Curriculum
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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Simulations Versus Case Studies: Effectively Teaching the Premises of Sustainable Development in the Classroom
- INCAE Business School (Alajuela)
The systemic complexity of sustainable development imposes a major cognitive challenge to students’ learning. Faculty can explore new approaches in the classroom to teach the topic successfully, including the use ...
- Posted March 5, 2020
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Climate change education for universities: A conceptual framework from an international study
- University of Malta (Northern Harbor District)
- Nottingham Trent University
- Brunel University London (Middlesex)
- Universidad de la República Uruguay (Montevideo)
- European School of Sustainability Science and Research
The role of universities in climate change education (CCE) is of great importance if the scientific, social, environmental and political challenges the world faces are to be met. Future leaders ...
- Posted March 5, 2020
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The Whole-Institution Approach at the University of Tübingen: Sustainable Development Set in Practice
- Eberhard Karls Universität Tübingen
In the following paper, we scrutinize understandings and values behind Sustainable Development (SD) in a case study of the University of Tübingen, Germany. In so doing, we adopt the perspective ...
- Posted March 5, 2020
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Constellations of Transdisciplinary Practices: A Map and Research Agenda for the Responsible Management Learning Field
- University of Nottingham
- Leuphana University of Lüneburg
- University of Liverpool
- KEDGE Business School (Bordeaux)
- University of Manchester (Lancashire)
The emerging field of responsible management learning is characterized by an urgent need for transdisciplinary practices. We conceptualize constellations of transdisciplinary practices by building up on a social practice perspective ...
- Posted March 5, 2020
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College students’ understanding of social justice as sustainability
- Indiana State University (IN)
- Saint Louis University (MO)
Purpose The purpose of this study was to explore college students’ understanding of sustainability and, specifically, the extent to which students see social justice as being integral to sustainability.
Design ...
- Posted March 5, 2020
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Sensemaking of a sustainability transition by higher education institution leaders
- University of Hamburg
- Technische Universität Dresden (Dresden)
The understanding of meaning-creation processes according to sensemaking theory and its role in conceptualising sustainability in higher education institutions is limited. The idea of sustainability obliges organisations and people to ...
- Posted March 5, 2020
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Talking About Sustainability in Teacher Preparation in Finland and the United States
- University of California, Los Angeles (CA)
This article reports on empirical research findings from a case study of teacher education in Finland and the United States. A sociological perspective was deployed for investigating how the concept ...
- Posted March 5, 2020
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Student Teachers’ Knowledge to Enable Problem-Solving for Sustainable Development
- University of Göttingen
Education is a central strategy in terms of sustainable development (SD) and can contribute to solving global challenges like biodiversity loss and climate change. Content knowledge represents one base for ...
- Posted March 5, 2020
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Teaching and Learning Methods in Geography Promoting Sustainability
- University of Turku
- University of Oulu
Understanding and learning geographic knowledge and applying it to sustainable development (SD) depends not only on the knowledge itself, but also on how it is taught and studied. The teaching ...
- Posted March 5, 2020
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Teaching sustainability across curricula: understanding faculty perspectives at Vancouver Island University
- Vancouver Island University (BC)
Sustainability initiatives in higher education are growing in importance. This case study may guide faculty at other institutions seeking to gain deeper insight into the state of sustainability education where ...
- Posted March 5, 2020
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Competences for Environmental Sustainability: A Systematic Review on the Impact of Absorptive Capacity and Capabilities
- University of Manchester (Lancashire)
Responsible management competences are the skills of managers to deal with the triple bottom line, stakeholder value and moral dilemmas. In this paper, we analyse how managers develop responsible management ...
- Posted March 5, 2020
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Environmental competencies for healthcare educators and trainees: A scoping review
- University of Toronto (ON)
Background: The health-care community has a responsibility to address the environmental impact of delivering health-care services. Educational programmes present ideal fora to confer ‘environmental competencies’ to future health system leaders ...
- Posted March 5, 2020
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The role that marketing academics play in advancing sustainability education and research
- University of Canterbury
- University of Auckland
To advance sustainability education and research sustainability needs to be integrated into subjects, such as marketing, which do not currently actively promote such topics. Instead, the marketing discipline promotes continuous ...
