Action research to support development of engineering for sustainable development degree programs, part I: collaborative community action research vignettes

This research creates knowledge that addresses gaps in developing sustainability and leadership education by leveraging action research and insider approaches to promote new generations of academics and practitioners. Research arose from student calls for stronger stewardship practice, humanitarian education, and progressive student leadership interested in promoting academic responsibility. Calls were met by constraints from University faculty for rigor. The research applied methodology involved mixed method action research philosophies, sustainability design tools (such as life cycle analysis), participatory and ethnographic exploration of education in the context of Front Range of Colorado, particularly with respect to socioeconomically challenged urban areas, described as two interacting vignettes. Simultaneously, challenges to the applied methodology as action research are framed. It was concluded that action to create more rigorous sustainability education and leadership outcomes is possible given development by mixed frameworks (e.g., via logic models) that can align with larger strategic efforts (e.g., United Nations Education Scientific and Cultural Organization's Global Action Programme). An outcome of this research was the development of a science technology engineering mathematics sustainability science station that is proposed to be a configurable educational resource. It was also concluded that interactions among academic leadership-administration, and professional societies play important roles in upholding student-focused social contracts to support leadership development. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.