DOI
10.1108/IJSHE-01-2013-0005

Summary
This study is concerned with classroom assessment of five key sustainability competencies and how they are developed by students of various ages, gender, and disciplinary affiliations who are subjected to an introductory transdisciplinary sustainability course.

Remington-Doucette & Musgrove use a pre- and post-test based on two case studies to extrapolate the relevant data on student progression. They then discuss the implications of the study for teaching and overall structure of educational programs for sustainability. The study abstract is clearly laid out with purpose, design/methodology/approach, findings, research limitations, practical implications, and originality/value. The paper is long at 45 pages buy offers valuable information teaching and learning activities as well as a framework for study replication.

The five key sustainability competencies, as described by Wiek et al. (2011) have been aligned with a framework and minimised to four distinct modulus for this study:

(1) Current state (problems) analysis.

(2) Sustainability visioning.

(3) Future scenario development (scenarios that may become reality without sustainability interventions).

(4) Transition strategies.

The introductory section is long and detailed, covering topics of systems thinking competence, normative competence, strategic competence, anticipatory competence, interpersonal competence, sustainability competencies and pedagogy.  

The study was conducted with the use of undergraduate students from a variety of ages, gender and disciplinary affiliations. The variety of these parameters are detailed in section 2 along with descriptions of the assessment materials and procedure. In brief the study involved a survey of 11 questions for two different case studies (one presented at the start and the second at the end of the module). Responses were rated form 0 = no skill to 5 = exceptional skill and compiled for analytical reports which used SPSS statistical software and the Shapiro-Wilk test. The competencies both pre- and post-test are detailed in section 3 with accompanying tables. The concluding remarks detail the various successes of knowledge development among the students and implications for teaching under the various disciplinary affiliations.  

Relevance for Complex Systems Knowledge
This study is relevant to sustainability and complex systems and systems thinking. Remington-Doucette & Musgrove provide a highly detailed study on the development of sustainability and systems thinking knowledge of students from various demographics and study affiliations. The authors provide a detailed literature based discussion in all sections of the paper which hold direct relevance to the teaching of systems thinking and sustainable development. They recommended a number of areas in which educational systems/curriculum can better enhance the learning of sustainable development. These include; problem-based presentation of key sustainability concepts, inclusion of real-world sustainability problems and the use of hands-on activities, case studies, role-playing and group work.




Systems thinking is described and defined here in multiple fashions:

‘the ability to collectively analyse complex systems across different domains (society, environment, economy, etc.) and across different scales (local to global), thereby considering cascading effects, inertia, feedback loops and other systemic features related to sustainability issues and sustainability problem-solving frameworks’
‘Systems thinking competence assists us in understanding the interconnectedness and behaviour of these systems and their emergent properties, and allows us to grapple with the multiple perspectives and apparently unmanageable problems that arise and for which there may be no perfect solution’.
Systems thinking has been characterized as “one of the most important higher-order thinking skills in advanced learning, yet the most difficult one to master”
‘Systems thinking involves the ability to identify and prioritize social, environmental and economic challenges’.

Sustainability is described and defined here in multiple fashion:

‘Sustainability is an inherently value-laden concept that says human activity should preserve natural capital without diminishing the well-being of those living today or n the future’.
‘Sustainability is ultimately oriented to solving “wicked problems”.
It is aimed at ‘development which meets the needs of current generations without compromising the ability for future generations to meet their own needs’

Point of Strength
The paper as a whole presents itself as a highly valuable piece of work for the reimagining of higher education. The study also presents an extremely detailed study design and methodology for assessment and analysis which may be seen as a useful opportunity for the replication of this study in a similar context. The detailed introductory descriptions of systems thinking, sustainable development and various competencies contribute well to the literature.

The various definitions of systems thinking and sustainable development may be a valuable resources of this study.

It calls for such activities as real-world interactive challenges, role playing activities, case studies and group work to encourage the learning of systems thinking.