Catherine Morris - Demystifying Sustainability

Demystifying Sustainability
What is ESD, what does it mean at Kent and how

can it be applied?
Catherine Morris: Environmental Adviser, University of Kent
#KentESD
Teaching Sustainability:
Sustainable Teaching #KentESD
Introduction
• About the day
• Purpose – Why are we all here
• Workshop sign-up
• Demystifying Sustainability
What is Sustainability?
Q1. How much do you know about the UN
Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)?
A) What SDGs? 7 7
B) I’ve heard of them 6 6
C) I know a bit about them but I’m
not sure how they apply to me
D) I’m actively working towards 1
of more of the goals
0
E) What don’t I know!
A B C D E
4.7 By 2030, ensure that all learners acquire the
knowledge and skills needed to promote sustainable
development, including, among others, through
education for sustainable development and sustainable
lifestyles, human rights, gender equality, promotion of
a culture of peace and non-violence, global citizenship
and appreciation of cultural diversity and of culture’s
contribution to sustainable development
SDGs at Kent
The SDG Education Accord calls upon us “the world’s universities and colleges to embed the
Sustainable Development Goals into our education, research, leadership, operations,
administration and engagement activities.
That as leaders or individual practitioners, academics, students or researchers, we will:
· Align all major efforts with the Sustainable Development Goals
· Involve members from all key stakeholder groups
· Collaborate across cities, regions, countries and continents
· Share our learning and account to both local and global communities our progress
· Annually report on how we contribute to the Goals and what more can we do.

Q2. How much do you know about
Education for Sustainable Development
(ESD)?
A) Never heard of the term 3
B) I’ve heard of it but I don’t think
its applicable to my 2
course/programme
1
C) I would like to embed ESD into
my course/programme
0
D) ESD is already embedded into
my course/programme A B C D
What is ESD?
Misconceptions
ESD is not:
- A separate subject or discipline;
- separate from or unrelated to other HE agendas such as
employability, enterprise or internationalisation;
- just about the environment;
- a passing fad
What is ESD?
• Education for
Sustainable
Development (and
Global Citizenship)
• Teaching for
Sustainability
• Interdisciplinary
• Global Challenges
• Critical thinking
Why ESD?
• Change and Uncertainty
• Employability
• Quality agenda
• Student opinion
86% - Universities should actively incorporate & promote Sustainable

Development
57% - Would like to learn more about Sustainable Development
59% - All course tutors should be required to incorporate Sustainable
Development in teaching
Q3. Where in the University should ESD
sit?
A) Estates Department / - - - - -
Colleges
B) Informal curriculum
(volunteering, societies
etc..)
C) Formal taught curriculum
D) Research / Dissertations
E) All of the above A B C D E
What’s happening already at Kent? 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100
1. No Poverty
2. Zero Hunger
3. Good Health & Wellbeing
4. Quality Education Teaching Research Operations
5. Gender Equality
Strategic
6. Clean Water and Sanitation
7. Affordable and Clean Energy
8. Decent Work & Economic Growth
9. Industry, Innovation & Infrastructure
10. Reduced Inequalities
11. Sustainable Cities & Communities
12. Responsible Consumption & Production
13. Climate Action
14. Life Below Water
15. Life on Land
16. Peace, Justice & Strong Institutions
17. Partnerships for the Goals
All of the above
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13
14 15 16 17 all
Q4. How relevant do you think ESD is to
your course / programme?
A) Not relevant at all - - - - -
B) Not relevant to teaching but may
be applicable to projects /
dissertations
C) Some elements may be relevant to
teaching
D) Very relevant – It’s a sustainability
subject
A B C D E
E) Very relevant – Not a sustainability
subject
ESD relevance to non-
sustainability subjects
Embedding Sustainability
into the formal curriculum
• Stand-alone modules
• Embedding into existing modules
• Projects / Dissertations
• Sustainability Skills
Embedding ESD into existing modules
1) In what way do you currently include or promote sustainability
concepts, values and skills in your curriculum area
- What is the student view?
2) What more could you / would you like to do
- In what way could you contribute more effectively and directly
to student learning in relation to sustainability?
3) What opportunities and barriers are there currently?
4) What kind of support might you need to take this further?
Embedding ESD into existing modules
• Introduce short ‘podules’ on some aspect of sustainability
• Discuss the relevance of the subject in the context of the scale of the
challenge
Resources
Resource bank
Subject specific resouces
ESD in projects / essays / dissertations
Example – KBS Marketing Students
Essay question
“Can the pursuit of sustainability initiatives help Kent Business School succeed in an
increasingly competitive environment”? Use the academic literature and examples of what
businesses and/or competitors are doing to satisfy consumers to illustrate and support your
argument.”
Project brief
Conduct market research and make recommendations based on a real-world challenge of
encouraging students to adopt sustainable behaviours while at Uni.
Sustainability Skills
Sustainability literacy
- Have sufficient knowledge and skills to decide and act in a way that favours
sustainable development
- Be able to recognise and reward other people's decisions and actions that
favour sustainable development
Professional Professional transferrable Personal elements

