Teaching Social Research Methods on an International, Collaborative Environment & Sustainability Degree Programme: Exploring plagiarism, group work, and formative feedback

Abstract

International collaboration is central to the Sustainable Development agenda given environmental challenges that span national boundaries. Education for Sustainability therefore needs to account for international/intercultural understandings, such as though international collaborative degree programmes in Higher Education. This paper evaluates a module taught on an international collaborative Bachelor’s degree programme in Environment & Sustainability taught between Nanjing Xiaozhuang University, China, and Keele University, UK. Consideration was given to the effectiveness of group work for enhancing student learning, as well as the degree the module content/design decreased plagiarism and formative feedback enhanced learning/performance. Students had a good understanding of plagiarism and how to avoid it, however a number lacked the English language skills avoid it. Language issues also raised other practical/ethical concerns, like how to teach to a class with varied language skills and how to ensure even distribution of work within group activities (although group work was otherwise well-received). Students appreciated formative feedback, while it helped improve attainment. However, it was unclear whether feedback fostered deep learning or whether students incorporated suggestions uncritically. This paper contributes to understanding some challenges and solutions for international collaboration in Higher Education striving to produce graduates that can address sustainability challenges in a globalised world.