Digital data storytelling for sustainability education of a green building project

Education for sustainability has been facing an increasing demand not only due to the priorities established by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) but also by being one of the main targets of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). In this paper, digital data storytelling and project/problem-based learning approaches were investigated as effective tools for teaching sustainability to university students. Two groups of students, postgraduate and undergraduate, were selected to be exposed to a video showcasing sustainable principles and strategies implemented during the certification of a green building. With collaboration from industry partners, the video is intended to provide students with an overview of a real-world project and highlight the challenges and interactions among relevant stakeholders when deciding the implementation of sustainable strategies. Students were able to learn sustainability concepts and understand how to perform a critical analysis when exposed to a green certification project. The results show a good response to the learning approaches used in this research, with a more significant positive impact on mature than younger students.