Awareness and perception of the environmental sustainability of the UAE University campus: a case study of sustainability course

Mohammed Albattah, Lindita Bande

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

6 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Purpose: This study aims to investigate the entry-level student’s awareness of environmental sustainability focussing on the United Arab Emirates University (UAEU) campus and measure the effectiveness of the course materials. A comparison between the students who took the general education sustainability (GESU 121) course face to face and the ones who tool it online was applied. Design/methodology/approach: This study was descriptive in nature, and the data is obtained using a cross-sectional survey of the students attending the UAEU in 2020. The data collection was done in two semesters, Spring 2020 [face-to-face class] and Fall 2020 [online class, after COVID-19 effect]. A total of 160 participants responded to the survey. The Pearson’s Chi-square test for independence was conducted and used to identify if any statistical differences exist between the studied variables. Findings: This study revealed that the awareness of environmental sustainability was increased in both groups [face-to-face students and online students], after taking the course. In addition, around 80% of the students were interested to participate in sustainability initiatives on the UAEU campus. The students’ perception of the statements about the UAEU campus environmental sustainability varied from Spring 2020 (53.3% were not sure that the UAEU campus is environmentally sustainable) to Fall 2022 (63% of the online students believed that the campus is environmentally sustainable). Originality/value: Students’ awareness and perception are very important to improve the environmental sustainability of the University campus. The novelty of this study is to examine the awareness of entry-level students among the environmental sustainability focussing on the UAEU campus and examine the effect of COVID-19 [online classes] on delivering the course knowledge. The findings of this study provide the information for the improvement of the course for the future semesters.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)1610-1628
Number of pages19
JournalInternational Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education
Volume24
Issue number7
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Nov 13 2023

Keywords

  • Campus
  • Face-to-face classes
  • Online teaching
  • Pandemic
  • Sustainability
  • Sustainable development
  • UAE University
  • Virtual reality

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Human Factors and Ergonomics
  • Education

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