ASEM desktop study on the role higher education can play in sustainable development through the development of lifelong learning skills

Clearinghouse 2016 ASEM desktop study on the role higher education can play in sustainable development through the development of lifelong learning skills by Camilla Brørup Dyssegaard Niels Egelund Anja Bondebjerg Hanna Bjørnøy Sommersel Danish Clearinghouse for Educational Research Department of Ed

4 Danish Clearinghouse for Educational Research is a unit at Aarhus University Title ASEM desktop study on the role higher education can play in sustainable development through and the development of lifelong learning skills Copyright 2016 by Danish Clearinghouse for Educational Research ISBN 978-8

5 CONTENTS 1 Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 1.1 Background . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 1.1.1 General background and problem areas . . . . . . . .

6 1 INTRODUCTION 1.1 Background This ASEM desktop study was commissioned by the ASEM Education and Research Hub for Lifelong Learning (ASEM LLL Hub) and was conducted by Danish Clearinghouse for Educa- tional Research. The ASEM LLL Hubs operation is part of the ASEM education process where there is

7 promoting the quality of education, reorienting educational programmes, increasing public understanding and awareness, and providing practical training. In an analysis of articles published in the International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education from 2001 to 2010, Wals (2014) found that

8 Valuing all forms of learning, including: formal learning, such as a degree course followed at university; non-formal learning, such as vocational skills acquired at the workplace; and informal learning, such as inter-generational learning, for example where parents learn to use ICT through thei

9 2 METHODS USED IN THE ASEM DESKTOP STUDY Design and process The ASEM desktop study was carried out in accordance with general practice at Danish Clearinghouse for Educational Research. The figure below provides an overview of the phases in the ASEM desktop study: Figure 2.1: The phases in the ASEM

10 (sustainable development) AND (higher education) AND (New Zealand OR Australia) OR Asia AND pd(20100101-20161231) The search in ERIC resulted in 191 studies; these were supplemented by finding references from references, resulting in three additional studies, giving a total of 194 studies. The se

11 3 CHARACTERIZATION OF THE INCLUDED STUDIES A general characterization of the research regarding lifelong learning and sustainable de- velopment included in this research mapping will be described in the following. First, general characteristics such as country or countries where the studies were

12 In this ASEM desktop study, studies published from 2010 and onward have been included. The distribution can be seen in Table 3.2. The table indicates that the year with the highest number of publications was 2010. Variations in the number of publications in the years 2010 to 2016 may very well be

13 Table 3.4: Focus/foci of the studies Focus Curriculum development Community learning Culture change in higher education University networks Teacher attitudes in higher education Fieldwork as part of higher education Study abroad as part of higher education Student teachers understanding and self-

14 4 THEMES COVERED IN THE RESEARCH This chapter will look at the prominent tendencies in the included research. Tendencies will be identified as broad themes in and across the 23 studies with their respective foci men- tioned in Table 3.4. To further differentiate the studies, each theme will be fu

15 ESD learning experiences outside the university walls; and influencing teachers attitudes to embrace ESD within their teaching. Each of these subthemes will be considered below, including examples of how the studies actually have pursued their aims. 4.1.1 Subtheme: Changing curricula A majority o

16 and resources, especially time. Staff engagement and professional development are key and it must be recognized that change is complex and that cultural barriers that reinforce existing knowledge patterns must be taken into account. Curriculum revisions must fit within the culture of the organiza

17 and difficulties encountered by those involved in promoting and implementing ESD in their respective institutions. Results were that corporate governance, sustainability, and business ethics are commonly taught, but not generally prioritized. There was an overall lack of systematic approaches to

18 Within the field of accountancy, a discipline that has long been resistant to sustainability initiatives, Qian (2013) has investigated the process of developing educational change for sustainability at an Australian university. The study analyses how the university embraced two change approaches

19 the maintenance of effective networks, and issues concerning power and authorization. It was observed how each of these elements could work together in ways that both enrich and obstruct a transition to sustainability. Finally, it was found that a lack of time hinders partici- pation in sustainab

