Abstract
Education for sustainability demands transformative knowledge, which can be obtained through problem-based, project-organized learning (PBL). However, the integration of PBL and sustainability in higher education has not yet met the needs required due to the lack of application of a systemic perspective and strategy. In this literature review, we present an overview of research trends being developed with PBL in education for sustainability and how PBL is being used to educate students for sustainability. The scientific production of the last 22 years is analyzed, and we verify that the use of PBL as a methodology for education in sustainability is a rather recent innovation, with an emphasis on the environmental dimension. Learning assessment methodologies are based on summative approaches using traditional methods like scoring tests. There is an explicit preference to integrate PBL and sustainability in undergraduate and graduate courses, mainly in engineering. We observe that most of the time, the subject of interdisciplinarity is not discussed. We concluded that there are a few concerns with research on education for sustainability using PBL. Although PBL proposes an innovative form of education, its implementation in education for sustainability has not been fully explored to its full potential, especially concerning the development of sustainability skills, transformative and holistic education, but rather as a form of content-based assessment.
References
Albareda-Tiana, S., Vidal-Raméntol, S., Pujol-Valls, M., & Fernandez-Morilla, M. (2018). Holistic approaches to develop sustainability and research competences in pre-service teacher training, Sustainability, 10(10), 3698. https://doi.org/10.3390/su10103698
Albareda-Tiana, S., Garcia-Gonzáles, E., Jiménez-Fontana, R., & Solis-Espallargas, C. (2019). Implementing pedagogical approaches for ESD in initial teacher training at Spanish universities. Sustainability, 11(18), 4927. https://doi.org/10.3390/su11184927
Aleixo, A. M., Leal, S., & Azeiteiro, U. M. (2021). Higher education students’ perceptions of sustainable development in Portugal. Journal of Cleaner Production, 327, 129429. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.JCLEPRO.2021.129429
Annelin, A., & Boström, G.O. (2023). An assessment of key sustainability competencies: a review of scales and propositions for validation. International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education, 24(9), 53–69. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJSHE-05-2022-0166
Baligar, P., Kavale, S., Kaushik, M., Josh, G., & Shettar, A. (2018). Engineering exploration: a collaborative experience of designing and evolving a freshman course, Proc., 2018 World Engineering Education Forum - Global Engineering Deans Council (WEEF-GEDC), Albuquerque, NM, USA, 1-5. https://doi.org/10.1109/WEEF-GEDC.2018.8629768
Borrego, M., Foster, M.J., & Froyd, J.E. (2014). Systematic literature reviews in engineering education and other developing interdisciplinary fields, Journal of Engineering Education, 103(1), 46-76. https://doi.org/10.1002/jee.20038
Buser, M., Store-Valen, M., Olsen, E.B., Lauridsen, K.A., & Straub, M. (2017). Defining education to support sustainable operation of buildings in the Nordic countries, Proceeding of the 9th Nordic Conference on Construction Economics and Organization, Goteborg, Sweden, 69 – 78.
Cabedo, L., Royo, M., Moliner, L., & Guraya, T. (2018). University social responsibility towards engineering undergraduates: the effect of methodology on a service-learning experience. Sustainability, 10(6), 1823. https://doi.org/10.3390/su10061823
Chan, M., & Nagatomo, D. (2021). Study of STEM for Sustainability in Design Education: Framework for Student Learning and Outcomes with Design for a Disaster Project, Sustainability, 14(1), 312. https://doi.org/10.3390/su14010312
Chen, J., Kolmos, A., & Du, X. (2021). Forms of implementation and challenges of PBL in engineering education: a review of literature. European Journal of Engineering Education, 46(1), 90-115. https://doi.org/10.1080/03043797.2020.1718615
Crowe, S., Cresswell, K., Robertson, A., Huby, G., Avery, A., & Sheik, A. (2011). The case study approach. BMC Medical Research Methodology, 11 (100), 1-9. https://doi.org/10.1186/1471-2288-11-100
De Graaf, E., & Kolmos, A. (2003). Characteristics of Problem-based learning. International Journal of Engineering Education, 19(5), 657-662.
