GRADUATE STUDENTS PERCEPTIONS ON THE MSc BUILT ENVIRONMENT CURRICULUM FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT EDUCATION

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1 GRADUATE STUDENTS PERCEPTIONS ON THE MSc BUILT ENVIRONMENT CURRICULUM FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT EDUCATION B Botha 1, L Mahlangabeza 2, and CM Adendorff 3 Department of Construction Management, Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University, Port Elizabeth, South Africa Abstract: Sustainable development has social, economic and environmental implications. Key drivers of sustainable development (SD), especially in the context of developing countries, are incomplete without the contributions of experts and academics in the field. The literature points in the direction of the importance and benefits of the propagation of tenets that are inherent in SD. Based on the aforesaid, the contribution of a built environment post graduate programme, in terms of knowledge and / or awareness creation, cannot be over emphasised. The study uses a descriptive approach. This research paper surveys the perceptions of MSc (Built Environment) students on the curriculum s emphasis on sustainable development, green building, and climate change mitigation efforts. An online questionnaire administered to randomly select past and present students was utilised as the research instrument. The findings indicate that limited emphasis and attention is given to the SD topic within the Built Environment modules. For academia, the importance of the findings of this project is to clearly identify the specific areas in need of revision in the Built Environment curriculum. The knowledge created will in turn inform practice in the industry. Keywords: Built Environment, Pedagogy, Sustainable Development, Tertiary Education INTRODUCTION The term 'sustainable development' was used by the Brundtland Commission which coined what has become the most often-quoted definition of sustainable development namely, "development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs (Smith and Rees, 1998). The concept of sustainable building has since the 1970 s evolved from its infancy and currently encompasses principles of natural resource efficiency, waste management, pollution reduction, green building, recycling and rehabilitation of the environment (Sassi, 2006). According to Hayles et al. (2008), there is a need for reduction of the energy consumed by buildings and the utilisation of renewable materials that are not harmful to the environment. This is because clients are becoming more conscious of the benefits of green buildings and the need to conserve the environment and, therefore, require more green 1 Brink.botha@nmmu.ac.za 2 Luyolo.mahlangabeza@nmmu.ac.za 3 powerhouse@alfresco.co.za 92

2 or sustainable buildings (Hayles, 2010). Sustainable building and green building are changing the way buildings are designed, structures commissioned and constructed (Hayles, 2010). Studies indicate the importance of this phenomenon. Otegbulu (2011) emphasises the point that buildings influence the environment through direct land use, water use and other raw material usages. This in turn has serious implications for the built environment practitioners and construction of buildings based on the training acquired from tertiary institutions. Furthermore, in order to produce built environment graduates who are ready to overcome sustainable development challenges, tertiary programmes have to equip students by incorporating sustainable development philosophies and techniques in their academic curricula (Hayles, 2010). Consequently, Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) has become increasingly significant within the built environment higher education curriculum (Cowling, et al., 2007). This paper explores the perceptions of MSc (Built environment) students in a South African University regarding the emphasis of the curriculum on sustainable development and green construction for the benefit of institutions of higher learning and the built environment profession. The study was guided by the following research question: To what extents have the courses / modules in the MSc Built Environment addressed sustainable development? LITERATURE REVIEW Sustainable development generally refers to development that meets the needs of society and environment without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs (Otegbulu, 2011). De Francesco and Levy (2008 cited in Otegbulu, 2011) define sustainability as the maximisation of the positive effects and the minimisation of negative effects associated with property ownership, building design and building development in a way that is consistent with benefits to the environment. According to Kats (2003), this benefit comes about due to the fact that sustainable development effectively uses key resources such as energy, water, materials and land. This is because sustainable buildings use more natural light, natural heating and natural building materials. Research by Dawe, Jucker and Martin (2005), and Cowling et al. (2007), however, reveals that SD is still not widely developed. Within Built Environment education the need is significant, given the acknowledged impact that buildings have on the economic wellbeing of a country, the social well-being of people and the impact on the environment (Cowling et al., 2007). The education for sustainability agenda has emerged as a significant area of development within the Higher Education sector (Wals and Corcoran, 2004). Teaching, training and learning which emphasises sustainable development is a critical element in moving forward the agenda of sustainable building, green construction and adaptation to climate change (Ellis and Weekes, 2008). According to Sassi (2006), to be an effective practitioner promoting sustainable development, a graduate has to be aware of the need for sustainable development, be technically equipped, skilled and knowledgeable. The status quo, according to Ellis and Weekes (2008), is that there is insufficient training and focus in built environment curricula to hone in the skills of ethical judgement and challenge dominant ideologies of contemporary building philosophies. 93

