Sustainability education for design students: A lesson in teaching and learning strategies

Designers are to a certain degree culpable for providing new products and services that perpetuate unsustainable living. Consequently, sustainability education for future designers, who at some point will be in a position to shape the way we live, is undoub- tedly important. This paper presents experience taken from the course “Sustainable Product Design”, the outcome of which could contribute strongly towards planning and developing effective sustainability pedagogy for the future. The implication surrounding effective sustainability education regards not only “what” we learn, but also “how” we learn. In light of this, different teaching and learning strategies were utilised throughout the course to meet its main objective – that of implanting sustainability into students’ head, hands and heart. The paper examines the key successes of productive course strategies including a personal footprint quiz, field trips, lectures, case studies, design projects, and critical self-reflection. With students not only trying to change their own lifestyle, but in addition influence those of others’, the course objectives appear to have been successful. The students have furthermore come to alter their view of the design profession accordingly.