Scott Munro Strachan, Stephen Marshall, Paul Murray, Edward J. Coyle and Julia Sonnenberg-Klein
This paper aims to share the University of Strathclyde’s experience of embedding research-based education for sustainable development (RBESD) within its undergraduate curricula…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to share the University of Strathclyde’s experience of embedding research-based education for sustainable development (RBESD) within its undergraduate curricula through the use of an innovative pedagogy called Vertically Integrated Projects (VIP), originated at Georgia Institute of Technology.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper discusses how aligning VIP with the SDG framework presents a powerful means of combining both research-based education (RBE) and education for sustainable development (ESD), and in effect embedding RBESD in undergraduate curricula.
Findings
The paper reports on the University of Strathclyde’s practice and experience of establishing their VIP for Sustainable Development programme and presents a reflective account of the challenges faced in the programme implementation and those envisaged as the programme scales up across a higher education institution (HEI).
Research limitations/implications
The paper is a reflective account of the specific challenges encountered at Strathclyde to date after a successful pilot, which was limited in its scale. While it is anticipated these challenges may resonate with other HEIs, there will also be some bespoke challenges that may not be discussed here.
Practical implications
This paper offers a practical and scalable method of integrating SDG research and research-based education within undergraduate curricula.
Social implications
The paper has the potential to deliver SDG-related impact in target communities by linking research-based teaching and learning with community outreach.
Originality/value
The alignment of VIP with the SDG research area is novel, with no other FE institutions currently using this approach to embed SDG research-based teaching within their curricula. Furthermore, the interdisciplinary feature of the VIP programme, which is critical for SDG research, is a Strathclyde enhancement of the original model.
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Technology for technology's sake?. It's been called one‐to‐one marketing on the Internet; it's been compared to subscribing to a magazine so that you never need to visit a…
Abstract
Technology for technology's sake?. It's been called one‐to‐one marketing on the Internet; it's been compared to subscribing to a magazine so that you never need to visit a newsagent ever again to look for it. But is push technology all it's made out to be? More importantly, is it technology for technology's sake or is it actually useful?
There is a long association between the arts and mental well‐being, but this can also be an area of contest and debate. In this commentary on the issues raised by the papers in…
Abstract
There is a long association between the arts and mental well‐being, but this can also be an area of contest and debate. In this commentary on the issues raised by the papers in this special arts and mental well‐being issue of the journal, James Oliver and Paul Murray question the attempt to impose scientific measures of outcome on arts participation, and ask if we should not, instead, regard access to opportunities for creative expression as a legal right and moral duty owing to those whom we, as a society, have excluded from the mainstream through incarceration or labelling.
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Paul Murray, Andrew Douglas-Dunbar and Sheran Murray
The purpose of this paper is to report an attempt to quantitatively evaluate pedagogies designed to help learners clarify their personal values systems in a sustainability…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to report an attempt to quantitatively evaluate pedagogies designed to help learners clarify their personal values systems in a sustainability context.
Design/methodology/approach
A pre-test/post-test survey was used to assess shifts in values orientations among 113 undergraduates from the same discipline, following the completion of intensive values-based sustainability training workshops.
Findings
The results indicate that small but statistically significant shifts in participant perceptions of their personal values orientations occurred, particularly in relation to values correlating with sustainability.
Research limitations/implications
The survey data were collated in six separate groups, potentially introducing unforeseen variables. As value types, rather than individual values, were used as the basis of the survey, there could be variations in participant perception and understanding of the value-type labels.
Practical implications
No control group was possible because the training intervention was a compulsory aspect of the participants’ degree programme, and the surveys were administered by the participants’ tutor, which could lead to “teacher” bias.
Social implications
This research evaluates pedagogies aiming to allow individuals to clarify their values and better understand the motivational role these have in influencing “sustainable” behaviour. The research can inform the design and execution of “holistic” educational and training programmes seeking to help individuals understand their personal role in creating a more sustainable future.
Originality/value
The originality of this research lies in the quantitative analysis of values-specific education for sustainable development pedagogies. Findings point to the need for further research to assess the application of the pedagogies across different disciplines.