3 A curriculum that would fulfil such a function of equipping students with sustainable development know-how should, according to a study by Sassi (2006), address the following topics in the curriculum: environmental and social concerns, concepts, principles and historic developments, environmental ethics, social ethics and professional ethics, sustainable communities and urban environments, politics, economics, environmental law and implementation approaches to sustainable design strategies. Nikel (2007) explored how students understand sustainable development and education for sustainable development. The results suggested that the built environment offers one of the key areas for addressing the challenges of sustainable development. Sustainability was assimilated into planning practice following the 1992 Rio Summit and was further strengthened by the requirements of the governing professional body in the UK, the Royal Planning Institute (RTPI). However, a critical review suggests that sustainable development fails to be reflected adequately in day-to-day planning decisions. A theme for enhancing sustainable building draws on the model of enquiry-based learning (Hutchings, 2006). This can take place in both classroom and experiential settings. The pedagogy that has had some influence is the concept of action competence developed in a Nordic context of environmental education. This is defined as the ability to take into consideration the social factors and human conflicts of interest that lie behind environmental questions and sustainable development (Lundegard and Wickman, 2007). Alternatively, Schnack (1996) argues that capability-based critical thinking adds value within counter-actions during the thinking process. This function produced an approach that encourages students to understand the causes of environmental problems rather than the symptoms. It also transforms students from being passive receptors of knowledge to those who engage in such issues through independent thinking within the concept of sustainable development. More recently, it has been suggested that a more consistent analytical breakdown is needed to distinguish four domains of economic, ecological, political and cultural sustainability. An area of opportunity where sustainable building focus can be introduced is when students undertake their research in the form of a dissertation or treatise (Ellis and Weekes, 2008). On a one-year or two-year masters course, the implications are that students should be encouraged to undertake research on sustainable development from an early stage of the programme. Ellis and Weekes (2008) indicate that such an undertaking should be done not in a team work environment or group work but on an individual basis. This is because research on the impact of integrating sustainable development into teaching, training and learning at tertiary level has a positive impact on students perceptions and awareness of sustainable development (Hayles, 2010). According to Sommalisto and Brorson (2008), the typical elements that should be included in the modules should also include environmental policy, environmental aspects, strategic alignment of sustainability and non-conformity reporting. METHODOLOGY In order to explore students perceptions and awareness of sustainability and whether the MSc (Built Environment) curriculum promotes sustainable development, a quantitative research methodology was used. The main question addressed in this research is to what extent have the modules in the MSc Built Environment addressed sustainable development? In order to address this research question, respondents were asked to indicate to what extent they agreed or disagreed with the following statements: 94

4 Research methodology promotes sustainability topics; Strategic concepts taught include sustainability issues; Sustainable development forms the nucleus of some modules; Climate change features in some modules; Social aspects of sustainability are present in certain modules; Environmental aspects of sustainability feature in certain modules; Economic aspects of sustainability are discussed in certain modules; The use of IT to address climate change is addressed; Lecturers refer to sustainable development challenges in classes; Elements of sustainable construction materials are included; Strategic management addresses sustainable development; Sustainable development is addressed in design management; Sustainable development is not mentioned at all in the programme, and Sustainable development literature is recommended in courses. A web based questionnaire was administered to selected MSc (Built Environment) students. The sampling method was random so as to give both past and present students equal chance of participation. Respondents were required to indicate the extent to which they agreed with a particular statement on a five-point scale; strongly agree, agree, neutral, disagree, and strongly disagree. Out of the 100 students requested to respond to the survey, 26 responses were received, indicating a 26% response rate. Out of the 26 respondents 6 (23%) were females. RESULTS ANALYSIS Most (65%) of the students agreed that the research methodology module promotes research that deals with sustainability. This indicates that the lecture is sensitive to the sustainable development topic and does encourage research in the topic. 95

