Trans-Disciplinary Education for Sustainable Marine and Coastal Management: A Case Study in Taiwan

Hsiao-Chien Lee, Kuo-Huan Ting, Yi Chang, Meng-Tsung Lee and Wen-Hong Liu
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Hsiao-Chien Lee: Foreign Languages Education Center, National Kaohsiung Marine University, Kaohsiung 81157, Taiwan
Kuo-Huan Ting: Institute of Marine Affair and Business Management, National Kaohsiung Marine University, Kaohsiung 81157, Taiwan
Yi Chang: Institute of Ocean Technology and Marine Affair, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan 70101, Taiwan
Meng-Tsung Lee: Department of Marine Leisure Management, National Kaohsiung Marine University, Kaohsiung 81157, Taiwan
Wen-Hong Liu: Institute of Marine Affair and Business Management, National Kaohsiung Marine University, Kaohsiung 81157, Taiwan

Sustainability, 2016, vol. 8, issue 11, 1-14

Abstract: The present study aims to investigate the effect of a trans-disciplinary design of curricula, deemed a powerful tool for teaching and research on complex environmental problems, with a goal to help solve the real problems that climate change has brought to the coastal environment in Taiwan. Three major real-life problems in southern Taiwan—declining mullet fisheries, flooding, and coral bleaching—were integrated into four courses. Adopting a qualitative case study method, the researchers investigated the student perceptions of the trans-disciplinary learning experiences, their attitudes toward marine and coastal environmental protection, and their capability of solving the problems related to marine and coastal environments. The researchers employed various methods to analyze the student reflection reports, student self-evaluation forms, and the tape-recorded class meetings. The findings suggest the following: the trans-disciplinary curriculum stands to be an innovative yet indispensable design for coastal management education; such a curriculum benefits students by equipping them with essential knowledge and skills to succeed in future marine conservation; action learning for marine and coastal sustainability serves as the final goal of trans-disciplinary learning project; a trans-disciplinary case study on the design of curricula provides effective knowledge integration of marine and coastal sustainability.

Keywords: trans-disciplinary; coastal management; climate change; case study (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2016
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