specialist elements elements
Sustainability Pedagogies
“good sustainable development pedagogy is often simply good pedagogy”
• critical thinking; • developing dialogue

• systemic thinking; • space for emergence
• interdisciplinarity and transdisciplinarity; • learning for action;
• experiential learning and real-life issues; • reflection on learning (reflexivity);
• reconnecting to sense of place and real- • transformative learning;
world inquiry;
• collaborative learning and co-inquiry;
• empowerment of the learner;
• action competence;
• teacher as mentor, exemplar and facilitator;
• campus as curriculum and use of campus
• multiple teaching styles; as a learning resource
Q5. Are you aware of the concept of Living
Labs?
A) Never heard of the term - - - -
B) I’ve heard of it but I don’t think
its applicable to my
course/programme
C) I would like to embed Living
Labs into my course/programme
D) I am already using Living Labs in
my course/programme A B C D
Living Labs
Applied differently across the HE sector but…..
LL aims to establish partnerships which connect academic activities of the

institution with non-academic partners
• Practice based learning
• Knowledge transfer
• Partnerships
• Symbiotic benefits
Q6. Is there potential for Living Labs
to be useful for your course /
programme?
A) I don’t think so - - - -
B) Maybe but I need to know
more
C) Yes, I have the beginnings
of an idea
D) Definitely, how do I get
started
A B C D
Thank you
Any questions?
Closing remarks
Next Steps
- Outcome presentation at Learning and Teaching Conference in
June 2019
- EG Champion for Sustainability (tbc)
- University civic mission strategy
- Possible development of Sustainability Strategy
- Resource bank for ESD
What can you do……
…….on Monday morning
Academic staff Students Other
- Talk to your academic - Talk to your tutor / - Find out more at
colleagues about ESD lecturer / course rep www.kent.ac.uk/sustainability
about ESD
- Find out more about ESD - Become a sustainability
(Future Fit Framework) - Talk to your peers about champion
ESD
…….next term
- Introduce 10-20 minutes - Take part in Futureproof
‘podules’ on some aspect
of sustainability - Get Sustainability on the
agenda
- Assess your current
modules for sustainability
content and skills
- Consider Living Labs
…….next year
- Revise existing modules to - Sign up to a Sustainability - Design and implement
take account of StudyPlus module projects around the SDGs
sustainability
- Plan your dissertation on
- Redesign programmes a sustainability theme
Q3b. Where in the University should ESD
sit?
A) Estates Department / - - - - -
Colleges
B) Informal curriculum
(volunteering, societies
etc..)
C) Formal taught curriculum
D) Research / Dissertations
E) All of the above A B C D E
Q4b. How relevant do you think ESD is to
your course / programme?
- - - - -
A) Not relevant at all
B) Not relevant to teaching but may
be applicable to projects /
dissertations
C) Some elements may be relevant
to teaching
D) Very relevant – It’s a sustainability
subject A B C D E
E) Very relevant – Not a
sustainability subject
Q6b. Is there potential for Living Labs to
be useful for your course / programme?
A) I don’t think so
B) Maybe but I need to know - - - -
more
C) Yes, I have the beginnings
of an idea
D) Definitely, how do I get
started
A B C D

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Catherine Morris - Demystifying Sustainability

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Copyright:

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Demystifying Sustainability

What is ESD, what does it mean at Kent and how

86% - Universities should actively incorporate & promote Sustainable

Professional Professional transferrable Personal elements

• critical thinking; • developing dialogue

LL aims to establish partnerships which connect academic activities of the

- Consider Living Labs

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