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CELSIUS is an acronym for Contextualized Experiential Learning in Small Island Universities. This is a university-wide research group aiming to enhance the practices of experiential learning, education for sustainable development and sustainability education at the University of Aruba, and other small island universities.Browse
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Publication Insights from a sustainability-oriented academic bachelor program in a Caribbean Small Island State: evaluation of SISSTEM using the GreenComp Framework(International Conference on Sustainable Development 2023, 2023) Mertens, Anouk; Buys, Nadine; Gielen, Georges; de Scisciolo, Tobia; Eppinga, Maarten; John, Nigel; Sultan, Salys; Mijts, EricPublication Environmental science education in a small island state: integrating theory and local experience(Routledge Taylor & Francis Group, 2019) Eppinga, Maarten; de Scisciolo, Tobia; Mijts, EricThe importance of education to address current sustainability challenges in small island states has been widely recognized. Environmental education may increase knowledge, while also increasing environmental awareness and motivating students to become agents of change. Student engagement in introductory environmental science courses may benefit from operationalizing abstract concepts by embedding course material and activities within this local context. Here, we describe an introductory course in environmental science that has been tailored to the local context of a small island state in the Caribbean. In addition to reaching academic course goals, pre- and post-course surveys showed that course participants’ environmental awareness increased on the dimensions ‘Personal Value System’ and ‘Willingness to Take Environmental Action’. The described course provides a template for the development of a low-cost introductory environmental science course that integrates general theory and application within the context of Caribbean island states.Publication Putting sustainability research into practice on the university campus. An example from a Caribbean small island state(Emerald Publishing Limited, 2020) Eppinga, Maarten; Lozano-Cosme, Jenny; de Scisciolo, Tobia; Arens, Patrick; Santos, Maria J.; Mijts, EricPurpose Despite increasing efforts to incorporate sustainability in curricula and practices of institutions of higher education, effective implementation remains challenging. The purpose of this study is to present an approach to incorporate sustainability into a practice-oriented research skills course, which was implemented at a small island state university in the Caribbean. Design/methodology/approach First-year university students followed a four-week course module, starting with the introduction of the sustainable development goals, and culminating in a symposium in which the students present the findings of their research projects to the campus community. Pre-course module and post-course module surveys measured the students’ knowledge and perceptions regarding sustainability. These survey results were also compared with the result of a similar survey held for the university’s employees. Findings The survey results suggested that following the course module increased students’ knowledge about sustainable development, as well as their support for the university campus and its community putting more emphasis on teaching, practicing and encouraging sustainability. Interestingly, university employees scored significantly higher on the latter component than students, suggesting that in this case a lack of interest of the staff is not a barrier toward a sustainable campus. Originality/value The presented course module offers a novel and low-cost approach to introducing sustainability into a broad range of academic curricula, specifically tailored to the needs of institutes of higher education in small island states. The survey results suggest that this type of education may not only ensure reaching academic goals but also increase students’ interest in sustainable development within their local environment.Publication Pre-University engagement and education for sustainable development in Aruba: The Academic Foundation Year.(2023) Chapman, Mollie; Eppinga, Maarten; de Scisciolo, Tobia; Mijts, EricLow participation grades in university education, high dropout ratios, and brain drain are threats for sustainable development in small island states. This leads to a lack of locally developed expertise and local ownership of sustainable development processes due to the dependency on external consultancy and expertise that does not fit the context of the regions in which it is implemented. At the University of Aruba, one of the efforts to address this challenge has been the development of the Academic Foundation Year (AFY). Offered since 2016, the AFY is a one-year full time pre-university program that aims to optimally equip students for higher education, either in Aruba or abroad. Apart from the development of academic skills, the program aims to foster the local embeddedness of the students in context, culture, and history as well as an understanding of opportunities and challenges for sustainable development in small island states. This study builds on the existing extensive volume of alumni evaluations and quantitative studies with interviews and focus group meetings with lecturers, students, and alumni of the program to come to a deeper understanding of the challenges and opportunities for developing local ownership and initiatives for sustainable development in small island states through education.Publication Ranking the sustainable development goals: perceived sustainability priorities in small island states(Springer Japan, 2022) Eppinga, Maarten; Mijts, Eric; Santos, Maria J.The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) aim to elicit global mobilization to implement the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and are increasingly used in support of Education for Sustainable Development (ESD). Previous studies have highlighted interdependencies between SDGs, with potential interactions between four Sustainability Domains: Economy, Governance, Planet and Society. This study aimed to assess whether people’s perception of the relative importance of the SDGs reflects recognition of the need to prioritize efforts across Domains, or whether