Piloting a Methodology for Sustainability Education: Project Examples and Exploratory Action Research Highlights

Sustainability Education Methodology Exploratory Action Research STEM-STEAM Change Agent.

Authors

  • Cory Jensen
    cory.jensen@alumni.colostate.edu
    College of Engineering and Computational Sciences, Golden CO, U.S.A Division of Liberal Arts and International Studies, Colorado School of Mines, Golden CO, U.S.A, joint Science Technology Engineering Policy program with the University of Colorado, Boulder CO,, United States http://orcid.org/0000-0002-2452-9764
  • Mohamed Kotaish Zovighian Partnership, Furn El Hayek, Gergi Zeidan Street, Beirut,, Lebanon
  • Aditi Chopra Pandit Deendayal Petroleum University, Raisan, Gandhinagar, Gujarat 382007,, India
  • Kiran A. Jacob Departament de Quimica Inorganica, Universitat de Barcelona, Diagonal 647, 08028, Barcelona,, Spain
  • Taqdees I. Widekar Department of Chemical Engineering, Birla Institute of Technology and Science - Dubai Campus, Dubai,, United Arab Emirates
  • Rahat Alam Department of Wet Process Engineering, Bangladesh University of Textiles, Dhaka,, Bangladesh

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This invited writing shares the education methodology known as Wicked problem, Experiences, Available Resources, Solution-Innovation (WEARS) and results from applying a pilot education program with a group of international students. The pilot involved three components that contribute to enhancing leadership skills based on stakeholder informed or bottom-up change: 1) developing a professional competition, 2) proposing a WEARS project, and 3) initiating a related outreach event. Outlines of student projects are shared. Students' interests in generalized sustainability related education topics were polled and results are presented as an average of the group. Reflection on conducting the pilot is also presented from an exploratory action research perspective. Potential translation to higher education sustainability related projects was a driver for action research. Several conclusions are shared related to the educational structure and content for application of the WEARS methodology at a higher education institution. Future research and iterations of the program are proposed in coordination with a higher education institution that promotes interdisciplinary education. Specifically, means to select program candidates and longitudinal study of overall impacts are proposed as necessary to continuously update the WEARS methodology.