Rudi W. Pretorius

An environmental management qualification through distance education

The department of geography and environmental studies of the University of South Africa recently played a pivotal role in implementing an inter‐ and multidisciplinary undergraduate programme in environmental management. This programme prepares students for entry‐level occupations, and equips them with the knowledge, skills and values needed to contribute to sustainable development. Both BA and BSc students are catered for, which contributes to the broadening of undergraduate education. This programme is unique because of its inclusion at undergraduate level and because it is offered through distance education. The teaching approach acknowledges that the causes of environmental problems are not simple, and are rooted in the nature of political, social and economic systems. It acknowledges that the solutions to environmental problems are equally complex, requiring not only specialist inputs, but also value and structural shifts. In line with the latest trends in education, a student‐activating approach is followed, with emphasis on real case studies, the flexible application of knowledge, and formative and integrated assessment. An overview is given of the experience that has been gained through designing and implementing this programme. This experience may serve to stimulate discussion on how to improve education and training in this field. The results of a pilot survey conducted among the students enrolled for this programme are presented. Their responses reflect a positive attitude to the programme, especially concerning the interconnectedness of modules, the fostering of environmental awareness, and its usefulness for career objectives.

Sustainable development policies as indicators and pre-conditions for sustainability efforts at universities: Fact or fiction?

Purpose There is a widely held belief that sustainable development (SD) policies are essential for universities to successfully engage in matters related to sustainability, and are an indicator of the extent to which they are active in this field. This paper aims to examine the evidence which currently exists to support this assumption. It surveys a sample of universities in Brazil, Germany, Greece, Portugal, South Africa and the UK and the USA to ascertain the extent to which universities that are active in the field of sustainable development have formal policies on sustainable development, and whether such policies are a pre-condition for successful sustainability efforts. Design/methodology/approach The study involved 35 universities in seven countries (five universities respectively). A mixed-methods approach has been used, ranging from document analysis, website analysis, questionnaires and interviewing. Findings Although only 60 per cent of the sampled universities had a policy that specifically addressed SD, this cannot be regarded as an indicator that the remaining 40 per cent are not engaged with substantial actions that address SD. Indeed, all of the universities in the sample, regardless of the existence of a SD formal policy, demonstrated engagement with environmental sustainability policies or procedures in some form or another. This research has been limited by the availability and ability to procure information from the sampled universities. Despite this, it is one of the largest research efforts of this kind ever performed. Research limitations/implications This research has been limited by the availability and ability to procure information from the sampled universities. Practical implications The findings provide some valuable insights into the connections between SD policies on the one hand and the practice of sustainable development in higher education institutions on the other. Social implications Universities with SD policies can contribute to models of economic growth consistent with sustainable development. Originality/value The study is the one of the largest research efforts of this kind ever performed.

Adding value to education for sustainability in Africa with inquiry-based approaches in open and distance learning

Purpose – Inquiry-based approaches can potentially enrich sustainability learning in any educational context, more so in open and distance learning (ODL – perceived as theoretically inclined) and in regions of educational need (such as the Global South, of which Africa forms part). The purpose of this paper is to map the benefits and challenges of using inquiry-based learning (IBL), with reference to ODL and the value added by IBL in terms of education for sustainability (EfS) in Africa. Design/methodology/approach – Evidence-based reflection is used to provide a narrative assessment of the experience gained with IBL in two undergraduate sustainability-focussed modules in the Department of Geography at the University of South Africa (Unisa), an ODL provider in Africa and the Global South. Findings – Consideration of enabling and limiting factors indicates that although constraints are experienced, adoption of IBL approaches holds potential as pedagogic for EfS in Africa, due to grounding of learning in th...

From Correspondence to Online Provisioning in Open and Distance Learning: Greening Implications versus Practical and Organisational Imperatives