this perception is based on different valuations of the Sustainability Domains themselves. We designed an interactive online tool in which participants used the Q-sort technique to rank the SDGs according to their subjective valuation of importance. We analyzed the rankings of 108 participants, all learners at universities in three Small Island States (SIS): Aruba, Suriname and Trinidad and Tobago. Analysis of the correlation structure among participants’ Q-sorts showed that higher perceived importance of the Society and Economy-related SDGs 2, 3, 4, 8 and 9 traded off with lower perceived importance of the Planet-related SDGs 13, 14 and 15. Furthermore, SDG rankings of learners from Aruba occurred furthest toward the Planet-based part of this trade-off axis. For ESD programs, our method provides a novel tool to identify key interactions between SDGs that may not yet be recognized by program participants. In this way, communicating the need for simultaneous action and policy development across Sustainability Domains could be specifically tailored to the local context. Such connections may increase the effectiveness of ESD in addressing the substantial sustainability challenges facing SIS.Publication Pre-university education for local ownership and initiatives for sustainable development in small island states: monitoring engagement at the Academic Foundation Year.(2023) Chapman, Mollie; de Scisciolo, Tobia; Eppinga, Maarten; Mijts, EricSmall island states face several threats to sustainable development, including low participation grades in university education, high dropout rates, and brain drain. These issues contribute to a lack of locally developed expertise and ownership of sustainable development processes, as such creating a dependency on external consultants and expertise that may not fit the specific context of the region. To address this challenge, the University of Aruba has implemented the Academic Foundation Year (AFY) program, which has been available since 2016. This program is a full-time, one-year pre-university program designed to equip students with the necessary skills for higher education, whether in Aruba or abroad. Along with academic development, the program also aims to foster students’ understanding of their context, culture, and history, as well as the opportunities and challenges for sustainable development in small island states. To gain a better understanding of the potential and challenges for developing local ownership and initiatives for sustainable development in small island states through education, this contribution presents a study of alumni evaluations and quantitative research, along with interviews and focus group meetings with lecturers, students, and alumni of the AFY program.Publication Insights from a sustainability-oriented academic bachelor program in a Caribbean Small Island State: evaluation of SISSTEM using the GreenComp Framework.(2023) Buys, Nadine; Mijts, Eric; Gielen, Georges; de Scisciolo, Tobia; Sultan, Salys; John, Nigel; Mertens, Anouk; Eppinga, MaartenPublication Pre-University engagement and education for sustainable development in Aruba: The Academic Foundation Year(Emerald Publishing Limited, 2024) Chapman, Mollie; Eppinga, Maarten; de Scisciolo, Tobia; Mijts, EricPurpose Universities of Small Island States (SIS) have the potential to fulfill a crucial role in implementing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) but also face barriers to local capacity building. The University of Aruba partly addresses these challenges through the development of The Academic Foundation Year (AFY), a one-year pre-university program aiming to optimally equip students for higher education. This study aims to assess to what extent the program can foster the local embeddedness of the students in ecology, culture and history and an understanding of opportunities and challenges for sustainable development in SIS. Design/methodology/approach The authors provide examples of how the program incorporates education for sustainable development and how it emphasizes experiential learning. In addition, quantitative survey data and qualitative analysis of focus group meetings are used to reflect on the program’s achievements and its potential for further development. Findings The survey results suggest that AFY courses not only increase knowledge but also change students’ perceptions regarding sustainability. Indeed, key impacts emerging from the student focus group related to both academic preparation and engagement with sustainability. Reflections by teachers emphasized the importance of experiential learning, an expansive view of the SDGs and preparing students as citizens. Originality/value This study highlights that the program could provide a starting point for the development of similar initiatives in other SIS, the common basis being the fostering of sustainability literacy and social adoption of the SDGs.Publication Capitalizing on inequalities to build a sound partnership: The story of SISSTEM, an international collaboration between a continental and a small island state university(Educación Superior y Sociedad, 2022) Mertens, Anouk; Buys, Nadine; Arens, Patrick; Gielen, Georges; Mijts, EricThe literature on north-south inter-university collaborations emphasizes on the need for equality amongst partners when aiming to develop successful and sustainable partnerships. However, universities in the north usually differ largely from their counterparts in the south in terms of amongst others access to resources and scale and are therefore often inherently unequal. This is especially true when a large-scale renowned university in Europe, like KU Leuven, establishes a partnership with a young small- scale university located on a small island state, like the University of Aruba, in establishing a new education and research institute in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics). In this paper, we investigate how an equal and sustainable partnership between these institutes is established, not despite these inequalities but precisely by recognizing and capitalizing on their inequalities. Based on an explorative case study analysis using semi-structured interviews, we aim to contribute to the literature by reporting on this continental-small island state inter-university partnership and by providing insight into the broader critical drivers and challenges of the partnership