MSUS Culminating Experience Final Report
Christa Burgess & Jacob Ivy
April 25, 2021
A Framework for Place-Based Experiential Learning to Inspire
Sustainability Action
Hawai‘i Tropical Bioreserve & Garden
1. Abstract
Human behavior is driving many sustainability problems, which means that
resolving these issues will require far more people to participate in solutions and act in
sustainable ways. However, there is a recognized gap between knowledge and action that
remains a significant barrier in achieving transformative sustainability solutions. One way
to overcome the knowledge-action gap is to engage more people in place-based
experiential learning centered around sustainability. In partnership with Hawai‘i Tropical
Bioreserve & Garden (HTBG), we set out to learn about utilizing place-based experiential
learning to engage a wider audience to actively participate in sustainability solutions. We
researched place-based learning, experiential learning, sustainability education, and
behavior change theory. We also conducted several informational interviews with experts
in environmental education, STEM, and sustainability science to better understand what is
needed for designing meaningful educational experiences that inspire action. We used this
research to develop an easily understandable and scalable place-based experiential
learning framework that can teach learners about any sustainability challenge or solution.
Overall, we found that when grounded in behavior change theory and sustainability
principles, place-based experiential learning has the potential to mobilize large groups of
people to actively participate in sustainability solutions.

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Place-Based Experiential Learning for Sustainability

2. Table of Contents
Abstract…………………………………………………………………………………………... 1
Table of Contents ……………………………………………………………………...………... 2
Introduction and Background………………………………………...………………………... 3
Literature Review...……………………………………………………………………………... 4
Project Approach and Intervention Methods………………………………………………… 7
Outcomes……………………………………………………………………………………….... 8
Recommendations……………………………………………………………………………… 15
Conclusions……………………………………………………………………………………... 16
Acknowledgements……………………………………………………………...…………….. 16
Appendices………………………………………………………………………………………18
References……………………………………………………………………………………… 21

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Place-Based Experiential Learning for Sustainability

3. Introduction and Background
For this Culminating Experience, we addressed the sustainability problem of the gap
between knowledge and action by initiating the first phase of the Place-Based Experiential
Learning Synthesis (PBELS). This Initiative was developed by Hawai‘i Tropical Bioreserve
& Garden (HTBG) and Arizona State University (ASU), and it will reach a wide audience of
people from all around the world. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, HTBG had plans to
create experiential learning activities and interactive signage that could be displayed onsite at the garden. They have since recognized that place-based experiential learning could
be an effective strategy for achieving sustainability goals if it reaches a wider audience of
people. HTBG believes that the PBELS Initiative will ultimately help stakeholder
organizations broadcast their sustainability projects and solutions to more people, which
will help them gain support and new perspectives. These stakeholders include people and
organizations that are currently implementing some form of place-based experiential
learning, but they still require an approach for creating materials or programs that foster
personal connections with nature and train people to be sustainability changemakers.
Although personal responsibility and engagement in solutions is vitally important to
the field of sustainability, changing human attitudes and behaviors is not easy to
accomplish. In many cases there is a recognized gap between knowledge and action that
poses significant barriers to achieving solutions. Some groups have attempted to resolve
this knowledge-action gap through education, but this is proven to be relatively ineffective
(Knutti, 2019; Frisk & Larson, 2011). Learning new information about a sustainability
challenge is not necessarily enough to instigate behavior change, and knowledge alone
does not guarantee that people understand how to effectively implement solutions (Knutti,
2019; McKenzie-Mohr, 2011; Kollmuss & Agyeman, 2002). Even those who feel motivated
to act in more sustainable ways do not always follow through with action, and many are
unwilling to change their lifestyles or break their well-established habits (Chaplin & Wyton,
2014). Many experts and organizations have attempted to bridge the knowledge-action
gap, but unfortunately these campaigns have often failed and there remains a lack of
problem-solving capacity (McKenzie-Mohr, 2011).
A serious issue that further exacerbates the knowledge-action gap is a disconnect
between people and nature. The biophilia hypothesis proposes that humans innately want
to connect to nature and different forms of life (Kellert & Wilson, 1993). Several experts
pose that the current human-nature disconnect is one reason why caring about the
environment does not always result in pro-environmental behaviors (Amel et al., 2009).
The experiences people have with the environment often influence the way they think, feel,
and act towards the natural world (Abson et al. 2017; Ives et al. 2018). Many Indigenous
worldviews maintain that connecting with and learning from nature “is critical for
fostering an emotional and spiritual bond with place” (Nelson, 2017). People who have
experiential, emotional, and cognitive connections to nature generally have positive
attitudes towards the environment, visit natural places more often, and act in proenvironmental ways (Ives et al. 2018; Collado et al. 2013; Lin et al. 2014; Kesebir & Kesebir
2017). When people are disconnected from the natural systems that support and surround
them, they can end up contributing to issues that will impact generations to come (Abson et
al. 2017). Stronger and deeper connections with the environment and ecosystems are

