CoDesignS Education for Sustainable Development: A Framework for Embedding Education for Sustainable Development in Curriculum Design

Norita Ahmad (), Maria Toro-Troconis, Mohammed Ibahrine, Rose Armour, Victoria Tait, Katharine Reedy, Romas Malevicius, Vicki Dale, Nathalie Tasler and Yuma Inzolia
Additional contact information
Norita Ahmad: Department of Marketing and Business Analytics, School of Business Administration, American University of Sharjah, Sharjah 26666, United Arab Emirates
Maria Toro-Troconis: Association for Learning Design and ESD, Nantwich CW5 7JW, UK
Mohammed Ibahrine: Journalism and Strategic Communication, Medill School of Journalism, Northwestern University, Doha 34102, Qatar
Rose Armour: Sustainability Department, American University of Sharjah, Sharjah 26666, United Arab Emirates
Victoria Tait: Institute for Academic Development Staff, The University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH8 9YL, UK
Katharine Reedy: Library Services Department, The Open University, Milton Keynes MK7 6AA, UK
Romas Malevicius: Department of Marketing, Business School, King’s College, London SE1 9NH, UK
Vicki Dale: Academic and Digital Development, University of Glasgow, Glasgow G12 8QQ, UK
Nathalie Tasler: Academic and Digital Development, University of Glasgow, Glasgow G12 8QQ, UK
Yuma Inzolia: The UNESCO International Institute for Higher Education in Latin America and the Caribbean (IESALC), Caracas 1071, Venezuela

Sustainability, 2023, vol. 15, issue 23, 1-24

Abstract: In the context of the global climate change debate, the integration of Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) in higher education institutions (HEIs) has been identified as one of the top priorities. This paper presents the CoDesignS ESD Framework (hereafter “Framework”) focused on HEIs, though the Framework is applicable to other types of educational institutions. The Framework introduces transformative pedagogies and teaching methods that extend beyond typical ESD competencies, encompassing cognitive, socio-emotional, and behavioral domains for a holistic design and delivery. It was evaluated using a focus group and interviews among sustainability practitioners and academics, learning and curriculum designers, students, and government officials involved in ESD. The evaluation demonstrates key stakeholders’ engagement with the Framework and appreciation of its potential to integrate sustainability into university curricula across different disciplines. The findings suggest that the Framework is easy to use, making sustainability explicit in the curriculum and actively developing the competencies students require to bring about change beyond the classroom. The feedback received has helped the further development of the Framework, including the CoDesignS ESD Toolkit Planner and Dashboard, which provide a more effective way of integrating the learning design and ESD components embedded as part of the CoDesignS ESD pillars.

Keywords: ESD; sustainability; competencies; higher education; learning design; curriculum design; sustainable development (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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