5 Figure 1: Distribution of respondents regarding the promotion of sustainable building The study revealed that 66% of the respondents agreed that strategic management concepts include the focus on sustainability within the built environment. However, 14% of the respondents disagreed, which indicates a need to pay more attention to SD in strategic management modules. Responses to the statement, sustainable development forms the nucleus of some modules indicate that 8% of respondents were unsure, 4% strongly disagreed, 16% disagreed, 20% were neutral, 44% agreed, 8% strongly agreed, and one respondent did not answer the question. The results imply that students do not perceive that SD is the nucleus of some modules and more needs to be done. The results of the study on the perceptions of students regarding the emphasis of the curriculum on the topic of climate change are in Figure 2. The results of the survey indicate that there is room for improvement in integrating climate change topics in the curriculum. Figure 2: Responses regarding the focus of the curriculum on climate change When students were asked to respond to the statement, the social aspects of sustainability are present in certain modules, none of the respondents was unsure, 8% strongly disagreed, 15% disagreed, 23% were neutral, 46% greed, two respondent did not answer the question and 8% strongly agreed. The results of the study show that most students do not think that social aspects of sustainability are present in certain modules. When students were asked to respond to the statement, environmental aspects of sustainability feature in certain modules, 4% of the respondents were unsure, 8% strongly disagreed, 4% disagreed, 27% were neutral, 42% agreed, and 15% strongly agreed. The results show that most students agree that environmental aspects of sustainability feature in certain 96

6 modules. The prevalence of the economic aspects of sustainable building in some built environment modules is emphatically confirmed by the respondents as is apparent in Figure 3. Figure 3: Respondents perceptions of the emphasis on economic aspects of sustainable building The results show that, most students agree that economic aspects of sustainable development are discussed in certain modules. This is because the specific curriculum under investigation has a specific Business and Construction Economics module which focuses on the economics topic within the built environment profession. The IT module in the built environment curriculum lacks a focus on climate change mitigation as can be seen from the perception of the respondents in Figure 4. The result of the study indicates that there is room for improvement in integrating the IT module with the climate change topic within the built environment curriculum. Figure 4: Students perceptions of climate change being addressed by the IT module The responses to the statement that lecturers discuss sustainable development challenges in classes yielded the following results: none of the respondents were unsure, 8% strongly 97

