Evaluating innovation in transdisciplinary sustainability education: TRANSECTS’ international learning labs
Date
2024-09-26
Authors
Rosenberg, Eureta
Cockburn, Jessica
Reed, Maureen
James, Wendy
Gengelbach, Jana
Walk, Heike
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
MedPharm Publications
ORCID
Type
Article
Degree Level
Abstract
Evaluative research can advance sustainability education through the learning it can enable, at micro and systems levels. This proposition is explored by examining evaluation practice in a 6-year international programme entitled Transdisciplinary Education Collaboration for Transformations in Sustainability involving universities and biosphere reserves/regions in Germany, South Africa and Canada. A Transdisciplinary International Learning Lab (TILL) was evaluated using a theory-based evaluation approach and interviews, focus groups and questionnaires that yielded qualitative data. Through meta-reflection, we concluded that our TILL had elements of a Field School, rather than a Learning Lab, and that our curriculum required more explicit deliberation among programme developers and implementers towards a deeper and shared understanding of pedagogical assumptions and more congruent practice of transdisciplinary and transformative sustainability education. The reflective, theory-based approach enabled learning from evaluation and was captured in a shared refinement of the theory of change, which makes it explicit that learning from pedagogical innovations is not only for students but also for academics. The paper is an invitation to other innovators in sustainability science, education and evaluation in higher education, to share related findings.
Description
All articles are published under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International Licence
Copyright is retained by the authors. Readers are welcome to reproduce, share and adapt the content without permission provided the source is attributed.
Keywords
evaluation for learning, theory of change, transdisciplinarity, transformative sustainability education, higher education curriculum innovation
Citation
Rosenberg, E., Cockburn, J., Reed, M., James, W., Gengelbach, J., & Walk, H. (2024). Evaluating innovation in transdisciplinary sustainability education: TRANSECTS’ international learning labs. South African Journal of Science, 120(9/10). https://doi.org/10.17159/sajs.2024/17957
Degree
Department
Program
Advisor
Committee
Part Of
item.page.relation.ispartofseries
DOI
10.17159/sajs.2024/17957