Barriers to Effective Sustainable Development Education for Civil Engineering Students

11 pages•Published: July 23, 2025

Mohammadsoroush Tafazzoli, Elnaz Safapour and Mohsen Goodarzi

Abstract

The urgency of sustainable development has led educational institutions to incorporate sustainability principles into engineering curricula. However, questions remain about whether this approach effectively instills a sustainability-oriented mindset in graduates. Given the pivotal role of education in achieving sustainability goals, it is essential to optimize the impact of sustainable development education. This study explores key barriers to effective sustainability education based on literature review findings and survey results from 48 civil engineering students at Washington State University. The survey measured student perspectives on seven primary barriers: (1) insufficient instilment of commitment to sustainability, (2) inadequate program structure for comprehensive understanding, (3) limited integration of sustainability in decision-making processes, (4) weak program policies supporting sustainability, (5) non-binding declarations lacking accountability, (6) overly crowded curricula, and (7) lack of faculty collaboration. The results showed that “insufficient instilment of commitment” and “inadequate program structure” were perceived as the most critical obstacles. These findings highlight the need for targeted curriculum reforms and institutional support to strengthen sustainability education. Addressing these barriers can better equip future engineers with the values and knowledge needed to support sustainable practices, ultimately advancing educational institutions’ contribution to global sustainability goals.

Keyphrases: barriers, education, engineering, sustainable development

In: Wesley Collins, Anthony J. Perrenoud and John Posillico (editors). Proceedings of Associated Schools of Construction 61st Annual International Conference, vol 6, pages 289-299.

Links:	https://easychair.org/publications/paper/F8vz
	https://doi.org/10.29007/91jg

BibTeX entry

@inproceedings{ASC2025:Barriers_Effective_Sustainable_Development,
  author    = {Mohammadsoroush Tafazzoli and Elnaz Safapour and Mohsen Goodarzi},
  title     = {Barriers to Effective Sustainable Development Education for Civil Engineering Students},
  booktitle = {Proceedings of Associated Schools of Construction 61st Annual International Conference},
  editor    = {Wesley Collins and Anthony J. Perrenoud and John Posillico},
  series    = {EPiC Series in Built Environment},
  volume    = {6},
  publisher = {EasyChair},
  bibsource = {EasyChair, https://easychair.org},
  issn      = {2632-881X},
  url       = {/publications/paper/F8vz},
  doi       = {10.29007/91jg},
  pages     = {289-299},
  year      = {2025}}

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