Resea ch Pape
Recommended ci a ion: Ma ila, M., Äijälä, M., Tedeschi, M., Shaw, M., &
Le änen, J. (2025). De eloping Sus ainabili y Compe ences Th ough a
Nego ia ion Simula ion Role-Playing Game. 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.17631440.
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.
DEVELOPING SUSTAINABILITY COMPETENCES THROUGH A
NEGOTIATION SIMULATION ROLE-PLAYING GAME
M. Ma ilaa,
1
, M. Äijäläb, M. Tedeschic, M. Shawd, J. Le änene
a Lappeen an a-Lah i Uni e si y o Technology LUT, Finland, 0000-0003-4997-3914
b Lappeen an a-Lah i Uni e si y o Technology LUT, Finland, 0000-0002-6626-4207c
Uni e si y o Tu ku, Finland, 0000-0003-0329-2857
d Uni e si y o Tu ku, Finland, 0000-0002-5274-8729
e Lappeen an a-Lah i Uni e si y o Technology LUT, Finland, 0000-0002-4420-7359
Con e ence Key A eas: 7. Sus ainabili y and socie y in enginee ing; 10.
Enginee ing skills, p o essional skills, and ans e sal skills
Keywo ds: Sus ainabili y, Compe ences, Simula ion, Role-playing, Ac i e lea ning
ABSTRACT
This s udy in es iga ed he e ec i eness o a nego ia ion simula ion ole-playing game
as a pedagogical ool o de eloping he sus ainabili y compe ences o uni e si y
enginee ing s uden s. In an ac i e lea ning en i onmen , s uden s engaged in a ole-
playing exe cise, assuming he oles o di e se s akeholde s deba ing he u u e o a
coal-bu ning plan in he ic ional ci y o Pinehill.
The esea ch examined how an expe ien ial, ye sa e eal-wo ld simula ion in luenced
he de elopmen o key sus ainabili y compe ences, such as sys ems hinking,
s a egic collabo a ion, and u u e-o ien ed analy ical hinking, which a e essen ial
skills o na iga ing complex sus ainabili y ansi ions. Wi h pe spec i es o di e en
ac o s 'embodied' du ing he simula ion, he game also enhanced he abili y o
conside di e se iewpoin s in decision-making.
Da a was collec ed h ough g oup e lec ion epo s and su eys, u ilizing bo h
quali a i e and quan i a i e me hods o assess s uden s' lea ning expe iences and
compe ence de elopmen . I was obse ed ha pa icipa ion in he simula ions
empowe ed s uden s wi h deepened compe ences in sus ainabili y, especially
ega ding in e pe sonal skills.
This esea ch con ibu es o enginee ing educa ion by p esen ing ha simula ion ole-
playing games can na ow he gap be ween heo e ical knowledge and eal-wo ld
applica ion while de eloping key sus ainabili y compe ences ha adi ional class oom
me hods a e unlikely o deli e .
1
Co esponding Au ho
M. Ma ila
miika.ma ila@lu . i
1 INTRODUCTION
The e is a c i ical need o equip u u e p o essionals wi h sus ainabili y compe ences
and enable hem o in eg a e en i onmen al, social, and economic dimensions in o he
ans o ma i e changes and ansi ions essen ial o d i e socie ies owa ds
sus ainabili y (Loo bach e al., 2017; Köhle e al., 2019). Since he ea ly 1990s,
Educa ion o Sus ainable De elopmen (ESD) has been ecognized as a key
esponse o global sus ainabili y challenges (Boe e-de Pauw e al., 2015). Howe e ,
adi ional eaching me hods o en all sho in p o iding s uden s wi h he necessa y
skills o eal-wo ld decision-making, o example ega ding mul i-s akeholde
nego ia ions and changes in complex sys ems.
To add ess his gap, pa icipa o y modelling and se ious games, such as ole-playing
and simula ions (Fle che e al., 2008; Ab ami e al., 2021; Peña Miguel e al., 2020),
ha e been inc easingly s udied as pedagogical ools in sus ainabili y educa ion
(Rumo e e al., 2016; Ducha ele e al., 2019). Simula ion games, o ins ance, ha e
been ound o be among he mos e ec i e means o acili a e lea ning complex skills
ac oss domains (Che niko a e al., 2020). Ea lie esea ch has p oposed ha he key
compe ences in sus ainabili y a e sys ems hinking, an icipa o y skills, no ma i e
e lec ion, s a egic decision-making, and in e pe sonal skills (Wiek e al., 2011).
