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Introduction

One of the primary functions of colleges and universities is to educate students. By training and educating future leaders, scholars, workers, and professionals; higher education institutions are uniquely positioned to understand and address sustainability challenges. Institutions that offer courses covering sustainability issues help equip their students to lead society to a sustainable future.

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Looking inward, outward, and forward: Exploring the process of transformative learning in teacher education for a sustainable future

  • Arizona State University (AZ)
  • University of Cincinnati (OH)

Sustainability education plays a pivotal role in driving change in the present and shaping our global future. This study explores the process of transformative learning among 67 preservice elementary teachers …

Contemplative Practices in Higher Education for Sustainable Development: An exploration of their role for moving society towards sustainability

  • Blekinge Institute of Technology

In order for future sustainability leaders to stand a chance at tackling the sustainability challenge, they need to be skilled and capable enough to cope with them. Higher education for …

The research-policy relationship in environmental and sustainability education

  • University of Saskatchewan (SK)
  • Monash University (VIC)

Within the field of environmental and sustainability education (ESE), the interaction between ESE research and ESE policy has received limited attention. Beyond ESE, however, the research-policy relationship has become an …

Transformative learning in the field of sustainability: a systematic literature review (1999-2019)

  • Leuphana University of Lüneburg

This study aims to investigate how transformative learning has been conceptualised and operationalised in education for sustainable development (ESD) and sustainability learning and to collect evidence on how to support …

Pathways of organisational transformation for sustainability: a university case-study synthesis presenting competencies for systemic change & rubrics of transformation

  • Maastricht University

This research article presents a diagnosis and synthesis of three case studies of universities that have transformed themselves as organisations towards sustainability with signature pathway approaches. These took place in …

Assessing water literacy at a primarily undergraduate university in Ohio

  • Malone College (OH)

As the impacts of water quality on human health become better understood, universities have an opportunity to equip students to become more informed and responsible citizens. We define water literacy …

Design of a Master of Science Sustainable Chemistry

  • Leuphana University of Lüneburg

Chemistry is the central science for value creation by physical products in the socio-economic system. Unsustainable processes over many decades have led to pressure on the planet and an urgent …

Approaches to teaching and learning for sustainability: Characterizing students’ perceptions

  • University of Cadiz

Sustainability needs to become part of the training of prospective teachers as they will be responsible for educating future generations from this perspective. In this regard, the study objective was …

From Sustainability to the Anthropocene: Reflections on a Pedagogy of Tourism Research for Planetary Attachment

  • Linnaeus University

Though tourism research has become more value-laden in its scholarship and pedagogy, there is still a risk that tourism higher education curricula (re)produce uncritical views of society and sustainability. I …

An Analysis of Sustainability Integration in Business School Curricula: Evidence from Korea

  • Seoul National University
  • Ewha Womans University (Seoul)

Given the growing importance of corporate sustainability in the academic literature and in practice, this study investigates to what extent business schools in South Korea have been reflecting sustainability-linked themes …

Sustainability Education for the Future? Challenges and Implications for Education and Pedagogy in the 21st Century

  • The American College of Greece (Aghia Paraskevi)

The crises societies face today contribute to a rather challenging life setting that demands in-depth reflection, daring new thinking, and change urgently. Transformative education for a sustainable future is needed …

Methodology and academic extractivism: the neo-colonialism of the British university

  • University of Birmingham

Methodological pedagogy within contemporary British social science higher education (through methods courses, textbooks, etc.) constitutes the process through which the researcher is formed, and research designed. It is our contention …

Confronting the complexities of decolonising curricula and pedagogy in higher education

  • University of Cape Town
  • University of Pretoria
  • SOAS University Of London (Middlesex)

Recent critiques voiced by students in both the Global South and North have turned attention to the ways in which higher education practices have been informed by, and continue to …

Integrating sustainability in higher education: a Swedish case

  • Lund University
  • Kristianstad University
  • University of Copenhagen

This paper aims to unveil how sustainability is integrated into the courses/programmes of higher education institutions. The research question addressed is: how do academics representing different disciplines cooperate and engage …

Responsible Management Education as Socialization: Business Students’ Values, Attitudes and Intentions

  • Nazareth College (NY)
  • Macquarie University (NSW)
  • University of Melbourne (Victoria)

The growing interest in sustainable development in all sectors of the economy has fostered a noteworthy shift toward responsible management education (RME). This emerging view underscores that business schools provide …

Educational contexts and designs for cultivating leaders capable of addressing the wicked issues of sustainability transitions.

