P ac ice Pape
Recommended ci a ion: Be bui , U., & S ö mann, M. (2025). Lea ing he Com o
Zone and Imme sing You sel in You S udies - Expe iences and Re lec ions on
he In oduc o y Sus ainabili y Science Cou se. 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.17631432.
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.
LEAVING THE COMFORT ZONE AND IMMERSING IN YOUR
STUDIES - EXPERIENCES AND REFLECTIONS ON THE
INTRODUCTORY SUSTAINABILITY SCIENCE COURSE
U. Be bui a,
1
, M. S ö mann b
a Depa men o Mechanical Enginee ing, Ruh -Uni e si y Bochum, Ge many,
0000-0003-4451-0128
b Depa men o Ci il and En i onmen al Enginee ing,
Ruh -Uni e si y Bochum, Ge many, 0009-0009-5213-8419
Con e ence Key A eas: di e si y, equi y, and inclusion; sus ainabili y
Keywo ds: ans e sal skills, lea ning om ailu e, eache s as lea ning guides,
e lec ion, onboa ding
ABSTRACT
Wi hin he amewo k o a compulso y cou se in he i s yea o an En i onmen al
Enginee ing p og am, he ollowing goal le els a e add essed: eaching basics and
o ien a ion knowledge, enhancing p o essional compe encies/ u u e skills and
onboa ding. Me hodologically, he cou se employs p oblem based lea ning, blended
lea ning elemen s, pee e iews, g oup discussions, o ing ools, ole-plays, and a
small p ojec . Challenges include managing he he e ogenei y o pa icipan s and
ensu ing adequa e suppo and eedback p ocesses in cou ses wi h mo e han 60
pa icipan s. A dis inc i e ea u e is he in ensi e in ol emen o s uden u o s in he
concep ualiza ion and implemen a ion o he cou se.
In his con ibu ion, we ocus on he challenges posed by un amilia me hods, which
can lead s uden s o e use o engage wi h hem. We explo e how an app op ia e
lea ning a mosphe e can be c ea ed o ensu e he in ended e ec s o he o ma s a e
achie ed. Based on e alua ion esul s om h ee uns and pe sonal expe ience, we
desc ibe and e lec on ou e o s o c ea e such a 'sa e space' o s uden s. We
p esen wo pe spec i es: ha o he lec u e in cha ge and ha o a s uden u o .
1
U. Be bui
[email p o ec ed]b.de
1 INTRODUCTION
The En i onmen al Enginee ing p og am a Ruh -Uni e si y Bochum is cha ac e ized
by i s ocus on en i onmen al enginee ing issues and he conside a ion o sys emic
in e ela ions, aking in o accoun socie al condi ions. A undamen al goal is o
p epa e s uden s o he p essing en i onmen al challenges o ou ime and o impa
cu en solu ions and echnologies. The cou se “In oduc ion o Sus ainabili y
Science” (ISS), p esen ed he e, was de eloped ou yea s ago as pa o a
cu iculum edesign and in eg a es he en i onmen al and sus ainabili y ocus o he
p og am om he ou se in o he compulso y cu iculum. In his module o he i s
and second bachelo semes e s, a ansdisciplina y in oduc ion o sus ainabili y
science is p o ided by con eying o ien a ion knowledge and p esen ing socie al
con ex s. An impo an aspec is o explici ly demons a e he connec ion be ween
echnology and sus ainabili y o he s uden s and o ha e a meaning ul impac . This
con en -based onboa ding is combined wi h elemen s o academic p opaedeu ics.
Fu he mo e, social onboa ding is also a goal o he cou se. This pe sonal a i al a
he uni e si y, in he p og am, and wi hin he espec i e s uden coho is combined
wi h he p omo ion o o e a ching pe sonal and social compe encies ha a e
impo an in he s udy and aim a he de elopmen o u u e skills.
