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Managing Diversity: The Challenges of Inter-University Cooperation in Sustainability Education

Author

Listed:
  • Jan Činčera

    (Department of Environmental Studies, Faculty of Social Studies, Masaryk University, 601 77 Brno, Czech Republic)

  • Grzegorz Mikusiński

    (School for Forest Management, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, 739 21 Skinnskatteberg, Sweden)

  • Bohuslav Binka

    (Department of Environmental Studies, Faculty of Social Studies, Masaryk University, 601 77 Brno, Czech Republic)

  • Luis Calafate

    (Department of Biology, Porto University, 4169-007 Porto, Portugal)

  • Cristina Calheiros

    (Interdisciplinary Centre of Marine and Environmental Research (CIIMAR/CIMAR), University of Porto, 4450-208 Matosinhos, Portugal)

  • Alexandra Cardoso

    (Institute of Earth Sciences, Porto University, 4169-007 Porto, Portugal)

  • Marcus Hedblom

    (Department of Forest Resource Management, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, 756 51 Uppsala, Sweden)

  • Michael Jones

    (Swedish Biodiversity Centre, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, 750 07 Uppsala, Sweden)

  • Alex Koutsouris

    (Department of Agricultural Economics and Rural Development, Agricultural University of Athens, 11855 Athens, Greece)

  • Clara Vasconcelos

    (Institute of Earth Sciences, Porto University, 4169-007 Porto, Portugal)

  • Katarzyna Iwińska

    (Institute of Sociology, Collegium Civitas, 00-901 Warszawa, Poland)

Abstract

One of the main challenges in sustainability discourse is its multifaceted nature often requiring that many different disciplines must cooperate in order to achieve progress. This issue also concerns sustainability education. In the article, we highlighted the experiences from the international cooperation of university teachers and researchers with highly diverse professional backgrounds who worked together on developing educational materials for university students in sustainability-oriented courses. The study is based on qualitative, participatory evaluation research, applying two rounds of open-ended questionnaires distributed to the same respondents (n = 18). For the analysis, we used the open-coding procedure for identifying the main categories. The results show some of the opportunities and barriers that emerged in the process of this cooperation. In particular, we discuss the issues related to the high heterogeneity of the group, such as the clashes of the different perspectives on the topics covered, group dynamics issues, trust, facilitation challenges, and also opportunities that such heterogeneity offers. We highlight the importance of open reflectivity in sustainability-oriented educational projects as the key to their successful implementation. Finally, we believe that results of this participatory study are useful in designing new projects aiming at further improvement of academic education in sustainability and sustainable development.

Suggested Citation

  • Jan Činčera & Grzegorz Mikusiński & Bohuslav Binka & Luis Calafate & Cristina Calheiros & Alexandra Cardoso & Marcus Hedblom & Michael Jones & Alex Koutsouris & Clara Vasconcelos & Katarzyna Iwińska, 2019. "Managing Diversity: The Challenges of Inter-University Cooperation in Sustainability Education," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(20), pages 1-16, October.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:11:y:2019:i:20:p:5610-:d:275576
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    2. Robert Axelsson & Magnus Ljung & Malgorzata Blicharska & Michael Frisk & Marianne Henningsson & Grzegorz Mikusiński & Lennart Folkeson & Görgen Göransson & Sofia Jönsson-Ekström & Anders Sjölund & Jan, 2020. "The Challenge of Transdisciplinary Research: A Case Study of Learning by Evaluation for Sustainable Transport Infrastructures," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(17), pages 1-24, August.
    3. Anna Staniewska & Izabela Sykta & Agnieszka Ozimek & Krzysztof Barnaś & Mariusz Dudek & Magdalena Marasik & Kinga Racoń-Leja, 2023. "Framework for the Design of a Small Transport Hub as an Interdisciplinary Challenge to Implement Sustainable Solutions," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(14), pages 1-32, July.
    4. Brygida Klemens, 2020. "Economic Development through Clusters-Understanding the Idea of Cooperation in the Opinion of Students: A Case Study," European Research Studies Journal, European Research Studies Journal, vol. 0(4), pages 558-570.

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