- Posted March 4, 2020
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Varieties of Responsible Management Learning: A Review, Typology and Research Agenda
- National University of Ireland, Maynooth (Co. Kildare)
Over the past two decades an increasing number of research papers have signalled growing interest in more responsible, sustainable and ethical modes of management education. This systematic literature review of ...
- Posted March 4, 2020
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LCA and ecodesign teaching via university-industry cooperation
- Universidade Tecnológica Federal do Paraná
The purpose of this paper is to report on a life cycle assessment (LCA)-based ecodesign teaching practice via university-industry collaboration in an industrial engineering undergraduate course.
- Posted March 4, 2020
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PBL and sustainable education: addressing the problem of isolation
- Erasmus University Rotterdam
Problem-based learning (PBL) is an innovative educational approach that dates back to the 1960s. However, the twenty-first century goal of sustainable education poses a challenge to PBL, especially as it ...
- Posted March 4, 2020
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Advancing STEM-Based Business Sustainability: Mending the Curricular Gap
- Montana State University - Billings (MT)
- Murray State University (KY)
- University of Arkansas (AR)
- RAND Corporation (CA)
Businesses are increasingly facing economic, social, and environmental sustainability challenges. Science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) are needed to address business sustainability needs, yet such competencies are noticeably absent from ...
- Posted March 4, 2020
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Analysis of the perception of engineering students regarding sustainability
- Université de Sherbrooke (QC)
- University of Campinas
- Hamburg University of Applied Sciences
- Universidade Federal Fluminense
- Universidad Libre (Valle del Cauca)
This research aims to evaluate the engineering students' perception regarding sustainability. For this, a survey was developed based on sustainability parameters from a detailed analysis of the Global Reporting Initiative ...
- Posted March 4, 2020
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Education of sustainable development goals through students’ active engagement: A transformative learning experience
- Università degli Studi di Torino
Purpose The purpose of this paper is to discuss and present new teaching techniques to advance the concept and the practice of education for sustainable development (SD). Due to the ...
- Posted March 4, 2020
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Synergy of the (Campus) Commons: Integrating Campus-Based Team Projects in an Introductory Sustainability Course
- Duke University (NC)
Faculty and staff at Duke have collaborated to teach a one-semester, introductory, undergraduate course on sustainability ten times over 12 years, including both theoretical and applied project-based content. This article ...
- Posted March 4, 2020
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Embracing conflicts for interpersonal competence development in project-based sustainability courses
- Arizona State University (AZ)
- Leuphana University of Lüneburg
Purpose Advanced skills in communication, teamwork and stakeholder engagement are widely recognized as important success factors for advancing sustainability. While project-based learning formats claim to advance such skills, there is ...
- Posted March 4, 2020
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If a Tree Falls: Business Students Learning Active Citizenship from Environmentalists
- The Hague University of Applied Science
- University of Oulu
This article presents and discusses student assignments reflecting on the documentary film If a Tree Falls, written as part of the Business Ethics and Sustainability course at The Hague University ...
- Posted March 4, 2020
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The Mystery Method Reconsidered—A Tool for Assessing Systems Thinking in Education for Sustainable Development
- Leibniz Universität Hannover
- University of Kiel
- University of Hamburg
Influence diagrams, derived from the mystery method as its learning output, represent an externalization of systems thinking and are, therefore, valid to research; so far they have not been conceptualized ...
- Posted March 4, 2020
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How Western Michigan University is approaching its commitment to sustainability through sustainability-focused courses
- Western Michigan University (MI)
Many Higher education institutions have committed to the integration of sustainability issues into their curriculum, but these commitments often do not result in the desired changes. Recognizing the importance of ...
- Posted March 4, 2020
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Cooking up a Course: Teaching sustainable marketing at MBA
- Wageningen University
To explore how a critical course on mainstream marketing and business theory can shift the perception of sustainability as an extrinsic goal to sustainability as an intrinsic boundary condition to ...
- Posted Feb. 7, 2020
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Combining the ‘why’ and ‘how’ of teaching sustainability: the case of the business school academics
- University of Auckland
Faculty are key to bringing about ‘bottom-up’ change for sustainability education. Yet, research is still needed on the backgrounds and experiences of change agents in universities and the challenges they ...
