Virtual Learning Strategies for Transformative Sustainability Learning

There is an urgent call for humanity to shift to more sustainable ways of living because of the current environmental and resulting social crises. Such a shift calls for a deep, structural transformation that must first account for the problematic structural and cultural conditions. This transformation also applies to emerging modes of education such as those supported by information and communication technologies (ICTs). This research study hopes to fill that gap, examining virtual strategies through the lens of sustainability, e.g., in promoting sustainable practices as an educational tool, as well as the sustainability of the practice itself as an entire ecosystem. The research uses in-depth semi-structured interviews of faculty and students who have used virtual strategies in teaching sustainability. Thematic analysis is used to draw out experiential, inferential, and dispositional themes that present phases of Archer’s Morphogenetic Approach (1995, 2000). These include 1) the structural and cultural context of virtual learning and sustainability; 2) the social interaction that takes place during virtual learning to enable the shift toward sustainability; and 3) the transformation toward a more sustainable mindset (or the beginnings of one). An analysis of these phases also show the pivotal role of agents (e.g., teachers, advocates, mentors) in catalyzing social interaction with the help of pedagogical tools that allow for experience, reflection, and action. The importance of processing the experience contribute to transformative sustainability learning (TSL).