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needed to help drive the necessary changes for a more just and sustainable future (Abson
et al. 2017; Ives et al. 2018).
PBELS aims to help bridge the knowledge-action gap by inspiring learners to build a
closer connection to nature and act more sustainably. To contribute to this larger
overarching initiative, our team conducted extensive research on place-based learning,
experiential learning, and behavior change theory. We have explored what kinds of placebased experiential learning examples already exist and why they are or are not successful.
We have created a framework that outlines how to effectively construct a place-based
experiential learning program or material that inspires sustainable behavior change, and
we presented our framework to stakeholders during workshop meetings. The participating
stakeholders assessed how useful and successful this approach is, as well as determined
whether or not they can fill out the framework with an example using place-based
experiences from their own lives. We completely acknowledge that the framework we
created is a partial solution for a more wide-reaching initiative that will tackle the
knowledge-action gap on a larger scale. However, we feel that the kind of individual
behavior change and action inspired by using our framework are important components of
more comprehensive sustainability movements and solutions that can ultimately influence
institutional change.

4. Literature Review
The purpose of this project is to utilize place-based experiential learning to inspire
individuals to behave more sustainably. The project deliverable includes a framework that
guides the development of place-based experiential learning materials or programs that
encourage people to become sustainability change agents in their own communities. As
such, it is important to understand exactly what is meant by place-based experiential
learning and what kind of existing theories and frameworks can be used to best leverage it
for sustainability.
Place-based experiential learning is the combination of two separate educational
pedagogies: place-based education and experiential education. Place-based learning (PBL)
is learning centered around a specific local community and its surrounding environment. It
involves using critical thinking, mindfulness, and engaging with the local community to
learn about the culture, natural ecosystems, and environmental and social justice issues of
the chosen place (Deringer, 2017). Connecting learners to different aspects of a place can
ultimately provide opportunities for them to ask questions, understand complex
information, and reflect on their role in shaping the place’s social-ecological systems
(Deringer, 2017). PBL can exist in any context or location, and it can be said that “There is
no place on Earth that is not a place-based classroom” (Nelson, 2017). Experiential learning
(EL) involves engaging people in firsthand, interactive activities and then having them
reflect and think about ways to apply the insights they gained (Seaman et al., 2017).
Experiential learning programs typically cycle through four steps: (1) having concrete
experience, (2) reflective observation, (3) abstract conceptualization, and (4) abstract
experimentation (Kolb, 1984). Additionally, experiential learning should be fun and
relevant to the learner. Together these methodologies can help forge connections between
people and places, as well as inspire people to care about the challenges facing the
communities they learn about.
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Place-based experiential learning is relevant to sustainability, as it helps people gain
the knowledge, skills, and experience needed to become successful change agents. Regular
classrooms and learning methods do not typically provide people with the opportunities to
build the kinds of skills and knowledge they need to be successful in collaborating with
stakeholders and thinking through all the complexities involved in real-world wicked
problems (Fadeeva et al., 2010). Place-based experiential learning opportunities on the
other hand inspire people to care and empower people to take action because they are
much more personal to people’s own lives (Frisk & Larson, 2011). Additionally, when an
experience is paired with contemplation, critical thinking, and reflection, people tend to
learn more and gain new knowledge (Christian et al., 2020). Generally speaking, it is
important for sustainability learners to have hands-on experiences that help them translate
knowledge into action (Fadeeva et al., 2010). This kind of learning is invaluable when
trying to come up with strategies and solutions for sustainability challenges.
Both the larger PBELS Initiative and this culminating experience project will be
guided by the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs) and the
sustainability competencies. It is widely recognized that in order to achieve goals like the
UN SDGs, interdisciplinary education for sustainable development will need to be
undertaken (Annan-Diab & Molinari, 2017). The sustainability competencies are also useful
when developing educational content, as they provide a clear framework that can be
utilized to evaluate people’s knowledge and skills related to sustainability so that they can
become successful change agents (Wiek at al., 2011). These five competencies include
systems thinking, anticipatory or futures thinking, normative or values thinking, strategic
thinking, and interpersonal skills (Wiek et al., 2011).
The ultimate goal of this project is for our learning framework to inspire the
creation of meaningful and transformative experiences, programs, and materials related to
sustainability. This means that we want the use of our framework to result in place-based
experiential learning that connects people to a place, inspires them to care, and then
motivates them to act. In order for lasting behavior change to occur, it cannot be forced on
people and it needs to stem from an emotional connection and meaningful experiences
(Pisters et al., 2019). Place-based experiential education can help create these connections
and provide the kinds of experiences that resonate with people. However, people also need
to understand and be capable of analyzing what impacts their actions have and where
there might be tradeoffs before they will be willing to engage in sustainable behavior
change (Frisk & Larson, 2011).
Values are another strong driver of behavior and are often dependent on a place’s
culture (Pisters et al., 2019). This means that sometimes motivating sustainable behaviors
will require changes in culture or an alignment of sustainable changes with the existing
culture (Pisters et al., 2019). When it comes to knowledge-action gaps and the disconnect
between people and nature, it is especially important to foster an “ecological
consciousness” where people are more thoughtful and compassionate towards the
environment and aware of how they are connected to it (Pisters et al., 2019). It is essential
for more people to be actively involved in decision-making and problem-solving in order to
successfully achieve sustainability targets, and place-based experiential learning can help
people develop the skills they need to become highly engaged change agents (Frisk &
Larson, 2011). People are also more likely to behave in pro-environmental ways if the cost
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of participating in them is low, whether it be financial cost or a more intangible social cost
like how convenient the behavior is (Chaplin & Wyton, 2014). Other factors that influence
how likely someone is to act in pro-environmental ways include whether or not they feel
they have enough knowledge or skills to implement solutions and how personally
responsible they feel for a sustainability issue (Amel et al., 2009).
In order to address the multitude of behavior drivers this project is addressing, a
theory or framework of behavior change is helpful to guide content creation. There are
many theories regarding behavior change, and one relevant framework for this project was
developed for sustainability behavior change in order to address the knowledge-action gap
(Frisk & Larson, 2011). It is called the Educating for Sustainability (EfS) framework, and it
presents four knowledge domains that were developed by incorporating behavioral change
research, sustainability scholarship, and educational pedagogy. These four knowledge
domains include: declarative knowledge, procedural knowledge, effectiveness knowledge,
and social knowledge. They are described in more detail in the figure below and will be
used to guide the behavior change aspect of this project's approach to transformative
education.
Figure 1 - Educating for Sustainability (EfS) Framework

