Biography Marco Rieckmann

Marco Rieckmann is a Professor of Higher Education Development at the University of Vechta in Germany. He graduated in 2004 in environmental sciences at the University of Lüneburg where he then was a research assistant at the Institute for Environmental Communication. He obtained his doctorate in 2010 with the topic: "The global perspective of education for sustainable development - A European-Latin American study on key competences for thinking and acting in the global society".

His research focuses on academic development, education for sustainable development, global education, and the sustainable development of higher education institutions. He has published his research in national and international outlets, and he is Speaker of the Network ‘Teacher Education for Sustainable Development’, and Representative of the German Educational Research Association in the Council of the European Educational Research Association.

Short Summary of the Interview

In this episode of the Sustainability Education Podcast, Professor Marco Rieckmann identifies common myths, such as the misconception that sustainability education is primarily about environmental issues and the belief that more knowledge automatically leads to behavior change. He advocates for a holistic approach that considers socio-economic factors alongside environmental ones.

Rieckmann differentiates between environmental and sustainability education, emphasizing that interpretations of these concepts can vary significantly depending on regional contexts. He discusses the challenges in teacher education, noting that sustainability education is often seen as an "add-on" rather than a perspective that can be integrated into existing curricula. He argues that sustainability should be viewed through a lens that informs all aspects of education rather than as additional content.

Cultural and societal factors contributing to these myths are explored, with Rieckmann pointing to traditional views of education as mere knowledge transmission. He underscores the need for a more complex, constructive understanding of education.

The role of academic staff development is highlighted as crucial for equipping educators with the necessary competencies to teach sustainability effectively. Rieckmann calls for ongoing capacity building and professional development to ensure meaningful implementation.

Finally, the conversation touches on the importance of measuring the outcomes of sustainability education, emphasizing the need for empirical research to assess its effectiveness in changing behaviors and developing competencies. Overall, Rieckmann advocates for a nuanced, context-specific approach to sustainability education that fosters real societal transformation.

• Marco Rieckmann: https://www.uni-vechta.de/erziehungswissenschaften/team/rieckmann-marco
• Impact Project: https://impactforaction.eu/
• Hopwood, B., Mellor, M., & O’Brien, G. (2005). Sustainable development: Mapping different approaches. Sustainable Development, 13(1), 38–52. https://doi.org/10.1002/sd.244
• Stephen Sterling: https://sustainableeducation.co.uk/
• Goller, A., & Rieckmann, M. (2022). What do We Know About Teacher Educators’ Perceptions

Biography John Cook

John Cook is a Senior Research Fellow at the Melbourne Centre for Behaviour Change at the University of Melbourne in Victoria, Australia. He holds a PhD from the University of Western Australia, where he studied the cognitive psychology of climate science denial. In the past he has also worked in web programming and graphic design. John's current research focuses on understanding and countering misinformation related to scientific issues such as climate change and vaccination. He has authored and co-authored numerous international publications in prestigious journals and has received several awards and prizes for his contributions to science communication. In 2007, John founded Skeptical Science, a website that received the 2011 Australia Museum Eureka Prize for Advancing Climate Change Knowledge. He also created the Cranky Uncle game, which uses cartoons and gamification to enhance critical thinking and resilience against misinformation. He currently works with organizations like Facebook, NASA, and UNICEF to develop evidence-based responses to misinformation.

Short Summary of the Interview

In this episode of the Sustainability Education Podcast, John Cook discusses the cognitive psychology of climate science denial, emphasizing the importance of countering misinformation. He delves into various types of myths and misconceptions about climate change and sustainability education. The conversation explored the difficulties in falsifying / fact-checking sustainability education-related claims versus climate science myths. Cook notes that sustainability topics often involve less settled science, making them more challenging to fact-check compared to the well-established areas of climate science. He shares insights into educational strategies for addressing myths and misinformation, particularly through his creation of the Cranky Uncle Game, which employs humor and gamification to foster critical thinking skills. Cook advocated for integrating sustainability education into broader educational frameworks to combat misinformation effectively. He emphasized the importance of not only teaching the facts, but also debunking misinformation within educational settings to enhance learning and critical thinking.

