C21 Educational Research Lab
Keeping education relevant for the 21st century (C21) requires a thorough understanding of the impact of education in its diverse forms and with different audiences, in consideration of the complex challenges with which we live and learn.
C21 Educational Research Lab’s vision is to inform educational practice such that it is impactful and transformational, and empowers graduates to make significant contributions to meaningful societal change.
Our objectives
The 21st century is presenting challenges that require new ways of thinking and doing. Our objective is to keep education current and aligned with broader sustainable development goals and education research agendas to generate new knowledge on best practice approaches and pedagogies.
To achieve this, we are harnessing, advancing, and sharing our sustainable development education expertise, applying it to competencies relevant to system or behaviour change, and engaging in collaborative efforts across and beyond our institute to meet a range of education and societal needs.
Our approach
We adopt an interdisciplinary approach to both 21st century education and research.
Our projects involve generating new evidence and insights using both exploratory and deductive approaches, collaborating with experts from other Faculties, and using these insights generated to inform our educational practice.
Our intention is to make education for sustainable development research practice purposeful, rather than serendipitous; proactive, rather than reactive; and considered, with space for innovations to be trialled and evaluated.
Our team
We are an experienced team of educators with strong research interests and capabilities. Our expertise spans a range of disciplinary backgrounds, including sustainability, business, and behavioural science. Our team is supported by PhD candidates who contribute by delivering on our project aims.
We maintain a shared vision on how to practise and engage in scholarly activity to develop our practice. This involves advancing new knowledge, integrating and synthesising knowledge, applying findings to improve teaching, and sharing knowledge to meet our educational research goals.
Graduate research opportunities
Complete a graduate research project with us in education and capability development. Contact our team to learn more.
Projects
Teaching in a volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous world
Drawing on the experiences of expert sustainable development educators, this project examines if and how social and emotional competencies, such as coping, are taught or addressed in higher education institutions.
Improving teaching and learning with behavioural science
Understanding how learners can learn and how educators can teach better, is more important than ever. This project applies the latest of what we know about human behaviour to optimise our educational practice.
Resources
Preparing learners for uncertainty in health professions: A handbook for educators
This open-access educator guide on preparing learners for uncertainty in health professions provides practical examples for health professions educators to adapt their curriculum.