Senevirathne, M; Priyankara, H A C; Amaratunga, D; Haigh, R; Weerasinghe, N; Nawaratne, C and Kaklauskas, A (2021) A capacity needs assessment to integrate mooc-based climate change education with the higher education institutions in Europe and developing countries in Asia: Findings of the focused group survey in pchei under the beck project. International Journal of Disaster Resilience in the Built Environment, 12(5), pp. 515-527. ISSN 1759-5916
Abstract
Purpose: The extreme climatic events are a result of modern human lifestyles and activities. Climate literacy is one of the significant factors to redefine aggravated human behaviours related to climate change and energy efficiency. Therefore, education relevant to energy efficiency and climate change is identified as a vital requirement in the present education sector. This study aims to identify existing capacity needs for integrating massive open online courses (MOOC)-based climate education in the partner institutions education systems. Design/methodology/approach: The integrating education with consumer behavior relevant to energy efficiency and climate change at the Universities of Russia, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh (BECK) project funded by the Erasmus+ programme aimed to address this research gap by introducing new harmonized MOOC modules to the higher education curricular of four European, five Russian and five Asian higher education institutions (partner country higher education institutions). A series of focus group surveys and workshops were carried out to identify the present capacity development needs relevant to the subject topic. Findings: Accordingly, infrastructure development, awareness-raising, curricular development, capacity building, integration and networking, research and development and financial needs have been identified as the key areas requiring capacity development to integrate energy efficiency and climate change into the higher education curricular. The results have recognized that a MOOC system in curricular will allow better opportunities for research, awareness and capacity development initiatives. Research limitations/implications: The relevant European best practices can be adopted into the Asian education systems to allow more opportunities in infrastructure, research and networking development. The project continues to implement the MOOC modules in the partner institutions following a contextual research study and a cross-institutional module sharing assessment. Originality/value: The research outcomes identify the significant facts for formulating the BECK project objectives, which provide wider opportunity for climate literacy improvements and education initiatives in the partner countries.
| Item Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | capacity; capacity building; climate change; education; empowerment; energy efficiency; higher education; knowledge management; mooc; sustainable development |
| Index terms: | Asia, networking, climate change, human behaviour, module, methodology, Bangladesh, programme, research and development, empowerment, survey, consumer behaviour, integration, capacity development, workshop, developing country, Europe, lifestyle, infrastructure development, higher education institution, sustainable development, energy efficiency, focus group, higher education, Sri Lanka, knowledge management, capacity building, best practice |
| Subjects: | climate science, infrastructure engineering, business, regions and continents, educational institutions, consumer economics, sustainability and energy, health behaviours and lifestyles, data collection methods, professional development, communication, health safety and environment, management, development economics, architectural elements, organizational analysis, physical geography and landforms, project controls, demography, research management, construction type, Geography, social and economic development, research methods |
| Topics: | Time Control, Education, Information Management, Geographical Context, Organizational Design, Business Strategy, Digital Applications, Human Resources, Health and Safety, Design Practice, Research Practice, Construction Technology, Engineering Principles, International Construction, Urban Studies, Sustainability, Stakeholder Management |
| Descriptive scope: | 4 PCTE |
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