De elopmen o hese compe ences should be a ge ed in he class oom as a
backbone o eaching u u e sus ainabili y p o essionals (B undie s e al., 2010;
B undie s & Wiek, 2017).
By in eg a ing wo o he main sel -pe cep ion-based me hods o assessing
sus ainabili y compe ences, e lec i e w i ing and scaled sel -assessmen (Redman e
al., 2021), his s udy uses a s uc u ed nego ia ion ole-playing game as a case s udy
o explo e h ee key ques ions:
1) Wha ypes o sus ainabili y compe ences do enginee ing s uden s de elop h ough
pa icipa ion in such simula ions?
2) How e ec i ely does he simula ion os e hese compe ences?
3) How do di e en s akeholde oles in luence s uden s’ lea ning ou comes?
Wi h sus ainabili y challenges becoming inc easingly p essing, equipping s uden s
wi h he compe ences needed o sys emic ans o ma ion is essen ial in os e ing he
nex gene a ion o sus ainabili y p o essionals (B undie s e al., 2021). The indings o
his esea ch con ibu e o sus ainabili y pedagogy by ecommending in eg a ing
simila inno a i e lea ning app oaches in o enginee ing cu icula.
2 METHODOLOGY
2.1 Pa icipan s and con ex
The pa icipan s we e Mas e ’s le el uni e si y s uden s mainly om di e en
enginee ing disciplines a LUT Uni e si y, en olled in he "Sus ainabili y in a Socio-
Technological Con ex " cou se du ing he academic yea 2024-2025. As pa o he
cou se, s uden s pa icipa ed in a u u es nego ia ion ole-playing game and w o e a
g oup e lec ion on he game a e wa ds.
2.2 The nego ia ion simula ion
The nego ia ion simula ion game applied in his s udy was a s uc u ed ole-playing
exe cise, simila o p esen ed in Fle che e al. (2008). The game, en i led Pinehill
Fu u es, was designed o engage s uden s in a complex sus ainabili y decision-making
scena io, and o assume he oles o di e se s akeholde s deba ing he u u e o a
coal-bu ning hea ing plan in he ic ional ci y o Pinehill. This expe ien ial lea ning
ac i i y was designed o mimic complex eal-wo ld sus ainabili y ansi ions, acili a ing
emo ional engagemen wi h di e se s akeholde pe spec i es and he challenges ha
come wi h a emp ing o align hem owa ds a sus ainable solu ion.
The di e en s akeholde s ep esen ed in he simula ion include:
S akeholde G oup
Role Desc ip ion
Pinehill Ci y Council
Facili a es he nego ia ion p ocess; ensu es ai discussion; esponsible
o municipal policy and long- e m sus ainabili y planning.
Pinehill Local Ene gy
Company
De ends he con inued ope a ion o he coal plan ; emphasizes ene gy
secu i y and local economic s abili y.
Geo he mal Dis ic
Hea ing Company
P oposes a ansi ion o enewable geo he mal ene gy; p omo es clean
and sus ainable ene gy solu ions.
Fo es Owne
Associa ion
Ad oca es he use o locally sou ced biomass as an al e na i e ene gy
sou ce; conce ned o managemen o o es o economic bene i .
En i onmen al NGO
Opposes coal ene gy; pushes o sus ainable and low-emission
al e na i es wi h cau ion ega ding o he en i onmen al impac s.
Ci izen G oup o
Pinehill
Rep esen s esiden s' conce ns abou employmen , en i onmen quali y,
and he communi y’s economic u u e.
The simula ion had he ollowing ou -phase s uc u e:
Phase
Desc ip ion
P epa a ion
S uden s amilia ize wi h hei assigned s akeholde posi ion, e iewing
ele an backg ound in o ma ion, sus ainabili y impac s, and a gumen a ion.
Nego ia ion
S uden s impe sona e he di e en s akeholde s engaging in s uc u ed
discussions, p oposing solu ions, and nego ia ing comp omises o add ess
a ious iews on sus ainabili y conce ns.
Decision-making
The pa icipan s a emp o each a consensus and manage he sus ainabili y
ade-o s ega ding he u u e o he coal-bu ning plan .
Re lec ion
S uden s analyze he nego ia ion p ocess, e alua ing he challenges o
s akeholde collabo a ion and he implica ions o hei decisions.
