Sustainable development tertiary education and training: strengthening the transformative learning experience

The need for sustainable development education and enabling pedagogy to create transformative learning and change for a more resilient future has long been acknowledged and is gaining traction around the world. Consequently, the diverse array and number of tertiary education programs featuring sustainable development and / or the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) has increased. Ensuring learning and teaching integrates transformative competences and pedagogy (education for sustainable development) is critical to support students develop their position regarding meaning, beliefs and actions related to sustainability. While such educational approaches are recognised as an essential input for transformative learning, there seems to be limited regular evaluation of how education programs map to the theoretical frameworks and whether they achieve the desired learning and don’t leave students behind.
This study provides early insights into a benchmark assessment of education for sustainable development (ESD) competences and pedagogical approaches and evaluation of student perceptions and impact of three programs. Utilising a framework of ESD competences and pedagogy synthesised by Lozano et al (2017), the study reveals a reasonably high alignment and level of awareness among educators about their learning and teaching practice but also points to areas of potential strengthening.