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L. Liu and L. Gao
Since the SDGs cover the broad sustainability themes of economic development,
social inclusion and environmental protection, their implementation requires substantial and high-quality inputs of knowledge, skills, attitudes and values from the higher
education sector. Higher education institutions (HEIs) now “have the responsibility,
more than ever before, to integrate sustainable development into all their teaching,
research, community engagement and campus operations” (Mohamedbhai 2015).
Although campus greening practices have been widely implemented and wholeinstitution approaches been suggested, it is still challenging to meet the requirement
of holistic and transformational ESD (Leal Filho et al. 2015; Shiel and Smith 2017).
By integrating sustainability into curriculum development, universities gain
opportunities to restructure their use of resources and to enhance competence in
teaching, research and community partnership. The class is perhaps the most critical
place where students gain the knowledge, skills and motivation to understand and
address the SDGs. Among many factors that influence learning outcomes, student
engagement in class has tremendous leverage and should receive more attention.
Furthermore, due to the interdisciplinary nature of ESD and the need for integrating
theory with practice, enhancement of student engagement has been taken as an essential component of sustainable campus and community practices at many universities
(ISCN 2018).
This chapter adopts a case study approach, describing the creation and implementation of a sustainability course offered by the Central University of Finance and
Economics (CUFE) in China. What is distinctive is the focus on student engagement
and the discussion of possible drivers in support of this goal. Evidence comes from
questionnaire-based surveys in assessing student engagement in class, as well as
teachers’ reflections on the teaching process of the course. Built on prior research
(Liu 2018), the paper uses the CUFE as an instrumental case to gain a broader
appreciation of the issue of engagement in sustainability teaching and learning.
The chapter will proceed as follows: The next section reviews the literature of student engagement and puts it in the context of sustainability education. The chapter
then continues by providing an outline of China’s HESD governance and the institutional context of the CUFE. This is followed by sections firstly containing the survey
procedures and results and then the teachers’ reflections on the results. Finally, the
conclusion provides a summary of the findings.
2 Student Engagement in Higher Education
for Sustainable Development (HESD)
2.1 Student Engagement
Literally, engagement points towards active involvement, commitment and concentrated attention, although more than mere involvement or participation are implied.
It requires feelings and sense-making as well as activity (Harper and Quaye 2009).
L. Liu and L. Gao
Since the SDGs cover the broad sustainability themes of economic development,
social inclusion and environmental protection, their implementation requires substantial and high-quality inputs of knowledge, skills, attitudes and values from the higher
education sector. Higher education institutions (HEIs) now “have the responsibility,
more than ever before, to integrate sustainable development into all their teaching,
research, community engagement and campus operations” (Mohamedbhai 2015).
Although campus greening practices have been widely implemented and wholeinstitution approaches been suggested, it is still challenging to meet the requirement
of holistic and transformational ESD (Leal Filho et al. 2015; Shiel and Smith 2017).
By integrating sustainability into curriculum development, universities gain
opportunities to restructure their use of resources and to enhance competence in
teaching, research and community partnership. The class is perhaps the most critical
place where students gain the knowledge, skills and motivation to understand and
address the SDGs. Among many factors that influence learning outcomes, student
engagement in class has tremendous leverage and should receive more attention.
Furthermore, due to the interdisciplinary nature of ESD and the need for integrating
theory with practice, enhancement of student engagement has been taken as an essential component of sustainable campus and community practices at many universities
(ISCN 2018).
This chapter adopts a case study approach, describing the creation and implementation of a sustainability course offered by the Central University of Finance and
Economics (CUFE) in China. What is distinctive is the focus on student engagement
and the discussion of possible drivers in support of this goal. Evidence comes from
questionnaire-based surveys in assessing student engagement in class, as well as
teachers’ reflections on the teaching process of the course. Built on prior research
(Liu 2018), the paper uses the CUFE as an instrumental case to gain a broader
appreciation of the issue of engagement in sustainability teaching and learning.
The chapter will proceed as follows: The next section reviews the literature of student engagement and puts it in the context of sustainability education. The chapter
then continues by providing an outline of China’s HESD governance and the institutional context of the CUFE. This is followed by sections firstly containing the survey
procedures and results and then the teachers’ reflections on the results. Finally, the
conclusion provides a summary of the findings.
2 Student Engagement in Higher Education
for Sustainable Development (HESD)
2.1 Student Engagement
Literally, engagement points towards active involvement, commitment and concentrated attention, although more than mere involvement or participation are implied.
It requires feelings and sense-making as well as activity (Harper and Quaye 2009).