1,721,016 research outputs found
Guest Speakers: An opportunity to create shared value?
No full textApproaches to responsible management education are evolving with Business Schools. Through the UN Principles of Responsible Management Education, Business Schools are adopting a mission to educate the leaders of the future in the Sustainable Development Goals and responsible business practices. This has stimulated a shift from traditional teacher-centred lectures to student-centred activities that co-create real world knowledge, employment skills and personal values. One approach, which can extend the value of student-centred activities is the inclusion of sustainability practitioners as guest speakers through smart partnering with Business Schools. Students’ appreciation of guest speakers is generally accepted. However, little consideration of their ability to create shared value for students and guest speakers exists. To address this, this paper reports findings from a two-year study into the shared value of guest speakers within responsible management education and assesses potential benefits of being a guest speaker. Findings confirm students can gain value from guest speakers who provide real world knowledge, particularly if they provide an input for assignments, and suggest that guest speakers can benefit from new perspectives provided by students, including unrecognised personal and business challenges and opportunities. Consequently, the study suggests that through being a guest speaker or engaging with guest speakers, students and sustainability practitioners may be inspired to have a positive impact on their lives and lives of others, as called for by the Sustainable Development Goals. This paper contributes to two strands of pedagogic discourse: firstly, benefits for sustainability practitioners from engaging with Business Schools as guest speakers, and secondly, novel approaches to responsible management education. It will therefore be of interest to those seeking innovative approaches to responsible management education, to those seeking shared value creation through smart partnering with Business Schools and to those who simply want a new challenge
Auditing a case study: Enhancing case-based learning in education for sustainability
Full text linkCase-based learning is a long-standing pedagogic practice involving students undertaking a single dimensional, independent analysis of a text case study which feeds forward into a class discussion. However, this poses several challenges for education for sustainability within the current culture of Higher Education; learners are required to analyze interlinked, multi-faceted aspects of sustainability whereas a traditional text case study generally presents a single situation for consideration; students are reluctant to prepare for classes; a text case study promotes backward reasoning rather than the forward thinking that education for sustainability requires to develop work ready graduates who are change agents for sustainable futures; case-based learning cannot substitute for the active, experiential learning that students find engaging.
This paper presents the findings of a three-year research study into enhancing case-based learning within education for sustainability. It proposes utilizing an extensive mixed media case and facilitating multi-dimensional analysis through the completion of a sustainability audit in an active learning environment to overcome the challenges of traditional case-based learning. The inclusion of an audit to frame the case study analysis may enhance case-based learning as it provides a more immersive experience that guides students through the collection, collation, synthesis, and communication of case study information.
The study's findings suggest students are more engaged and develop the knowledge skills and values required for work readiness and to become sustainability change agents through their immersion in an audit. Consequently, this paper may be of interest to educators seeking an innovative approach to education for sustainability that may overcome the challenges of traditional case-based learning and promote active, experiential learning of the multi-faceted aspects of sustainability
Drawing Sustainability: Helping students to know what they know.
No full textTraditionally individuals’ recognition of learning within education for sustainability has relied on tutors’ feedback and assignment grades. However, with the growing need for work-ready sustainability graduates within the business community, which is increasingly adopting the Sustainable Development Goals as the framework for a sustainable business future, calls for more innovative learning approaches that encourage students’ reflection and self-analysis to know what they know are emerging. In response a reflective and self-analytical learning activity has been implemented: drawing sustainability.
The paper presents findings from a three-year study into the effectiveness of engaging students in drawing sustainability. The study finds drawing sustainability has three potential outcomes. Firstly, it can encourage students to know what they know, which in turn can increase confidence and higher cognitive skills; both contribute to development of work-ready sustainability graduates. Secondly it can benchmark students’ learning, and thirdly it can encourage students to form an image of sustainability to reflect upon and relate personal sustainability practices to society and the environment.
This paper will be of interest to educators seeking reflective and self-analytical learning activities within Education for Sustainability that can encourage students to know what they know and use this knowledge to contribute to a sustainable future
Developing future managers’ understanding of complex business issues by making knowledge visible: tasking business students to draw pictures
Full text linkTraditionally educators within higher education have relied on in-class questioning techniques to establish and/or check students’ understanding of complex business issues and development of softer employment skills. However, whilst some students answer the questions set, many avoid raising their hands in case they give the wrong answer. This has two outcomes: firstly, it prevents students reflecting to recognise their knowledge, understanding and development of softer employment skills, and secondly it prevents educators getting a real understanding of whether students understand the topic or are developing their learning. This unwillingness to respond is now recognised as more prevalent in online learning, particularly where sessions are recorded.
To promote an alternative and more creative approach to checking knowledge, understanding and development of softer employment skills within management education, students are tasked with drawing a topic. Drawing can replace the tutor-centred check of understanding with a student-centred reflective learning task that makes knowledge visible. This can encourage students to think differently and reflect on their knowledge which in turn may encourage them to recognise their own learning and skills development. In addition, the drawing can demonstrate understanding/misunderstanding and extent of learning for educators.
This paper explores the potential benefits of engaging business management students in developing an understanding of complex business issues and softer employment skills through drawing and uses the example of drawing sustainability to illustrate this. It will be of interest to educators within higher education and management training who need tools that promote different ways of thinking and enable them to understand students’ knowledge. It will also be of interest to those seeking to promote reflective learning and develop teaching techniques that enable students to understand their own learning and development of skills
Auditing the University: Promoting Business Education for Sustainability Through Audit-based Learning
No full textEfforts to improve university-wide sustainability generally include sustainability learning, teaching, assessment, and campus sustainability activities; traditionally discrete activities facilitated separately by academics and estates’ management staff. In order to incorporate a local context into the University of Worcester Business School’s Education for Sustainability and improve university-wide sustainability performance, these two strands have been combined to create a constructivist, learner-centred business sustainability curriculum based on sustainability audits of the University.
