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2017 | Buch

Sustainability, Green IT and Education Strategies in the Twenty-first Century

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Über dieses Buch

This work presents and discusses the latest approaches and strategies for implementing Sustainability and Green IT into higher education and business environments. Following the global financial crisis in 2007/2008, businesses began to struggle coping with the increased IT/IS cost and their environmental footprint. As a consequence, action by universities to incorporate sustainability and ‘Green IT’ as parts of their teaching and learning materials, acknowledging their importance for global and local businesses, is being increasingly implemented. The book addresses the cooperation and coordination between academics and practitioners needed in order to achieve the changes required to obtain sustainability.

Intended for researchers, lecturers and post-graduate students, as well as professionals in the Information Society and ICT and education sectors, and policy makers.

Inhaltsverzeichnis

Frontmatter
Changing the Students’ Mind-set via Sustainability
Abstract
This chapter discusses and examines the integration of a sustainability unit in the higher education curriculum in Western Australia. The Information Technology Seminar 65 (ITS65) unit was developed subsequent to the repercussions of the global financial crisis in 2007–2008 which saw businesses and users struggling to survive, especially in the area of information technology/systems. The ITS65 unit aims to provide students with an understanding, knowledge and experience of Organizational Sustainable Strategy and Green IT. This chapter will examine whether the completion of the ITS65 unit can transform students’ mindset. This chapter provides empirical evidence based on quantitative and qualitative data derived from two sources. The first is the anonymous informal feedback collected during the semester, while the second (the formal) is the other anonymous online system for gathering and reporting students’ perceptions of their learning experiences at the university. Evaluations of and attitudes to the ITS65 unit were collected from 89 out from 127 students via the university’s ‘eVALUate’ system. Finally, students’ comments indicate that their completion of the ITS65 unit changed their mindset and made them more aware of sustainability and Green IT, and their moral responsibility for the natural environment.
Tomayess Issa, Theodora Issa
Sustainability Perspective and Awareness Amongst Higher Education in Australia
Abstract
There are positive and negative aspects to the adoption and implementation of sustainability by individuals and businesses. However, if the implementation of sustainability is properly and correctly planned, users will obtain the desired benefits such as financial rewards, brand and reputation enhancement; shareholder satisfaction and human resource efficiency; natural resources conservation; and environmental protection. However, the adoption and implementation of sustainability can have negative consequences in terms of failure and cost. Therefore, to reduce the possibility of these occurring, awareness and training should be made available to individuals and businesses. As discussed in this chapter, the author conducted an online survey with 208 respondents from Australia to examine students’ perspective and awareness toward sustainability. The online survey generated a further three positive and two negative aspects associated with students’ knowledge and understanding of sustainability. Finally, further research will be conducted in future to examine more diverse groups of stakeholders in order to strengthen the research findings.
Tomayess Issa
Sustainable Development, Ethics, Strategy and International Higher Education: The Case of Australia and France
Abstract
It is almost one decade to the day when we observed a global financial crisis which hit the markets worldwide, slowed down the global markets and financial systems to nonentity or even adverse growth rates. The negative ramifications had far-reaching effects resulting in a social crisis impacting on millions of people in different parts of the world. There were several calls for governments at all levels, industry, and most importantly to academia to work together with other organizations to create ethically responsible alternatives to address the crisis. Although there can be no turning back, there is a need to move forward; thus, educators in the higher education sector have been motivated to examine options and seek solutions that could mitigate the effects of hard times in future. One of these attempts is discussed in this chapter, which reports on the development and the facilitation of a course (unit) on ‘Sustainable Development and Business/ Ethical Strategies’ (SDBS/SDES). SDBS/SDES was developed in Australia for delivery to international students from different parts of the world enrolled at a European partner’s business school in France. This course (unit), with ongoing updates, was presented six times in France and has enabled students to adopt a new perspective towards change, outlining a new strategy through innovation in an ever-changing, fluctuating, ambiguous, uncertain and contemporary ‘risk society’ [2]. The topic of sustainable development, intertwined with business and ethical strategies, has gained momentum in various areas including governments, international organizations (e.g. UN PRiME), and business education courses. To understand the multidisciplinary nature of this vast topic, which in part touches on ethical issues, sustainability and strategic development in contemporary business, the SDBS/SDES course (unit) was designed to give students the opportunity to engage in class discussions and debates, sharing their unique international experiences. This facilitated the transformation of their mindsets despite their diverse cultural backgrounds. This transformation was measured through the close monitoring of class discussions, and checking ongoing assessments including reflective accounts (daily and final), which were designed in consultation with the European partner in France. This paper provides a brief literature review of the concepts under study, followed by an insight into the development and facilitation of the SDBS/SDES course (unit). It concludes with an analysis of part of the quantitative and qualitative data collected from (N = 138) students on each of the six occasions when the unit was delivered and facilitated in France (February 2010, February 2011, November 2011, November 2012, November 2013 and November 2014). This is coupled with the course (unit) designer/facilitator’s personal reflection. Though this chapter has its limitations, it is a step forward in developing an international perspective towards teaching these important issues to Business and Management students at a global level at such crucial times.
