Resea ch Pape
Recommended ci a ion: Vonk, C., Sundman, J., Aa nio, H., Taka, M., &
Ven u a-Medina, E. (2025). Sphe es o Agency: How Enginee ing Educa o s
App oach P o essional De elopmen in Educa ing o Sus ainabili y. In
Kangaslampi, R., Langie, G., Jä inen, H.-M., & Nagy, B. (Eds.), SEFI 53 d Annual
Con e ence. Eu opean Socie y o Enginee ing Educa ion (SEFI), Tampe e,
Finland. DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.17631463.
This Con e ence Pape is b ough o you o open access by he 53 d Annual Con e ence
o he Eu opean Socie y o Enginee ing Educa ion (SEFI) a Tampe e Uni e si y in
Tampe e, Finland. This wo k is licensed unde a C ea i e Commons
A ibu ion-NonComme cial-Sha e Alike 4.0 In e na ional License.
Sphe es o agency: How enginee ing educa o s app oach
p o essional de elopmen in educa ing o sus ainabili y
C. Vonk a,*,
1
, J. Sundman b,*, H. Aa nio c,
M.Taka d, E. Ven u a-Medina e
a Technical Uni e si y Eindho en, he Ne he lands, ORCID 0009-0009-6641-1551
b Aal o Uni e si y, Espoo, Finland, ORCID 0000-0003-2590-632X
c Technical Uni e si y Eindho en, he Ne he lands, ORCID 0000-0002-6177-2253
d Aal o Uni e si y, Espoo, Finland, ORCID 0000-0002-6147-9137
e Technical Uni e si y Eindho en, he Ne he lands, ORCID 0000-0002-1041-945X
* Au ho s Vonk and Sundman con ibu ed equally o his s udy
Con e ence Key A eas: Sus ainabili y and socie y in enginee ing, Building he
capaci y and s eng hening he educa ional compe ences o enginee ing educa o s
Keywo ds: sus ainabili y educa ion, p o essional de elopmen , agency, eache
de elopmen
ABSTRACT
Sus ainabili y is inc easingly ecognized as a key d i e in enginee ing educa ion,
which calls o a shi no only in educa ion bu also in educa o s’ p o essional
de elopmen . While esea ch on sus ainabili y in enginee ing educa ion has mainly
ocused on ins i u ional s a egies and s uden lea ning, less is known abou how
educa o s app oach hei p o essional de elopmen in educa ing o sus ainabili y.
This s udy explo es he expe iences and s a egies o eigh educa o s ac i e in
sus ainabili y educa ion ac oss wo Eu opean uni e si ies. Using a quali a i e esea ch
design, ou s udy explo ed how hese educa o s na iga e hei p o essional lea ning
in his e ol ing ield.
Ou indings e ealed ha p o essional de elopmen is shaped by an in e play
be ween in insic mo i a ion and ex e nal s uc u es. The educa o s exe cise agency
ac oss i e nes ed sphe es: indi idual, p ac ice-based, depa men al, ins i u ional, and
ex e nal. These sphe es o m a mul i-laye ed lea ning ecosys em ha e lec s bo h
sel -di ec ed and con ex ually enabled o ms o p o essional de elopmen .
1
Co esponding Au ho
C.A. Vonk
c.a. onk@ ue.nl
Ou s udy con ibu es o enginee ing educa ion esea ch by o eg ounding educa o s’
p o essional de elopmen , an unde ep esen ed bu c i ical dimension o sus ainabili y
educa ion. I in oduces a no el amewo k ha con ex ualizes p o essional agency
ac oss i e nes ed sphe es which o e s bo h a heo e ical lens and a p ac ical ool o
in o m educa o suppo and ins i u ional change. Fu he mo e, by ocusing on
educa o s al eady ac i e in his a ea, we highligh p ac ices ha can guide p o essional
de elopmen and ins i u ional s a egies o engage a b oade educa o base in
sus ainabili y ansi ions.
Ul ima ely, ou s udy o e s a s a ing poin o os e ing ans o ma i e capaci y wi hin
enginee ing educa ion by illus a ing how educa o s’ agency can be unde s ood and
suppo ed ac oss indi idual and sys emic le els.