Caption: This diagram is from Frisk & Larson’s 2011 paper “Educating for Sustainability:
Competencies & Practices for Transformative Action,” and it depicts the EfS framework.

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After conducting our initial research, we have discovered many other frameworks
for STEM and sustainability education that provide useful information and guidance. One
valuable resource is the National Project for Excellence in Environmental Education, which
is a series of guidelines developed by the North American Association for Environmental
Education (NAAEE) to set high-quality standards for environmental education (NAAEE,
2015). This series has been reviewed by thousands of professionals and provides
guidelines for a diverse range of educational situations. The guidelines in these documents
are helpful for guiding a framework for sustainability education. Experiential education can
be a broad topic, and effective learning is not necessarily covered in traditional learning
frameworks. The National Research Council (NRC) developed six guidelines for schools and
informal environments to organize and access learning science in a participatory
environment (National Research Council, 2009). These guidelines focus on how individual
cognitive, social, development, and emotional factors when learning in an experiential
context, and can be utilized for building effective experiential learning. One thing that the
NAAEE guidelines and the NRC guidelines have in common is that they call for learners to
enjoy their learning experiences. This was also found from multiple interviews with
individuals who actively produce place-based, experiential, and sustainability learning
experiences (M. Angilletta, personal communication, February, 2021; D. Leoni, personal
communication, December, 2020). It was suggested in these interviews that storytelling is
an effective mechanism for engaging learning experiences for learners. Literature on
storytelling in sustainability confirms these findings as well (Fischer, 2020; Leinaweaver,
2015). In order to engage learners and increase useability, elements of storytelling will be
woven into the framework.

5. Project Approach and Intervention Methods
This culminating experience project is being conducted on a much smaller scale
than the larger PBELS initiative, so our main deliverable consists of a replicable underlying
framework for developing effective place-based experiential learning materials and
programs. This framework is easily digestible and shareable so that it can be applied to a
wide variety of places and sustainability challenges. Our hypothesis for this project was
that if an educational program combines place-based learning, experiential learning,
behavior change theory, and sustainability principles, then learners will be inspired to
engage in sustainability solutions.
The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and the sustainability
competencies have been identified as valuable frameworks for developing educational
materials, and the EfS framework developed by Frisk and Larson 2011 is useful for guiding
a deliverable that incentivizes sustainable behavior change (Annan-Diab & Molinari, 2017;
Frisk & Larson, 2011). As part of our research, we also conducted several informational
interviews with experts in environmental education, STEM, and sustainability science to
better understand what is needed for designing meaningful educational experiences that
inspire action. After developing an initial framework based on these resources, we invited
our subject matter experts to virtual workshop meetings. During those meetings, they
evaluated the success of the framework in terms of how pragmatic and transferable it is.
We utilized PowerPoint and Zoom to present the framework and a case study so they could
provide feedback and recommendations for improvement.
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The overarching theory of change for this project is that place-based experiential
learning that is grounded in behavior change theory and sustainability principles leads
people to have more sustainable behaviors. In other words, we believe that learning about
a place, having an experience with that place, and learning about how to apply this
knowledge to daily life can help reconnect people with nature and inspire them to change
their behaviors to become more sustainable.
Figure 2 - Theory of Change Diagram

Caption: This diagram outlines the four fields of study that we feel should be combined and
targeted in order to successfully generate learning that results in sustainable behavior
change.