Dobson, H.E., & Tomkinson, C.B. (2012). Creating sustainable development change agents through problem-based learning, International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education, 13(3), 263 – 278. https://doi.org/10.1108/14676371211242571
Doukarani, E., Ktoridou, D., Efthymiou, L., & Epaminonda, E. (2021). The Quest for Sustainable Teaching Praxis: Opportunities and Challenges of Multidisciplinary and Multicultural Teamwork, Sustainability, 13(13), 7210. https://doi.org/10.3390/su13137210
Du, X., Su, L., & Liu, J. (2013). Developing sustainability curricula using the PBL method in a Chinese context, Journal of Cleaner Production, 61, 80-88. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2013.01.012
Edström, K., & Kolmos, A. (2014). PBL and CDIO: Complementary Models for Engineering Education Development. European Journal of Engineering Education, 39(5), 539–555. https://doi.org/10.1080/03043797.2014.895703
Elkington, J. (1994). Towards the Sustainable Corporation: Win-Win-Win Business Strategies for Sustainable Development. California Management Review, 36, 90-100. http://dx.doi.org/10.2307/41165746
EU Science Hub. (2022). GreenComp: the European sustainability competence framework. European Commission. https://joint-research-centre.ec.europa.eu/greencomp-european-sustainability-competence-framework_en
Fisher, D., King, J., Rieckmann, M., Barth, M., Büssing, A., Hemmer, I., & Lindau-Bank, D. (2022). Teacher Education for Sustainable Development: A Review of an Emerging Research Field. Journal of Teacher Education, 73(5), 509–524. https://doi.org/10.1177/00224871221105784
Gamage, K. A. A., & Silva, E. K. de. (2022). Barriers, New Developments, and Emerging Trends in Sustainability in HE. The Wiley Handbook of Sustainability in Higher Education Learning and Teaching, 453–459. https://doi.org/10.1002/9781119852858.CH22
Gladysz, B., Urgo, M., Gapari, L., Pozzan, G., Stock, T., Haskins, C., Jarzebowska, E., & Kohl, H. (2018). Sustainable innovation in a multi-university master course, Procedia Manufacturing, 21, 18-25. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.promfg.2018.02.090
Gladsz, B., Urgo, M., Stock, T., Haskins, C., Sieckmann, F., Jarzebowska E., Kohl, H., Strandhagen, J.O., & Tollio, T. (2020). Sustainable engineering master module – insights from three cohorts of European engineering team. International Journal of Sustainable Manufacturing, 4 (2/3/4), 413-432. https://doi.org/10.1504/IJSM.2020.107130
Guerra, A. (2012) Problem-based learning and education for sustainable development: an overview in engineering education, Proc. International Conference on Education and New Learning Technologies - Barcelona, Spain, 557-565.
Guerra, A. (2017). Integration of sustainability in engineering education. Why is PBL an answer? International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education, 18(3), 436-454. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJSHE-02-2016-0022
Guerra, A., & Kolmos, A. (2011). Comparing problem-based learning models: suggestions for their implementation. In J. Davies, E. De Graaff, & A. Kolmos (Eds.), PBL across the disciplines: Research into best practice, Aalborg: Aalborg Universitetsforlag, 3-17.
Guerra, A., & Rodriguez, F. (2021). Educating engineers 2030 – PBL, social progress and sustainability, European Journal of Engineering Education, 46(1), 1-3. https://doi.org/10.1080/03043797.2020.1828678
Guerra, A., Ulseth, R., & Kolmos, A. (2017). PBL in engineering education: International perspectives on curriculum change. In PBL in Engineering Education: International Perspectives on Curriculum Change. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-6300-905-8
Gutierrez-Bucheli, L., Kidman, G., & Reid, A. (2022). Sustainability in engineering education: A review of learning outcomes. Journal of Cleaner Production, 330, 129734. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.JCLEPRO.2021.129734
ICEE (2021). Engineering for sustainable development: delivering on the Sustainable Development Goals. In Engineering Innovations and the Sustainable Development Goals - ICCE UNESCO, 2021. https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000375644.locale=en
Herath, H.M.T.R.; Rathnayake, P.S. (2019). A critical approach towards sustainable development models – a review. International Journal of Agriculture Innovations and Research, 7(4), 446-454, ISSN 2319-1473.