1 INTRODUCTION
Educa o s play a cen al ole in shaping s uden lea ning ou comes, and imp o emen s
in educa ion depend hea ily on hei p o essional g ow h (Guskey, 2002). This is
pa icula ly ele an in sus ainabili y educa ion, which aims o p epa e lea ne s o
add ess u gen socie al challenges. In enginee ing educa ion, sus ainabili y is
inc easingly seen as a key d i e o esponsible enginee ing p ac ice (Beagon e al.,
2022), which calls o a shi in bo h he mindse and pedagogy o educa o s (Holmbe g
e al., 2008). This shi equi es engaging s uden s in eal-wo ld p oblem-sol ing and
p omo ing compe encies such as c i ical hinking, in e disciplina y collabo a ion, and
sys ems hinking (Gue a, 2017; Sand i, 2022). Fo educa o s, i demands bo h
commi men and he abili y o design and suppo ans o ma i e lea ning
en i onmen s (Ba h & Rieckmann, 2012; Bü gene & Ba h, 2018; Michel e al., 2020).
In p ac ice, howe e , sus ainabili y in eg a ion is o en d i en by educa o s’ pe sonal
mo i a ion and alues a he han ex e nal manda es (Lei le & Dahlin, 2020).
Fu he mo e, many enginee ing educa o s lack o mal aining in hese a eas
(Ca acedo e al., 2018). This poin s o a need o a mo e in-dep h unde s anding o
how educa o s hemsel es app oach p o essional de elopmen , as exis ing esea ch
on sus ainabili y in enginee ing educa ion has la gely ocused on ins i u ional
s a egies, s uden lea ning, and class oom p ac ices (Mulde e al., 2012; Thü e e
al., 2018).
1.1 Educa o s’ p o essional de elopmen o sus ainabili y educa ion
Educa ing o sus ainabili y equi es educa o s o de elop a wide ange o
compe encies, such as c i ical hinking, communi y pa icipa ion, and emo ion
managemen (Co es e al., 2020). De eloping such compe encies h ough
p o essional de elopmen (PD) ac i i ies in he wo kplace con ex can be o mal and
in o mal and ini ia ed indi idually o in communi ies o ne wo ks (Kynd e al., 2016;
Tynjälä, 2008). Jus as s uden s a e expec ed o engage in li elong lea ning o na iga e
sus ainabili y challenges, educa o s oo should app oach PD as a con inuous and
li elong jou ney (Bü gene & Ba h, 2018; Ceb ián & Junyen , 2015). Al hough i is
unclea o wha ex en and how he de elopmen o educa o s’ sus ainabili y
compe encies can be e ec i ely in eg a ed in o PD ac i i ies (Ima a & Al inay, 2021),
i is known ha PD ac i i ies a e mos e icien when bound o educa o s’ daily wo k
p ac ices and collegial collabo a ion (e.g., Desimone, 2011).
In uni e si y-based PD p og ams, p o essional lea ning is cons i u ed simul aneously
in he indi idual ac ions and p ac ices o agen ic uni e si y educa o s, he collec i e
in e ac ions and in e ela ions o he PD p og am, and he b oade subsys ems wi h
mul iple uni s o he ins i u ion (Chaaban e al., 2023). These in e ac ing and
in e ela ing sys ems o in luence cons uc uni e si y educa o s’ PD oppo uni ies and
app oaches o le e age hem h ough p o essional agency (Chaaban e al., 2023).
1.2 P o essional agency o le e aging PD oppo uni ies
T ans o ming educa ional p ac ices o sus ainabili y equi es agency om
enginee ing educa o s (Mulà e al., 2017). PD oppo uni ies alone a e no su icien :
he ex en o which educa o s can engage wi h and bene i om hem depends on hei
abili y o pu pose ully na iga e ins i u ional s uc u es, collegial ne wo ks, and hei
own mo i a ions. Fo his eason, we use he lens o p o essional agency heo y o
add ess how enginee ing educa o s can le e age PD oppo uni ies in sus ainabili y.
The concep o agency highligh s ha ac o s always ac employing hei en i onmen
a he han simply in hei en i onmen (E eläpel o e al., 2013). P omo ing educa o
agency bo h elies on he belie s ha indi idual educa o s b ing o hei p ac ice and
equi es collec i e de elopmen and conside a ion (Bies a e al., 2015). The e o e, o
unde s and he condi ions o p o essional agency, i is essen ial o de ine indi idual
e o s, he needed esou ces, and an ou line o con ex ual and s uc u al se ings
(Bies a e al., 2015).