  • Blekinge Institute of Technology

The ongoing sustainability crisis offer numerous, multifaced societal challenges as a result of the ongoing degradation of socio-ecological systems by human activity causing massive ecological damage and human suffering. Overcoming …

Emotional reactions to climate change and associated coping strategies: a grounded theory study on graduate students of sustainability-related programmes

  • Uppsala University

Climate change is happening. Yet this phenomenon does not only concern the environment, but also has various notable and important psychological implications for individuals in particular and society in general. …

Synchronizing Sustainability Education Across Higher Education Community Orientations

  • University of British Columbia (BC)

With increased concerns surrounding the global climate emergency, the need to address the issue emerges across individuals and large organizations alike. The University of British Columbia is one of the …

Assessing Undergraduate Sustainability Knowledge at California Polytechnic State University

  • California Polytechnic State University (CA)

Sustainability education has become an important focus of many higher education institutions (HEIs), with the inclusion of many sustainability-related learning objectives for undergraduate students. As sustainability is a new, rising …

Providing a ‘point of entry’: Approaches to framing sustainability in curriculum design in Higher Education

  • RMIT University

The rationale for including sustainability in Higher Education curriculum has been made clear, yet how to facilitate effective learning in this field has received less research attention. This article focuses …

Co-learning for sustainable design: The case of a circular design collaborative project in Ireland

  • University of Limerick
  • Koç University

Incorporating concerns of sustainability and circularity into design practice is undoubtedly important for both design research and education. There is a need to equip novice designers with the skills to …

Collaborating for transformation: applying the Co-Laboratorio approach to bridge research, pedagogy and practice

  • Simon Fraser University (BC)

Intractable issues such as poverty, environmental degradation and economic and social exclusions, as exemplified in the SDGs, are inherently systemic problems that require multi-actor collaborations. This paper presents the learnings …

The COVID-19 pandemic and the growing need to train engineers aligned to the sustainable development goals

  • Universidade Federal de São Carlos
  • University of Campinas
  • Hamburg University of Applied Sciences
  • Universidade Federal Fluminense
  • Manchester Metropolitan University

Considering the requirements of sustainable development regarding professionals training and the challenges evidenced during Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, this study aims to contribute to the debates regarding the need to …

Raising awareness of the Sustainable Development Goals through Ecological Projects in Higher Education

  • Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (Kentriki Makedonia)
  • University of Western Macedonia

This research demonstrates a novel method to communicate in Higher Education and raise awareness of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and particularly of Sustainable Development Goals, a vital step …

A Successive Change in the Curriculum for Sustainable Public Administration

  • Åbo Akademi University (Varsinais-Suomi)

Sustainable development is considered to be one of the most important issues for the future, as evidenced by the growing interest in sustainable development in higher education. The draft revision …

Education, anthropocentrism, and interspecies sustainability: confronting institutional anxieties in omnicidal times

  • University of Gothenburg

Deborah Britzman’s remarkable question, ‘What holds education back?’, appears more urgent than ever in a world of accelerating environmental crises, climate change, and what has been described as omnicide – …

The Emotional Experience of Sustainability Courses: Learned Eco-Anxiety, Potential Ontological Adjustment

  • Concordia University (QC)
  • Queen's University
  • York University

The knowledge content of university-level introductory sustainability courses elicits emotional reactions by students that are novel within the typical classroom context. Common negative reactions include ‘sadness’, ‘worry’, ‘guilt’ and ‘disgust’, …

Student-Centered Learning and Sustainability: Solution or Problem?

