planet and its ecology and resources. This can come with the use of this course, however, it may be necessary to address the existing gaps in the way the course is being taught so as to make it more engaging for the students. Increasing the lecture time and also involving students in the development of the curriculum.

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