While he alue o PD in sus ainabili y in highe educa ion has been widely
acknowledged (e.g., Fische e al., 2022; Mulà e al., 2017), he e is a gap in
unde s anding educa o s' pe cep ions o PD in educa ing o sus ainabili y wi hin
enginee ing educa ion ins i u ions. Unde s anding how p o essional agency can be
le e aged in p omo ing PD o in-se ice enginee ing educa o s emains limi ed since
mos li e a u e on educa o s’ iews ocuses on he ini ial eache educa ion (e.g.,
B and e al., 2019; Ceb ián & Junyen , 2015). This wo k explo es he con ex ual and
ela ional dimensions o enginee ing educa o s’ app oaches o PD ac i i ies o in o m
u u e PD ini ia i es in educa ing o sus ainabili y. To explo e he PD expe iences o
p ac icing enginee ing educa o s a wo Eu opean uni e si ies, he ollowing esea ch
ques ion is add essed: How do enginee ing educa o s app oach hei p o essional
de elopmen ega ding sus ainabili y in hei eaching p ac ice?
2 METHODOLOGY
We employed a quali a i e esea ch design o explo e enginee ing educa o s’
app oaches o PD in educa ing o sus ainabili y. A quali a i e esea ch design was
sui able o ou s udy because i allowed o an in-dep h explo a ion (C eswell, 2014)
o how educa o s make sense o hei PD in sus ainabili y educa ion wi hin hei unique
eaching con ex s. E hical app o al was sough and g an ed by bo h ins i u ions p io
o da a collec ion.
2.1 Resea ch con ex and pa icipan s
We in e iewed eigh enginee ing educa o s om wo Eu opean ins i u ions ( e e ed
o as UA and UB), which a e known o hei s ong enginee ing educa ion, emphasis
on in e disciplina y and challenge-based lea ning, and hei commi men o
sus ainabili y-d i en inno a ion. Pa icipan s we e selec ed using pu posi e sampling
o ensu e hey had di ec expe ience wi h in eg a ing sus ainabili y in o hei eaching
p ac ices. Fou educa o s we e in e iewed om each ins i u ion. The sample included
a mix o educa o s om enginee ing, business, and a chi ec u e, wi h eaching
expe ience anging om 5 o 30 yea s. All in e iews we e conduc ed by wo o he
au ho s in pe son excep o one, which was conduc ed online ia Mic oso Teams.
2.2 Da a collec ion and analysis
Pa icipan s we e ec ui ed h ough email in i a ions ha included a p i acy no ice,
pa icipan in o ma ion shee , and consen o m. We conduc ed semi-s uc u ed
in e iews (ca. 60 mins) o allow o in-dep h explo a ion while main aining lexibili y
o new opics o eme ge. The in e iews ocused on educa o s' PD in sus ainabili y
educa ion, co e ing hemes such as hei compe ence in sus ainabili y eaching,
lea ning pa hways, and u u e de elopmen al needs. Example in e iew ques ions,
guided by ou esea ch ques ions, include: “How did you de elop you knowledge and
skills o educa ing o sus ainabili y?” and “Wha p o essional oppo uni ies o
esou ces ha e been help ul o you in g owing as an educa o in his a ea?”. In e iews
we e ansc ibed e ba im using ansc ip ion so wa e p o ided by he Aal o Uni e si y
Science-IT p ojec .
We employed e lexi e hema ic analysis (B aun & Cla ke, 2021) wi h an induc i e
app oach o iden i y pa e ns in educa o s' concep ualiza ions and expe iences o PD.
All analyses we e conduc ed in ATLAS. i (web e sion). To ensu e igo , coding was
conduc ed collabo a i ely, wi h wo esea che s engaging in an i e a i e p ocess o
e iewing and e ining hemes o enhance analy ical dep h and e lexi i y. Then, a pee
deb ie ing p ocess was conduc ed wi h all au ho s o discuss in e p e a ions and
challenge assump ions o add ess analy ical eliabili y (Spall, 1998).
