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Let’s hear from the Top Performers
Professor Jan Bebbington, Director, Sustainability Institute, University of St Andrews said that “Universities can and should make a difference, and I’m proud to be part of the St Andrews Sustainability Institute (SASI), a group of people at the University of St Andrews who are working towards a sustainable future for everyone. We are working towards this by doing the classic things a university does - teaching undergraduate and postgraduate students, researching stuff, and knowledge transfer (sharing the knowledge with people other than students) as well as trying to be sustainable ourselves.”
Dr Stephen Sterling, Associate Director, Centre for Sustainable Futures, University of Plymouth commented that “How we evaluate and measure anything, be it education for sustainable development (ESD), or anything else in Higher Education (HE), depends on what we think it is. Our perception and conception of ESD will inform the kind of indicators we choose. So while it may not be possible to achieve consensus on the nature and implications of ESD, we can at least attempt some clarification of its dimensions, so that debate on evaluation is in turn clearer. In this task, it is helpful to draw a direct parallel with the emergence of sustainable development (SD) in wider society. Put simply, either SD is seen as a necessary add-on to current practices (‘A’) – what might be termed a reformist approach – or, it is seen significantly challenging mainstream policies and practices (‘B’): a transformist conception. So it is with ESD.
“The situation currently is that whilst debates are pushing into ‘B’ territory, not least with regard to the wellbeing and broadening CSR agendas, most universities are in practice still struggling to embed sustainability through the ‘A’ pathway. The challenge is how evaluation can be used to assist an effective ‘A’ strategy, as an important first stage, whilst also assisting the organisational learning that can move universities towards a dynamic ‘B’ position, so increasing universities’ overall ‘response-ability’ to the sustainability imperative.”
Professor Daniella Tilbury, Director of Sustainability, Gloucestershire University highlighted that “the aim of reversing unsustainable trends in human societies requires effective education for sustainability at all levels, not least in higher education. Through their core academic functions of research, teaching and knowledge exchange, Universities have the opportunity to act as learning and change agents in society.” Adding that it is currently a “fundamental challenge to Universities to produce ‘sustainability literate’ and capable graduates for all sectors of society.”
She went on to explain that “Learning about and for sustainability must be an integral and not a bolt-on activity of Universities. Recognition of the integrity of these civic aspirations for Universities requires a comprehensive view of the business and purpose of higher education institutions. At present, senior managers are grappling with the implications for policy and practice, while colleagues and stakeholders at all levels are also mindful of the need to protect academic freedom and to agree on emergent parameters for education for sustainability. For Universities to fulfil this leadership role, learning opportunities for sustainability must be integrated into institutional plans and efforts at all levels where the academic and educational endeavour is implicated. The question is how do we then assess this contribution given the complexity and pervasiveness of this activity?”
Peter Hopkinson, Education for Sustainable Development Directorate, University of Bradford said that if you “Ask a pharmacy lecturer, or a midwifery student what they understand by the term education for sustainable development and you may get a blank stare – at best. The HEFCE statement in 2005 that the greatest contribution a University can make to sustainable development is through the education of their graduates, threw down a challenge to the sector but also raised the question - what does it mean and how do you do it? It’s pretty obvious and relatively easy in certain subjects, such as geography and subjects allied to the built environment but these represent a fraction of subjects taught in higher education.”
He went on to explain that “The University of Bradford’s Ecoversity programme has taken on a daunting challenge to embed ESD in the learning of all students, irrespective of discipline. Every university is different and there is no ‘green-print’ on how to implement such a major educational objective. Our approach has configured three major pathways for engaging students and staff with ESD: the formal curriculum; an informal curriculum (student volunteering, service learning, events, internships, ambassadors roles etc) and a physical curriculum influencing attitude and behaviour through the way we design, run and operate our campuses and the values and symbols that are transmitted and communicated through multiple everyday actions and activities. Our ESD journey began from a relatively modest starting point and we do not claim to have reached our final destination. We can demonstrate clear commitment to ESD in our corporate strategy, our teaching and learning framework and academic school plans.”