6. Outcomes
During our research and informational interviews, we identified key attributes of
PBL, EL, and the EfS framework that are necessary to successfully lay the foundation for
inspiring learner behavior change. Successful PBL occurs when learners engage with a
place’s community to learn about the local culture, natural ecosystems, and environmental
and social justice issues, as well as participate in critical thinking and mindful reflection on
their knowledge, emotions, and personal connections related to this place (Deringer, 2017).
Successful EL requires that learners cycle through the four stages of (1) having a concrete
experience, (2) reflective observation, (3) abstract conceptualization, and (4) abstract
experimentation (Kolb, 1984). EL programs typically have some overlap with PBL since
experiences usually happen in a physical location, making these two pedagogies extremely
complementary. PBEL is ultimately very valuable in the context of sustainability education,
as sustainability challenges and solutions are rooted in real world experiences and require
knowledge of local places. Combining the four knowledge dimensions of declarative
knowledge, procedural knowledge, effectiveness knowledge, and social knowledge with
PBEL creates the potential for a comprehensive and highly impactful educational
experience (Frisk & Larson, 2011).
After conducting research and identifying what individual attributes are needed for
meaningful learning and behavior change, we synthesized our findings and developed our
own five-step framework that outlines the necessary aspects of PBEL for sustainable
behavior change. These five steps include “Place,” “Knowledge,” “Capacity,” “Experience,”
and “Reflection,” and our methodology for developing these five steps is summarized in
Appendix A.
The step of “Place” involves learners forming personal connections and
relationships with a specific location and local community who are facing a sustainability
challenge. This also includes forming relationships and establishing trust with community
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members, educators, and fellow learners. For example, learners could visit a farm, look at
what is growing, speak with the farmers who are growing the crops, and learn about how
bee population decline is a serious sustainability problem that poses major challenges for
the farmers.
“Knowledge” is where learners gain foundational knowledge on the local values,
culture, economy, and social-ecological systems of the place. They receive information from
community members and educators, as well as learn through personal exploration,
discovery, and play. An example of this could be learners exploring a farm and engaging
with the farmers to better understand what growing food entails and why the farmers
chose to grow certain plants. They could also learn about the role that bees play in ensuring
that many plants are able to survive, thrive, and produce fruits or seeds.
“Capacity” refers to learners building the expertise, infrastructure, personal
capacity, and relationships at a local level to prepare strategies for solutions. They learn
how to perform actions and how they can participate in equitable and effective
sustainability solutions. One example of building capacity might be working with farmers
and conservation biologists to envision what a sustainable, bee-friendly habitat that
enhances productivity and profits for the farmers could look like. Part of this process
would also include picking out native seeds that attract bees and collecting materials that
could be used to build bee nesting places.
“Experience” is where learners take action, experiment, and participate in a targeted
sustainable behavior. The learners have a meaningful and concrete experience related to
assessing and addressing a sustainability solution in the place. In the context of the farming
example, this transformative experience could involve learners actually implementing their
designs for a bee-friendly habitat to help attract and protect pollinator species on the farm.
This would include planting native vegetation, setting up water sources, and constructing
bee nesting places.
“Reflection” is a time for learners to rest, practice mindfulness, and engage in
contemplative reflection on their emotions, personal connections, and the new knowledge
they have gained. Learners also reflect on the experiences they participated in, lessons
learned, UN SDG alignment, and how to progress towards future actions. For example,
learners could consider their new knowledge, relationships, feelings, connections, and
insights about farming and pollinator species through journaling, group discussions with
the farmers, and contemplating during free time where they can explore the farm. They
might participate in a conversation about sustainable farming and lessons learned during a
meal that was prepared with food harvested right from the farm itself. Reflection would
also include mapping out the ways that creating pollinator habitat on the farm fulfills
certain UN SDGs, as well as brainstorming how this idea could be improved or perhaps
applied on other farms or even in the learner’s own backyards.
These five steps do not necessarily happen in order, and they can be repeated as
often as necessary. The iterative nature of this process means that learners may bounce
back and forth between the steps, and both “Place” and “Reflection” in particular will be revisited often as learners build their sustainability knowledge and capacity. Learners can
also enter this process at different steps depending on their prior knowledge, their
personal situation, and their capacity. For example, a learner who is already a member of
the chosen place’s local community might be able to skip over the steps “Place” and
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“Knowledge” and go straight to the steps of “Capacity,” “Experience,” and “Reflection.”
Additionally, a learner could also enter the cycle by having a thought-provoking
“Experience” first, then cycle back to “Place” to further improve their sustainability
awareness and action skills. There is no set time limit for any of these steps, and it is
recognized that certain steps like “Place” might take longer than other steps like
“Experience.” Learners will ultimately cycle through these steps one or more times
depending on the educational program or initiative they are participating in, and educators
or mentors should be prepared to guide learners through multiple iterations of this cycle.
Figure 3 - Framework for PBEL that Inspires Sustainability Action