Theodora Issa
From Understanding Net Generation Expectation to Sustainable Student Engagement
Abstract
While evolving technology brings changes in teaching and learning environment, mega classes with a large number of students from diverse social and educational background convey another challenge in the learning dynamics. It is important to understand the diversity in students’ preferred learning styles and expectations of Net generation students. Learning activities should be designed based on the students’ preferred learning styles and expectations to enhance the sustainable student engagement which results in improved students’ learning experience and achieving the learning outcomes. New learning technology can be deployed to provide the chance to gain better knowledge through experience as well as equal opportunity to participate in classroom discussion regardless of their self-confidence level.
S Zaung Nau
Understanding “Sustainability” and Attitudes of Students to the Concept of “Sustainable Development” in China and the UK
Abstract
This chapter is an investigation into the way(s) that words and phrases such as, “sustainability” and “the environment” are used within China and the UK. It is a comparative analysis of responses from 18 to 21 year old students of Architecture in both countries – carried out by questionnaire sampling of students from both regions – and provides an initial assessment of the extent and possible meaning of any key differences in understanding of these terms. The discourse on sustainability is well-established in the UK but is not regularly taught as mainstream in Chinese universities, and yet many tutors, lecturers and practitioners educated outside China who are employed or guest lecture in our particular joint China-British university (and evidence shows that this also happens in other Chinese universities) are bringing a Western educational language of sustainability to Chinese students. In my experience, this has led to some discussion among students and this paper – concerning itself with issues related to sustainability – is the start of a wider assessment of social, cultural, practical and political differences in the classroom: in the West and in China. Drawing on a comparison of student responses from one Chinese university and three academically comparable universities in the UK – including questionnaire responses from 115 students studying in UK and 321 students studying in China (436 respondents in total), I examine their understanding of sustainability that might facilitate the use of these concepts more meaningfully. My findings indicate that there are clear disparities between students in China and UK reflecting a different understanding of expectations, settings and context.
Austin Williams
Sustainability Awareness in Thailand
Abstract
As we know, the world is rapidly changing. At the present time, many people and institutions all over the world are becoming increasingly concerned about the negative impacts of environmental and climate changes because people still want to fulfill their needs but neglect to consider our planet’s non-infinite supply of natural resources. For this reason, the sustainability concept has been established for preventing, protecting, restoring, and maintaining the natural resources. Sustainability has to do with meeting the needs of the current generation while safeguarding the needs of future generations. It also aims to increase the economic growth and wellbeing of the society. Consequently, this study will examine the resource users’ reactions and attitudes to sustainability awareness in Thailand because Thailand is the one of developing countries that will suffer the impacts of environmental and climate changes. Thai people should be educated in order to increase their awareness of the sustainability concept. The survey consisted of questions under three sections intended to elicit information about the respondents themselves, their usage of the Internet and communication devices, and their awareness of the opportunities and risks associated with sustainability. The survey results (115 valid responses) showed that Thai people think the sustainability concept can expand their job opportunities and reduce pollution and gas emissions such as CO2, CH4, and N2O. On the other hand, some Thai people believe that if the organizations do not implement sustainable development, this can result in fraud, transaction failure, government failure and threats to the environment. Finally, this research has several limitations. Firstly, it took a long time to receive responses from potential participants since some did not appreciate the importance of the study, or had limited time to respond outside of office hours. Secondly, the target group was restricted to Thai workers who had different roles within their organizations. Lastly, there was the issue of incomplete questionnaires because some respondents did not complete the last section of the survey or there was missing data elsewhere in the survey.