While discussions surrounding education for sustainable development (ESD) are diverse, most scholars and policy makers view student-centered learning (SCL) as axiomatic. In contrast, we argue that promoting SCL potentially stymies …

  • Posted April 23, 2021
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Developing Sustainability Competences Through Pedagogical Approaches: Experiences from International Case Studies

  • Gävle University College

This book is aimed at developing sustainability competences through pedagogical approaches by comparing 15 case studies from 12 countries in 4 continents (Africa, America, Australia, and Europe) analysing how Sustainable …

  • Posted April 23, 2021
  • Publications
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The impacts of higher education institutions on sustainable development: A review and conceptualization

  • Gävle University College
  • Vienna University of Economics and Business

This paper aims to conceptualize impacts of higher education institutions (HEIs) on sustainable development (SD), complementing previous literature reviews by broadening the perspective from what HEIs do in pursuit of …

  • Posted April 23, 2021
  • Publications
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How to run a sustainability science research group sustainably?

  • University of Kassel
  • University of Turku
  • University of Hohenheim

Rigorous sustainability science includes addressing pressing real-world problems, weaving multiple knowledge systems, and striving for transformative change. However, these key attributes of sustainability science often conflict with university structures and …

  • Posted April 23, 2021
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Key competencies in sustainability in higher education—toward an agreed‑upon reference framework

  • Arizona State University (AZ)
  • Bellevue College (WA)
  • Chatham University (PA)
  • Furman University (SC)
  • Northern Arizona University (AZ)
  • University of South Dakota (SD)
  • University of Hawaii at Manoa (HI)
  • University of Michigan (MI)
  • Université Laval (QC)
  • UNESCO
  • University of Auckland
  • University of Vechta
  • Leuphana University of Lüneburg
  • Rovira i Virgili University

Hundreds of sustainability programs have emerged at universities and colleges around the world over the past 2 decades. A prime question for employers, students, educators, and program administrators is what …

  • Posted April 23, 2021
  • Publications
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Exhausted: Education and the Response to the Planetary Crisis

  • University College London (London)

The climate crisis is of a severity that fills many with a sense of hopelessness. The modest steps that ordinary citizens can take to reduce energy consumption and waste seem …

  • Posted April 22, 2021
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What Ought to Be Done to Promote Education for Sustainability in Teacher Education?

  • James Cook University (Queensland)

Teachers are major players in the development of future citizens who have the knowledge, understanding, skills, values and dispositions to respond to existential threats such as climate change, land degradation, …

  • Posted April 22, 2021
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The Risk and Potentiality of Engaging with Sustainability Problems in Education—A Pragmatist Teaching Approach

  • Ghent University

This article engages in the discussion about education's role in relation to sustainability problems, a debate characterised by a tension between two legitimate concerns: a concern about the instrumentalisation of …

  • Posted April 22, 2021
  • Publications
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‘Business as Usual’: Critical Management Studies and the Case of Environmental Sustainability Education

  • University of Queensland (QLD)
  • University of South Australia

The inclusion of sustainability and ethics teachings in management education for many seems a positive step forward for creating more environmentally just and ethically sound managers. However, the type of …

  • Posted April 22, 2021
  • Publications
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Green competencies: insights and recommendations from a systematic literature review

  • Indian Institute of Management (Jharkhand)

This study conceptualises the construct – green competencies. The concept is in the niche stage and needs further elaboration. Hence, to address the research gap, this study follows the steps …

  • Posted April 22, 2021
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Exploring transformative pedagogies for built environment disciplines: the case of interdisciplinarity in low carbon transition

  • Oxford Brookes University

The integration of transformative pedagogies into curricula is recognized as a strategy to deal with the new demands of complexity in learning, which include equipping future professionals with the necessary …

  • Posted April 22, 2021
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Circular economy, sustainability and teacher training in a higher education institution

  • University of A Coruña (a Coruña)

Higher education institutions have a valuable dual role in disseminating the circular economy (CE) as a new sustainability paradigm. First, the university teaches students about this subject. Second, it prepares …

  • Posted April 22, 2021
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The Cruel Optimism of Transformative Environmental Education

  • University of British Columbia (BC)

The article is a reflection on the author's experience teaching a Master's seminar in Philosophical Debates in Environmental Education. It frames the attachment to transformative environmental education as a form …

