A comprehensive review of environmental, sustainability and climate change curriculum in Taiwan’s higher education institutions

• Published in: International journal of sustainability in higher education Vol. 25; no. 2; pp. 375 - 389
• Main Authors: Liu, John Chung-En, Kan, Ting-Yu
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Bradford Emerald Publishing Limited 23.01.2024; Emerald Group Publishing Limited
• Subjects: Academic disciplines; Case studies; Climate change; Colleges & universities; Core curriculum; Curricula; Data points; Education; Educational Resources; Educational Strategies; Environmental education; Higher education; Higher education institutions; Learning; Students; Sustainability; Sustainable development; Technical education; Universities; Taiwan; Education for sustainable development; Climate change education; Environmental education; Taiwan; University curriculum
• ISSN: 1467-6370; 1758-6739; 1467-6370
• DOI: 10.1108/IJSHE-01-2023-0019

Purpose This study aims to evaluate the current situation of education for sustainable development, climate change education and environmental education in a nationwide context. Methodologically, this study calls for more research to go beyond case studies and take a similar approach to examine university curricula and facilitate cross-country comparisons. Design/methodology/approach This paper examines the status of climate and sustainability curricula in Taiwan’s higher education system. Using the course catalog for the 2020–2021 academic year, the authors constructed a unique data set that includes 1,827 courses at 29 major universities in Taiwan. In each institution, the authors search for course titles that include “climate,” “sustainable/sustainability” and “environment/environmental” as keywords and code the courses according to their disciplines. Findings The finding highlights the variations across institutional types and subject matters. Public universities have an average of 4.94 related courses per 1,000 students, whereas private universities have only 3.13. In general, the relevant courses are more concentrated in the STEM and bioscience fields. The curricula, however, are seriously constrained by the disciplinary structure and foster few transdisciplinary perspectives. Originality/value The authors seek to go beyond case studies and offer one of the most comprehensive curricula samples at the national level. Taiwan adds an important data point, as the current literature focuses heavily on the USA and Europe.