2.3 Limi a ions
By employing pu pose ul sampling, ou s udy ocused on educa o s al eady in eg a ing
sus ainabili y in o hei eaching p ac ice. This may in oduce a isk o selec ion bias
(Pa on, 2002), as hei pe spec i es may no ully e lec hose less amilia wi h o
esis an o sus ainabili y in eg a ion, hus limi ing he gene alizabili y o ou indings.
Howe e , ou s udy o e s insigh s in o how educa o s al eady ac i e in his a ea
exe cise agency in de eloping hei compe encies, and he e o e p o ides uni e si ies
and PD ini ia i es wi h a be e unde s anding o how o suppo and scale
sus ainabili y educa ion mo e e ec i ely. Simul aneously, ou indings lay he
g oundwo k o u u e esea ch o s udy a mo e di e se sample o educa o s.
3 RESULTS
Ou indings e ealed ha he s udied educa o s engaged in sus ainabili y educa ion
iewed hei PD as d i en by an in e play be ween in insic mo i a ion and ex e nal
in luences. Nea ly all in e iewees desc ibed hemsel es as inhe en ly cu ious abou
bo h eaching and lea ning, as well as he sus ainabili y impe a i e, and he e o e
na u ally inclined o lea n and g ow in educa ing o i . Many also men ioned ha
posi i e expe iences du ing hei own s udies se a benchma k o hei own
pedagogical p ac ice. While indi idual s a egies a ied, we iden i ied ecu ing hemes
in how educa o s expanded hei compe encies in educa ing o sus ainabili y, which
anged om sel -di ec ed e o s o engagemen wi h ins i u ional and ex e nal suppo
s uc u es.
When analysing he na u e o he iden i ied hemes, we induc i ely ca ego ized hem
based on whe e PD ook place, and he enabling condi ions in ol ed. This led o a
amewo k o i e nes ed sphe es, which ep esen a con ex ual and ela ional
dimension o p o essional g ow h: indi idual, p ac ice-based, depa men al,
ins i u ional, and ex e nal (Figu e 1). The inne sphe es, indi idual and p ac ice-based,
e lec mo e sel -di ec ed o ms o lea ning and de elopmen , whe eas he ou e
sphe es emphasize collabo a i e, ins i u ional, and ne wo k-based suppo s uc u es
ha shape educa o s' PD.
Figu e 1. Sphe es o educa o s' app oaches o p o essional de elopmen in
sus ainabili y educa ion
The inne mos sphe e, he indi idual sphe e, e lec s he ole o e lec i e and sel -
di ec ed lea ning in shaping PD. In e iewees desc ibing hei app oach in his sphe e
explained how hey engaged in sel -s udy, sough ou ma e ials online, ead academic
and p ac ical li e a u e, and ac i ely pa icipa ed in oppo uni ies such as wo kshops
o enhance hei compe encies. One in e iewee exempli ied his in he ollowing way:
“I eally helps o be cu ious. I’m always looking o mo e esou ces and o he
cou ses ha I can ake inspi a ion om o chea so o speak because he e a e
so many good ma e ials and oolki s a ailable.” In e iewee UA-4
The p ac ice-based sphe e e lec s how educa o s de elop hei expe ise h ough
hei own esea ch and eaching. In e iewees who adop ed his app oach desc ibed
hei PD as a hands-on, i e a i e p ocess, whe e hey deepened hei unde s anding
by iden i ying gaps and ends in hei eaching and engaging in con inual e lec ion.
Some also no ed ha because he subjec a eas hey each o esea ch, pa icula ly
hose ela ed o sus ainabili y, a e con inually e ol ing, hey eel a need o egula ly
e isi and adap hei eaching p ac ices. Many in e iewees also highligh ed he ole
o s uden s as sou ces o lea ning and desc ibed how in e ac ions wi h s uden s and
s uden eedback con ibu ed o hei p o essional g ow h. Se e al in e iewees also
ecognized gaps in hei own knowledge and no ed ha s uden s b ing new insigh s
h ough hei s udies. One educa o desc ibed how, a e no icing s uden s' eco-
anxie y when engaging wi h sus ainabili y opics, hey collabo a ed wi h he s udy
psychologis eam o e ine hei eaching app oach.