  • Posted April 22, 2021
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Teaching sustainable development through entrepreneurial experiences

  • Chalmers University of Technology
  • University of Gothenburg

The purpose of this study is to address the challenges of teaching sustainable development to computer engineering students. Part of the problem is that they perceive the topic as irrelevant …

  • Posted April 22, 2021
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Geographic Education in the Anthropocene: Cultivating Citizens at the Neoliberal University

  • University of Delaware (DE)

In the Anthropocene, the charge to address climate change has been taken up by youth. From the landmark climate lawsuit filed in 2015 by twenty-one young people to secure the …

  • Posted April 22, 2021
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Rhetoric and Emotion Save Science: Lessons from Student Eco-Activists

  • New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology (NM)

This essay is a qualitative study of the experience of undergraduate students learning how to teach issues of sustainability to their campus communities through an innovative outreach program at a …

  • Posted April 22, 2021
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Constructivist approach in teaching sustainability and business ethics: a case study

  • Åbo Akademi University (Varsinais-Suomi)

This paper aims to explore methods of teaching sustainability and business ethics, relevant to the modern demand for student’s skills and knowledge. The study explores the challenges of teaching a …

  • Posted April 22, 2021
  • Publications
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Bolstering responsible management education through the sustainable development goals: Three perspectives

  • Breda University of Applied Sciences
  • University of Antwerp

Acknowledging the roles and responsibilities of business in society and the importance of realizing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), contemporary management education is characterized by the integration of a rich …

  • Posted April 22, 2021
  • Publications
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Long-Term Impact of Study Abroad on Sustainability-Related Attitudes and Behaviors

  • University of Florida (FL)
  • University of Tennessee at Knoxville (TN)

Using study abroad as a vehicle for sustainable education is a growing trend. However, an examination of the impact of study abroad on participants’ sustainability-related attitudes and behaviors years after …

  • Posted April 22, 2021
  • Publications
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Art Education Beyond Anthropocentricism: The Question of Nonhuman Animals in Contemporary Art and Its Education

  • Aalto University

In this article, I explore human relationships to nonhuman animals through posthumanism, contemporary art, and critical animal studies (CAS), offering perspectives for contemporary art education beyond anthropocentricism. I investigate the …

  • Posted April 22, 2021
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Sustainable Literary Competence: Connecting Literature Education to Education for Sustainability

  • Norwegian University of Science and Technology

Ecocritical scholarship has always had pedagogical ambitions. It is commonly assumed that education based on ecocritical readings of literature will change the attitudes and actions of pupils and students and …

  • Posted April 21, 2021
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Student-led sustainability transformations: employing realist evaluation to open the black box of learning in a Challenge Lab curriculum

  • Chalmers University of Technology

While sustainability-oriented education is increasingly placing importance on engaging students in inter- and transdisciplinary learning processes with societal actors and authentic challenges in the centre, little research attends to how …

  • Posted April 21, 2021
  • Publications
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Educators’ experiences and strategies for responding to ecological distress

  • University of Cambridge
  • University of Sydney (NSW)

Research is increasingly identifying the issues of ecological distress, eco-anxiety and climate grief. These painful experiences arise from heightened ecological knowledge and concern, which are commonly considered to be de …

  • Posted April 21, 2021
  • Publications
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This tab provides access to data collected through AASHE’s Sustainability Tracking, Assessment & Rating System™ (STARS). STARS is a transparent, self-reporting framework for colleges and universities to measure their sustainability performance. STARS enables meaningful comparisons over time and across institutions using a common set of measurements developed with broad participation from the campus sustainability community.

All responses reference content from reports under the latest version of STARS, version 2.2. AASHE membership and log-in is required.

AC 1: Academic Courses

AC 2: Learning Outcomes

AC 3: Undergraduate Program

AC 4: Graduate Program

AC 5: Immersive Experience

AC 6: Sustainability Literacy Assessment

AC 7: Incentives for Developing Courses

AC 8: Campus as a Living Laboratory

Additional analysis on scores and quantitative fields can be conducted using the STARS Benchmarking Tool.

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