Caption: This diagram depicts our five-step framework for PBEL that inspires sustainability
action. The five steps are “Place,” “Knowledge,” “Capacity,” “Experience,” and “Reflection,” and
they can be iterated as many times or in whichever order is best suited for the learner. Some
steps have a stronger influence on others, and we have drawn arrows to represent these
relationships. Arrow 1 shows how “Place” is incredibly important for “Capacity,” as capacity
building is dependent on the resources available to learners in the place. Additionally,
building “Capacity” might change the way the “Place” is impacted by the sustainability
challenge. Arrow 2 demonstrates that “Knowledge” is necessary for “Reflection,” and
sometimes “Reflection” can enhance and increase a learner’s understanding. Arrow 3
indicates that having an “Experience” is dependent on place, and the learner’s “Experience” of
participating in sustainability solutions might even go on to influence the “Place” itself.

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Figure 4 - Framework Iterations to Achieve Sustainability Goals

Caption: This diagram shows how our five-step framework could be repeated over and over
again so that learners are continuously engaging in educational sustainability experiences
and solutions. The P in this diagram stands for “Place,” the K stands for “Knowledge,” the C
stands for “Capacity,” the E stands for “Experience,” and the R stands for “Reflection.” The
hope is that continuously working to inspire behavior change and motivate higher
participation rates in solution strategies would eventually result in more sustainable systems
and a more sustainable world. Although this diagram is a dramatic oversimplification of
reality, we believe that it is important to keep this overarching goal in sight.
Case Study: Dr. Jesse Senko’s Bycatch Reduction and Sustainable Fisheries Program
Our five-step framework to inspire sustainability action was designed to be widely
applicable in a variety of different situations. One way that we preliminarily tested its
effectiveness was by exploring a relevant case study through the lens of the five steps. Dr.
Jesse Senko’s Bycatch Reduction and Sustainable Fisheries Program is one example of a
highly successful initiative that involves learning from and collaborating with fishers from
all around the world to advance marine conservation and sustainability. This program also
involves engaging students from Arizona State University in PBEL during a study abroad
course in Baja California Sur, Mexico. All relevant information for this case study was
obtained from meeting directly with Dr. Senko throughout the course of this project,
reading about his bycatch reduction technology in the Seckel (2020) ASU Now article, and
from Christa Burgess’ personal experience participating in Dr. Senko’s Sea Turtles, Sharks,
& Fisheries of Baja California study abroad class.
In the context of our framework, the step of “Place” refers to the location of Baja
California Sur, Mexico. More specifically, this program introduces students to the unique
locations of La Paz, Magdalena Bay, and El Pardito Island. These locations are home to
communities of fishers who have lived there for many generations, and the surrounding
ecosystems are incredibly beautiful and biodiverse. Students who participate in the
program engage with these local stakeholders to learn more about the sustainability
challenge of bycatch. Bycatch is when fishers inadvertently entangle unwanted species of
wildlife in their nets, and it takes a great deal of time, energy, and money to remove these
animals and fix or replace broken nets. It also can be catastrophic for local ecosystems and
endangered species, as the animals who are accidentally entangled in nets are often gravely
injured or die.
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The collaboration between community members, fishers, and researchers enables
students to gain “Knowledge” on the local community’s values and perspectives, especially
when it comes to the issue of bycatch and why it is such a challenge for the people whose
livelihoods depend on productive fisheries. The students also learn from stakeholders,
researchers, and nature itself about the social-ecological systems of this place and how
people interact with the environment.
The step “Capacity” is where students build expertise and work with the community
fishers and their peers to develop the infrastructure, personal capacity, emotional
connections, and relationships they need to start assessing and addressing the features of
the bycatch challenge. This step includes learning how to modify fishing gear by removing
buoys and attaching solar-powered fishing lights.
Much of the learning in this program is experiential in nature, and the program’s
central “Experience” allows students to go out on the fishing boats to see firsthand what
fishing is like. If any sea turtles are caught in the nets, the students assist in conducting sea
turtle monitoring where they collect scientific data that contributes to critical conservation
efforts spearheaded by a nonprofit coalition called Grupo Tortuguero de las Californias.
Throughout this program, students make time for “Reflection” on what they have
felt and experienced throughout this immersive learning process. They write in journals
and have group discussions where they share their feelings and consider the new
knowledge they gained related to understanding social-ecological systems, small-scale
fisheries, fishing with gillnets, and bycatch reduction strategies. They brainstorm about
future actions and how to apply the new knowledge and skills they acquired to improve
sustainability efforts in Baja and back home in their own communities, as well as how this
local solution ties into the global UN SDGs.
The five-step framework learning cycle can be repeated by the same group of
learners as many times as desired, or it can be continued by a new group of college
students or other learners from fishing communities around the world. Overall, this
program has been very successful, as many students end up inspired to learn more and
express a desire to engage in more behaviors that support marine conservation and
sustainability. Previous students from this program have gone on to found the Ocean
Conservation Club at ASU or even conduct research as Lab Technician Interns for the Senko
Lab. This case study ultimately validates our five-step framework and shows how covering
the aspects of “Place,” “Knowledge,” “Capacity,” “Experience,” and “Reflection” can be a
powerful way to learn about sustainability and motivate sustainable behavior change.