The cou se sys ema ically links a ious goal le els. An in ended syne gis ic e ec is
ha h ough he con ex ualiza ion in his compulso y cou se, bo h he
ansdisciplina y con en and he add essed pe sonal and social compe encies
aimed a communica ion and collabo a ion a e expe ienced as belonging o he
enginee ing p o ession. In e ms o con en , he module in oduces he de elopmen
o he scien i ic ield o Sus ainabili y Science (Cla k & Ha ley, 2020). Cu en opics
o sus ainabili y and socie al esponsibili y a e discussed. A he beginning o hei
s udies, s uden s a e add essed as esponsible ci izens who wo k on sus ainabili y-
ela ed issues, ecognize basic concep s, and he need o in-dep h scien i ic
knowledge. This app oach is embedded in e o s o p omo e sus ainabili y
compe encies and u u e skills, which a e simila in many ways, pa icula ly wi h
ega d o he impo ance o alues- hinking (Bianchi, 2020; Ehle , 2020; Redman &
Wiek, 2021; Be bui , 2024). The cou se in oduces basic concep s o e hical
a gumen a ion and discusses a ious a eas o e hics, including en i onmen al e hics
in pa icula .
While discussions on de ini ions o u u e skills and esea ch on he educa ional
heo e ical ounda ion a e ongoing, he e is b oad consensus ha such
compe encies can only be os e ed wi h speci ic eaching-lea ning o ma s (Koch e
al., 2024). In he design o eaching, he e needs o be space and ime o encoun e
and collabo a ion, as well as eedback and e lec ion, o sys ema ically lea n om
expe iences. In o ma s ha ocusses on lea ning om expe ience espec i ely
lea ning om 'mis akes', i is pa icula ly impo an o c ea e a eaching-lea ning
en i onmen ha is collabo a i e, ocusses on posi i e ela ionships be ween
eache s and lea ne s and p omo es pe sonal de elopmen (Rawle e al., 2025).
2 CONTEXT AND PRACTICAL WORK
2.1 Lea ning objec i es and o ganiza ional s uc u e o he module
The module “In oduc ion o Sus ainabili y Science” (ISS) has he ollowing lea ning
objec i es, which a e a di e en le els:
▪ Basics and o ien a ion knowledge: Unde s anding he in e play be ween
echnology, socie y, and sus ainable de elopmen .
▪ P o essional compe encies / Fu u e Skills: P omo ion o pe sonal and social
compe ences, such as communica ion and collabo a ion skills, which a e bo h
undamen al in e ms o u u e skills and essen ial as ‘p o essional
compe ences’ o he p omo ion o sus ainable de elopmen .
▪ Onboa ding: Facili a ing he in eg a ion o new s uden s in o he academic and
social en i onmen .
The module consis s o wo cou ses ha span wo semes e s. In cou se 1 du ing he
win e semes e , he hema ic ocus is on he ela ionship be ween echnology and
socie y, while cou se 2 in he summe semes e explici ly add esses he heme o
sus ainabili y. Bo h cou ses a e o ganized as weekly in-pe son class sessions o 90
minu es each. Success ul comple ion equi es ac i e pa icipa ion, comple ion o
80% o he weekly assignmen s, pa icipa ion in a ole-play in he i s pa o he
cou se, and p esen a ion o a semes e -long g oup p ojec in he second pa .
Minimum s anda ds mus be me in he assignmen s, bu he e a e no g ades
awa ded. The module is c edi ed wi h 5 CP. In addi ion o he esponsible lec u e ,
he module is suppo ed by wo o h ee u o s. The u o s’ asks include assis ing
wi h he o ganiza ion and adminis a ion o he cou se, suppo ing pa icipan s du ing
in-pe son class sessions, and con ibu ing o he ongoing e inemen o he cou se.
The module is compulso y, and i is ecommended ha i be aken a he beginning
o he p og am, bu i is no manda o y. As a esul , he cou se is a ended by a
di e se g oup o s uden s, including bo h hose in hei i s semes e and o he s who
a e al eady in mo e ad anced s ages o hei s udies. This he e ogenei y is e lec ed
in he di e en p io knowledge, expe iences, and expec a ions ha he s uden s
b ing o he cou se. The numbe o pa icipan s in he cou se anges om 60 o a
maximum o 100.
The weekly class sessions ocus on g oup collabo a ion. The a ge g oup size is six
pe sons, bu g oup sizes can ange om a minimum o ou o a maximum o eigh
pe sons, depending on he coho size and luc ua ions du ing he semes e . G oup
wo k is conduc ed in h ee o ou adjacen semina ooms, depending on he
numbe o s uden s. Each oom is supe ised by a u o o he lec u e , ensu ing ha
he e is always a poin o con ac on-si e. Knowledge is ans e ed h ough digi al
lea ning uni s (slide p esen a ions wi h es s on he Moodle lea ning pla o m) in a
blended lea ning se ing. Fo each week, he e is a speci ic ask ha mus be
comple ed in sel -s udy. We al e na e be ween wo king on he digi al lea ning uni s,
esea ch-ques ions, eedback o e lec ion asks.
