Towards effective e-learning on sustainability: a case study-course on participatory processes in environmental politics
International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education
ISSN: 1467-6370
Article publication date: 19 May 2021
Issue publication date: 2 July 2021
Abstract
Purpose
Distance universities are of great importance for establishing sustainability literacy, as they operate as multipliers for thousands of students. However, despite several advantages of e-learning environments compared to traditional class-teaching, there are still challenges regarding suitable e-learning tools and didactical models. The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the effectiveness of several e-learning tools on students’ knowledge and skills growth and to compare two learning paths, synchronous vs asynchronous, exploring how each affects the level of students’ knowledge achievement and skills acquisition.
Design/methodology/approach
The empirical analysis is based on an online course “Participatory processes in environmental politics”. International MSc and PhD students who enrolled in the course were from FernUniversität in Hagen (Germany) and Aberta University (Portugal). The course was designed as the flipped classroom, applying different e-learning tools and activities, some synchronous and others asynchronous. A pre- and post-evaluation questionnaire was applied to evaluate students’ knowledge and skills. Descriptive statistical analyses were carried out on this data.
Findings
Results showed that in the synchronous group, knowledge about theoretical approaches to citizen participation and sustainable environmental governance improved to a greater extent, whereas the asynchronous group showed greater improvement in nearly all skills related to intercultural communication and e-learning. Also, in the synchronous path, students enhanced their knowledge on “research application” to a greater extent.
Originality/value
Evaluating the effectiveness of different e-learning tools on students’ sustainability knowledge and information and communication technologies skills is a fundamental issue. The study discusses these issues, contributing to enhancing the use of adequate and grounded e-learning models on sustainable development in higher education.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
The authors would like to acknowledge the financial support provided by the International Office of the FernUniversität in Hagen, for undertaking this online seminar. We further acknowledge the valuable support and contribution to the seminar of Annette Töller, Thomas Vogelpohl, Sara Becker and Daniel Otto. The Centre for Environmental and Sustainability Research (CENSE), NOVA School of Science and Technology, NOVA University of Lisbon is financed by the FCT through the strategic project UID/AMB/04085/2019.
Citation
Perbandt, D., Heinelt, M.-S., Bacelar-Nicolau, P., Mapar, M. and Caeiro, S.S. (2021), "Towards effective e-learning on sustainability: a case study-course on participatory processes in environmental politics", International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education, Vol. 22 No. 4, pp. 801-832. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJSHE-07-2020-0262
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
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