Nattarinee Phoorisart
Sustainability Awareness in Vietnam’s Higher Education Sector
Abstract
Sustainability is becoming more imperative all over the world, with many countries signing environmental agreement to prevent the issue from becoming worse. In November 2016, a number of international conferences on sustainability have been held in Marrakech, Morocco such as the 22nd session of the Conference of the Parties (COP 22), 12th session of the Conference of the Parties to the Kyoto Protocol (CMP 12), and the first session of the Conference of the Parties serving as the meeting of the Parties to the Paris Agreement (CMA 1). The success of these conferences confirmed the commitment of Paris Agreement implementation and continued cooperation of many countries on the climate change issue. Vietnam is a developing country that has taken part in the implementation of sustainable development; however, there are still environmental concerns due to unawareness of the issue and the irresponsible behaviours of organizations and individuals. This study aims to examine the advantages and disadvantages associated with sustainability awareness in Vietnam’s higher education sector. Via an online questionnaire, 281 participants were surveyed. Results indicate that the three advantages of sustainability adoption are: improved efficiency and reduction in resource usage, fulfilment of investor expectations and differentiating achievements, and reduction of environmental impacts. The two disadvantages are the possibility that there will be breaches of regulations and compliance; and an increase in the number of scandals, crises and failures due to environmental problems, irresponsibility and disasters. Educators in Vietnam should consider the sustainability issue in their courses in order to raise the awareness of students. Additionally, to ensure the success of sustainability implementation, businesses should ensure that all staff at every level of the organisation is clear about sustainability and sustainability practices.
Anh Tuan Hoang
The Opportunities and Risks of Sustainability Awareness in Sri Lankan Organizations
Abstract
In recent years, the issue of global warming has been a hot topic because of rapid changes in the environment. The researchers in various sectors have identified that the main causes of these rapid environmental changes are our human activities. In comparison with historical civilization extinction, that clearly indicates the upcoming danger towards the modern society. Therefore, it is highly important to pay more attention to the limitations of our natural resources. The extinction of habitats and ancient human civilizations has gradually begun years ago. Many natural species have been completely eradicated, due to unhealthy ecological systems. The modern world is making a consolidated effort to protect earth’s natural resources. They emphasize that the extraction of natural resources must be limited because it is vital that resources exist for future generations. The formula now being used to tackle sustainability issues consists of Economy, Environment and Society. Those three elements are interrelated. The change in one element does have a direct impact on other elements. Therefore, the world understands the fact that the economic element is the one that can have a greater influence on society and the environment too. Therefore, it is highly important to address the sustainability elements in the economic sector because failure to deliver sustainable outcomes to the environment will result in severe negative consequences. A better understanding of Sri Lanka’s sustainability awareness at the organizational level is very timely, based on two factors: firstly, the country is one of the developing countries, and secondly, it is engaged in international business. Therefore, the awareness of Sri Lanka’s sustainability from the perspective of organizations is factually analyzed in order to determine whether there is an awareness of the opportunities and risks associated with sustainability. To understand the level of awareness, the researcher has designed and distributed an online survey. As a result, 178 completed survey answers were able to be considered from a total of 312 participants.
Pathirana Hemage Gihan Dhanushka
The Advantages and Risks of Sustainability Awareness in the Indian Higher Education Sector
Abstract
In response to the global climatic changes, loss of biodiversity and the immense human encroachment upon nature, sustainability development is being promoted worldwide. Sustainability development through education is being fostered by international organizations worldwide in efforts to make the younger generation more aware of sustainability issues. In this chapter, we explore the development of sustainability through education in the socio-cultural context of India. Through the online survey, research explores the advantages and risks associated with sustainability awareness. Findings of the research were new factors generated using the statistical analysis tool SPSS (Statistical Package for Social Science). The new factors generated for the advantages were 4R, increased effectiveness and efficiency; meeting the responsibilities of the society, and the stakeholder expectations. The new factors generated for the risks were market failure crisis, increased fraud and failure in governance, more regulations and market scarcity of materials. In a further discussion, the research compares the new factors with the findings from the literature review. The thesis also suggests the future research areas and outlines the limitations of this project.