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Figure 5 - Dr. Jesse Senko’s Bycatch Reduction and Sustainable Fisheries Program
Framework Alignment

Caption: This figure shows our five-step framework filled out with the information from our
case study on Dr. Jesse Senko’s Bycatch Reduction and Sustainable Fisheries Program.
In order to further refine and validate the success of our framework, we conducted
small workshops with our subject matter experts. We met individually with Dr. Roberta
Martin, Dr. Jesse Senko, and Dr. Kelli Larson and presented them with the first draft of our
framework and case study. We then asked them the following questions: (1) “Do you think
this framework is intuitive and user-friendly,” (2) “Can you think of an example from your
personal or professional experience that could be plugged into this framework,” (3) “What
kind of assessment tools do you think could be used to measure this framework’s success,”
(4) “What are five words you would use to describe this framework,” and (5) “Do you have
any suggestions to improve this framework.” We were met with an overwhelmingly
positive response, and they each had excellent feedback that we have since incorporated
into our framework and case study. The feedback we received from these subject matter
experts is summarized in Appendix B, and the words they used to describe our framework
are depicted in Figure 6 below.

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Figure 6 - Subject Matter Expert Descriptive Responses to Framework

Caption: This word cloud was created to visually represent how subject matter experts
reacted to our framework. Descriptors of our framework that were more frequently used by
subject matter experts are pictured in larger text.
After walking through a case study and conducting workshops with subject matter
experts, we validated that our initial theory of change is supported by both academic
literature and by experts in this field. We have successfully shown that combining PBEL
with behavior change theory and sustainability principles has a great deal of potential to
lead more people to act in sustainable ways and engage in sustainability solutions.
However, we also recognize that the best way to determine the success of this framework is
to test it in a real-world educational context with learners and educators who can provide
feedback. The next phase of the PBELS Initiative will involve discovery sessions that will be
able to further test this theory and validate success.
Our clients at HTBG have been very engaged in the research and development
process of our Culminating Experience, and we presented our framework to them in late
February. Our main client deliverable was a comprehensive PowerPoint that walks the
viewer through our five-step framework and how it can be applied to the case study of Dr.
Senko’s Sustainable Fisheries and Bycatch Reduction Program. We also provided the client
with PowerPoint slides and a written summary of our findings related to the key attributes
of PBL, EL, and the EfS framework knowledge dimensions that are needed for success. The
HTBG PBELS Initiative team will use our deliverables as a foundation for further research,
discovery sessions, and as a starting point to share the PBELS Initiative with other
professionals. We plan to share this final project report with the client team as well.
Overall, this project has brought together academic literature from several different
fields and synthesized them into an easily understandable and scalable format. PBL, EL, and
behavior change theory are not often utilized together in the context of sustainability
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education and solutions, so this project is a first step in the right direction in terms of
creating guidelines for developing educational programs, materials, or experiences that
inspire more people to engage in sustainable behaviors. The five-step framework we
developed has laid the foundation for the PBELS Initiative and future students to conduct
further research, implementation, and testing to refine this process and achieve success.

