Impact of geospatial training on key planning sustainability competencies

Education is a central pillar for achieving all 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals; yet universities have not made transformative changes to improve students’ sustainability competencies. Integrating geospatial technology into sustainability education has the potential to foster sustainability competencies; however, current empirical evidence is limited to support this assertion. This study evaluated the effectiveness of integrating geospatial technology in improving students’ planning-focused sustainability competencies, namely systems-, strategies-, values-, and futures-thinking, as well as changing students’ attitudes toward sustainability. Thirty-six students from multiple disciplines participated in a geospatial training, and changes in competencies and attitudes were measured using pre- and post-surveys. Results show that students demonstrated enhanced strategies-thinking post-intervention, reported feeling more competent in all areas of sustainability planning, and expressed an increased interest in learning sustainability. This study also explored the factors, challenges, and opportunities of integrating geospatial technology into sustainability education, providing a novel approach to develop sustainability competencies through interdisciplinary education.