2.2 Me hods and didac ical s uc u e
The didac ical s uc u e o he cou se (class sessions and assignmen s) epea edly
passes h ough phases ha could be adequa ely desc ibed using he amewo k o
“P ac ice, An icipa ion, Inclusion, and Re lexi i y” (Joh i & Hingle, 2024). In he
weekly lec u es, we wo k ei he wi h case s udies o wi h speci ic discussion
ques ions. The case s udies a e wo ked on by he s uden s using he 7-s ep me hod
o P oblem Based Lea ning (PBL). This equi es s uden s o independen ly deduce
he p oblem, de i e esea ch ques ions, and esea ch in o ma ion un il he nex ime.
The s uden s hen gi e each o he c i e ia-based eedback on hei esea ch esul s
in he pee e iew ool (in Moodle). In addi ion o he case s udies, which a e wo ked
on o e a leas 2 cou se sessions, we also use speci ic discussion ques ions ha
can be ca ied ou in one session and encou age a mo e speci ic hema ic
discussion. He e, oo, he ques ions a e i s wo ked on o discussed in s uden
wo king g oups and he esul s a e hen collec ed, discussed, and e lec ed on in he
plena y session.
These me hods a e embedded as egula componen s o he cou se and he
s uc u e o he class sessions ollows a s anda dized pa e n: The espec i e
schedule is p esen ed a he beginning, ollowed by a sho inpu o ecapi ula ion o
he con en , be o e quickly mo ing on o he g oup wo k. The g oup ask is b ie ly
explained in he plena y session and he g oups ecei e a olde wi h he ask and
he necessa y ma e ials. To suppo collabo a ion, s uden s wo k wi h simple
mode a ion ma e ials such as s icky no es and pens, enabling e e yone o
con ibu e. Tasks a e also accompanied by empla es ha combine guidance and
documen a ion, allowing esul s o be eco ded di ec ly. A e he g oup wo k phase,
we e u n o he plena y o discuss he esul s. Some imes, digi al o ing ools o
wo king wi h me aplan boa ds help o s uc u e he exchange. By es ablishing hese
kinds o ou ines and wo king wi h consis en ma e ials we y o educe he
unce ain y associa ed wi h his un amilia eaching me hods. This enables us o
implemen hese me hods wi h a coho o up o 100 s uden s.
Addi ionally, he e is a ‘me hodological highligh ’ e e y semes e . In he win e
semes e his is a ole play and in he summe semes e i is a pos e p esen a ion.
Fo he s uden s, i is a kind o s age whe e hey can y ou and p esen wha hey
ha e lea n . The ole-plays and pos e p esen a ions a e no ca ied ou wi h
e e yone a he same ime, no a e hey pa o he usual weekly appoin men s.
These special me hods pu s uden s in si ua ions ha many o hem ind 'ou side
hei com o zone'. To help s uden s engage wi h his, we p o ide a sa e space
whe e hey can emb ace a ce ain deg ee o unce ain y and lea n om 'mis akes'.
3 RESULTS AND INSIGHTS
3.1 Exce p s om he E alua ion Resul s
The module has been unning in his s uc u e o nea ly 3 yea s. The majo i y o
pa icipan s engage wi h he me hods, sys ema ically comple e he weekly
assignmen s, ac i ely pa icipa e in he g oups, and hus success ully comple e he
module. Agains he backd op o a high numbe o d opou s in he s udy p og am,
his cou se is also a ec ed by pa icipan s who d op ou o do no submi he
equi ed assignmen s and consequen ly do no pass he cou se. The o e all
e alua ion o he e en in he acul y-wide eaching e alua ion is consis en ly
be ween good and e y good. Compa ed o he o e all a e age o he acul y’s
cou ses, he cou ses pe o m sligh ly be e .