In he depa men al sphe e, educa o s le e aged he suppo s uc u es enabled by
hei immedia e wo king en i onmen . O e hal o he in e iewees acknowledged
hei supe iso , esea ch g oup o mas e ’s p og amme in c ea ing enabling
condi ions o hem o de elop p o essionally in educa ing o sus ainabili y. Fo
example, one in e iewee men ioned ha hei supe iso “cons an ly suppo ed and
guided hem”, while ano he said ha “ he depa men has been amazingly suppo i e”
in gi ing hem eedom o es ideas and pa icipa e in pedagogical aining. One
in e iewee elabo a ed he impac o his sphe e in he ollowing way:
“This communi y and my supe iso ha e been eally c ucial. This whole
esea ch g oup is e y eaching de elopmen posi i e. All he s a membe s
a e always eady o help. You can ask any hing and lea n om o he s, so ha ’s
been a s ong d i e o my de elopmen .” In e iewee UA-2
Wi hin his sphe e, he in e iewees also highligh ed he ole o collabo a ing wi h
colleagues on sus ainabili y-o ien ed cou ses. Fo example, wo in e iewees
emphasized ha wo king wi h like-minded educa o s and educa o s esea ching
sus ainabili y educa ion helps hem o de elop p o essionally. Fu he mo e, some
in e iewees also no ed ha di e si y in educa o s’ backg ounds can suppo hei
compe ence de elopmen . Fo ins ance, h ee in e iewees speci ically men ioned
ha by wo king and obse ing o he educa o s, hey gained insigh in o di e en ools
and me hods ha can be used when educa ing o sus ainabili y.
The ins i u ional sphe e cap u es how educa o s engage wi h uni e si y s uc u es o
suppo hei PD. Wi hin his sphe e, in e iewees desc ibed le e aging a ge ed
unding oppo uni ies o sus ainabili y educa ion p ojec s, exis ing suppo s uc u es
such as in e nal ne wo ks, and pedagogical aining o enhance hei sus ainabili y
eaching compe encies and p ac ice. Fu he mo e, in e iewees om Uni e si y A
no ed ha hei uni e si y’s s a egic commi men o sus ainabili y-o ien ed educa ion
c ea ed an enabling en i onmen o p o essional g ow h by legi imizing sus ainabili y
as a p io i y in bo h eaching and esea ch. Despi e his, nea ly all in e iewees no ed
ha while he ins i u ional sphe e may p o ide a a ou able en i onmen o
p o essional g ow h, le e aging i s oppo uni ies o en depends on an indi idual’s ime,
a ailabili y, and commi men . I is wo h no ing ha while pedagogical aining is
olun a y a Uni e si y UA, i is obliga o y o all educa o s a Uni e si y UB.
The ou e mos sphe e, he ex e nal sphe e, highligh s he ole o ex e nal
collabo a ions and p o essional ne wo ks in shaping educa o s’ eaching p ac ices.
In e iewees emphasized he impo ance o long- e m pa ne ships wi h ex e nal
o ganiza ions, anging om academia o indus y, no ing ha wo king wi h he same
collabo a o s o e ime allowed hem o e ine hei eaching app oaches, es new
me hods, and make i e a i e imp o emen s. Some educa o s engaged in na ional
ne wo ks o sus ainabili y educa ion, whe e hey can gain insigh in o eme ging
challenges and ends in he ield. O he s emphasized he alue o in e na ional
collabo a ions, which p o ided exposu e o di e se pe spec i es on sus ainabili y
educa ion ac oss di e en cul u al and ins i u ional con ex s.
Al hough he i e sphe es a e p esen ed as dis inc o analy ical cla i y, ou indings
sugges ha educa o s le e age mul iple sphe es simul aneously in esponse o
eme ging PD needs. Fo example, se e al educa o s desc ibed no icing gaps o needs
in hei eaching p ac ice (p ac ice-based sphe e), which p omp ed hem o engage in
sel -di ec ed lea ning (indi idual sphe e) o o seek in luence h ough depa men al
s uc u es, such as joining p og am commi ees o shape PD oppo uni ies
(depa men al sphe e). One in e iewee desc ibed how, h ough engaging wi h and
e lec ing on hei own esea ch (p ac ice-based sphe e) and iden i ying gaps in
exis ing PD suppo , hey ini ia ed a pedagogical aining cou se ocused on
sus ainabili y educa ion (ins i u ional sphe e). These pa e ns hus sugges a mu ually
ein o cing ela ionship be ween he sphe es.
