Education planning and administration handbook - Chapter 16

Sustainable development in teaching

16.1 Starting points
16.2 Procedures at first-cycle and second-cycle level

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16.1 Starting points

Important concepts

“Sustainable development is development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.”

Sustainable development is built on three dimensions: the social, environmental and financial. The UN’s Sustainable Development Goals include all three dimensions.

Policy

SLU must make visible the university operations that contribute to promoting sustainable use of natural resources. Environmental content in courses and programmes must be clear to SLU’s current and future students.

Relevant sustainable development dimensions must be integrated in our education. Early on in their study period, first-cycle and second-cycle students must be introduced to the connection between the course/programme content and sustainable development.

• Students must be aware of the department’s/SLU’s environmental management systems. They must be involved in environmental work by e.g. reporting non-conformities, etc.
• Sustainable development content in single courses must be identified and communicated.
• Sustainable development content in single courses must be strengthened when relevant.
• Course/programme implementation must be carried out with limited environmental pressure (double-sided prints, electronic material, environmentally adapted transports, etc.).

National rules

'In the course of their operations, higher education institutions shall promote sustainable development to assure for present and future generations a sound and healthy environment, economic and social welfare, and justice.'

SLU rules

SLU has general environmental objectives relating to energy usage, business travel, purchasing, environmental monitoring and assessment as well as sustainable development education.

General education for sustainable development objectives: All students who take part in an SLU programme must be given a good foundation to consider all sustainable development perspectives (financial, social, and environmental) in their future profession. This is achieved by meeting a few sub-objectives.

Who is responsible for what?

Educational format – see Chapter 6. Course syllabuses and course instances as well as Chapter 12. Programme syllabuses and programme instances.

Implementation in teaching – see Section 16.2 Procedures at first-cycle and second-cycle level, Chapter 7. Before and when a course starts as well as 8. Assesment (exams) and compulsory components.

16.2 Procedures at first-cycle and second-cycle level

Department courses contain varying degrees of sustainable development. When relevant, the departments must work to promote and strengthen the course components that include sustainable development and sustainable usage of natural resources. In order to achieve this, each course must be reviewed, and possible opportunities to strengthen relevant environmental components must be investigated. Courses must be continuously evaluated in relation to knowledge transfer within the framework of sustainable development.

The following items need to be taken into consideration at course level:

1. Review course content, consider strengthening environmental content and the sustainable development connection, among other things by using previous course instance follow-ups as the foundation.
2. As much as possible, implement practical course components (e.g. laboratory sessions, excursions, field placements, exercises in studios and workshops) in an environmentally adapted way and in accordance with applicable procedures. If possible, modes of transport during excursions should be environmentally adapted.
3. Provide, as much as the copying agreement allows, digital or double-sided copies of published course literature. Lecture presentations (equivalent) must primarily be made electronically available to students.
4. Let affected persons know that the department has an environmental management system in accordance the ISO 14001 standard, and encourage students to submit non-conformity reports and improvement proposals. When the course starts, it is also good to present a short summary of the environmental-related issues included in the course.
5. During course syllabus review, reflect on the course’s environment and sustainable development connection, and consider increasing it if relevant. An example is to make additions to or change the course syllabus content or design.
6. Follow up measures taken to increase the connection to sustainable development in the course, using a specific question from the course evaluation.

Sustainable development education measures are followed up in the environmental management system that SLU uses.

Who is responsible for what?

The environmental coordinator and department directors of studies (or equivalent) normally have important roles in first- and second-cycle sustainable development education. The course coordinator has an important role at course level. The head of department is generally responsible for department activities.

It is preferable to use student representatives in local coordination and environmental management groups (equivalent).

Instructions

The work at course level can be made easier by having the responsible department classify their courses into three groups:

1. sustainable development course, i.e., the course is about sustainable development issues
2. course with sustainable development components
3. course completely without sustainable development components.

When relevant and possible, special attention must be given to strengthen the sustainable development aspect and content in group 2) course with sustainable development components.