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Comparing faculty perceptions of sustainability teaching at two US universities

Ashlee Tziganuk (School of Geographical Science and Urban Planning, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona, USA)
Travis Gliedt (Department of Geography and Environmental Sustainability, The University of Oklahoma, Norman, Oklahoma, USA)

International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education

ISSN: 1467-6370

Article publication date: 6 November 2017

603

Abstract

Purpose

This study aims to examine and compare faculty perceptions of the process of institutionalizing sustainability, developing sustainability pedagogy and activating key sustainability competencies between the University of Oklahoma (OU) and Arizona State University (ASU).

Design/methodology/approach

Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 17 professors in the Department of Geography and Environmental Sustainability at OU and 10 professors in the School of Sustainability at ASU.

Findings

The results highlight the complexity of teaching sustainability in an interdisciplinary manner in both programs. Professors are incorporating many of the key competencies of sustainability teaching, but in a patchwork manner that does not necessary follow the comprehensive frameworks from the literature.

Practical implications

The comparative analysis leads to recommendations for teaching sustainability in higher education.

Originality/value

This study contributes to theories of sustainability teaching by identifying gaps between what professors are actually doing and experiencing and a set of best practices from the literature.

Keywords

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to greatly appreciate the time and insightful discussions of the interviewees. They would also like to thank the reviewers for their detailed feedback that was critical to improving the paper.

Citation

Tziganuk, A. and Gliedt, T. (2017), "Comparing faculty perceptions of sustainability teaching at two US universities", International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education, Vol. 18 No. 7, pp. 1191-1211. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJSHE-01-2016-0006

Publisher

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Emerald Publishing Limited

Copyright © 2017, Emerald Publishing Limited

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