This chapter provides a reflection on the alignment between the ideal of campus greening and realities while moving towards greater sustainability in open and distance learning (ODL) in a developing world (Global South) context. The case study presented involves the University of South Africa (Unisa), a leading ODL provider and the largest university on the African continent. The focus is on the junior postgraduate (honours level/fourth year) offerings of the School of Environmental Sciences (SES), with greening implications and challenges associated with the shift from correspondence to online provisioning. Until recently, Unisa was a “traditional” distance education institution with heavy reliance on print-based material. The transformation from print-based to online offerings had a slow start because of issues related to access within the developing world context. These issues have to be addressed because of the direct greening implications of going online in the higher education sector. This reflection on the move from correspondence to online provisioning will be conducted against the backdrop of the transformation Unisa went through over the last decade, and which was triggered by the merger of the three former distance education institutions in South Africa into one mega institution. Developments such as a huge increase in student numbers, implementation of ODL as business model and becoming a signatory to the United Nations Global Compact (UNGC), had various impacts on Unisa. Within the latter context, a reflexive account is provided of the greening implications, challenges and solutions associated with the facilitation of online learning experiences and specifically online learning design, assessment and student support. Successful implementation and positive spinoffs for campus greening, however, will depend on buy-in from students, staff and college faculty. In order to achieve success, the attitudes and perceptions of these stakeholders need to be considered. By way of conclusion, some preliminary findings in this regard for the SES (Unisa) are made, thus contributing to the limited body of knowledge about the infusion of information and communication technologies in ODL provisioning in developing world (Global South) contexts.

Campus Greening in Open and Distance Learning: Curriculum Initiatives in the Department of Geography, University of South Africa

This chapter presents and reflects on two campus greening initiatives by the Department of Geography at the University of South Africa (Unisa). The first initiative is the environmental management degree programme, which was implemented in 2000 as the first multidisciplinary, cross-faculty study programme offered at the institution. Successes and challenges as experienced with this programme and how they have been addressed will be reflected upon, with emphasis on implications for campus greening. The second initiative is the signature module “Environmental awareness and responsibility” implemented in 2012, which is available to any student from any discipline at Unisa. This module is part of a group of signature modules, offered exclusively online at Unisa. The reflection on this module will focus on implementation challenges in terms of the online offering, together with the extent to which the main thrust of the module has been achieved, namely to take students from “knowing” about sustainability to “doing” something for sustainability and thereby contributing to campus greening. The experience gained with these two initiatives points to a number of additional measures which can be embedded into the curriculum to achieve full engagement of students with reference to environmental sustainability within their local contexts. As an open and distance learning (ODL) institution, these measures could include the sharing of sustainable practices and experiences on an online platform. This will enable students and academic staff to generate and disseminate good sustainable practices between each other in such a way that both parties can become critical voices in a global but sustainable world. Moving from a contents-driven to an application-based approach to sustainability will contribute to a shift in the values and attitudes of successful graduates who will be able to apply the outcomes of the curriculum to strengthen localised innovation and sustainable practices in their living and working environments.

Virtual Learning Environments for Transformation to Sustainability: A Case Study from the “South”

An appropriate pedagogy for supporting behavioural changes required to achieve more sustainable futures should include collaborative knowledge construction, within learning spaces allowing for critical discourse and reflection integrated with real-world applications. However, it is not easy to implement a challenge based pedagogy like this in institutions where the academic system utilises individual grading and related measures of success and with academic staff reluctant to use alternative approaches and to formulate course outcomes in terms of behavioural change. This chapter maps and critically reflects on the implementation of a sustainability focussed honours (junior post graduate, 4th level) degree, in which a transformative pedagogy is used. It is a fully online degree, offered by the Department of Geography, University of South Africa (an open and distance learning institution). Difficulties associated with collaborative learning for sustainability and the facilitation of project based research within the virtual learning environment are highlighted, and how these are addressed. These reflections include consideration of the Global South context within which Unisa functions, confronting students and staff with infrastructural issues such as access to information and communication technology, but not necessarily preventing transformational learning for sustainability.

Towards an Integrated Disciplinary Narrative and an Enhanced Role for Geography in Education for Sustainability: Reflections on South African Higher Education

As a bridging discipline between the humanities, social and physical sciences, the claim by Geography that it focuses on interactions between the ‘human’ and ‘natural’ world, positions it well to play a leading role in Education for Sustainability (EfS). Despite the prominence of the twenty-first century environmental dilemma and the increasing importance of sustainability and associated discourses, the international literature provides evidence that not all geographers attach the same importance to the synergy between the human-environment identity of the discipline and sustainability and thus do not necessarily align their teaching and research accordingly. As highlighted in the international literature, the extent of the contribution by Geography to EfS depends on the interpretation of the human-environment identity by geographers and how this is transferred to students during their undergraduate studies. Utilising undergraduate curriculum information obtained from 19 departments of Geography in South Africa, this chapter reflects on the dominance of the dualistic treatment of the human-environment identity in Geography curricula through the separation between Human and Physical Geography. However, Integrated/Thematic Geography, through which the human-environment identity is approached in a more holistic way, is under-represented in the curriculum. This largely one-sided approach to the human-environment identity in South African undergraduate Geography curricula may lead to over-simplified conceptualisations of the twenty-first century issues humankind is grappling with, and cannot be afforded much longer. The paper concludes with some options for transformation of Geography to move from the dualistic treatment of nature and society towards a more integrated approach, which will not only be true to the higher goal of the discipline, but also increase its utility in the context of EfS. This transformation which will ensure a continued role for the discipline in the increasingly cross-disciplinary context in which teaching, learning and research has to be conducted in order to be relevant in the twenty-first century.

