Research
C-SCAIPE’s third objective is to provide a focus for integrating sustainability research more widely and deeply in professional education curricula in KU, from which C-SCAIPE will disseminate internationally and thus have an impact both within KU and beyond. Progress towards this goal has commenced with KU School of Surveying, where sustainability research has underpinned the curricula changes introduced. For example, work undertaken in relation to sustainable property appraisal has been integrated into undergraduate modules taken by Planning & Development students, whilst research into sustainable cities is delivered to masters level students studying Planning and Sustainability. The research embedding will also take place through the new cross-University course development.
The appointment of Judi Farren-Bradley as Research Director from the School of Architecture & Landscape brings an increased network of connections to ensure that C-SCAIPE not only promotes and embeds work carried out by its core staff and by work that it has supported, but by developing close working relationships with other researchers such that joint enterprise outputs can naturally flow into a range of courses. Several cross-School or cross-Faculty joint research projects have been put forward to outside bodies for funding. These projects will produce research that will inform curricula and knowledge base across a total of three Faculties.
The goal of C-SCAIPE is also that sustainability research should inform professional education more generally. Some small projects already commissioned and undertaken (for example a survey of Continuing Professional Development in the Professions) have been completed and there will be further projects in this area. The annual benchmarking survey of students and staff will be ‘rolled out’ more widely in subsequent years to provide rich data for use across the University and the systems for this are now in place. The graduate employment survey will also provide information that can feed back to industry.