Over the years, the University of Gothenburg has had clear ambitions regarding the integration of sustainable development (SD) in education. Several initiatives have been launched and implemented, such as a SD toolbox for teachers, SD forums and a sustainability labelling system for courses and study programs. The current 10 criteria for sustainability labelling are based on the system that AASHE/STARS has developed and were established in 2014. A current challenge is the inclusion of the SDGs into the labelling system. In 2017 the Swedish Higher Education Authority (UKÄ) conducted a national evaluation on the Swedish higher education act paragraph 5 that states that “all higher education institutions (HEIs) should integrate SD in their core operation”. The University of Gothenburg was one of the HEIs awarded high scores for its sustainability processes. In this chapter we present and discuss the experiences from one of the initiatives, sustainability labelling of courses and programs, that was presented in the evaluation. One initiative that we believe have impact on several important aspects when dealing with sustainability in education. The study uses an action research methodology to evaluate the effectiveness, challenges, and long-term outcomes of the labelling initiative. Results show that the labelling system has increased the number of sustainability-labelled courses and programs, facilitating discussions on sustainability across faculties. In conclusion the study shows that while the labelling system contributes to raising sustainability awareness, there is a need for further refinement to ensure a continued development of transformative educational practices. The University of Gothenburg’s experience provides valuable insights for other higher education institutions aiming to integrate sustainability into their curricula through similar labelling initiatives.

错误:搜索内容不能为空,请输入英文关键词
错误:关键词超出字数限制,请精简
高级检索

Sustainability Labelling of Courses and Study Programs, A Possible Way to Integrate Sustainability into Higher Education? Experiences, Results, Challenges and Dilemmas, A Case-Study from University of Gothenburg

  • J. Boman,
  • E. Omrcen,
  • K. Weldemariam

摘要

Over the years, the University of Gothenburg has had clear ambitions regarding the integration of sustainable development (SD) in education. Several initiatives have been launched and implemented, such as a SD toolbox for teachers, SD forums and a sustainability labelling system for courses and study programs. The current 10 criteria for sustainability labelling are based on the system that AASHE/STARS has developed and were established in 2014. A current challenge is the inclusion of the SDGs into the labelling system. In 2017 the Swedish Higher Education Authority (UKÄ) conducted a national evaluation on the Swedish higher education act paragraph 5 that states that “all higher education institutions (HEIs) should integrate SD in their core operation”. The University of Gothenburg was one of the HEIs awarded high scores for its sustainability processes. In this chapter we present and discuss the experiences from one of the initiatives, sustainability labelling of courses and programs, that was presented in the evaluation. One initiative that we believe have impact on several important aspects when dealing with sustainability in education. The study uses an action research methodology to evaluate the effectiveness, challenges, and long-term outcomes of the labelling initiative. Results show that the labelling system has increased the number of sustainability-labelled courses and programs, facilitating discussions on sustainability across faculties. In conclusion the study shows that while the labelling system contributes to raising sustainability awareness, there is a need for further refinement to ensure a continued development of transformative educational practices. The University of Gothenburg’s experience provides valuable insights for other higher education institutions aiming to integrate sustainability into their curricula through similar labelling initiatives.