Supporting the design of sustainability-related higher education: Pedagogical method mixes and their effectiveness drivers

Abstract

[EN] This paper aims to investigate eight pedagogical methods that are discussed and used in the context of sustainability education (i.e. lectures, case studies, debates, group discussions, in-class role plays, consulting, research and service learning projects) in terms of their manifestations on nine so-called pedagogical impact variables suggested to drive teaching effectiveness. Manifestations were determined by means of a two-stage online Delphi survey conducted with experts from the field of sustainability education. Results reveal that all pedagogical methods except lecture have positive manifestations for all impact variables with variations in the degree and that a mixed picture is present for lectures. By showing in detail which method is suitable for what and how well, the results offer important insights that can assist with the design of teaching or, more concrete, the compilation of course method mixes.