2.3 Da a Collec ion
G oup e lec ion epo s
A e comple ing he nego ia ion simula ion game, a o al o 14 g oups o s uden s
(n=94) submi ed a e lec ion epo desc ibing hei lea ning and insigh s gained om
he ole-playing expe ience. The s udy was conduc ed ollowing e hical guidelines o
educa ional esea ch; pa icipa ion was olun a y, and s uden s' esponses we e
anonymized o p o ec hei p i acy. S uden s we e asked o e alua e he implica ions
o hei decisions made du ing he nego ia ion. This allowed s uden s o a icula e how
he simula ion shaped hei unde s anding o sus ainabili y challenges, s akeholde
dynamics, and he complexi y o socio- echnical sys ems.
Su eys
Th ee s uc u ed su eys we e conduc ed a di e en s ages o he exe cise o cap u e
s uden s' sel -assessed compe ence de elopmen :
Su ey s age
Desc ip ion
P e-nego ia ion su ey
(n=60)
Comple ed be o e he nego ia ion simula ion game o es ablish baseline
le el on s uden s' pe cei ed sus ainabili y compe ences.
Pos -nego ia ion su ey
(n=29)
Comple ed immedia ely a e he simula ion o assess de elopmen in
compe ence pe cep ions esul ing om he nego ia ion simula ion.
Pos - e lec ion su ey
(n=20)
Comple ed a e s uden s submi ed hei g oup e lec ion epo s o
ack u he change in compe ences ollowing e lec i e analysis.
Each su ey included he ollowing ins uc ion: “Please assess you knowledge and
skills ega ding he ollowing sus ainabili y compe ences (1 = I ha e no knowledge; 5
= I possess ex ensi e compe ence).” This was applied o a se ies o compe ence-
ela ed concep s de i ed om he amewo k de eloped by Wiek e al. (2011), which
de ines i e key sus ainabili y compe ences: sys ems hinking, an icipa o y, no ma i e,
s a egic, and in e pe sonal.
The use o he concep -le el assessmen dis inguished he key compe ences in o 30
mo e de ailed a iables, cap u ing speci ic knowledge a eas, skills, and abili ies wi hin
each main ca ego y. This de ailed s uc u e allowed o a mo e nuanced assessmen
and acking o de elopmen ac oss di e en aspec s o each compe ence a ea.
2.4 Da a analysis
The s udy employed a mixed-me hods app oach combining quali a i e analysis o
g oup e lec ions and quan i a i e analysis o a h ee-phase sel -assessmen su ey,
Figu e 1. Bo h da a sou ces we e s uc u ed using Wiek e al. (2011) amewo k o
examine and compa e compe ence de elopmen ac oss key compe ence ca ego ies,
s ages o he exe cise, and s akeholde oles.
Fig. 1. Resea ch ou line o analyzing sus ainabili y compe ence de elopmen .
Quali a i e analysis (g oup e lec ions):
While he analysis was g ounded in he Wiek e al. (2011) amewo k, he p ocess
emained open o he iden i ica ion o new o hyb id key sus ainabili y compe ence
ca ego ies ha would eme ge om he da a. The analysis aimed o ecognize
compe ences ou side he al eady exis ing amewo k o he in e sec ion o mul iple
es ablished compe ences.
An a-p io i coding app oach guided he quali a i e analysis o he e lec ion epo s.
The p ocess in ol ed he ollowing s eps:
S ep
Desc ip ion
De ining
compe ences
Sus ainabili y compe ences we e de ined based on he amewo k by Wiek
e al. (2011), which se ed as he ounda ion o he analysis s uc u e.
Da a e iew
Re lec ion epo s we e sys ema ically e iewed o iden i y ins ances whe e
s uden s demons a ed o discussed compe ences ela ed o sus ainabili y.
Classi ica ion
Iden i ied quo es we e e lec ed agains he i e key sus ainabili y
compe ences om Wiek e al. (2011): sys ems hinking, an icipa o y,
no ma i e, s a egic, and in e pe sonal compe ences.
Thema ic analysis
A hema ic analysis was conduc ed o u he g oup he eme gen hemes
beyond he p ede ined compe ence ca ego ies, cap u ing he mo e de ailed
‘sub-compe ences’ o suppo he al eady es ablished key compe ences.
Quan i a i e analysis (su eys):
A compa a i e s a is ical analysis was conduc ed on su ey da a o measu e changes
in s uden s' sel -pe cei ed sus ainabili y compe ences ac oss he h ee ime poin s.
Desc ip i e s a is ics we e used o e alua e shi s in compe ence a ings and o
de e mine s a is ically signi ican changes. Addi ionally, he analysis aimed o iden i y
which speci ic sus ainabili y compe ences s uden s el had de eloped he mos
h oughou he nego ia ion simula ion game. By u ilizing h ee da a collec ion poin s,
he s udy allowed examining when de elopmen o compe ences occu ed, p o iding
insigh s in o he impac o di e en phases o he lea ning p ocess.
