Reconstructing Sustainability Education through Faculty Transformative Learning: The Role of Centers for Teaching Excellence

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session Wednesday 1:45 pm
  In Roundtable Session: Assessment and Learning Frameworks in Education for Sustainable Development

Abstract

Institutes of higher education are positioned to mitigate the current climate catastrophe. Sustainability education that expands its goals to collective transformation is necessary to meet these challenges. Transformative learning theory offers a lens through which this type of education can be built, but faculty must have access to training and communities of reflective practice to integrate it into their teaching. Our study sought to understand if university centers for teaching and learning collaborate with campus sustainability centers towards these goals; and to assess the presence or nature of transformative learning in their work. Qualitative data gathered from focus groups and interviews was bolstered by limited quantitative survey results to show that this theoretically-sound setup is not common in higher education.

Authors

• JANETTE BRUNSTEIN, Mackenzie Presbyterian University

• Mark Walvoord, University of Central Oklahoma

• Alessandra Romano, University of Siena