20 Findings suggest that while academics build towards a deeply embedded sustainability ethic in higher education, specialist parallel courses have a valuable role to play in the transition to sustainable futures. Stand-alone courses add a wide range of value to the goals of universities, fostering

21 Summarizing the integration of ESD in curriculum development in Asia, it can be said, as sug- gested by Ryan et al. (2010): The Asia-Pacific region offers many creative initiatives and shows considerable progress in education for sustainable development and in understanding the learning dimension

22 A total of 19 staff members representing all four faculties (science, art, business, and education) were invited to participate, with 15 choosing to take part. The theoretical base was critical theory of communicative action. Responses comprised the process of constructing texts which were coded

23 environmental sustainability into all university areas included: a strong policy environment, resourcing of strategies, and encouragement of leaders and environmental sustainability advocates. Educating and building the awareness of university staff of the importance of environmental sustainabili

24 level of understanding. The results provide evidence of the need to include sustainability education in initial teacher training programmes and provide a starting point for designing such courses that would enhance student teachers understandings and assist in sustainability education programme d

25 ment strategies. The networks are designed to strengthen the capacity of participating universities to prepare future health workers in the early identification and response to out- breaks of infectious and zoonotic diseases. One network includes ten universities in Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand,

26 4.2.1 Summary on university networks University networks can help to promote a social and educational agenda while they at the same time strengthen the capacity of participating universities. There are, however, obstacles. One is that universities often leave it to individuals and departments to

27 A researcher from a university in Thailand and a researcher from a US university (Charungkaittikul and Henschke, 2014) have conducted a study with the purpose of por- traying the situation with regard to lifelong learning and education in Thailand through an analysis and synthesis of five best-pr

28 The researchers conclude that the findings represented in the conceptual models enhance understanding of the key principles and processes involved in an organizational learning project for sustainable development of a learning community. They also state that their models and conclusions may fruit

29 from the study is primarily conceptual in terms of how informal learning in community-based efforts promotes local sustainable development. 4.3.1 Summary on community learning Community learning is an important and useful endeavour to implement systemic changes, to change attitudes and practices,

30 5 NARRATIVE SYNTHESIS This ASEM desktop study provides an overview of empirical research into the question: How does higher education in selected countries in Asia contribute to sustainable development by working with the continuous development of lifelong learning skills? In Table 5.1 it can be

31 5.2 Community learning If community learning is chosen as a means of creating sustainable development by working with the continuous development of lifelong learning skills, the studies point at several path- ways: participatory communication, participatory action learning, supporting democracy a

32 be tapped, opening up the values of fieldwork. A dislike of the online environment and a lack of time were the biggest barriers to collective learning. 5.5 Teacher attitudes Individuals committed to the goal of a more sustainable world are crucial for the success of integrating ESD in universitie

33 Sustainability wholly integrated into all disciplines the need for change processes lead- ing to a holistic, institutionalized, value-based framework for sustainability. Establishing cultural norms/values for sustainability. Collaboration between multiple stakeholders universities, industry

34 6 References included in the ASEM desktop study Birdsall, S. (2014). Measuring student teachers understanding and self-awareness of sustaina- bility. Environmental Education Research. 20(6), 816835. Chapman, D.W., Pekol, A. & Wilson, E. (2014). Cross-border university networks as a develop- ment

35 education in built environment. International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education. 17(1), 105122. Kearney, J. & Zuber-Skerritt, O. (2012). From learning organization to learning community. Sustainability through lifelong learning. The Learning Organization. 19(5), 400413. Liu, Y. & Cons

36 7 References to textual commentary Wals, A.E.J (2014). Sustainability in higher education in the context of the UN DESD: A review of learning and institutionalization processes. Journal of Cleaner Production. 62, 8-15. Yen-Chun Jim Wu & Ju-Peng Shen (2016). Higher education for sustainable develo