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Gloucestershire University - Institutional approach to ESD
Just to input from University of Gloucestershire, where we’ve been working on our institution-wide approach and support mechanisms so that ESD becomes embedded within the culture and practice of T&L. We were hugely encouraged to have this strategic approach to ESD recognised in the 2010 Green Gown awards with a win for ‘continuous improvement’, as we all know how challenging it is to progress in this area in HE.1. ESD has been embedded for some time within our Learning, Teaching and Assessment strategy, but deeper approaches are needed to get past a ‘tick box’ response and to move from individual enthusiasm to a more widespread and formalised undertaking. We are now working to bring ESD more deeply into academic induction, validation/review and course development processes, etc. Discussions at academic committees are critical to gain buy-in and raise awareness of the connections between ESD and existing T&L (and other) strategies.
2. We have been developing a document that outlines key principles for ESD that can be targeted and applied in different academic areas and programme architecture – based on internationally agreed tenets as used for the UNESCO DESD. See attached for the draft version which we are now revising to tailor more closely to different audiences (we find that many academic staff are already persuaded or are relatively easily engaged by this pedagogy-driven approach and the additional subject-specific guidance we provide, but we need to do more to make a persuasive ‘business case’ with senior managers, particularly in this new era of constrained financial circumstances in HE).
3. We recognise the fine balance that needs to be achieved between audit and enhancement. We are engaging HODs with a simple planning tool to consider where the key pedagogic principles for ESD feature in their programmes and where future development could take place. This will help us to provide data for rankings such as Universities that Count, but also to work on development activities with colleagues.
Obinna, I was unable to reply to the earlier request for information about curriculum integration but hope this may be of value for your research.
Please see our website (links below) for more information on our institutional and academic development strategies and work.
Our best wishes
Alex and Daniella
Professor Daniella Tilbury, Director of Sustainability
Dr Alex Ryan, Associate Director of Sustainability (Academic)
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