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The educational reformer of a hundred years ago could not turn readily to the educational journal which hardly existed in a serious form until well into the twentieth century…
Abstract
The educational reformer of a hundred years ago could not turn readily to the educational journal which hardly existed in a serious form until well into the twentieth century. However, through the first half of the nine‐teenth century there were a number of important publications. From the 1860s onwards familiar names begin to appear as publishers turned to the ready market provided by the expansion of educational opportunity. From just before the Education Act of 1870 we find that some of the most consistent publishers of books on education are houses that have retained their interest to the present day. Macmillan, Murray, Chapman, Kegan Paul, Cambridge University Press and Longman are quite familiar imprints on many of the most significant works published between 1870 and the turn of the century. Changes in the curriculum and reform within the system itself also added an impetus to the demand for printed sources of information and debate.
Paul E. Murray and Sheran A. Murray
This paper aims to analyse an initiative to provide learners on “career‐based” programmes with opportunities to reflect upon their values within the context of sustainability.
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to analyse an initiative to provide learners on “career‐based” programmes with opportunities to reflect upon their values within the context of sustainability.
Design/methodology/approach
An international literature review relating values and behaviour to the sustainability agenda led to the development of “sustainability training” workshop activities for construction students at the University of Plymouth. The activities, drawing on good practice from a range of education for sustainability initiatives and the behavioral discipline Neuro Linguistic Programming, enable participants to elicit and reflect upon their core values and to relate these to key sustainability issues. Following multiple pilots the workshops were offered as voluntary field trials to students, their effectiveness being measured through structured feedback.
Findings
The feedback returns demonstrate the popularity of the enquiry‐based learning techniques utilized and the effectiveness of the individual activities in achieving their aims. Constructive criticism centred on the need to simplify some of the activity instructions.
Practical implications
This research shows that open‐ended enquiry‐based learning techniques are useful for promoting sustainability values within educational programmes. As the activities described here are not discipline‐specific, they have potential to be adapted for similar disciplines at other institutions and for use with other career‐based disciplines.
Originality/value
Much is written about the need to embed sustainability values in the curriculum. This paper describes a method of fulfilling this need and may be of significant value to those attempting to embed sustainability within educational programmes.
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Paul E. Murray and Alison J. Cotgrave
This paper seeks to analyse the hypothesis that sustainability is destined to become the operating paradigm for construction education in the UK.
Abstract
Purpose
This paper seeks to analyse the hypothesis that sustainability is destined to become the operating paradigm for construction education in the UK.
Design/methodology/approach
An international literature review is used to assess the relationship between sustainability and the built environment. The viewpoints of the construction‐related professions are examined by analysing the accreditation policies of key professional bodies and through a survey of public sector‐based UK building professionals. International and national policy initiatives on educating for sustainability are reviewed and a survey of UK universities delivering construction degrees is used to explore the environmental content of construction courses. A brief case study describes recent efforts to systematically embed sustainability within construction education.
Findings
The sustainability agenda and construction are intricately linked. The rationale, therefore, for embedding sustainability within the construction curriculum is powerful. Strong policy drivers for embedding sustainability in the curriculum also exist, but the response from construction educators is thus far patchy. However, the case study demonstrates that integrating sustainability issues within construction courses is readily achievable.
Practical implications
The findings will influence policy decisions taken by educators and professional bodies seeking to respond to the fast‐developing sustainability agenda.
Originality/value
This research demonstrates the rationale for systematically embedding sustainability within the construction curriculum to the benefit of professionals, professional bodies and educators.
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Josh Siepel, Marc Cowling and Alex Coad
Despite the importance of high-technology firms to the global economy, relatively little is known about factors contributing to these firms’ long-run growth. We examine these…
Abstract
Despite the importance of high-technology firms to the global economy, relatively little is known about factors contributing to these firms’ long-run growth. We examine these factors using a unique longitudinal dataset combining two waves of detailed surveys of 345 UK high-tech firms with performance data from UK official datasets. Overall we conclude that the early strategic decisions made by firms have long-run impacts on their subsequent growth, and we suggest that policy measures targeted at shortfalls faced by these firms may have positive long-term consequences.