3 RESULTS
3.1 Iden i ied compe ences
Analysis o s uden g oup e lec ion epo s shows how di e en sus ainabili y
compe ences we e emphasized in s uden s’ own a icula ion o hei lea ning om he
nego ia ion simula ion. The dis ibu ion o desc ip ions incompe ences ca ego ies,
ep esen ed in Figu e 2, shows he equency o each compe ence as expe ienced by
he s uden s. Fo example, he ollowing s uden e lec ion: “We lea ned ha
nego ia ions may some imes ake su p ising u ns in he middle o he con e sa ion
and he di ec ion o he con e sa ion canno always be p edic ed,”
Fig. 2. Ca ego iza ion o iden i ied compe ence desc ip ions o key compe ences.
was ca ego ized unde he ‘An icipa o y Compe ence’, as i e lec s he abili y o
emain lexible and main ain composu e when plans a e dis up ed o unexpec ed
de elopmen s occu du ing sus ainabili y p ocesses. On he o he hand, he s a emen
also demons a es an awa eness o he impo ance o esponsi eness and openness
o change du ing complex discussions, e e ing o quali ies ele an o ‘In e pe sonal
Compe ence’.
The dominance o in e pe sonal compe ence in e lec ions indica es ha s uden s
we e ac ually in es ed in o he exe cise and deal wi h eal nego ia ion dynamics such
as us , powe , and con lic , a he han supe icial discussion. F equen men ions o
no ma i e compe ence e lec deepe mo al easoning as s uden s engaged wi h alue
con lic s beyond ole-based a gumen s. S a egic and sys ems hinking compe ences
we e equally emphasized, indica ing s uden s' g owing abili y o nego ia e e ec i ely,
ake ad an age o le e age poin s, and ac wi h sys emic awa eness.
The 104 iden i ied compe ence desc ip ions we e g ouped in o 24 dis inc
sus ainabili y sub-compe ences (Appendix I) by g ouping hose wi h sha ed meaning.
Fo ins ance, unde ‘Sys ems Thinking Compe ence’, sub-compe ences such as
‘Emphasizing complexi y e sus linea i y’ and ‘Unde s anding socio-ecological
sys ems’ eme ged o ca ch he b oade de ini ion o he main ca ego y in mo e de ail.
Simila ly, he in e pe sonal domain was en iched wi h sub-compe ences ep esen ing
p ac ical skills such as ac i e lis ening, empa hy, and sel -awa eness.
3.2 Sel - epo ed de elopmen
Figu e 3 illus a es he de elopmen o s uden s' sel -assessed sus ainabili y
compe ences ac oss h ee measu emen poin s: be o e he nego ia ion simula ion
(p e-nego ia ion), immedia ely a e he simula ion (pos -nego ia ion), and ollowing he
submission o g oup e lec ion epo s (pos - e lec ion).
Fig. 3. Sel -assessed de elopmen o s uden s' sus ainabili y compe ences.
Al hough, signi ican compe ence de elopmen was obse ed pos -nego ia ion, sco es
sligh ly declined in pos - e lec ion esponses. This could simply be due o di e en
coho o esponden s bu could also sugges s ha e lec ions encou aged mo e
c i ical sel -assessmen , wi h s uden s eassessing hei compe ences a e analyzing
hei pe o mance and g oup dynamics mo e deeply.
The s onges de elopmen s we e obse ed in s a egic and an icipa o y
compe ences, e lec ing he simula ion’s emphasis on u u e-o ien ed decision-
making. S a egic compe ence imp o ed mos , likely due o he need o goal se ing,
a gumen p epa a ion, and nego ia ion s a egies. S uden s also engaged wi h u u e
scena ios and conside ed long- e m consequences o di e en ansi ion pa hways
ad ancing he an icipa o y compe ences. Sys ems hinking compe ence g ew h ough
wo king wi h in e dependencies ac oss ecological, social, and economic sus ainabili y
dimensions. Role-play also o ced s uden s o accoun o sys em eedbacks, ade-
o s, and unin ended ou comes. Su p isingly, no ma i e compe ences inc eased
modes ly compa ed o o he s. Howe e , i s baseline assessmen was al eady highes
indica ing po en ially less oom o imp o emen .