- Posted Feb. 7, 2020
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Webinar: Closing the Loop: Connecting Class to Campus Sustainability with Cases
- University of Michigan (MI)
- AASHE (MA)
- Sustainability Curriculum Consortium (MD)
This webinar will discuss how multimedia, case-based learning can be used to better engage and inform students regarding sustainability-related efforts on campus and create opportunities to build upon their projects ...
- Posted Feb. 7, 2020
- Videos & Webinars
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Higher Education for Sustainability: Seeking Intellectual Independence in Aotearoa New Zealand
- University of Otago (Otago)
This book explores how higher education and sustainability interact in New Zealand, and argues that higher education at present may be contributing as much to unsustainability as it does to ...
- Posted Feb. 3, 2020
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Competencies and Pedagogies for Sustainability Education: A Roadmap for Sustainability Studies Program Development in Colleges and Universities
- Colorado Mountain College (CO)
Sustainability studies educators in colleges and universities must identify and teach the knowledge, skills, and abilities their graduates will most need to advance sustainability while confronting perhaps the most serious ...
- Posted Feb. 3, 2020
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Watershed Sciences Minor
- Auburn University (AL)
Freshwater is an essential resource but becoming increasingly scarce in many parts of the world. Watershed science and management is an expanding field that involves managing the availability, quantity, and ...
- Posted Feb. 3, 2020
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Urban Environmental Sciences Minor
- Auburn University (AL)
More people live in urban areas than ever before. Natural resource specialists with training in urban areas are increasingly needed to manage resources at the expanding urban-rural fringe and within ...
- Posted Feb. 3, 2020
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Nature-based Recreation Minor
- Auburn University (AL)
Tourism is one of the world’s largest industries and has witnessed significant growth over the last half century. One of the fastest growing segments of the industry, Ecotourism, is ...
- Posted Feb. 3, 2020
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Natural Resources Ecology Minor
- Auburn University (AL)
Natural resources ecology is a broad and rapidly evolving field that includes landscape, plant, animal and abiotic systems. A minor in Natural Resources Ecology provides students with the opportunity to ...
- Posted Feb. 3, 2020
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Natural Resources Economics & Environmental Policy Minor
- Auburn University (AL)
Natural resources and the environment have become areas of major concern. The Natural Resources Economics and Environmental Policy minor is designed to provide students with an understanding of how both ...
- Posted Feb. 3, 2020
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Sustainable Biomaterials and Packaging Major
- Auburn University (AL)
Environmental concerns and evolving technologies are moving companies toward the use of sustainable forest biomaterial for everything from packaging, cosmetics, and automobiles to appliances, pharmaceuticals, and commercial construction. These developments ...
- Posted Feb. 3, 2020
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Wildlife Ecology & Management Major
- Auburn University (AL)
Whether it be working with endangered species, with farmers to help mitigate agricultural depredation by wildlife, or with the CDC to understand the role of wildlife populations as carriers of ...
- Posted Feb. 3, 2020
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Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Management Major
- Auburn University (AL)
A bachelor’s degree in fisheries science prepares students for employment in commercial aquaculture, aquaculture extension, fish hatchery management, fish population assessment, management of recreational fisheries and enhancement of aquatic ...
- Posted Feb. 3, 2020
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Natural Resources Management Major
- Auburn University (AL)
The Natural Resources Management (NRM) major prepares the next generation of leaders with the knowledge, ability, and excellence to conserve and manage our natural systems for a sustainable future. The ...
- Posted Feb. 3, 2020
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Environmental Design (BS)
- Auburn University (AL)
Environmental Design is a multidisciplinary degree that emphasizes a blend of sustainable practices from a local and global context, within a framework of comprehensive design and systems thinking. It builds ...
- Posted Feb. 3, 2020
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Biological & Agricultural Technology Management Major
- Auburn University (AL)
The goal of the Biological and Agricultural Technology Management program (BATM) is to produce graduates that use technology to solve problems. BATM graduates are practical problem solvers because of their ...
- Posted Feb. 3, 2020
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Biosystems Engineering Major
- Auburn University (AL)
The focus of the Department of Biosystems Engineering is to produce competent engineers that are able to develop sustainable and resilient solutions to global challenges and life’s essentials: food ...