7 disagreed, 15% disagreed, 15% were neutral, 58% greed, and 4% strongly agreed. The results of the study show that most students agree that lecturers discuss sustainable development challenges in classes, but a more strategic approach is required as indicated by the lack of consensus from the results. When students were asked to respond to the statement that elements of sustainable construction materials are included in some modules, the results indicated that Masters students generally agreed with this statement with a 52% affirmative response. Sustainable building requires a strategic approach from all role players more especially from top management. 50 % of the respondents indicated that a notable inclusion of the sustainable building topic was observed in the strategic management module. This confirms the earlier findings that strategic management module is inclusive of sustainability issues. When students were asked to respond to the statement that sustainable development is addressed in the Design Management module, 12% of the respondents were unsure, none of the respondents strongly disagreed, 12% disagreed, 22% were neutral, 42% agreed, and 12% strongly agreed. The results show that most students agree that sustainable development is addressed in the design management module, but there could be more emphasis. In the study, respondents were asked to respond to the statement that sustainable development is not mentioned at all in the programme. None of the respondents were unsure, 42% strongly disagreed, 27% disagreed, 15% were neutral, 12% agreed and none of the respondents strongly agreed. The results indicate that part of the curriculum addresses the sustainable building topic. However, no stand-alone module deals with this aspect, hence there is no consensus. The students who believe that sustainable building is mentioned in the programme could be referring to the research methodology module. On the question whether sustainable development literature is recommended in modules, none of the respondents were unsure, 12% strongly disagreed, 12% disagreed, 22% were neutral, 35%greed, and 19% strongly agreed. These responses indicate that more sustainable development literature needs to be prescribed to students to advance SD education amongst MSc (Built Environment) students. Responses on the open-ended questions regarding how sustainable development concepts and topics can be addressed in the MSc (Built Environment) programme yielded great insight and alluded to the need to have a separate SD module within the programme. CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS Sustainable development is considered a critical component of the future wellbeing of the human planet. While sustainable development cannot be realised only through the demand from the market, higher education in particular is seen as a focal point to help in promoting sophisticated, action-orientated teaching and learning regarding sustainability as well as creating sustainable solutions for climate change. Of the many human activities associated with climate change, the built environment offers the largest cost-effective potential for significant long-term reduction in greenhouse gas emission with substantial contribution to mitigating climate change. The inclusion of climatic behavioural factors in the design of buildings will significantly influence energy consumption in urban buildings and construction projects. In order to acquire the necessary skills in built environment, teaching and learning at tertiary level should incorporate sustainable development, green building, and environmental topics. The empirical results of this study show encouraging signs that MSc (Built Environment) students recognise the importance of appreciating sustainable development. Relevant tertiary institutions should develop a specific 98

8 module to address sustainable development with emphasis on design, planning, construction, social impact, economic considerations and maintenance of buildings. There has to be an institutional drive and commitment to take part in sustainable development from the perspective of institutions of higher learning. REFERENCES Cowling, E., Lewis, A. and Sayce, S. (2007). Exploring the changing nature of students attitudes and awareness of the principles of sustainability. Dawe, G, Jucker, R. and Martin, S. (2005) Sustainable development in higher education: current practice and future developments. De Francesco, A.J. and Levy, D. (2008) The impact of sustainability on the investment environment. Journal of European Real Estate Research, Vol. 1(1), Ellis, G. and Weekes, T. (2008) Making sustainability real : using group-enquiry to promote education for sustainable development. Environmental Education Research, Vol. 14(4), Hayles, C. (2010) Can greening the curriculum influence students perceptions and awareness of sustainability? Hayles, C.S., de La Harpe, B. and Lombardo, R. (2008) Are we changing students perceptions of sustainability? CIB W 89: International conference in Building Education and Research, Kandalama, Sri Lanka, 10 th -15 th February Hutchings, W. (2006). Principles of Enquiry-Based Learning. Manchester: University of Manchester, Centre for Excellence in Enquiry-Based Learning. Kats, G.H. (2003) Green building costs and financial benefits. USA: Massachusetts Technology Collaborative. Lundegard, L. and Wickman, P. (2007) Conflicts of interest: an indispensable element of education for sustainable development. Environmental Education Research, Vol. 13(1), Nikel, J. (2007) Making sense of education, responsibility, findings from a study of student teachers understanding of education, sustainable development and education for sustainable development. Environmental Education Research, Vol. 13(5), Owens, S. and Cowell, R. (2002) Governing space: planning reform and the politics of sustainability. Environment and Planning C: Government and Policy. Vol. 24, Otegbulu, A.C. (2011) The Built Environment perspective of climate change a focus on household activities in Lagos Metropolis. Journal of Sustainable Development, Vol. 4(5), Sassi, P. (2006) Sustainability education: addressing practice and attitude. The 23 rd Conference on Passive and Low Energy Architecture, Geneva, Switzerland, 6-8 September Sommalisto, K. and Brorson, T. (2008) Training and communication in the implementation of environmental management systems (ISO 14001): a case study at the University of Gavle, Sweden. Journal of Cleaner Production, Vol. 16, Wals, A.E.J. and Corcoran, T.B. (2004) The Problematic of Sustainability in Higher Education: A Synthesis. 99