Formal and Non-formal Education in Institutes of Higher Education Positively Impact Sustainability Knowledge and Attitudes

The United Nations recognizes the power of Institutes of Higher Education (IHE) to shape the future of the planet and to lead the promotion of its Sustainable Development Goals. Indeed, IHEs have the opportunity to reach students with sustainability content through both formal and non-formal means. This mixed-methods study assesses sustainability knowledge and attitudes in students at a mid-sized university in the southeastern United States. Knowledge and attitudes about sustainability were compared in two groups of students–one group (Phase 1; n = 1218) that completed a course in environmental science (formal learning) and a second group (Phase 2; n = 251) that completed one non-formal learning opportunity (interactive lecture, film, or campus sustainability walk). Students in Phase 1 completed a baseline survey while students in Phase 2 completed pre-post surveys. Effects of race, academic class, gender, and prior completion of an environmental science course (formal learning) were tested. In Phase 1, previous completion of an environmental science course, race/ethnicity and academic status were the strongest predictors of knowledge score. In Phase 2, student knowledge increased after completion of the interactive lecture; student attitudes improved after all three short-term sustainability programs. Prior formal, long-term learning combined with a non-formal, short-term learning program nearly doubled improvement in student attitudes towards sustainability, highlighting the importance of both on student attitudes towards sustainability. Recommendations to universities based on the results include making sustainability education more inclusive, implementing extracurricular sustainability activities on campus, and requiring an environmental science course for all students.