Five tips to integrate sustainability education into your curricula

How to embed education for sustainable development into institutional structures and processes that don’t easily allow for change? Some of the challenges we’ve found when integrating sustainability education into the curriculum have included: leaders’ lack of clarity in the vision for a sustainable future; staff struggling to understand terms such as ESD or SDGs, leading to their perception that it’s all just a box-ticking exercise; an increased workload for educators, and scarce financial resources to support its application.

Based on a nine-step framework on how to embed education for sustainable development and overcome these challenges, here, we’ll provide five practical tips to do so.  

1. Carve out a clear vision about education strategy  

It is important to have a shared definition of sustainability and its purpose, and how it interlinks with other key terms, such as education for sustainable development (ESD) and the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This prevents misunderstandings and establishes a clear vision for educators. 

Sustainability is the term that may be seen more often in university strategies, as it reflects an institution’s commitment to meeting the needs of the present, without compromising future generations’ potential. While ESD is an educational approach to empower students in developing knowledge, values and competencies to contribute to sustainable development, SDGs set the goals organisations establish to measure the attempts to reach this future. 

One complements the other, as we apply the sustainability goals in course outcomes through ESD. 

2. Map the SDGs  

Alignment is all-important in this process. Course or programme leaders should map their commitment to the SDGs in courses to ensure the alignment of the course content, activities and assessments with learning outcomes. This will minimise duplications of the SDGs per module and identify the level of depth in the application of education for sustainable development. 

There are two ways to do this. The first is a top-bottom approach, which applies when senior management develops new courses and aligns the institution’s strategies, vision, SDGs and course learning outcomes. This can bring about widespread and immediate change, if handled correctly. 

The second is the bottom-up approach, which occurs when courses are already created, and the module leaders and lecturers are responsible for identifying SDGs to embed in course content. 

Ideally, use a combination of both approaches, as they balance the decision-making process. This way, practical insights complement strategic vision, and this is what will gain buy-in from teaching staff.  

3. Define the pedagogy  

To align sustainability education with pedagogy means teaching methods and learning content are consistent with sustainability principles and ensure active, participatory and experiential learning. But how to select the right pedagogy?

Ultimately, it will depend on different factors: institutional values and priorities, each discipline’s methodologies, student preferences and emerging sustainability challenges. There is no one-size-fits-all pedagogy – it wouldn’t be effective in addressing the different challenges and opportunities in every possible setting. 

However, educators have found certain pedagogical approaches to work well, including problem-based learning, project-based learning and team-based learning. This is because they are based on authenticity and collaborative development.

4. Continuous professional development in ESD  

Equip educators and staff with the knowledge and capabilities to understand key terms in sustainability, including the principles of education for sustainable development and the SDGs. Within this training, cover how to integrate these concepts into courses, teaching and research.

Use the ABC Learning Design Framework, which can visually map learning activities, sustainability concepts and assessment.

Training should be delivered both on-campus and online, to reach a wider audience. Create a Mooc (massive open online course) about education in sustainable development, including practical examples of how it has been embedded in modules and discussion boards so staff can share their own ideas, and appoint both staff and students as ESD champions. This will improve the organisational culture that has ESD at its centre.

5. Learning activities and assessments  

Ensure that learning activities and assessments are aligned with ESD, to help maintain consistency and coherence in the educational experience. Provide three types of learning activities to meet students’ learning preferences, enhance student engagement and foster inclusivity.  

• On-campus: specialised equipment, discipline-specific resources, classrooms and real-time interaction between students and instructors will help to develop collaboration and a sense of belonging  
• Off-campus: use a learning space outside the traditional campus setting to bridge the gap between classroom learning and real-world applications – for example, field trips, outdoor challenges and visits to exhibitions and companies.  
• Online: it requires digital tools on which students can interact with learning materials at their own pace and develop individual and group learning.  

Design assessment to provide inclusive practices and reflect diverse backgrounds. Students need options to demonstrate their knowledge and skills, such as written, oral, visual, digital, practical or performance-based formats. 

To embed education for sustainable development into the curricula, we need educational strategy, course content and pedagogy to align with the SDGs. This is not about ticking boxes – it’s about preparing students to become informed global citizens, who will work to find solutions to the issues plaguing us today. But it will require developing an organisational culture with sustainability embedded in values, processes, teaching, learning and research. 

Gustavo Espinosa Ramos is senior lecturer in management and marketing, and Amanda Capucci Polzin is lecturer in management, marketing and experience industries, both at the University of Westminster.

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