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Education for Sustainable Development

Sustainability, ESD and the University Strategy

 

This page is currently being updated.

Please contact Aaron Cooper if you have any questions: aaron.cooper@reading.ac.uk

 

Sustainability is one of four key principles outlined in the University Strategic Plan 2020-2026. These principles overlap and are designed to help us deliver on our purpose; to “act together, using our collective skills and diversity, to deliver a better world through the transformational power of quality education and research”.

Sustainability is implemented using a necessarily wide set of activities. Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) is an effective and logical way of ensuring that the University of Reading achieve its sustainability goals by focussing on the single guaranteed point of contact with students; the curriculum. Any approach to sustainability must include a creative and committed focus on embedding it within the subject curriculum.

Good Practice Examples: template

 

ESD Key Principles

Education for Sustainable Development can be embedded within the subject discipline in order to enhance the student experience, and empower students with the knowledge and skills to tackle real world problems, ones that hold meaning for them outside of the classroom.  

We have developed 4 key principles in support of the University sustainability strategy. 

 

ESD and the Student Experience

Sustainability is increasingly important to HEI’s and getting the approach right could be central to its continued success. According to the Students Organising for Sustainability  in the sustainability skills survey, the data for 2020-21 shows that,

  • 91% of students think that their place of study should actively incorporate and promote sustainable development

  • 84% would like to see sustainable development actively incorporated and promoted through all subjects

  • 93% feel it is important for students to graduate with the knowledge and skills required to address sustainability challenges

 

These numbers challenge preconceptions about which subjects hold domain over sustainability. It also has highlights trends in student choice and motivation for selecting place and subjects of study. Student recruitment would seem to be directly affected. The expectations students hold regarding their experience of the subject curriculum also directly impacts subsequent feedback metrics such as the NSS. 

 

ESD Framework

What:

Click here to view 

 

How:

 

Why:

  Details to be added

 

So What:

  Details to be added

 

Impacts:

We have improved our standing in key national metrics.

UKPPL: The UK People and Planet league table is designed with the aim of “building an empowered generation of change-makers who are equipped with life-long skills, motivation and networks to be a force for change in achieving a more equitable and sustainable world.”

  • 30% to 95% to 100% for ESD

 

Improvement:

  Details to be added

 

Good Practice Examples

it is important to share and disseminate good practice. Please feel free to complete the template to represent your own practice in context.  

Access to the Template - Details to be added

Access to completed Templates - Details to be added

Good Practice Videos

Details to be added

 

MDF's

Completed MDF’s containing Sustainability - Details be added

 

Further information and support

Communities and Networks

 

 

 

Good Practice

Good Practice Examples: template