Nidhin Francis
Sustainability in Organizations: Bhutan’s Perspective
Abstract
Sustainability and sustainable development are two buzzwords gaining significance globally because of glaring challenges that are threatening the sustainability of the earth in the form of climate change, shortage of energy resources, food security, global warming, etc. Unlike conventional sustainability that considers only the environmental perspective, the modern view of sustainability is three-dimensional comprising of social values, stewardship of the natural environment, and economic benefits. This study examines the factors influencing the behavior of organizations in Bhutan towards sustainability explicated in terms of opportunities and risks in order to understand Bhutan’s perspective on sustainability or sustainable development. A deductive approach and quantitative online survey method were used in this study. One hundred and seventeen eligible respondents from various public organizations in Bhutan responded to the online survey questionnaires. Email was used as the main source of dissemination of the survey. Factor analysis was performed to discover underlying unobserved factors that are impacting on the observed variables. The results indicated that Bhutan places relatively high importance on the protection of the environment and reduction of health hazards, and also believes that sustainable practices in organizations can satisfy stakeholders’ expectations and improve business performance. On the other hand, the study also found that Bhutan apparently feels that integrating sustainability practices in organizations’ business models might increase fraud and environmental responsibility, which could escalate cost and investment, increase the number of regulations. In a nutshell, it can be concluded that Bhutan is aware of sustainability but its perception regarding sustainability is inclined more towards the environmental elements.
Sonam Delma
Sustainability Awareness in Singapore’s Higher Education Sector
Abstract
Sustainable development is not merely a passing trend but a movement in transforming our world into a better place. This study explores and examines sustainability awareness in the Singaporean higher education sector. As deduced from the literature review, sustainability plays an important role in improving the environmental, economic and social performance of individuals and businesses. This study examines the advantages and risks in relation to sustainability awareness in Singapore’s tertiary education institutions. It is evident that strides are being made in sustainable development on a global scale. Singapore was the first South East Asian country to recognise the potential importance of sustainability. However, Singapore’s higher education sector has not fully integrated sustainability into its education programs. This research will act as a tool of information and a foundation for further research studies on sustainability awareness and the role of higher education. This research was conducted using an online survey questionnaire which was distributed to the general public in Singapore. The data collected was analysed in accordance with the research objectives and questions. The newly derived factors were formed based on the data collected in relation to the advantages and risks associated with sustainability in Singapore. A few key recommendations were provided such as collaboration with all stakeholders, environmental issues need to be a top priority for the education system, and constant monitoring on environmental efforts. This research aims to provide information about the role of higher education in cultivating sustainability awareness for the future young leaders in Singapore.
Nimitra Revi Chandran
Examining the Opportunities and Risks Associated with Sustainability Awareness in Higher Education in Pakistan
Abstract
This study aims to examine the risks and opportunities associated with adopting sustainability in higher education, focusing on Pakistan. The issues related to climate change and global warming have surpassed shocking levels to the extent that it is being discussed in major forums on a frequent basis. Most recently a summit organised in Paris, United Nations conference on climate change (COP21), aims to address these issues. More than 150 Heads of States and Governments are due to participate in this conference, making it one of the largest diplomatic conferences ever organised, aside from the United Nations General Assembly sessions. Literature review shows us that many steps have been taken in order to address these issues, however, as we are reminded by Albert Einstein “…it is important to avoid doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results”. Pakistan, being a developing country, is at a cross-road as a wide range of issues bear down upon it. Maintaining sustainability and stabilising the sustainability agenda is not one of the primary focus for its government. As it is known that poverty and sustainability go hand-in-hand, Pakistan must first adhere to the agenda of the Rio Convention of 1992 for eradication of poverty in order to increase the production and sustainability so that the needs of the majority of people can be met. Pakistan currently stands at number 8 on the list of 10 countries that will bear the worst implications of climate change. It is estimated that current pledges to cut carbon emissions will cost developing countries 50% more in the near future as compared to previous years. Higher education around the world is of prime focus as the forces of change present various challenges. These challenges are multifaceted, interconnected and are reinforced by social, economic, cultural and environmental developments. This setting puts higher education in a leadership role which calls for development of future leaders who are fully equipped to handle these challenges effectively.
