Leveraging Higher-Education Instructors in the Climate Literacy Effort: Factors Related to University Faculty’s Propensity to Teach Climate Change

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to highlight the continuing dearth of scholarship about the role of work-based learning in education for sustainable development, and particularly the urgent demands of climate literacy. It is proposed that forms of work-based learning can act as catalysts for wider cultural change, towards embedding climate literacy in higher education institutions. Design/methodology/approach This paper draws data from action research to present a case study of a Climate Change Project conducted through a work-based learning module at a mid-sized university in the UK. Findings Contrary to the predominantly fragmented and disciplinary bounded approaches to sustainability and climate literacy, the case study demonstrates how a form of work-based learning can create a unifying vision for action, and do so across multiple disciplinary, professional service, and identity boundaries. In addition, the project-generated indicators of cultural change including extensive faculty-level climate change resources, creative ideas for an innovative mobile application, and new infrastructural arrangements to further develop practice and research in climate change. Practical implications This paper provides an illustrative example of how a pan-faculty work-based learning module can act as a catalyst for change at a higher education institution. Originality/value This paper is a contemporary call for action to stimulate and expedite climate literacy in higher education, and is the first to propose that certain forms of work-based learning curricula can be a route to combating highly bounded and fragmented approaches, towards a unified and boundary-crossing approach.

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A capacity needs assessment to integrate MOOC-based climate change education with the higher education institutions in Europe and developing countries in Asia: findings of the focused group survey in PCHEI under the BECK project

International Journal of Disaster Resilience in the Built Environment ◽

10.1108/ijdrbe-07-2020-0074 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽

Author(s):

Malith Senevirathne ◽

H.A.C. Priyankara ◽

Dilanthi Amaratunga ◽

Richard Haigh ◽

Nandasiri Weerasinghe ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Higher Education ◽

Energy Efficiency ◽

Higher Education Institutions ◽

Capacity Development ◽

Infrastructure Development ◽

Education Systems ◽

Content Type ◽

Climate Literacy ◽

Project Objectives

Purpose The extreme climatic events are a result of modern human lifestyles and activities. Climate literacy is one of the significant factors to redefine aggravated human behaviours related to climate change and energy efficiency. Therefore, education relevant to energy efficiency and climate change is identified as a vital requirement in the present education sector. This study aims to identify existing capacity needs for integrating massive open online courses (MOOC)-based climate education in the partner institutions education systems. Design/methodology/approach The integrating education with consumer behavior relevant to energy efficiency and climate change at the Universities of Russia, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh (BECK) project funded by the Erasmus+ programme aimed to address this research gap by introducing new harmonized MOOC modules to the higher education curricular of four European, five Russian and five Asian higher education institutions (partner country higher education institutions). A series of focus group surveys and workshops were carried out to identify the present capacity development needs relevant to the subject topic. Findings Accordingly, infrastructure development, awareness-raising, curricular development, capacity building, integration and networking, research and development and financial needs have been identified as the key areas requiring capacity development to integrate energy efficiency and climate change into the higher education curricular. The results have recognized that a MOOC system in curricular will allow better opportunities for research, awareness and capacity development initiatives. Research limitations/implications The relevant European best practices can be adopted into the Asian education systems to allow more opportunities in infrastructure, research and networking development. The project continues to implement the MOOC modules in the partner institutions following a contextual research study and a cross-institutional module sharing assessment. Originality/value The research outcomes identify the significant facts for formulating the BECK project objectives, which provide wider opportunity for climate literacy improvements and education initiatives in the partner countries.

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Society needs experts with climate change competencies – what is the role of higher education in atmospheric and Earth system sciences?

Tellus B ◽

10.1080/16000889.2021.1917862 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 73 (1) ◽

pp. 1-14

Author(s):

Laura Riuttanen ◽

Taina Ruuskanen ◽

Mikko Äijälä ◽

Anniina Lauri

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Higher Education ◽

Earth System

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Moving Toward Collective Impact in Climate Change Literacy: The Climate Literacy and Energy Awareness Network (CLEAN)

Journal of Geoscience Education ◽

10.5408/13-057.1 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 62 (3) ◽

pp. 307-318 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

Tamara Shapiro Ledley ◽

Anne U. Gold ◽

Frank Niepold ◽

Mark McCaffrey

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Collective Impact ◽

Energy Awareness ◽

Climate Literacy

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The Impacts of a Climate Change SSI-STEAM Program on Junior High School Students’ Climate Literacy

Asia-Pacific Science Education ◽

10.1163/23641177-bja10019 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 1-38

Author(s):

Su-Yeon Choi ◽

A-Rang Won ◽

Hye-Eun Chu ◽

Hyun-Jung Cha ◽

Hyeonjeong Shin ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

High School ◽

High School Students ◽

Junior High School ◽

Junior High ◽

Junior High School Students ◽

Literacy Program ◽

School Students ◽

Climate Change Education ◽

Climate Literacy

Abstract This study aims to investigate climate literacy among junior high school students participating in an SSI-STEAM climate change education program and to examine the impacts of the program on the cultivation of climate literacy. Thirty-one eighth-grade students in Seoul, Korea, participated in this study. Data were collected using pre- and post-program surveys with a climate literacy questionnaire (CLQ), students’ background survey questions, interviews with participants, and from the artifacts produced by students during the program. Participants’ climate literacy was shown to improve substantially after attending the program, especially in the domains of perception and action. The four characteristics of climate literacy change were identified in the participants’ responses: more concrete ideas, extension of the scope of thinking, positive responsibility, and relevance recognition. The climate literacy program developed showed potential for fostering young people’s climate literacy along with their understanding of responsible national and global citizenship. The study discusses the implications of these findings and includes suggestions for future climate literacy program development and for both curricular and extra-curricular climate change education that can together nurture students’ more profound understanding of climate change.

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