Comparing faculty perceptions of sustainability teaching at two US universities
International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education
ISSN: 1467-6370
Article publication date: 6 November 2017
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
:Emerald Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2017, Emerald Publishing Limited