Muhammad Umar Javed, Umera Imtinan
Sustainability Awareness in Saudi Arabia
Abstract
Sustainability has become essential concerns throughout the world due the high damage to the environment. Education is one of the aware tool that have the ability to create initiatives to lead future generations to a new path in which sustainability in general can be attainable. This chapter is to investigate how education can play a major role in the transition from the current situation for developing countries toward sustainability, especially in the areas of energy generation and consumption. Also, this chapter examines common problems that have already been identified around the globe and attempts to make a contribution to the debate on the awareness of sustainability and its needs, especially in terms of the education of Saudi’s students and the general Saudi’s society based on age. The conducting survey questionnaires were designed to investigate Saudi students’ attitudes towards sustainability. This chapter highlights the great importance of educating the current and future generations in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in order to avoid economic and environmental catastrophe. Additionally, this chapter has identified the knowledge gap pertaining to sustainability and sustainable development in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The survey has 1821 participants were all Saudi nationals, mainly students with tertiary degree, students who are currently studying in universities in Saudi Arabia or abroad, and Saudi’s who participates socially. The results show that responded has a basic knowledge of sustainability, and sustainability has various opportunities such as create new jobs and improve corporate social responsibility. However, participants indicated the main risks are increase governance failure and increase litigation and compliance breaches (including environmental actions and environmental compliance failures).
Abdulaziz Albahlal, Sulaiman Alqahtani, AL-Hassan Al-Muqri
Sustainability Awareness: Colombia Perspective
Abstract
This study intends to provide a snapshot of the status of sustainability awareness in Colombia, its relationship with economic growth, poverty and ecology in Colombia. From the literature review those concepts and their interaction are explored, as well as the risk and opportunities of sustainability across business, society and governments. Together with the analysis of Colombia, the study will also explore the different concepts of sustainability and its evolution in the last decades. It was noticed that the concept of sustainable development was no more than a catch phrase, trying to capture the different global aspects of the environmental challenges, and the definition given by the World Commission on Environmental and Development has been the starting point for global agencies, governments and non-government organizations to establish government and business policies for environmental issues. One of the major contributions of the research is the recognition that, in addition to or in conjunction with ecological factors, there are social conditions that affect the ecological sustainability or unsustainability of the interaction between people and nature. Most significantly, people seem to be unaware that, given the rate of population growth, the subsequent increase in the consumption of resources cannot be sustained forever. From the literature review, it can be recognized that the number of scientific studies related to sustainability in Colombia is limited; most of the research so far has been done by government agencies and organizations. Nevertheless, previously studies have failed to identify the rating of sustainability awareness in the country, and the advantages and disadvantages that it can bring to organizations, government bodies and the public in general. This study was performed using a quantitative method and an online survey was distributed through email mainly among Colombian individuals living in Colombia. The analysis of the data produced three factors that can be associated with the advantages or opportunities of sustainability. The results also indicated that the same number of factors, including a major number of variables, was found for the risks associated with sustainability in Colombia. The research data and results indicate the Colombian public’s attitudes toward green products, green strategies, sustainability policies and corporate social responsibility.
Juan Esteban Otalvaro Restrepo
Sustainability Awareness in the Brazilian Higher Education
Abstract
This exploratory study examines Brazil’s awareness of sustainability in the higher education, and examines the advantages, disadvantages and risks associated with the adoption of sustainability. From the literature reviewed in this study, it is evident that the concept of development and growth has shifted from individual factors to one increasingly concerned about sustainable development that particularly includes social welfare. The Marrakech Climate Change Conference held in November 2016 reiterated that our climate is an alarming situation worldwide and, now more than never; it calls for an urgent duty to react. It is believed that in order to move forward with the sustainable development, an immediate commitment and actions must be foster from 2017 to 2020 to benefit and support the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Hence, sustainability has become an essential concept to ensure the future of humanity. What is more, in a world scenario that is rapidly changing, the resources and the ecosystem on which we depend play a crucial role and ought to be comprehensively viewed so that sustainability can be assessed and enhanced in order to ensure a better future. At first, sustainability may not seem to be an easy task, and in fact, sustainable development might be one of the most difficult challenges of our time. This is partly because sustainability is also susceptible to overwhelming risks and threats to business and society overall. Consequently, this exploratory research study has examined sustainability approaches by highlighting the positive aspects of sustainability in the Brazilian higher education as well as the possible risks that addressing sustainability in Brazil might produce. This study also briefly reviews sustainability approaches used in the economic, environmental and social spheres including the strategic and management role as well as the sustainability role in developing countries with an emphasis on Brazil. Through a quantitative method analysis combined with an online survey questionnaire, this study identified three positive factors related to sustainability awareness in the Brazilian higher education: enhancement of business assets, the 4 Rs (reduction of emissions, pollutions, carbon footprint and health hazards), and the reduced consumption of raw material. Subsequently, three risks to sustainability in the Brazilian higher education were also revealed: increase of management failure, increase of costs, compliances and regulations, and increase of procedures and competition.