In ou pe cep ion, he cou se gene ally has a pleasan a mosphe e. This is also
e iden in indi idual con e sa ions. To e i y whe he we succeed in c ea ing a good
wo king a mosphe e and he necessa y 'sa e space' o he me hods, we analyzed
he ee- ex ield esponses o he ques ions “Wha is pa icula ly good abou he
e en ?” and “Conc e e sugges ions o imp o emen and u he commen s.” The
s a emen s we e ca ego ized in o hema ic clus e s, and he numbe o men ions pe
clus e is shown in Figu es 1 and 2. The da a is based on 197 e alua ions om he
las 5 semes e s, wi h a esponse a e o a ound 66%. By analyzing he e alua ion
esul s, we aim o gain insigh s in o he e ec i eness o ou me hods and he o e all
s uden expe ience, ensu ing ha we con inue o c ea e a suppo i e and engaging
lea ning en i onmen .
I can be seen, ha signi ican ly mo e posi i e eedback is p o ided han c i icism.
Al hough he second ques ion o p omp encou ages s uden s o o e conc e e
sugges ions o imp o emen and addi ional commen s, his ee- ex ield is no mally
also used by s uden s o exp ess clea c i icism when necessa y. In ou cou se,
he e a e occasional ins ances o e y c i ical eedback ( his occu ed in 2 ou o 197
e alua ion o ms). O e all, howe e , he eedback is posi i e, pa icula ly ega ding
he aspec s o “g oup wo k and collabo a ion” and “a mosphe e and in e ac ion,”
which we e men ioned as pa icula ly posi i e by 50 ou o 86 esponden s. In he
eedback on speci ic sugges ions o imp o emen only 7 men ions we e ela ed o
he a ea o “g oup wo k and in e ac ion.” None o he eedback epo ed such
signi ican p oblems wi h he g oups o in he cou se ha would ha e p e en ed
engagemen wi h he me hods. Addi ionally, e lec ions on he p ojec wo k and block
semina s indica e ha i was o en possible o s uden s who ypically ha e di icul ies
wi h open o ma s and/o speaking in on o g oups o engage wi h he me hods due
o he cons uc i e a mosphe e. Na u ally, hese e lec ions also men ion challenges
in he g oup wo k phases, bu hese a e pa o he p ocess and do no ques ion he
app oach o cul u e o he e en .
Fig. 1. Visualiza ion o he e alua ion esul s
by g ouping and displaying he numbe o
esponses in he ee ex ield “Wha is
pa icula ly good abou he cou se?”
Fig. 2. Visualiza ion o he e alua ion
esul s by g ouping and displaying
he numbe o esponses in he ee
ex ield “Conc e e sugges ions ü
imp o emen and u he commen s”
3.2 Ongoing Challenges and De elopmen
The module is con inuously de eloped bo h in e ms o con en and me hodology. As
a eam o lec u e and u o s, we adap wo k assignmen s, expe imen wi h di e en
app oaches and egula ly e lec on how s uden s ecei e and comple e he asks
and con en . We s i e o p o ide space in each i e a ion o add ess cu en opics
and o e a deg ee o eedom o choice. This is pa icula ly ele an o esea ch
asks in he PBL cases and he p ojec assignmen comple ed in he second cou se.
F om he ou se , we communica e o he s uden s ha he e is a ce ain deg ee o
con en and me hodological eedom ha all pa icipan s can and should shape
oge he . In his sense, e e yone in ol ed is also a lea ne .
Tension Be ween Guidance and F eedom
In he eam o lec u e and u o , we ha e in he pas i e a ions in ensi ely discussed
he ollowing challenges and expe imen ed wi h a ious app oaches, including:
▪ How do we handle g oup di ision? (Assigned by us, sel -selec ed, highe
semes e s and lowe semes e s oge he o sepa a e.)
▪ How much didac ic explana ion is necessa y?
When is i use ul o explain he backg ound o a me hod in de ail, and when is
i be e o di e di ec ly in o ac ion?
▪ How do we c ea e an app op ia e balance be ween clea ask assignmen s
and eedom o sel -design?
▪ How s ic o lenien should we be in ou guidance?
▪ Wha can o should we do i we obse e ha some s uden s a e no
coope a ing adequa ely o a e ha ing di icul ies pa icipa ing ac i ely?
These conside a ions highligh he complexi ies o balancing s uc u e and lexibili y
in educa ional se ings, ensu ing ha s uden s a e bo h guided and empowe ed o
ake owne ship o hei lea ning p ocess.
