This is a model approach developed from a qualitative empirical study by analyzing studies sampled on best practice locally from the university of Nairobi and online, a process driven by lack of empirical and reliable model to guide designing a curriculum for higher learning. Using lessons learned from empirical data a curriculum will be developed through a partnership with University of Nairobi and The Ministry of Environment in Kenya on Climate Change and Gender. The study has three phases: lessons learned arising from the study, models developed to guide SD and curriculum design for Africa, and a review mechanism and application of the model to design the said curriculum using an expert team. The process is ongoing, but the study is complete. The presentation will include the result of the study; lessons learned and implications to the African context; and application to the curriculum process.
This paper is based on the need to transform curriculum and not necessarily to integrate curriculum looking at a sustainable development approach to the education paradigm. In an attempt to come up with a course for the University of Nairobi in conjunction with the Ministry for Environment of Kenya, it was surprising to find that there was no general guideline that could guide construction of a course within SD per se. The impetus for the work I am currently involved in was as a result of this problem. Most of the write up on SD is based on expressions and exhortation of SD with little backing on empirical data or SD related studies that could guide curriculum design in higher education more so in developing countries. I questioned the best practice approaches that arise. So before coming up with the course on “Climate Change and Gender”, the author decided to review the approach and come up with a 3-phase study that involved (This is ongoing).
Phase One:
Conducting a study on SD curriculum sampled locally and from the internet
Summarizing lessons learned and to come up with strategy for solutions for the African context
Use the knowledge gained to come up with a model that could guide curriculum within a SD paradigm for Africa as “Best Practice Approach to SD for universities for Africa.”
This phase is in it’s final stages: Phase Two:
Design a curriculum on Climate Change and Gender in conjunction with University of Nairobi and Ministry of Environment if Kenya.
Constitute an expert panel to review the model and the curriculum and to determine it’s feasibility within professional standards of SD. The presentation will be based mainly on phase one and anticipated results intended for phase two and implications of ongoing work.
Present the outcome of a study carried out to determine the SD practice and approaches in designing curriculum based on SD by providing lessons learned and implications and possible implications to Africa
Design a model for curriculum and SD in the university to guide practice in Africa
Come up with a curriculum based on SD on “ Climate Change and Gender” as guided by the model produced
Put together an expert team panel and SD professionals to review the feasibility of the model and the curriculum produced
Publish the same and disseminate
The author is a university scholar and educationist. The process of learning has evolved more so as a result of the new perspectives of the 21st century as well as climate change perspective whereby there is now a call for a different approach to educating. The author is specifically interested in the curriculum we have today. There are challenges as SD calls for….. However, the author has noted that most interventions in curriculum for sustainable development are more or less based on the same analogy as before, there is no significant empirical change. This has resulted in most approaches towards curriculum change integrating elements of sustainable development but not a transformation. A growing chorus of voices are advocating for transformation, not revision. The question they are asking is the right one, “What should the students have to know and be able to do ten years from now.” The author decided to join in and contribute towards curriculum agenda for higher education. This has resulted in an ongoing study that sought to review integrated programmes and to determine to what extent they emulate the principles of SD. The focus was on discipline areas in University of Nairobi plus a new programme on environmental studies undergoing development. The study shows that there is still a lack of knowledge in the realities of SD, more so than what constitutes a transformed curriculum. The whole idea was to come up with a model to guide curriculum construction. The study was a basis for formulation of a model for this purpose, curriculum transformation in higher levels of educating. As a result, the author is working on a model that can help guide curriculum transformation in higher education. The outcome of this process it that it has resulted in lessons learned that the author thought would be useful to share in such a conference. The fact that the curriculum does not end with a degree, but the educational experience; the following are some of the lessons arising:
Where to place a new perspective such as environmental studies in terms of the discipline
How to integrate it creating desired synergies
Overcoming the rigid senate programmes
Nature of intervention and academic recourse, community agenda, a national remedy or an emergency; consider climate change needs
The perspective of SD within education more so the curriculum
Psycho - pedagogy principles and applications
Assessing SD development curriculum
The author is exploring this issues using the an intended curriculum “Climate Change and Gender Curriculum that is being developed in conjunction with the University of Nairobi and Ministry for Environment. The author looks at this study and curriculum output as a service to the general community as scholars struggle to meet the demands to “…..influence everybody’s lives for the sake of the future generations……” with a view of ensuring a resilient and self sustaining community. Contribution: To the wider community as they struggle to influence everybody’s lives for their own sake and the sake of future generations.
Sustainable Development:
Better understanding of the complex nature of sustainable development as subject matter for higher learning and education
Thought provoking and interesting ideas about SD at human learning
Curriculum and SD design applications:
That this forms part of and contributes to the agenda-21 whereby educators all over the world are concerned about issues such as those outlined above as well as about outdated and inappropriate curriculum
A curriculum model to guide practice
An approach that leads to lessons learned and reconstruction of other curriculum ideas
Learning process:
Appreciation of differing interpretations of the aims and purpose of SD, particularly relating to differing education ideologies and implications for student learning
Developing and understanding competencies in selecting local issues and case studies and in the local community which make SD issues relevant and interesting to students
Issues for further studies:
Possibilities of exploration of evolving issues as the design is applied to other areas
SD has become a way of life whereby the global agenda from African perspective
Climate change is a global issue yet to be addressed in Africa
The process involves a decision making process based on an empirical study unlike most studies on a lessons learned model
Provides thought provoking and interesting ideas about SD at higher educational levels
The process offers a process for global citizenship that seeks to bring together the agenda for development and environmental education linking global, national, individual and higher education
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