Auditing the University provides practical, active audit-based learning to deliver students’ evolving preferences for experiential, collaborative learning and employers’ demands for employment ready graduates. The sustainability audit undertaken uses real-life business processes to develop sustainability knowledge and skills that are vital to promote sustainable business futures and softer employment skills such as negotiation, collaboration and influencing, which are essential for future career success.
This paper presents a case study analysis of an audit-based learning module for Business Management Students and explores opportunities and challenges associated with delivering it. It reports the findings of a study into students’ experiences of audit-based learning in the Level 5 undergraduate Business Sustainability Module, which operates as a ‘Living Lab’, to explore its ability to promote innovative learning, teaching and assessment in Education for Sustainability.
The paper also utilises the Framework for 21st Century Learning to explore audit-based learning’s ability to develop knowledge and skills appropriate for 21st Century businesses. Research findings are synthesised to capture and share this innovative approach to learning, teaching and assessment of business sustainability and offer insights to developers of interactive, experiential sustainability learning, teaching and assessment tools
The Role of ‘Edutainment’ in Education for Sustainable Development
No full textThe Sustainable Strategies Game (SSG) is being developed as ‘edutainment’ in response to the need to understand sustainable futures and advocate sustainability within workplaces in Higher Education. SSG seeks to both deliver experiential teaching and learning for business sustainability and enhance students’ learning experiences within Worcester Business School.
This paper presents findings from action research undertaken to formally investigate two aspects of SSG within edutainment for ESD: firstly, it explores the value students obtain from game playing as an approach to sustainability learning. Secondly, it establishes students’ suggestions for evolutions to SSG, e.g. game design and additional features such as social media interventions or legal challenges, to increase its value as a tool for teaching and learning.
Informal feedback following sessions playing SSG suggests games generally generate positive effects on students’ learning. Students highlighted SSG offered an enjoyable alternative approach to learning and could drive changes to sustainability thinking. Introducing such gameplay offers the potential to engage participants in collaborative behaviours and encourage consideration of profitability through strategies which carry less impact on the environment; vital to create a sustainable future.
This paper presents qualitative evidence from game players that can enhance SSG as a tool to further improve students’ learning experience and its value as edutainment rather than entertainment within ESD
Driving sustainable change within local businesses through student-led environmental consultancy
No full textTraditionally, work experience placements for students in Higher Education were undertaken as a year in industry. The benefits for placement students are well established; higher final year grades, increased graduate job prospects, higher starting salaries. However, a more limited understanding of benefits for the employing organisation has been established and generally focuses on students as lower cost resource.
Recently, additional consideration of placement students providing innovative and diverse resource has emerged, with some research suggesting they may act as a catalyst for environmental impact reduction and sustainable change. However, these findings remain largely generic, with few specific benefits and outcomes received by the employing organisation established. This study seeks to close this gap.
To help local businesses, particularly SMEs, address growing demands for environmental stewardship and exploit opportunities offered by placements to drive environmental impact reduction and sustainable change, the Business School has established a short-term placement proposition, the Student Led Environmental Consultancy Programme. This places students with local organisations to undertake bespoke projects that identify and act on the organisation’s environmental impacts.
This study presents three projects from the Student Led Environmental Consultancy Programme and uses reflections from organisational Project Leads to explore the sustainable change created. The findings suggest a Student Led Environmental Consultancy Project can provide an affordable innovative resource that brings a creative and evidence-based perspective to their environmental aspirations. This will be of interest to educators seeking to develop partnership projects with their local business community and to business personnel seeking to improve environmental sustainability
Engaging and Empowering Business Management Students to Support the Mitigation of Climate Change Through Sustainability Auditing
Full text linkGuest Speakers: An opportunity to create shared value?
No full textApproaches to responsible management education are evolving with Business Schools. Through the UN Principles of Responsible Management Education, Business Schools are adopting a mission to educate the leaders of the future in the Sustainable Development Goals and responsible business practices. This has stimulated a shift from traditional teacher-centred lectures to student-centred activities that co-create real world knowledge, employment skills and personal values. One approach, which can extend the value of student-centred activities is the inclusion of sustainability practitioners as guest speakers through smart partnering with Business Schools.
Students’ appreciation of guest speakers is generally accepted. However, little consideration of their ability to create shared value for students and guest speakers exists. To address this, this paper reports findings from a two-year study into the shared value of guest speakers within responsible management education and assesses potential benefits of being a guest speaker. Findings confirm students can gain value from guest speakers who provide real world knowledge, particularly if they provide an input for assignments, and suggest that guest speakers can benefit from new perspectives provided by students, including unrecognised personal and business challenges and opportunities. Consequently, the study suggests that through being a guest speaker or engaging with guest speakers, students and sustainability practitioners may be inspired to have a positive impact on their lives and lives of others, as called for by the Sustainable Development Goals.
This paper contributes to two strands of pedagogic discourse: firstly, benefits for sustainability practitioners from engaging with Business Schools as guest speakers, and secondly, novel approaches to responsible management education. It will therefore be of interest to those seeking innovative approaches to responsible management education, to those seeking shared value creation through smart partnering with Business Schools and to those who simply want a new challenge
Steps to Net Zero
No full textA course run for businesses or individuals, to help better understand the term ‘Net Zero’ in order to reduce greenhouse gas emissions
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