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Putting sustainability research into practice on the university campus. An example from a Caribbean small island state
Eppinga, Maarten
Lozano-Cosme, Jenny de Scisciolo, Tobia Arens, Patrick Santos, Maria J. Mijts, Eric
Lozano-Cosme, Jenny
Santos, Maria J.
Keyword
Sustainability education
Aruba
Sustainable development goals :
Comparative survey
Research skills education
Aruba
Sustainable development goals :
Comparative survey
Research skills education
Location research
Aruba
Date
2020
Language
English
ISSN
1467-6370
ISBN
Collections
Research Projects
Organizational Units
Journal Issue
Abstract
Purpose
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.
Citation
Eppinga, M.B., Lozano-Cosme, J., de Scisciolo, T., Arens, P., Santos, M.J. and Mijts, E.N. (2020), "Putting sustainability research into practice on the university campus: An example from a Caribbean small island state", International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education, Vol. 21 No. 1, pp. 54-75. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJSHE-03-2019-0131
Sponsorship
Publisher
Emerald Publishing Limited
Journal
Target group
URI
https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14473/148
DOI
10.1108/IJSHE-03-2019-0131