Erika Kuroda
Sustainability and Green Supply Chain Awareness in Nigerian Organizations
Abstract
The concept of organizational growth has experienced a paradigm shift from the sole objective of profit maximization to the overall notion of social welfare. Consequently, organizations strategies, policies, and operations now include environmental considerations. All these considerations come under the umbrella of sustainability. The objective of this chapter is to analyze factors that determine the attitude of Nigerian organizations towards sustainability in terms of its Advantages and disadvantages. The author collected primary and secondary data, and carried out quantitative as well as qualitative analysis of these data. The instrument used for primary data collection was a survey questionnaire that consisted of 24 items that measured the Advantages of sustainability and 13 items that measured the challenges of sustainability. The web link for the survey instrument was distributed to Nigerian contacts on social media platforms (email, Facebook, WhatsApp, LinkedIn). The research findings revealed two key factors for the Advantages of sustainability: (1) increased operational and social productivity, and (2) increased adherence to environmental standards. Two key factors for the disadvantages to sustainability were also revealed: (1) increased risk of management failure, and (2) increased regulatory and compliance costs. Future studies may expand on the findings of the current study to identify additional factors and diverse perspectives that may be found for other countries. Based on the research findings, it is recommended that organizations and governments focus their sustainability initiatives on the fulfillment of two broad goal categories that will enable them to achieve most of the desirable advantages of sustainability. These goals are: (1) increasing operational and social productivity, and (2) increasing adherence to environmental standards. The disadvantages associated with the adoption of sustainability initiatives can be managed by developing risk management plans that mitigates against risks associated with increased management failure and potential increase in sustainability-related regulatory and compliance costs. The major limitation of the study is the difficulty of generalizing the research findings globally given the fact that the focus country, Nigeria, is a developing country with an economy and circumstances that are not typical of most other countries in the world. However, the findings can be of benefit to other developing countries in Africa that share similarities with Nigeria. Other limitations are the limited study sample size, the survey time-frame and financial constraints.
Ogubuike Chukwuemeka Inmpey
Analysis of University e-Environment in Selected European Countries – IRNet Case Study
Abstract
The chapter aims at finding out how students from selected universities in different European countries use e-environment and e-resources at their universities. Students’ opinion was gathered using a survey. The questionnaire consisted of 14 questions and created the basis for the evaluation of a university e-environment. It was assumed that participants of e-environment (academic teachers, students, administration) are involved in activities with the six different benefits. Almost 900 responses from five different countries joined in the project IRNet under European Union Seventh Framework program (Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Ukraine and Russian Federation) were collected. The chapter presents the analysis of the answers with the result that students require a broad Internet connection and electronic versions of study material, but do not want to publish own achievements in a university e-environment. Half of the students require printed publications and students do not widely use scientific resources when searching for learning materials.
Peter Svec, Martin Drlik, Tatiana Noskova, Tatiana Pavlova, Olga Yakovleva, Michal Munk
Design and Evaluation of the Makahiki Open Source Serious Game Framework for Sustainability Education
Abstract
Sustainability education and conservation have become an international imperative due to the rising cost of energy, increasing scarcity of natural resource and irresponsible environmental practices. This paper presents Makahiki, an open source serious game framework for sustainability, which implements an extensible framework for different organizations to develop sustainability games. It provides a variety of built-in games and content focused on sustainability; game mechanics such as leaderboards, points, and badges; a variety of common services such as authentication, real-time game analytics and ability to deploy to the cloud, as well as a responsive user interface for both computer and mobile devices. The successful implementation of six sustainability educational games in different organizations provided evidence regarding the ability to customize the Makahiki framework successfully to different environments in both organizational and infrastructure aspects. A serious game stakeholder experience based access method (SGSEAM) was used to formally evaluate Makahiki in order to understand the strengths and weaknesses of Makahiki as a useful serious game framework for sustainability.
