高等教育中永續科學教學研究：個案分析國立臺灣大學生物多樣性國際碩士學位學程

Abstract

none

This realm of education for biodiversity exists in a difficult space. On one hand it seeks to use the mechanisms of science, in all of its empirical approaches and objective, causal, truth-finding intentions. And on the other hand, biodiversity science attempts to remedy the problem which is the unsustainable practices of contemporary human organization. Thus, National Taiwan University’s Masters Program in Biodiversity (MPB) faces the same “wicked problem” that all other institutions in the realm of sustainability science face; a paradoxical desire to apply scientific knowledge to solve human systems. MPB is an interdisciplinary program conducted within NTU’s International College. The aim of MPB is to train professionals in the environmental sciences whose interdisciplinary approach will allow them to bridge frameworks and disciplines in order to create, collaborate, and innovate novel solutions to the crises of biodiversity loss and climate change in general. But in the context of wicked problems, MPB must be thinking, teaching, and practicing critical reflexive thinking that goes beyond the assumptions of the systems it resides in. The guiding question of this project is simple: how is does good biodiversity science taught and learned in MPB? Following from that, this project asks how is biodiversity science defined within and across MPB, and how do the pedagogical practices and outcomes reflect or contend with these goals? What are the frameworks for delivering knowledge that will enable students to think interdisciplinarily, and what roles do different actors have within these frameworks? What do MPB students consider to be fruitful sites of learning, and to what extent are they a result of intentional design aspects of MPB?. Through interviews, primary sources, and first-hand experience as a student within the program, this research uses a reflexive thematic analysis to explore the following key themes interpreted from the data; science as knowing, not making; good science requires deep knowledge; systems change requires translation; learning towards transformation happens outside of lectures; once students graduate, then what?. By exploring the intentions, actions, and pedagogies of the program, this thesis hopes to add to the global efforts in greater sustainable transformation in the face of one of the greatest existential questions facing humanity now.