Modeling faculty members’ competencies for sustainability education by using system dynamics analysis (case study: University College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, University of Tehran

Abstract

This study has been conducted in order to analyze the subject of lack of promotion of faculty members’ competencies for sustainability education and to present the mechanisms for improvement of problem. The method of system dynamics analysis was used because of the nature of the problem. Based on the steps of research method, a survey of faculty members with less than 20 years experience were implemented in the University College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, University of Tehran. The causal layered analysis was used to explain research problem and formulate dynamic hypotheses. Based on the recognition of the problem, dynamic model of faculty members’ competencies for sustainability education was developed that describes and predicts the behavior of research problem by simulating for the next 20 years. The model includes eight reinforcing and four balancing feedback loops. After ensuring the validity of the model, for enhancing faculty members’ competencies, six mechanisms were elicited and tested in simulated environment in order to study their effects on the problem. Six mechanisms include: taking a compulsory course to familiarize freshman students with the basic concepts of sustainability competencies, holding educational-skill courses concerning appropriate strategies for sustainability education for faculty members, revising compulsory specialized outlines of educational disciplines, holding meetings of strategic dialogue, changing faculty members’ promotion system through taking special advantages to sustainability researches, and changing promotion system based on the educational processes.

Keywords

• sustainability education competence faculty member dynamic model simulation