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Many universities have started on an Education for Sustainability (EfS) journey to integrate sustainability into courses. Often they map single issues in the course content and link them to a UN Sustainable Development Goal.
Our Education for Sustainability (EfS) approach sets the bar higher – we want to provide joined-up learning and build skills for change. And we want all our students to experience this learning – so we are designing this joined-up approach into all course areas, supported by assessments.
In 2022 we won funding from the UK Quality Assurance Agency (QAA) for a project to test and refine our innovative blueprint for quality standards in sustainability learning that can be applied across all courses in the Higher Education Sector.
In partnership with King’s College London and University of the Arts London, the project enabled students to rate sustainability learning at their university and drive quality in their courses. QAA Student Strategic Advisory Committee provided additional perspectives and institutional contexts.
Worked as co-producers to run workshops and create a speed-training dashboard with 6 short films and interactive rating examples.
Representing 9 universities and 87 courses rated their learning using the quality principles, and provided feedback.
They explored existing approaches to mainstreaming and quality in sustainability learning.
45% of the UoG high volume cohort said the experience as an assessor raised their insight and expectations around EfS in their course.
“I think this was an effective rating system to assist sustainability learning by analysing all the major corners of a student’s education, better highlighting the key issues and needs for change”
UoG student
Project website – with ‘blueprint’ of quality principles and criteria for EfS for use by course teams, students, academic developers or sustainability staff, to raise EfS quality in university courses.
The Anti-Greenwash Education kit – with speed-training tools to empower students to rate EfS learning in their courses and drive quality.
This report meets our annual reporting commitments on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as an institutional signatory to the tertiary sector SDG Accord.
Throughout this annual report, we record how the actions and results shown in this report contribute to the delivery of the UN SDGs. The actions on this page contribute to the specific goals marked below.
For more information view the global goals page.