Hermes, J., & Rimanoczy, I. (2018). Deep learning for a sustainability mindset. The International Journal of Management Education, 16, 460-467. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijme.2018.08.001
Hibbert, R. (2016). What is an immature science? International Studies in the Philosophy of Science, 30(1), 1–17. https://doi.org/10.1080/02698595.2016.1240433
Hsiao, H., Chen, J., Chen, J., Zeng, Y., & Chung, G. (2022). An assessment of junior high school students’ knowledge, creativity, and hands-on performance using PBL via cognitive-affective interaction model to achieve STEAM, Sustainability, 14(9), 5582. https://doi.org/10.3390/su14095582
Jensen, A.A., Ravn, O., & Stentoft, D. (2019). Problem-Based Projects, Learning and Interdisciplinarity in Higher Education. In Jensen, A. A., Stentoft, D., & Ravn, O. (Eds.), Interdisciplinarity and Problem-Based Learning in Higher Education. Innovation and Change in Professional Education. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-18842-9_2
Kagawa, F. (2007). Dissonance in students' perceptions of sustainable development and sustainability: Implications for curriculum change, International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education, 8(3), 317-338. https://doi.org/10.1108/14676370710817174
Kuhn, T. S. (1970). The Structure of Scientific Revolutions. 2nd ed. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press.
Kolmos, A., & Fink, F. K. (2004). The Aalborg PBL Model: Progress, Diversity and Challenges. Edited by L. Krogh. Aalborg: Aalborg University Press.
Kolmos, A., Graff, E., & Du, X. (2009). Diversity of PBL - PBL Learning Principles and Models. In X. Du, E. Graaff, & A. Kolmos (Eds.), Research on PBL practice in Engineering Education, 9–21. https://doi.org/10.1163/9789087909321_003
Leicht, A., Heiss, J., & Byun, W. J. (2018). Issues and trends in Education for Sustainable Development, 2018. http://www.unesco.org/open-access/terms-use-ccbysa-en
Lorente-Echeverría, S., Murillo-Pardo, B., & Canales-Lacruz, I. (2022). A Systematic Review of Curriculum Sustainability at University: A Key Challenge for Improving the Professional Development of Teachers of the Future. Education Sciences, 12(11), 753. https://doi.org/10.3390/EDUCSCI12110753
Martín-Garin, A., Millán-Garcia, J.A., Leon, I., Oregi, X., Estevez, J., & Marieta, C. (2021). Pedagogical Approaches for Sustainable Development in Building in Higher Education, Sustainability, 13(18), 10203. https://doi.org/10.3390/su131810203
Orozco-Messana, J., & De la Poza, E. (2018). The ISA Lab workshop: a Project based learning initiative, Proc. 4th International Conference on Higher Education Advances (HEAd’18), Valencia, Spain, 1593 – 1600. https://doi.org/10.4995/HEAD18.2018.8395
Page, M.J., McKenzie, J.E., Bossuyt, P.M., Boutron, I., Hoffmann, T.C., Mulrow, C.D., Shamseer, L., Tetzlaff, J.M., Akl, E.A., Brennan, S.E., Chou, R., Glanville, J., Grimshaw, J.M., Hróbjartsson, A., Lalu, M.M., Li T., Loder, E.W., Mayo-Wilson, E., McDonald, S., McGuiness, L.A., Stewart, L.A., Thomas, J., Tricco, A.C., Welsch, V.A., Whiting, P., & Moher, D. (2021). The PRISMA 2020 statement: an updated guideline for reporting systematic reviews. BMJ, 372(71).
https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.n71
Pariatamby, A., & Hansen, J.A. (2007). Universities in Capacity Building in Sustainable Development: Focus on Solid Waste Management and Technology, Waste Manage Research, 25(3), 241–246. https://doi.org/10.1177/0734242X07079155
Podogórska, M., & Zdonek, I. (2022). Sustainable Technologies Supported by Project-Based Learning in the Education of Engineers: A Case Study from Poland, Energies, 15(1), 278. https://doi.org/10.3390/en15010278
Poursharif, G., Doss, T.P., Broadbent, R., & Knight, G. (2021). Developing Global Engineers Through Interdisciplinary PBL and Design Thinking, Proc. 2021 IEEE Global Engineering Education Conference (EDUCON), Vienna, Austria, 194-198. https://doi.org/10.1109/EDUCON46332.2021.9453869
Probst, L. (2022). Higher Education for Sustainability: A Critical Review of the Empirical Evidence 2013-2020. Sustainability (Switzerland), 14(6), 3402. https://doi.org/10.3390/SU14063402
Rodríguez Aboytes, J. G., & Barth, M. (2020). Transformative learning in the field of sustainability: a systematic literature review (1999-2019). International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education, 21(5), 993–1013. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJSHE-05-2019-0168
Scerri, A., & James, P. (2010). Communities of citizens and “indicators” of sustainability. Community Development Journal, 45(2), 219–236. https://doi.org/10.1093/cdj/bsp013
Serafini, P. G., Moura, J. M. de, Almeida, M. R. de, & Rezende, J. F. D. (2022). Sustainable Development Goals in Higher Education Institutions: A systematic literature review. Journal of Cleaner Production, 370, 133473. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.JCLEPRO.2022.133473
Stake, R.E. (1995). The art of case study research London: Sage Publications Ltd.
