Education for sustainability in business and management studies: learning history of the GoGreen Pilot'12

This doctoral study aims at investigating the contribution of the GoGreen Pilot’12 project in the process of embedding education for sustainability (EfS) in business and management studies in the Lord Ashcroft International Business School (LAIBS) during the period of 2012-2015. The GoGreen Pilot’12 was a project funded by the Higher Education Academy and led by Anglia Ruskin University (LAIBS) in collaboration with National Union of Students (NUS) and the University of Bristol. The main focus of the project was to promote action learning experiences for twelve students in the LAIBS who worked as facilitators of change with twelve third sector organisations in Cambridgeshire. The current study follows a case study approach and used a variety of tools from action research. It adopted learning history, interviews, and a complementary forms of data collection methods to document the participants’ personal and professional development during and after the project. The data generated was cross-checked with the University’s information, focus groups, semi-structured interviews with students and academics and linked with the excising discussions in the literature. The outcomes of the study correlate with John Dewey’s and John Ruskin’s school of thought towards the philosophy of education. As a main finding, this research highlights the significance of formal, informal, non-formal, and action learning towards students personal and professional development. Further, this research stresses the importance of visual and creative methodologies in EfS, which can also become transferable skills for employability and professional development as well as reflective learning. Finally, this research demonstrates that small EfS initiatives such as this project can have a significant impact on pedagogical innovations, educational strategy and overall changes in consideration of sustainability in business and management education.