Challenge o He e ogenei y and C ea ing a 'Sa e Space'
As al eady men ioned, he cou se is a compulso y cou se ha is ecommended o
he i s yea o s udy bu does no ha e o be a ended hen. The e o e, in addi ion o
he e ogenei y in e ms o socio-demog aphic c i e ia like age, gende and na ionali y,
we also ha e he e ogenei y in e ms
o p e ious expe ience. On he one
hand, his di e si y is a g ea
en ichmen o he cou se; on he
o he hand, i p esen s a challenge.
Despi e his b ead h o p e ious
expe ience, he pa icipan s mos ly
ha e no expe ience wi h 'open'
lea ning me hods, such as p oblem-
based lea ning o pee eedback
and e lec ion asks.
An example o he he e ogenei y in
he cou se and how we deal wi h i
is shown in he ollowing igu e and
he co esponding explana ions.
Figu e 3 isualizes he ange o
a i udes and expe iences wi h
g oup discussions and ole-plays.
The x-axis ep esen s whe he
pa icipan s ha e expe ience wi h
such o ma s, anging om “no
expe ience a all” o “a lo o
expe ience”. The y-axis ep esen s
he a i ude owa ds hese o ma s,
wi h he posi i e a i ude “I like his”
and he nega i e a i ude “I ind i
a he aw ul!”
Fig. 3. Enqui y abou pe sonal a i udes and
expe iences wi h g oup discussions/ ole plays
(in he cou se in 2023/24)
Pe sonal a i udes and
expe iences wi h g oup
discussions/ ole plays
“I like his”
“a lo o expe ience”
“no expe ience a all”
“I ind i a he aw ul”
This su ey was conduc ed be o e he i s ole-play, which each g oup pe o ms in a
sepa a e session. A e an in oduc ion ound, he ques ion abou he a i ude
owa ds such o ma s was asked, and he placemen o he do s was done
anonymously. Only he dis ibu ion o a i udes and expe iences wi hin he g oup
became appa en . I became e y clea ha o some pa icipan s, such a ole-play is
a ou side hei com o zone, while o he s enjoy hese o ma s. In he in oduc ion o
he ole-play, e e ence was made o he dis ibu ion, and i was explained ha one
could decide how a o engage wi h he o ma . Fo example, one could choose a
“la ge ” ole o no . I was emphasized again ha his is an expe ien ial space and
no a es si ua ion whe e some hing is being e alua ed o pe o mance measu ed.
Ins ead, he g oup c ea es an expe imen al space h ough hei in e ac ion. By
acknowledging and add essing he di e si y o a i udes and expe iences, he cou se
aims o c ea e an inclusi e and suppo i e lea ning en i onmen whe e all s uden s
eel com o able and engaged.
To engage cons uc i ely, s uden s need ce ain “sa egua ds” o a kind o p o ec ed
space whe e mis akes can be made, acknowledged, and u ned in o lea ning
oppo uni ies wi hou being “punished” wi h a bad g ade o leading o a loss o ace in
on o ins uc o s o pee s. Fo mally, his secu i y is p o ided by he ac ha we do
no gi e g ades. In addi ion o his o mal amewo k, he in o mal le el, i.e., he
social ab ic and he in e ac ion among s uden s, plays a e y signi ican ole.
The e o e, a cen al ques ion o his cou se is: How can we c ea e a 'sa e space'?
Th ough he ollowing app oaches, we aim o cul i a e an open a mosphe e and a
espec ul in e ac ion, he eby building a comp ehensi e 'sa e space':
▪ Making me hods and compe ency goals anspa en o educe unce ain y and
make i as unde s andable as possible why we choose ce ain me hods.
▪ Explici ly asking o iendly and espec ul in e ac ion and p ac icing an open
and espec ul communica ion: Lec u e and u o s demons a e his bo h
among hemsel es and in hei in e ac ions wi h s uden s, modelling
communica ion a eye le el.
▪ Using i s names and wea ing name badges o c ea e a mo e pe sonal
en i onmen .
▪ Talking abou emo ions: Discussing bo h posi i e and nega i e emo ions and
p ac icing cons uc i e ways o dealing wi h hem, such as explo ing a i udes
and expe iences wi h ole-plays.
▪ Being accessible o indi idual challenges: e.g. o s uden s who ha e
signi ican di icul ies wi h ce ain si ua ions, such as pa icipa ing in a ole-
play o p esen ing in on o he en i e coho , inding ace-sa ing al e na i es.
▪ Emb acing he e ogenei y as an oppo uni y o en ichmen : A oiding
s igma izing di e ences as p oblems. This is pa icula ly ele an o he PBL
asks, which bene i eno mously om di e se p io knowledge.