Sterling, S. (1996). Education in Change. In John Huckle & Stephen Sterling (Eds.), Education for Sustainability, Earthscan, 18-39.
Sterling, S. (2004). Higher Education, Sustainability, and the Role of Systemic Learning. Higher Education and the Challenge of Sustainability, 49–70. https://doi.org/10.1007/0-306-48515-X_5
Tasdemir, C., & Gazo, R. (2020). Integrating sustainability into higher education curriculum through a transdisciplinary perspective, Journal of Cleaner Production, 265, 1-14. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2020.121759
Teff-Seker, Y., Portman, M.E., & Kaplan-Mintz, K. (2019). Project-based Learning in education for sustainable development: a case study of graduate planning students, Case Studies in the Environment, 3(1), 1-16. https://doi.org/10.1525/cse.2018.001537
Tejedor, G., Segalàs, J., Barrón, A., Fernández-Morilla, M., Fuertes, M.T., Ruiz-Morales, J., Gutiérrez, I., García-González, P.A., & Hernàndez, A. (2019). Didactic strategies to promote competencies in sustainability. Sustainability, 11(7), 2086. https://doi.org/10.3390/su11072086
Terrón-López, M.J., Velasco-Quintana, P.J., Lavado-Anguera, S., & Espinosa-Elvira, M.C. (2020). Preparing Sustainable Engineers: A Project-Based Learning Experience in Logistics with Refugee Camps, Sustainability, 12(12), 4817. https://doi.org/10.3390/su12124817
Thürer, M., Tomasevic, I., Stevenson, M., Qu, T., & Huisingh, D. (2018). A systematic review of the literature on sustainability into engineering curricula, Journal of Cleaner Production, 181, 608-617. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2017.12.130
UN (2015). Transforming our world: The 2030 agenda for sustainable development, A/RES/70/1.
UNESCO (2004). United Nations Decade of Education for Sustainable Development 2004-2005 – Draft International Implementation Scheme, New York.
United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division (2022). World Population Prospects 2022: Summary of Results. UN DESA/POP/2022/TR/NO. 3.
Wiltshier, P., & Edwards, M. (2014) Managing knowledge transfer partnership for a rural community, Kybernetes, 43(3/4), 629-651. https://doi.org/10.1108/K-07-2013-0128
WORLD COMMISSION ON ENVIRONMENT AND DEVELOPMENT (WCED). (1987). Our Common Future; Oxford University Press: New York, NY, USA.
Wu, Y.J., & Shen, J. (2016). Higher education for sustainable development: a systematic review. International Journal of Sustainability in High Education, 17(5), 633-651. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJSHE-01-2015-0004
Xi, J., & Wang, X. (2022). Development of Landscape architecture design students’ pro-environmental awareness by Project-Based Learning, Sustainability, 14(4), 2164. https://doi.org/10.3390/su14042164
Yasin, R.M., & Rahman, S. (2011). Problem-Oriented Project Based Learning (POPBL) in Promoting, Procedia Social and Behavioral Sciences, 15, 289-293. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2011.03.088
Yousof, K.M., Sadikin, A.N., Phang, F.A., & Aziz, A.A. (2016). Instilling Professional Skills, and Sustainable Development through Problem-Based Learning (PBL) among First Year Engineering Students, International Journal of Engineering Education, 32(1B), 333–347.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Copyright (c) 2024 Luiz Ney d'Escoffier, Aida Guerra, Marco Braga