A learning design framework for community resilience: International and transdisciplinary perspectives on a boundary object

Abstract

To equip graduates to respond to sustainability challenges, higher education institutions are developing programs and innovative pedagogical approaches that target new types of 21st century knowledge and skills. Resilience is a core concept in sustainability discourse, and one that is also driving pedagogical innovation that targets specific learner attributes. We argue that the topic of community resilience – as a theoretical boundary object – presents rich opportunities for transdisciplinary Education for Sustainable Development (ESD). This paper highlights international and cross-disciplinary trends in learning design for community resilience-focused university programs. The results outline the survey responses of 111 educators, researchers, and practitioners from a range of disciplines. One-way analysis of variance showed consistent results across the different groups of participants, regardless of geographic location, disciplinary background, or employment context. The research offers a learning design framework for teaching community resilience in higher education institutions, highlighting the importance of academic—practitioner collaboration in program development, disciplinary expertise to inform transdisciplinary learning, hybridised pedagogical approaches, and fostering student agency through assessment tasks.