4 DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS
Th ough in e iews wi h eigh enginee ing educa o s, we ound ha app oaching PD
o sus ainabili y educa ion is no a linea o isola ed p ocess. I is shaped by an
in e play be ween indi idual ini ia i e and s uc u al suppo , whe e educa o s exe cise
agency wi hin, and in esponse o, he condi ions p o ided by hei eaching and
ins i u ional con ex s as highligh ed by Bies a e al. (2015) and E eläpel o e al. (2013).
Educa o s d ew on a ange o s a egies ac oss i e in e ela ed sphe es, which
oge he o m a mul i-laye ed lea ning ecosys em: indi idual, p ac ice-based,
depa men al, ins i u ional, and ex e nal. This aligns wi h he idea ha mul iple sys ems
o in luence shape educa o s’ p o essional lea ning (Chaaban e al., 2023). The
impo ance o educa o s’ au onomy and pe cei ed agency was also e iden in ou
indings, which suppo s he idea ha agency can bo h enable and hinde PD
depending on he su ounding condi ions (Roumbanis Vibe g e al., 2023). Consis en
wi h p e ious indings ha enginee ing educa o s’ pe sonal con ic ions o en d i e
sus ainabili y in eg a ion in cu icula (Lei le & Dahlin, 2020), we also obse ed ha
PD in his a ea is s ongly shaped by educa o s’ in insic mo i a ion and p oac i e
engagemen . Ou indings hus ein o ce he need o conside no only he p o ision
o PD oppo uni ies, bu also educa o s’ capaci y and posi ioning o ac upon hem.
The con ibu ions and implica ions o ou indings a e h ee old. Fi s ly, i ad ances
enginee ing educa ion esea ch in he con ex o sus ainabili y by b inging in
educa o s’ pe spec i es on PD – a esea ch a ea ha has p e iously ecei ed limi ed
a en ion. Unde s anding how educa o s lea n and g ow in his space is essen ial, as
hey play a cen al ole in ansla ing sus ainabili y goals in o meaning ul lea ning
expe iences (Bü gene & Ba h, 2018; Fe guson e al., 2021).
Secondly, he s udy makes a heo e ical con ibu ion by con ex ualizing p o essional
agency wi hin sus ainabili y educa ion. We in oduced a i e-sphe e amewo k ha
illus a es he si ua ed and ela ional na u e o p o essional lea ning. This amewo k
can in o m u u e esea ch on how agency is exe cised o cons ained wi hin a ying
ins i u ional con ex s. Ou indings also indica e ha he sphe es a e no s ic ly
bounded; educa o s o en engage ac oss mul iple sphe es as pa o hei PD. This
calls o u he explo a ion o how o mal, in o mal, indi idual, and ins i u ional lea ning
oppo uni ies in e ac and ein o ce each o he and how hey can be in en ionally
suppo ed o s eng hen educa o s’ p o essional g ow h in sus ainabili y educa ion.
Finally, by ocusing on educa o s al eady ac i e in sus ainabili y educa ion, ou s udy
illus a es agency-d i en p ac ices ha ini ia e and sus ain p o essional lea ning e en
in he absence o o mal s uc u es (see also Kynd e al., 2016). This p o ides a
aluable s a ing poin o de eloping s a egies o lowe he h eshold o b oade
pa icipa ion and PD in sus ainabili y-o ien ed lea ning – o example, by suppo ing
pee lea ning h ough in o mal exchanges and mo e s uc u ed men o ing and ole-
modelling. Fu u e esea ch could ex end his wo k by including a b oade and mo e
di e se sample (e.g., wi h less engaged educa o s) o in o m inclusi e s a egies o
building ans o ma i e capaci y in enginee ing educa ion.
5 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
This s udy is inancially suppo ed by Maa- ja esi ekniikan uki y and 4TU.CEE. We
acknowledge he compu a ional esou ces p o ided by he Aal o Uni e si y Science-
IT p ojec in ansc ibing he in e iews o his s udy. We hank he pa icipan s o he
s udy o hei ime and con ibu ions.
