Developing Sustainability Competences Through Pedagogical Approaches

There has been considerable progress in the incorporation of sustainable development into the curricula of higher education institutions. Study on these developments has included research on competences for sustainable development and pedagogical approaches to develop such competences. However, there has been limited research on the connection between how courses are delivered (i.e. pedagogical approaches) and how they may affect sustainability competences. This book examines pedagogical approaches for developing sustainability competences through comparing 17 higher education institutions from 13 countries, analysing how students’ perception of how sustainability competences are being developed and which pedagogical approaches are being used for this purpose. This book brings together practice-based original research on the connection between developing sustainability competences and the pedagogical approaches used.

Rodrigo has been working on sustainability issues in NGOs, universities and companies for more than 20 years. His experience ranges from sustainability competencies and pedagogies, sustainable chemistry, sustainable public procurement, corporate social responsibility, indoor air quality and energy efficiency, to sustainability assessment and organisational change management. Rodrigo has worked at different universities such as the Vienna University of Business and Economics (Austria), Dresden University of Technology (Germany), the Central University of Technology (South Africa), the University of Gävle (Sweden), the University of Utrecht (Netherlands), and the University of Leeds (UK). He has developed assessment tools such as the Graphical Assessment of Sustainability Performance (GRASP), the Sustainability Tool for Assessing University Curricula Holistically (STAUNCH®) and the Graphical Assessment for Sustainability in Universities (GASU™). Rodrigo holds a BSc in Chemical Engineering (graduated with honours) from Tec de Monterrey, Mexico; an MSc in Environmental Management and Policy, from Lund University, Sweden; and a PhD from Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK.

María Barreiro-Gen is a PhD lecturer at the Universidade da Coruña (UDC), Spain. She has also worked at the University of Gävle (Sweden) and at the Universidad Nacional de Educación a Distancia (UNED). For the past twelve years, her research has been on public policy, sustainable organisations, economic development, gender issues, and education for sustainable development. She has published more than 40 articles, receiving research awards for some of them (e.g. “outstanding paper” at the Emerald Literati Awards). She has reviewed and edited scientific articles in prestigious journals. She has collaborated with academics from other countries (e.g. South Africa, Mexico, UK, Italy, Portugal), participated in EU and national projects (e.g. co-supervising a Marie Skłodowska-Curie PhD student). holds a degree in Business Administration and Management, a degree in Law and a Master's degree in Public Policy. She obtained her PhD in Economics (cum laude) in 2016 from UDC, Spain.

Francisco José Lozano G. is a retired professor from the Instituto Tecnológico de Monterrey with more than 25 years of experience in sustainability. He has been director of the Clean Technology Center, the Environmental Quality Center, the Sustainable Campus Program and the Department of Chemical Engineering at the Monterrey Campus. He has taught various courses at the bachelor's and master's level, both at UNAM and Tecnológico de Monterrey. He also has experience in the industrial and consulting sector. He participated in the design of the Sustainable Development Engineering degree for the Tecnológico de Monterrey. He graduated with honors from the Chemical Engineering degree at UNAM (Mexico); with a master's degree from the Imperial College of Science and Technology (London) and a doctorate from the University of Birmingham (England).