Enhancing Student Engagement in a Sustainability …
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lum development and campus operations. It takes the university as a community
for cultivating dynamic associations among faculty, staff and students. In terms of
sustainability, engaged campus action covers activities of curriculum development,
student associations, green buildings, landscape management, procurement, identity
cultivation and the development of an inclusive environment.
Civic and community engagement constitutes the outer layer of engagement.
It is about students’ involvement in civic and community activities, often in the
form of extra-curricular activities. Community-based learning and research are two
pedagogical approaches that provide research and experiential learning opportunities
for students. Actions to foster community engagement include strengthening the
capacity of multi-stakeholder networks at local and community level and enhancing
the quality of local platforms for learning and cooperation (UNESCO 2014).
Universities have partnered with global or regional networks such as the InterUniversity Sustainable Development Research Program (IUSDRP), Higher Education and Research for Sustainable Development (HESD) and Global University
Partnership on Environment and Sustainability (GUPES) to integrate sustainability into teaching, research and community outreach in higher education. Networks
as these play a vital role in sharing knowledge and experiences, collaborating in
quality improvement in teaching, research and community outreach, and promoting
sustainability practices on campus.
3 The Context of Sustainability Education in Chinese
Universities
3.1 HESD Governance in China
With rapid economic growth and substantial urbanization, China entered the 21st
century with severe problems of environmental pollution and ecological degradation. The Chinese government has taken measures to balance economic growth with
environmental protection, including mapping out new development goals and promulgating more rigorous regulations. In 2008, the National Environmental Protection
Administration was reshuffled from a vice-ministerial agency to a full Ministry of
Environmental Protection (MoEP), and a leadership committee was formed and led
by the State Council to coordinate all relevant agencies to cope with energy conservation and climate mitigation activities.
Several ministries have played substantial roles in promoting policies and reforms
for sustainable development. In the early 1990s, the Ministry of Science and Technology (MoST) led the drafting of China’s Agenda 21 and implementation of sustainable
development studies. Since 1998, with its broad power mandate, the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), formerly the planning commission, has
replaced the MoST as the prime authority in development and cooperation, both
domestically and internationally.
327
lum development and campus operations. It takes the university as a community
for cultivating dynamic associations among faculty, staff and students. In terms of
sustainability, engaged campus action covers activities of curriculum development,
student associations, green buildings, landscape management, procurement, identity
cultivation and the development of an inclusive environment.
Civic and community engagement constitutes the outer layer of engagement.
It is about students’ involvement in civic and community activities, often in the
form of extra-curricular activities. Community-based learning and research are two
pedagogical approaches that provide research and experiential learning opportunities
for students. Actions to foster community engagement include strengthening the
capacity of multi-stakeholder networks at local and community level and enhancing
the quality of local platforms for learning and cooperation (UNESCO 2014).
Universities have partnered with global or regional networks such as the InterUniversity Sustainable Development Research Program (IUSDRP), Higher Education and Research for Sustainable Development (HESD) and Global University
Partnership on Environment and Sustainability (GUPES) to integrate sustainability into teaching, research and community outreach in higher education. Networks
as these play a vital role in sharing knowledge and experiences, collaborating in
quality improvement in teaching, research and community outreach, and promoting
sustainability practices on campus.
3 The Context of Sustainability Education in Chinese
Universities
3.1 HESD Governance in China
With rapid economic growth and substantial urbanization, China entered the 21st
century with severe problems of environmental pollution and ecological degradation. The Chinese government has taken measures to balance economic growth with
environmental protection, including mapping out new development goals and promulgating more rigorous regulations. In 2008, the National Environmental Protection
Administration was reshuffled from a vice-ministerial agency to a full Ministry of
Environmental Protection (MoEP), and a leadership committee was formed and led
by the State Council to coordinate all relevant agencies to cope with energy conservation and climate mitigation activities.
Several ministries have played substantial roles in promoting policies and reforms
for sustainable development. In the early 1990s, the Ministry of Science and Technology (MoST) led the drafting of China’s Agenda 21 and implementation of sustainable
development studies. Since 1998, with its broad power mandate, the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), formerly the planning commission, has
replaced the MoST as the prime authority in development and cooperation, both
domestically and internationally.