Building Leadership Competencies for the SDGs through Community/University Experiential Learning

Abstract

This research provides a case study of how experiential learning opportunities provided by a Master of Science program in Sustainable Energy Development (SEDV) helped to achieve four Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) in a developing country via the partnering goal. It illustrates how drawing on the complementary characteristics of existing educational principles led to the development of a framework that built competent leaders in sustainability. Concurrently, the related experiential learning project realized economic growth, improved the quality of life and minimized the impact to the environment. We analyze the achievement of sustainability leadership and learning competencies of the students involved in a project that incorporates the SDGs under the umbrella of experiential learning theory and the four different knowledge domains necessary to achieve sustainability: declarative, procedural, effectiveness, and social. To effect change, the University of Calgary partnered with community organizations in both developed and developing countries to provide a solar Power Hub in a remote area of Burkina Faso, Africa, called Pâ Village. The Hub’s clean energy allowed a women’s cooperative to move from manual labour to the mechanical grinding of shea nuts in the manufacture of cosmetics and toiletries. Using a qualitative storytelling and theory-seeking approach coupled with semi-structured interviews of the student researchers (focus group discussion), this case study demonstrates how a framework of experiential learning coupled with the different knowledge domains produced change agents in a group of SEDV students. Several general principles are derived from the case study for other educators to use in similar educational applications.