(Selected) References, Resources, and Persons Mentioned During the Episode

• Dr John Cook's Profile at the Melbourne Centre for Behaviour Change at the University of Melbourne: https://psychologicalsciences.unimelb.edu.au/melbourne-centre-for-behaviour-change#people
• Skeptical Science: https://skepticalscience.com/
• UQx: Making Sense of Climate Science Denial: https://www.edx.org/learn/climate-change/the-university-of-queensland-making-sense-of-climate-science-denial?index=product
• Kozyreva, A., Lorenz-Spreen, P., Herzog, S.M. et al. Toolbox of individual-level interventions against online misinformation. Nat Hum Behav 8, 1044–1052 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41562-024-01881-0
• Lewandowsky, S., Cook, J., Ecker, U. K. H., Albarracín, D., Amazeen, M. A., Kendeou, P., Lombardi, D., Newman, E. J., Pennycook, G., Porter, E., Rand, D. G., Reifler, J., Roozenbeek, J., Schmid, P., Seifert, C. M., Sinatra, G. M., Swire-Thompson, B., Van der Linden, S., Vraga, E. K., … Zaragoza, M. S. (2020). Debunking Handbook...

Biography Kerry Shephard

Kerry is a professor at the Higher Education Development Centre at the University of Otago in New Zealand. Kerry’s academic journey began in biology, where he spent 25 years in research and teaching.

For the last 20 years he has been researching in higher education, focusing on the questions of how universities function and how learning happens in this domain. His research interest include policy and practice in higher education, environmental and sustainability education, and the affective domain of learning.

He is author of numerous journal articles, book chapters and author and editor of various books such as Higher Education for Sustainability or Universities with a Social Purpose. He is also a regular reviewer for a wide range of higher education journals. Kerry has extensive experience as a university teacher and offers courses on academic leadership, critical thinking, and intellectual independence. https://www.otago.ac.nz/hedc/people/professor-kerry-shephard

Short Summary of the Interview

In this episode of the Sustainability Education Podcast, Professor Kerry Shephard from the University of Otago discusses the complexities and nuances of sustainability education. With a rich background in biology and now deeply embedded in higher education research, Professor Shephard shares insights on the challenges of education for sustainability in higher education.

He opens the interview by differentiating between education about sustainability and education for sustainability. He emphasizes the misconceptions and interdisciplinary conflicts that often arise when concepts of sustainability are taught across various academic fields. Furthermore, he argues that sustainability education is frequently misunderstood due to disciplinary and cultural differences, highlighting the specific example of the term “competence” which is variably interpreted across languages and national contexts.

A significant point Shephard makes is about the ineffectiveness of trying to change behavior through knowledge alone. He critiques the assumption that imparting knowledge will lead to behavioral change, advocating instead for a measurable approach to education that focuses on clear outcomes and the ability to track changes.

Throughout the interview, Shephard is critical of the traditional ways universities approach sustainability, suggesting that many current efforts are repackaged ideas that do not fundamentally alter teaching or learning processes. He stresses the importance of measuring educational outcomes to genuinely improve and innovate sustainability education.

Shephard also touches on the concept of intellectual independence as a core aim of higher education, suggesting that fostering critical thinking and questioning is more valuable than merely transmitting knowledge. He calls for a deeper evaluation of how universities are impacting students and society, particularly through their sustainability education efforts.

In conclusion, Professor Shephard advocates for a more critical and evidence-based approach to sustainability education, one that challenges existing pedagogies and promotes a transformative educational experience that is truly capable of fostering sustainable development.

(Selected) References, Resources, and Persons Mentioned During the Episode

• Kerry Shephard: https://www.otago.ac.nz/profiles/professor-kerry-shephard
• Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching (Stanford):