ERIC Number: EJ1224349
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2019
Pages: 8
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: EISSN-1812-9129
EISSN: N/A
Developing Cosmopolitan Competencies in Sustainability Professionals
Hull, Robert Bruce; Mortimer, Michael; Robertson, David
International Journal of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education, v31 n2 p346-353 2019
Sustainability professionals need cosmopolitan competencies to be successful when working on environmental, social, and governance issues that span cultural and national boundaries. Working professionals often struggle building these competencies because they have limited time for international travel and limited access to international peers. Short-term (10 day) and highly curated educational travel programs, combined with pre- and post-trip study, provide powerful learning experiences that can overcome these obstacles. This paper does three things: 1) defines and justifies cosmopolitan competencies that are useful to sustainability professionals, 2) describes a pedagogy to teach these competencies to working professionals, and 3) evaluates whether intended learning outcomes were achieved. A quantitative survey instrument was completed before and after international education programs to China and India. The pre-post differences were statistically significant, suggesting the pedagogy has impact. Qualitative interviews supplement and help interpret the quantitative data.
Descriptors: Sustainable Development, Cultural Awareness, Travel, Foreign Countries, Global Approach, Program Length, Professional Personnel, Competence, Career Development, Job Performance, Graduate Students, Time Management, Study Abroad, Intercultural Communication, Communities of Practice, Self Concept, Program Effectiveness, Active Learning, Student Projects
International Society for Exploring Teaching and Learning. Web site: http://www.isetl.org/ijtlhe
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: China; India
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A