7. Recommendations
Our five-step framework is a first attempt at proposing a strategy for designing
effective sustainability PBEL programs or materials, and we highly recommend that further
research and testing be undertaken. There is a huge amount of literature and hundreds of
expert practitioners in this field, and within the time constraints of our Culminating
Experience we have just begun to scratch the surface of the available knowledge on this
topic and related subjects. We have created a solid foundation and starting point to guide
future research and experimentation, and as such we hope that in the future our
framework will be applied and tested in a number of different situations to further validate
and improve upon our work. One way this could be accomplished is by exploring more
successful PBEL case studies both inside and outside the field of sustainability to see how
well they align with our five steps. We feel that PBEL case studies that involve examples of
Indigenous education and Indigenous Knowledge Systems would be particularly
transformative, as there is a great deal that sustainability scientists and educators could
learn from these fields. Indigenous education is very complimentary with PBEL because
“One cannot learn about the history of any place without understanding the First Peoples of
the land and their unique cultural and environmental practices, as well as the impacts of
conquest, and cultural resilience” (Nelson, 2017).
Another avenue we feel should be pursued in the future is exploring how
storytelling can be better incorporated into our framework and its application. The
importance of effective storytelling was mentioned by nearly every stakeholder we talked
to, and we structured our five-step framework with the idea of designing a way to share
sustainability stories in mind. For example, the steps of “Place,” “Knowledge,” “Capacity,”
“Experience,” and “Reflection” loosely follow the same pattern as the storytelling elements
of exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, and resolution. We are especially excited
about the possibility of overlaying the Hero’s Journey onto our framework and
experimenting with how to create a Hero’s Journey model for sustainability (Campbell,
2003). We feel that this approach would be especially valuable if it involves diving into the
story of the land itself. A comprehensive tool or guidebook should be developed in the
future to give users more detailed instructions for designing and implementing educational
programs, materials, or experiences based on the five steps. This tool could then be used to
help determine areas where the five-step framework needs to be improved.
During our research, we also discovered that our framework is very well-aligned
with established guidelines for environmental education and STEM education. As such, we
feel that it would be interesting and useful to perform a comprehensive assessment of how
our framework compares to the NAEE Guidelines for Excellence and the “strands of science
learning” framework proposed by the NRC (NAAEE, 2015; National Research Council,
2009). It would also be beneficial to delve deeper into research on target audiences and

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Place-Based Experiential Learning for Sustainability

different types of learning styles to ensure that our framework meets the needs of
everyone who uses it.
Ultimately, we recommend that our clients at HTBG utilize our framework and scale
up our findings to help guide the development of the PBELS Initiative moving forward. The
PBELS Initiative team is currently researching more on the behavior change theory,
community-based social marketing (CBSM), and application of sustainability principles, so
our framework could be useful for organizing information and directing this research
process. We recommend that any new findings they discover be integrated into our fivestep framework so that it can become even more comprehensive and successful.
Continuing this project would also be a great opportunity for future MSUS students
interested in developing real-world strategies for sustainability behavior change.

8. Conclusions
Bridging the gap between sustainability knowledge and sustainability action is a
monumental, but necessary, task in order for many communities to overcome the
environmental and social problems they currently face. There are countless resources and
initiatives trying to address this gap with varying degrees of success, and a comprehensive
solution for connecting people with nature and motivating action is needed. For this
project, we collaborated with HTBG to develop a successful strategy for inspiring more
people to become actively engaged in sustainable behaviors and solutions. We conducted a
literature review on PBL, EL, and behavior change research, and our theory of change was
that PBEL that is grounded in behavior change theory and sustainability principles leads
people to have more sustainable behaviors. The results of our research were synthesized
into an intuitive five-step PBEL framework that can be utilized by practitioners and
educators as a guide for transferring knowledge to learners in a way that leads to action.
These five steps include “Place,” “Knowledge,” “Capacity,” “Experience,” and “Reflection,”
and they were validated by both a case study and subject matter experts. Overall, we are
confident that this framework is robust and captures many important aspects of PBEL. Our
theory of change has been initially confirmed, and we recommend that more extensive
research and practical testing be done in the future to further improve upon and refine our
work.

9. Acknowledgements
First we would like to acknowledge our project partners at Hawai‘i Tropical
Bioreserve & Garden. This project would not have been possible without the guidance we
received from Dan Lutkenhouse Jr. and Kate Logan. We greatly appreciate the amazing
learning opportunity they provided us with to develop a creative solution for a real-world
sustainability challenge. Additionally, we were very pleased to collaborate with Dr. George
Basile, who was an incredibly enthusiastic supporter who provided the spark and vision to
get our project started. The feedback we received from these team members was very
beneficial in helping guide our work throughout our culminating experience.
We cannot thank our subject matter experts enough for all of their unwavering
support, positive encouragement, and excellent advice. Dr. Jesse Senko was instrumental
in guiding the development of our case study, and his innovative work continues to
motivate and inspire us. Dr. Kelli Larson was extremely kind and helpful, and her unique
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Place-Based Experiential Learning for Sustainability

insight into the EfS framework and social-ecological-technological system dynamics was
invaluable. Dr. Roberta Martin was always there to listen and support us, and we greatly
appreciate her thoughtful feedback and enthusiasm for our project.
Additionally, we would like to extend our deepest gratitude to all of the
stakeholders who participated in informational interviews and offered us their expert
recommendations based on their work in the field. We thank Dr. Michael Angilletta, Dr.
Debra Colodner, Danielle Leoni, Dr. Agnese Mancini, and Paul Martin for sharing their
valuable time and exchanging ideas with us. This project could not have been what it is
today without each and every one of them.
Lastly, we would like to acknowledge and thank our instructors Paul Prosser and
Dr. Caroline Harrison, as well as the 2020-2021 MSUS Committee Members Dr. George
Basile, Dr. Katja Brundiers, Dr. Peter Byck, Dr. Candice Carr-Kelman, Dr. Scott
Cloutier, Dr. Melissa Nelson, Dr. Stephanie Pfirman, and Dr. Charles Redman for
providing guidance and insightful recommendations that helped polish each milestone of
this culminating experience. The final version of our project is strongly influenced by their
valuable feedback.