3.3 Impac o s akeholde oles
Figu e 4 p esen s how di e en s akeholde oles in he nego ia ion simula ion game
con ibu ed o he de elopmen o speci ic sus ainabili y compe ences, based on
coded con en om g oup e lec ion epo s. In e pe sonal compe ence appea ed
p ominen ly ac oss all oles, especially in he Ci y Council, Local Ene gy Company,
and Fo es Owne s’ Associa ion. These g oups migh ha e equi ed coo dina ion wi h
di e ging in e es s in he nego ia ion. Especially, he Ci y Council’s cen al posi ion in
he nego ia ion made i esponsible o s akeholde managemen , while NGO and
geo he mal oles needed pe suasi e communica ion om he ou side in.
Fig. 4. Sel -assessed de elopmen o s uden s' sus ainabili y compe ences.
No ma i e compe ence was s ongly exp essed in he Ci izen Associa ion,
Geo he mal Hea ing Company, and En i onmen al NGO. These oles in i ed di ec
engagemen wi h e hical ade-o s and sus ainabili y p inciples. S uden s e lec ed on
ai ness, esponsibili y, and long- e m socie al goals in hei a gumen s o jus i y hei
posi ions. S a egic compe ence s ood ou in he Local Ene gy Company and Ci y
Council oles. These g oups pushed o conc e e ou comes unde p essu e, equi ing
s uden s o hink ac ically, collabo a e, and c ea e s a egies in eal ime.
Sys ems hinking compe ence was pa icula ly e iden in he En i onmen al NGO
g oups. This ole in ol ed na iga ing ecological, echnical, and sys emic
in e dependencies. An icipa o y compe ence emained ma ginal ac oss oles. I s
limi ed a icula ion, e en in u u e-o ien ed g oups such as Geo he mal Company o
Ci y Council, indica es ha long- e m o esigh was insu icien ly in eg a ed in he ole
design, and could be possibly imp o ed wi h explici ools o u u es hinking.
4 DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS
The indings con i m ha his ole-playing exe cise e ec i ely suppo s he
de elopmen o sus ainabili y compe ences, pa icula ly hose linked o nego ia ion,
complex sys ems, and s a egic planning. These e lec exac ly he kind o
compe ences adi ional class oom pedagogies migh miss, especially as he
no ma i e compe ences we e sel -assessed s onges be o e nego ia ions. G oup
e lec ions showed ha s uden s we e, howe e , especially awa e o in e pe sonal
compe ence de elopmen , which is essen ial o s akeholde collabo a ion.
The simula ion’s ole s uc u e enabled di e se lea ning ou comes. Some oles
emphasized collabo a ion and sys emic aspec s, while o he s ocused on alues o
s a egic easoning. The dis ibu ion o compe ences ac oss oles highligh s how
embodying di e en s akeholde pe spec i es shapes lea ning in simula ion-game
based educa ion. Wha s uden s p ac iced and e lec ed on was closely ied o he
speci ic demands o hei assigned oles.
The sub-compe ences ecognized o e a aluable ex ension o he Wiek e al. (2011)
amewo k, adding dep h and cla i y o al eady widely adop ed key compe ence a eas.
By naming and clus e ing hese sub-compe ences, he s udy connec s b oade
compe ence domains wi h mo e angible lea ning ou comes, s eng hening he
analy ical u ili y o he amewo k. This complemen a y laye de ails he conc e e skills
and unde s anding ela ed o each key compe ence.
The au ho s encoun e ed se e al cases du ing he da a analysis whe e indi idual
s a emen s in he e lec ions could ha e been in e p e ed as e idence o g ow h in
mul iple compe ence a eas. This o e lap highligh s an impo an insigh in o
compe ences: hey a e o en in e dependen and mus wo k oge he o unc ion
e ec i ely. This u he emphasizes ha sus ainabili y compe ences a e no clea -cu
and should be co-e ol ed oge he h ough p ac ical applica ion. The uzzy bounda ies
be ween compe ences ha was cla i ied wi h he sub-ca ego iza ion de eloped in his
s udy, could be u he suppo ed wi h he in eg a ion o he eme ging compe ences
in oduced by Redman & Wiek (2021).
A key limi a ion o he s udy is i s eliance on sel -assessmen su eys, which may be
subjec o bias in how s uden s judge hei own compe ence le els. The sho du a ion
and ela i ely la ge g oup sizes in he simula ion may ha e also limi ed he dep h o
compe ence de elopmen obse ed. Ano he limi a ion is he small numbe o pos -
su ey esponses, which weakens he eliabili y o acking compe ence de elopmen
o e ime. Al hough suppo ed by quali a i e e lec ions, inclusion o o mal s uden
app aisals could se e as addi ional e alua ion me hod in u u e s udies o con i m ha
sel - epo ed de elopmen e lec s ac ual compe ence imp o emen om he
pe spec i e o eaching s a .