Yongwen Xu, Philip M. Johnson, George E. Lee, Carleton A. Moore, Robert S. Brewer
System-Events Toolbox
Designing a System of Events that Relies on Local Resources to Create Urban Places for Social Cohesion
Abstract
This chapter is a reflection on the use of public spaces in towns and the development of a system-events toolbox to make them places of social cohesion. It is the result of a 3-year action research developed together with POLIMI DESIS Lab of the Department of Design to develop design solutions to open up the public spaces of the campus to its surrounding neighborhood. The results have been tested in an event format called “il Sabato della Bovisa” held at the “Durando Campus” of the Politecnico di Milano. It presents a series of initiatives to understand, observe, and benefit designed by members of a public university to trigger a process of knowledge exchange between local residents and students in a climate of conviviality.
Davide Fassi, Roberta Motter
Teaching Assembly for Disassembly: An Under-Graduate Module Experience
Abstract
This chapter is about the methodology of teaching Assembly for Disassembly to fourth year undergraduate architecture students within the module of sustainable design. When designing a sustainable building one should take into consideration the fact that the building is going to be demolished at some point; thus components should be assembled in such a way so that the building’s elements do not become urban waste, but disassembled in a practical way, so that its materials and components can be reused or at least recycled in other buildings or products or be decomposed. Yet, the structure should be safe, hygienic, comfortable and energy efficient during its lifetime. With this technology, a building’s sustainability spans also to its “grave”. In this chapter the methodology for teaching students how to design for the disassembly of buildings is presented. Apart from the respective lectures, students have been asked to design structures, following, apart from bioclimatic and the zero-CO2 emissions building design, an “assembly for disassembly” design. They have also been encouraged to use, apart from conventional building materials, materials that could be collected from municipal waste, provided they have a small environmental footprint. Frequent tutorials have been made during this project. The pedagogical methodology and the students’ designs are presented for three academic years. From this experience, conclusions are drawn on the most efficient pedagogical approach of teaching Assembly for Disassembly to architecture students, hoping to open up a dialogue on how this sustainability construction technique should be taught.
Eleftheria Alexandri
Designing Participatory Learning Systems
Abstract
The knowledge society has opened up the possibility for people to design and construct the contexts of their own learning in entirely new ways and to cross the boundaries of existing communities and prevailing knowledge by creating novel and extended networks of learning. These new opportunities challenge educators to advance participatory pedagogy, and co-develop dynamic learning systems that connect students’ learning ecologies with multiple contexts and communities, their social practices, information resources, and tools. To meet these challenges, this chapter presents perspectives on participatory learning and introduces a design-oriented pedagogy (DOP) for connecting learning across spaces and communities. The presented research-based insights may help educators in different institutions to promote inquiry activities that enable students to participate in the co-development of the skills and ways of knowing needed in twenty-first-century society.
Henriikka Vartiainen
The Concern about Environmental Responsibility in Public Service Media Management
Abstract
Corporate Social Responsibility is the commitment to ethical and moral principles and good corporative practices. Indeed, it has become an improved management tool for private and public organizations in the last 50 years. Social, environmental, ethical responsibilities are social demands to which public and private companies should respond with the same priority. Environmental policies are a relevant issue, as it has been evidenced at the Paris Summit (2015) on climate change (COP21). The environmental commitment and responsibility is at the epicentre of management, since it belongs to the major challenge of present-day society. Verifying that commitment – which is the proposal of this paper, related to public broadcasters – is checking how those organizations are fulfilling the objectives of the third millennium. The results show that some public media in Europe report on environmental issues, but there is a lack of detailed strategies to reduce their impact.
Tania Fernández-Lombao, Andrea Valencia-Bermúdez, Francisco Campos-Freire
Backmatter
Metadaten
Titel
Sustainability, Green IT and Education Strategies in the Twenty-first Century
herausgegeben von
Dr. Tomayess Issa
Dr. Pedro Isaias
Dr. Theodora Issa
Copyright-Jahr
2017
Electronic ISBN
978-3-319-57070-9
Print ISBN
978-3-319-57068-6
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-57070-9