Quoted from the recently released Times Higher article “Education and sustainable development has been named the top priority in the University of the West of England's management strategy for 2008-12. "It aims to ensure that every UWE student is exposed to the context of sustainability within their course and for their future professional careers," says Mark Webster, UWE's environmental manager. "Our students will be able to take action on sustainability
Professor Jan Bebbington, Director, Sustainability Institute, University of St Andrews said that “Universities can and should make a difference, and I’m proud to be part of the St Andrews Sustainability Institute (SASI), a group of people at the University of St Andrews who are working towards a sustainable future for everyone. We are working towards this by doing the classic things a university does - teaching undergraduate and postgraduate students, researching stuff, and knowledge transfer (sharing the knowledge with people other than students) as well as trying to be sustainable ourselves.”
Dr Stephen Sterling, Associate Director, Centre for Sustainable Futures, University of Plymouth commented that “How we evaluate and measure anything, be it education for sustainable development (ESD), or anything else in Higher Education (HE), depends on what we think it is. Our perception and conception of ESD will inform the kind of indicators we choose. So while it may not be possible to achieve consensus on the nature and implications of ESD, we can at least attempt some clarification of its dimensions, so that debate on evaluation is in turn clearer. In this task, it is helpful to draw a direct parallel with the emergence of sustainable development (SD) in wider society. Put simply, either SD is seen as a necessary add-on to current practices (‘A’) – what might be termed a reformist approach – or, it is seen significantly challenging mainstream policies and practices (‘B’): a transformist conception. So it is with ESD.
“The situation currently is that whilst debates are pushing into ‘B’ territory, not least with regard to the wellbeing and broadening CSR agendas, most universities are in practice still struggling to embed sustainability through the ‘A’ pathway. The challenge is how evaluation can be used to assist an effective ‘A’ strategy, as an important first stage, whilst also assisting the organisational learning that can move universities towards a dynamic ‘B’ position, so increasing universities’ overall ‘response-ability’ to the sustainability imperative.”
Professor Daniella Tilbury, Director of Sustainability, Gloucestershire University highlighted that “the aim of reversing unsustainable trends in human societies requires effective education for sustainability at all levels, not least in higher education. Through their core academic functions of research, teaching and knowledge exchange, Universities have the opportunity to act as learning and change agents in society.” Adding that it is currently a “fundamental challenge to Universities to produce ‘sustainability literate’ and capable graduates for all sectors of society.”
She went on to explain that “Learning about and for sustainability must be an integral and not a bolt-on activity of Universities. Recognition of the integrity of these civic aspirations for Universities requires a comprehensive view of the business and purpose of higher education institutions. At present, senior managers are grappling with the implications for policy and practice, while colleagues and stakeholders at all levels are also mindful of the need to protect academic freedom and to agree on emergent parameters for education for sustainability. For Universities to fulfil this leadership role, learning opportunities for sustainability must be integrated into institutional plans and efforts at all levels where the academic and educational endeavour is implicated. The question is how do we then assess this contribution given the complexity and pervasiveness of this activity?”
Peter Hopkinson, Education for Sustainable Development Directorate, University of Bradford said that if you “Ask a pharmacy lecturer, or a midwifery student what they understand by the term education for sustainable development and you may get a blank stare – at best. The HEFCE statement in 2005 that the greatest contribution a University can make to sustainable development is through the education of their graduates, threw down a challenge to the sector but also raised the question - what does it mean and how do you do it? It’s pretty obvious and relatively easy in certain subjects, such as geography and subjects allied to the built environment but these represent a fraction of subjects taught in higher education.”
He went on to explain that “The University of Bradford’s Ecoversity programme has taken on a daunting challenge to embed ESD in the learning of all students, irrespective of discipline. Every university is different and there is no ‘green-print’ on how to implement such a major educational objective. Our approach has configured three major pathways for engaging students and staff with ESD: the formal curriculum; an informal curriculum (student volunteering, service learning, events, internships, ambassadors roles etc) and a physical curriculum influencing attitude and behaviour through the way we design, run and operate our campuses and the values and symbols that are transmitted and communicated through multiple everyday actions and activities. Our ESD journey began from a relatively modest starting point and we do not claim to have reached our final destination. We can demonstrate clear commitment to ESD in our corporate strategy, our teaching and learning framework and academic school plans.”
Quoted from the recently released Times Higher article “Education and sustainable development has been named the top priority in the University of the West of England's management strategy for 2008-12. "It aims to ensure that every UWE student is exposed to the context of sustainability within their course and for their future professional careers," says Mark Webster, UWE's environmental manager. "Our students will be able to take action on sustainability
