Sustainability Education and the Built Environment: Experiences from the Classroom

Abstract

Embracing sustainability will change the way we work and live in the 21st century – it will be a primary focus in our intellectual and material work, and in our collective and individual lives. The key role education can play in readdressing the human–nature disconnect, which is a central cause of crisis facing modern society, is broadly accepted. However, despite international calls for a transformation of education systems to a sustainability education model, there is little evidence of change in practice. This article aims to help fill this gap by presenting research on sustainability education praxis, focusing on a sustainability course delivered in the School of Property, Construction and Project Management at RMIT University, Melbourne. Sustainability education is especially relevant to professions involved in the built environment, as they play a role in the overconsumption of natural resources and shape the interface between individuals within their communities and the natural environment. The aim of the research presented here was to critique the effectiveness of the BUIL 1229 Managing for Sustainability course through a combination of reflective practice and the results of an attitudinal survey of the 2010 student cohort. Specifically, it sought to identify if and to what degree key elements of sustainability education praxis, including pedagogy, learning and teaching approaches and curriculum, achieved the prescribed learning objectives and aims of the course.

Keywords:

• educational praxis
• pedagogy
• learning and teaching methods
• curriculum development