792
H. L. Koh and S. Y. Teh
Keywords UNSDG · Water · Climate change · STEM · TUNA · MANTRA
1 Introduction
Sustainability is a rapidly evolving concept in higher education institutes (HEIs). Facing a steep learning curve, sustainability in higher education (SHE) is a long arduous
process that requires perseverance, creativity and innovation. The establishment of
the European School of Sustainability Science and Research (ESSSR) and the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE) is a
good indicator of this emerging trend. ESSSR and AASHE, in conjunction with the
International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education (IJSHE), have provided
valuable information and deep insights on the development of SHE worldwide, helping to enhance sustainability in higher education and sustainability in general. HEIs
play a particularly important role in Education for Sustainable Development (ESD).
They prepare the students for employment and more importantly, they prepare the
students for a future that is still unknown. Therefore, it is crucial for HEIs to provide
deep learning experiences that develop critical thinking, problem solving, creativity
and innovation skills, collaboration skills, contextual learning skills, self-direction,
as well as communication skills (Iliško et al. 2014, p. 100). For the students to
develop such skills, HEIs need to create an environment in which the action, challenges and opportunities based on real-life interactions are present. This implies that
higher education (HE) must go beyond the confinement of traditional lecture rooms
and into the community (Leal Filho and Pace 2016). This paper advocates strong
university-community partnership to promote sustainability in public and in HEIs.
It is essential for HEIs to have a clear vision of SHE and a workable mission on how
to achieve this by unambiguously defining their sustainability learning outcomes
(SLOs) (Hill and Wang 2018). These SLOs must be supported by viable SLO-based
competences and capability (SCC) that HEIs develop among their students and educators via effective curricular and pedagogy. Some HEIs, such as the University of
Vermont (UVM), adopt a model in which SLO is a university-wide requirement.
However, most HEIs, such as Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM), are not yet ready to
embark on this ambitious goal. Instead, a “second-best” alternative model is adopted
in which SLO elements and SCC can be embedded into stand-alone courses, such as
Environmental Modelling (Koh 2004) taught by the authors or any natural resources
courses. Traditionally, issues and research involving the environment and natural
resources (ENR) formed the backbone of contemporary sustainability. This paper
provides case studies and examples to illustrate how stand-alone SLO and SCC have
been the key contributors to the success of several research and consultancy projects
in ENR undertaken by the authors in partnership with community in the past two
decades. These research and community projects have contributed to the achievement of several United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs). This
model of university community partnerships is certainly transferable and scalable,
given enough incentives and collaborations with ESSSR and AASHE.
H. L. Koh and S. Y. Teh
Keywords UNSDG · Water · Climate change · STEM · TUNA · MANTRA
1 Introduction
Sustainability is a rapidly evolving concept in higher education institutes (HEIs). Facing a steep learning curve, sustainability in higher education (SHE) is a long arduous
process that requires perseverance, creativity and innovation. The establishment of
the European School of Sustainability Science and Research (ESSSR) and the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE) is a
good indicator of this emerging trend. ESSSR and AASHE, in conjunction with the
International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education (IJSHE), have provided
valuable information and deep insights on the development of SHE worldwide, helping to enhance sustainability in higher education and sustainability in general. HEIs
play a particularly important role in Education for Sustainable Development (ESD).
They prepare the students for employment and more importantly, they prepare the
students for a future that is still unknown. Therefore, it is crucial for HEIs to provide
deep learning experiences that develop critical thinking, problem solving, creativity
and innovation skills, collaboration skills, contextual learning skills, self-direction,
as well as communication skills (Iliško et al. 2014, p. 100). For the students to
develop such skills, HEIs need to create an environment in which the action, challenges and opportunities based on real-life interactions are present. This implies that
higher education (HE) must go beyond the confinement of traditional lecture rooms
and into the community (Leal Filho and Pace 2016). This paper advocates strong
university-community partnership to promote sustainability in public and in HEIs.
It is essential for HEIs to have a clear vision of SHE and a workable mission on how
to achieve this by unambiguously defining their sustainability learning outcomes
(SLOs) (Hill and Wang 2018). These SLOs must be supported by viable SLO-based
competences and capability (SCC) that HEIs develop among their students and educators via effective curricular and pedagogy. Some HEIs, such as the University of
Vermont (UVM), adopt a model in which SLO is a university-wide requirement.
However, most HEIs, such as Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM), are not yet ready to
embark on this ambitious goal. Instead, a “second-best” alternative model is adopted
in which SLO elements and SCC can be embedded into stand-alone courses, such as
Environmental Modelling (Koh 2004) taught by the authors or any natural resources
courses. Traditionally, issues and research involving the environment and natural
resources (ENR) formed the backbone of contemporary sustainability. This paper
provides case studies and examples to illustrate how stand-alone SLO and SCC have
been the key contributors to the success of several research and consultancy projects
in ENR undertaken by the authors in partnership with community in the past two
decades. These research and community projects have contributed to the achievement of several United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs). This
model of university community partnerships is certainly transferable and scalable,
given enough incentives and collaborations with ESSSR and AASHE.