LEARNING SUSTAINABILITY THROUGH IN-CLASS DEBATES

The study aims to answer the research question: How can in-class debates be used for learning sustainability in higher education?The research was conducted as an action-oriented case study at a Finnish university in an international master's course for business and engineering students.In-class debates were used as part of a transformative pedagogical model aimed at developing learners' thinking, identity and agency in promoting sustainability.The results suggest that debates are particularly effective for learning a subject as complex as sustainability and related competencies and fit well with the transformative learning for sustainability, as they allow one to delve deeper into issues, justify points of view and weigh opposing points of view.It is also important to select debate topics where both of the perspectives are possible and worth pursuing from a sustainability perspective and to focus on the "how" of achieving sustainability.As a practical implication, this study provides a pedagogical model for learning sustainability through debates in higher education, including the identification of appropriate debate topics, when teaching sustainability transformation, implementation practices, a debate assessment rubric, and development ideas for improving the exercise further.