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Place-Based Experiential Learning for Sustainability

10.

Appendices
Appendix A - Framework Attribute Alignment
PLACE

Christa and
Jacob’s
Framework

Place-Based
Learning
Attributes

Experiential
Learning
Attributes

EfS Framework

Sustainability
Competencies

KNOWLEDGE

CAPACITY

EXPERIENCE

REFLECTION

Connection to a
Foundational
Expertise,
Meaningful and Mindful reflection on
specific place and knowledge on the
infrastructure,
concrete
the experience, lessons
community that is
local values,
personal capacity,
experience
learned, UN SDG
facing a
culture, economy, and relationships at
related to
alignment, and how to
sustainability
and sociala local level to
assessing and
progress towards
challenge
ecological systems prepare strategies
addressing
future actions
for solutions
sustainability
solutions

•

•

•

•

Community
connection

Relevant and
exciting to
learner

n/a

Interpersonal
Skills

•
•
•

Nature studies

•

Social justice

•

n/a

•

Critical thinking

•

n/a

Cultural studies

•
•

Mindfulness

•

Reflective
observation

•

Abstract
conceptualization

•

Abstract
experimentation

Critical thinking

Environmental
justice

•

Declarative
knowledge

•

Social
knowledge

•

Systems
Thinking

•

Values
Thinking

•

Abstract
experimentation

•

Concrete
experience

•

Procedural
knowledge

•

n/a

•

Effectiveness
knowledge

•

Strategic
Thinking

•

n/a

•

Futures Thinking

Caption: This table shows the methodology that was used to develop the five-step PBEL
framework. The top row is the framework we developed, and each column represents the PBL
attributes, EL attributes, EfS Knowledge Dimensions, and aspects of the Sustainability
Competencies that we felt could be combined to create each step.

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Place-Based Experiential Learning for Sustainability

Appendix B - Feedback from Subject Matter Experts
Subject
Matter
Experts

Dr.
Roberta
Martin

Feedback from Subject Matter Experts
Do you
think this
framework
is intuitive
and userfriendly?

●

Yes

Can you think of
an example
from your
personal or
professional
experience that
could be
plugged into
this
framework?
●

Yes - her
work with
Miloli‘i
Fishing
Village in
Hawai‘i

What kind of
assessment tools
do you think
could be used to
measure this
framework’s
success?

●

●

●

Dr. Jesse
Senko

●

Yes

●

Yes - the
Senko Lab’s
Sustainable
Fisheries and
Bycatch
Reduction
Program

●

What are five
words you
would use to
describe this
framework?

Do you have any
suggestions to
improve this
framework?

Survey what
people knew
before and
after
participating in
a PBEL
program
Success
= learners
want to
continue on
with the
learning
program or
come back
Success = new
knowledge is
embedded in
learners’
language when
they talk to
each other

●
●
●
●
●

Organized
Holistic
Community
Place
Experiencebased

●

Count how
many learners
want to
participate in
the sustainable
behavior or
solution after
the program
ends

●

Global
applicability
Empowerm
ent
Community
values
Knowledge
transfer
Cultural
innovation
Tech
innovation

●

●
●
●
●
●

●

●

Make the
framework
diagram less
linear
Emphasize
the
importance of
building trust
and
establishing
community
relationships

Update and
expand the
case study so
it has more of
a systems
perspective
Change the
third step in
the
framework
from “Action
Skills” to
“Capacity”

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Place-Based Experiential Learning for Sustainability

Dr. Kelli
Larson

●

Yes

●

Yes - Dr. Erin
Redman’s
work with
students at
the
University of
Wisconsin

●

Look at real
world case
studies and
determine if
they hit the
same points as
our five-step
framework. If
yes, then
assess whether
or not those
components
contribute to
success

●
●
●
●

●
●

Behavior
change
Systems
approach
Integrative
Balanced
(between
simplicity
and
complexity)
Widely
applicable
Dynamic

●

●

Make the
framework
less linear
and add
arrows to
show how
learners
might bounce
back and
forth between
steps
Add a
“context” box
around the
steps to show
that the
process is
grounded in a
socialecologicaltechnological
system
(SETS)

Caption: This table is a representation of the major feedback we received from our subject
matter experts during the workshops we hosted. Each row shows the answers the subject
matter experts gave in response to our questions.

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Place-Based Experiential Learning for Sustainability

11.

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For further information on the PBELS Initiative, please contact:
PBELS-Initiative@PBELS.org

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