How Can Science and Education Help Shape Sustainable Development
Cartoon 5: Disciplinary Academic Structures: the world has problems; the university has faculties (Illustration: K. Herweg)
Despite this institutional barrier, there are a number of possibilities for integrating SD into curricula and courses (Figure 5; after Sterling and Thomas 2006). Newcomers to SD might consider, in a first step, applying a “Bolt-on” approach. This means that in individual lessons or sessions, they could include a discussion about what potential links their discipline has to SD, and, as a result, what contributions it might make. In a next step of engagement, a “Build-in” approach – creating an entire course around SD – is an opportunity for more in-depth discussions and exercises related to SD. To make full use of the potential of higher education for engaging in SD would require a “Curriculum redesign” or the creation of specific SD study programmes, supplemented by further education modules.
Curriculum redesign – sustainable education • Students are able to make relevant contributions to interdisciplinary teams in cooperation with practitioners. • Lecturers are able to integrate SD in their disciplinary courses and build up SD-related competences.
‘Build-in’ approaches – education for sustainability
Further education, workshops SD-related curricula / study programmes
SD-related courses
• Students are able to analyse a complex problem context and elaborate different solution scenarios.
‘Bolt-on’ approaches – education about sustainability
SD-related lessons / sessions
• Students can describe links between their own discipline and SD.
Figure 5: Steps of integrating sustainable development into tertiary education (K. Herweg, after Sterling and Thomas, 2006)
A “Curriculum redesign” requires ownership, engagement, and support of the institution. But even if the institution neither engages in ESD nor supports SD curricula, you can still transform your own courses through “Bolt-on” and “Build-in” approaches. Below, we further explain our focus on teaching and learning that supports students and lecturers in engaging with transdisciplinary research.
You have many options for integrating SD into your teaching, both at the institutional and at the coursework level.
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