Empowerment for Sustainability in a Community Context: Lifelong Learning and the Story of the BIG 5 Community Tourism Forum, Koffiekraal/Brakkuil (South Africa)

During a community asset mapping (CAMP) workshop in 2012 in the villages of Koffiekraal/Brakkuil (Northwest Province, South Africa), tourism was identified as a potential asset for community empowerment, development and poverty alleviation. As a result, a learning strategy was designed and implemented to create an awareness of the tourism resource potential of the local area. This strategy intended to empower community members to develop and successfully implement an authentic, local tourism product in sync with a sustainability agenda. The approach so far, and foreseen for subsequent phases, is in line with the post-development ethos of community development that is characteristic of CAMP. The idea is not to enforce pre-set conceptualisations of tourism on community members, but to lead them by self-discovery to awareness of resources for tourism at their disposal within the local context. This paper reviews the progress achieved so far with this project and critically reflects on the initial formal classroom sessions, transect walks through the village to identify possible attractions and the trail runs of a day tour that has subsequently been designed by community members. Despite the numerous challenges involved to translate the classroom theory to the reality of a grassroots designed and driven tourism tour, feedback by community members confirms that the process thus far triggered significant host awareness and learning, with notable gains for sustainable development in the local context and community context.

Utilising Work-Integrated Learning to Enhance Student Participation and Engagement in Sustainability Issues in Open and Distance Learning

Work-integrated learning (WIL) refers to a range of curricular, pedagogic and assessment practices focussed on blending formal learning with workplace concerns. In open and distance learning (ODL), incorporation of student’s personal and work related experiences with sustainability concerns, presents a challenge. WIL provides opportunity for development and implementation of place-based, practical pedagogies, thereby enhancing transformation towards sustainability while adding value to ODL. This paper utilises a case study from the National Diploma in Nature Conservation offered by the University of South Africa (Unisa), a major ODL provider in the Global South. In line with the growing popularity of qualitative inquiry in educational research, the case study utilises reflective narrative inquiry to capture and analyse how the WIL component of this qualification contributes to participation and engagement of students in tasks related to communication and sustainability. Apart from blending ODL, WIL and Education for Sustainability (EfS), another unique element involves the process through which WIL is implemented in the case study. This is not based on the typical placement of students at potential employers, but involves a seven day tourist visit simulation and assessment in a local nature reserve, facilitated by Unisa. After an initial pilot run, this format of providing the Unisa nature conservation students with a WIL opportunity has since been fully implemented and is repeated annually with great success. The case study is supplemented with a qualitative assessment of the experience obtained with the inclusion of WIL in this qualification. This assessment is conducted within an empirically validated framework for evaluation of WIL curricula, thereby generating additional insight into facilitation of outcomes. The paper concludes by sharing lessons learned and issues to consider with the implementation of WIL (including synergies with EfS), as well as providing pointers for decision makers and future research and consideration.

Engaging ODL Students with Biodiversity Issues: A South African Case Study on the Role of ESD

Biodiversity is regarded as a key asset in safeguarding the well-being of future generations. The threat to biodiversity through indiscretionary human activities is increasingly gaining attention, from local to global scales. Biodiversity forms part of the agenda for Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) through addressing inter-linkages between the various components and systems comprising the environment. This has been illustrated throughout the Decade of Education for Sustainable Development, which ended in 2014. As a result, significant progress has been made at various levels on the understanding of the impact of human consumption on biodiversity, together with the sensitization of students in terms of their potential roles to curb habitat and species loss as well as environmental degradation. This chapter utilises a case study approach to reflect on the way biodiversity is dealt with through the blended approach to ESD in the Diploma in Nature Conservation offered by the University of South Africa (UNISA). This blended approach is unique due to the combination of open distance learning (ODL), practical sessions, and work-integrated learning (WIL). A review of the flexibility of a blended approach to ODL, the challenges that were experienced, the means through which these were addressed and a future perspective, concludes this chapter.