- Posted Feb. 3, 2020
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Stewardship-Based Agriculture Minor
- Auburn University (AL)
The minor in stewardship-based agriculture is designed with a focus on crop and animal production for small-scale, international or other alternative production systems (such as urban gardens) beyond conventional ag-scale ...
- Posted Feb. 3, 2020
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Crop and Soil Sciences Minor
- Auburn University (AL)
Crop science incorporates the basic sciences (such as biology, chemistry, physics, geology and microbiology) into an applied science, which is the foundation for most agriculture. Soil science involves issues related ...
- Posted Feb. 3, 2020
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Crop and Soil Sciences Major
- Auburn University (AL)
Crop science incorporates the basic sciences (such as biology, chemistry, physics, geology and microbiology) into an applied science, which is the foundation for most agriculture. Soil science involves issues related ...
- Posted Feb. 3, 2020
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Environmental Science Major
- Auburn University (AL)
Auburn's Environmental Science program is an interdisciplinary degree, incorporating studies such as physics, chemistry, biology and geology. Environmental solutions also frequently require mathematical expertise, as well as specific knowledge ...
- Posted Feb. 3, 2020
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Urban and Regional Planning Technician - Geographic Information Systems
- Mohawk College (ON)
Students in the program delve into the processes and technologies used for healthy, sustainable urban and regional land use planning and development. Throughout their studies, students learn land use planning ...
- Posted Feb. 3, 2020
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Energy Systems Engineering Technology (Advanced Diploma)
- Mohawk College (ON)
Students will experience a unique new program introducing a multi-disciplinary approach that focuses on the generation, capture, storage, and distribution of clean and renewable energy and their integration with conventional ...
- Posted Feb. 3, 2020
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Environmental Technician
- Mohawk College (ON)
Students in the Environmental Technician program will learn the fundamentals of solid waste, water and wastewater treatment. The sources, impacts, monitoring and control of water/wastewater pollutants, air pollutants, and ...
- Posted Feb. 3, 2020
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Environment and Natural Resources (PhD)
- The Ohio State University (OH)
The School of Environment and Natural Resources (ENR) PhD provides high-level research and scholarly training for individuals who wish to pursue independent, original thinking and careers in academia or high-level ...
- Posted Feb. 3, 2020
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Master of Science (MS), School of Environment and Natural Resources
- The Ohio State University (OH)
The MS is a 30-credit hour program intended for those planning to pursue research-oriented careers, including those interested in pursuing a doctoral degree. Students will take 5 credit hours in ...
- Posted Feb. 3, 2020
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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
- Percentage of courses that are sustainability course offerings
- Percentage of academic departments with sustainability course offerings
- Inventory of sustainability course offerings (upload)
- Website URL - Sustainability course offerings
AC 2: Learning Outcomes
- Description of institution level sustainability learning outcomes
- List of degree programs that require an understanding of the concept of sustainability
- Percentage of students who graduate from programs that require an understanding of sustainability
- Website URL - Sustainability learning outcomes
AC 3: Undergraduate Program
- First sustainability-focused undergraduate degree program
- Second sustainability-focused undergraduate degree program
- Third sustainability-focused undergraduate degree program
- First sustainability-focused undergraduate minor or concentration
- Second sustainability-focused undergraduate minor or concentration
- Third sustainability-focused undergraduate minor or concentration
AC 4: Graduate Program
- First sustainability-focused graduate-level degree program
- Second sustainability-focused graduate-level degree program
- Third sustainability-focused graduate-level degree program
- First sustainability-focused graduate-level minor or concentration
- Second sustainability-focused graduate-level minor or concentration
- Third sustainability-focused graduate-level minor or concentration
AC 5: Immersive Experience
- Description of the sustainability-focused immersive program(s)
- Second sustainability-focused graduate-level degree program
- Third sustainability-focused graduate-level degree program
AC 6: Sustainability Literacy Assessment
- Copy of the sustainability literacy assessment (upload)
- Copy of the sustainability literacy assessment (description)
- Website URL - Assessment of sustainability literacy
AC 7: Incentives for Developing Courses
- Description of the course development incentives
- Website URL - Incentives for developing sustainability courses
AC 8: Campus as a Living Laboratory
Additional analysis on scores and quantitative fields can be conducted using the STARS Benchmarking Tool.