▪ A oiding compe i i e elemen s: Allowing o di e si y in ask comple ion and
ocus on he p ocess a he han he ou come.
▪ P o iding indi idualized eedback: Seeing and add essing he indi idual,
p o iding eedback ailo ed o each s uden , and being mind ul o he le el a
which eedback is gi en (open eedback ounds, anonymized bu e iewed by
he eache and/o u o s pee e iew, and bila e al eedback).
By implemen ing hese s a egies, we aim o c ea e an inclusi e and suppo i e
lea ning en i onmen whe e s uden s eel sa e o explo e, lea n, and g ow.
3.3 Re lec ions om he Pe spec i e o he Lec u e and Tu o s
As p e iously explained, he in e ac ion be ween he lec u e and he s uden u o s
is signi ican on mul iple le els. The u o s o e a low- h eshold access poin o
ques ions and se e as ole models.
Tu o ’s pe spec i e and co-au ho o his con ibu ion: I am s udying En i onmen al
Enginee ing a he mas e ’s le el and ha e been wo king as a u o o he “ISS”
module o wo and a hal yea s. I ook he module mysel in he academic yea
2021/2022. Wha I pa icula ly app ecia e abou my wo k as a u o is he close
collabo a ion wi hin he eam and he con inuous de elopmen o he cou se. I b ing
bo h my own expe iences as a o me pa icipan and a sys ema ic s uden
pe spec i e o he able. My goal is o make he module as in e es ing and accessible
as possible o he s uden s. The joy o wo king and he collegial a mosphe e
be ween he lec u e and us u o s make he la hie a chy e iden and con ibu e
signi ican ly o a posi i e a mosphe e in he cou se. The app ecia i e a mosphe e is
also e lec ed in he e alua ion, which highligh s he “in e ac ion on an equal oo ing
be ween he lec u e , u o s, and s uden s.” The pa icipan s come o me no only
wi h o ganiza ional ques ions abou he cou se bu also wi h gene al conce ns abou
hei s udies and indi idual wo ies and conce ns ela ed o hei s udies. This allows
me o ake on a consul ing and empowe ing ole, which unde sco es he special
signi icance o his cou se. The asks in he cou se co espond well wi h my
engagemen in he s uden council o En i onmen al Enginee ing, whe e I ad oca e
o he in e es s o he s uden s. This means ha I am in con ac wi h many
pa icipan s ou side o he module, which can some imes lead o ole con lic s bu
o e all has e y posi i e e ec s because i g an s a us bonus om he s uden s
and p omo es onboa ding.
Lec u e ’s pe spec i e: In addi ion o he posi i e aspec s o u o suppo al eady
desc ibed, I would like o add a pe sonal e lec ion. The concep ion and con inuous
de elopmen o his module in a collegial eam, consis ing o s uden u o s and
mysel as he lec u e , is a g ea en ichmen . New ideas and app oaches o
imp o emen s a e always discussed and e lec ed upon wi hin he eam. A e each
in-pe son session, we ha e a sho e lec ion ound and a e hus in a con inuous
imp o emen p ocess. This app oach is now well-es ablished, allowing us o make
ine adjus men s o me hods and o he aspec s qui e seamlessly. I am con inually
imp essed by he engagemen and ideas he u o s b ing and how hey succeed in
ul illing a highly cons uc i e media ing unc ion in he e en . Las bu no leas , I
eally enjoy wo king in and wi h such a eam, which is also ans e ed o he
collabo a ion wi h he s uden s in he cou se. This is impo an because he a i ude,
emo ions and manne o he eache s can ha e a p o ound e ec on he emo ions
expe ienced by he s uden s (Pek un, 2014). Academic emo ions, in u n, a e closely
ela ed o s uden s' sel -assessmen o hei compe ence and con ol in academia, as
well as he alues and goals hey associa e wi h lea ning and achie emen (Pek un
e al., (2002); Rawle e al., 2025).
4 CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS CREATING A STRUCTURED AND SUPPORTIVE
LEARNING ENVIRONMENT
The ‘In oduc ion o Sus ainabili y Science’ module in eg a es di e en eaching
me hods o p omo e a holis ic unde s anding o he subjec ma e while suppo ing
he de elopmen o pe sonal and social skills. Pa icula emphasis is placed on
