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Students and ESD. Charlotte Taylor and R achel Drayson. Agenda NUS focus on ESD Student attitudes and skills towards SD How NUS and local SUs are engaging with ESD. Why does NUS care about ESD?.
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Students and ESD Charlotte Taylor and Rachel Drayson
Agenda • NUS focus on ESD • Student attitudes and skills towards SD • How NUS and local SUs are engaging with ESD
Why does NUS care about ESD? • “It is worth noting that the destruction of the planet is not the work of ignorant people. Rather it is largely the results of work by people with BAs, BScs, LLBs, MBAs, and PhDs…Education can equip people to be more effective vandals of the earth. • If one listens carefully, it may even be possible to hear the Creation groan every year in late May when another batch of smart, degree-holding, but ecologically illiterate, Homo sapiens who are eager to succeed are launched into the biosphere” David Orr
The student voice matters…and they’re saying sustainability is important… + =
The student voice matters…and they’re saying sustainability is important… { { Part of the Problem Part of the Solution OR Employable conformist graduates Challenging activist graduates
Background to the research This research has been carried out over three years (2010/11, 2011/12 and 2012/13) against a backdrop of… Over 1m unemployed young people (November 2011, 16-24 year olds) Graduate full-time (FT) employment has fallen continuously between 2002 and 2010, from 57% of graduates in 2002 to 51%of graduates in 2010 Education for Sustainable Development is of increasing policy relevance through climate change and the ‘green economy’ An increasing focus on the idea of ‘graduate attributes’ upon leaving higher education Changing funding landscape within higher education including increase in maximum fees to £9000 in 2012
Aims and objectives • Current attitudes towards and understanding of sustainable development (SD) amongst students • First year student attitudes towards and skills in SD over time • Attitudes towards and skills in SD as students progress their university career • The impact of changes in the HE landscape in the UK with the introduction of increased tuition fees for 2012 first year students by tracking first year responses from 2010 to 2012
Skills for sustainability Act as a responsible citizen locally & globally Understand people’s relationship to nature Analyse using many subjects Plan for the long term as well as the short term Use resources efficiently Consider the ethical issues of your subject Think of the whole system and the links when considering new ideas Adapt to new situations
Recall of FE SD schemes falls as students progress through their HE careers although lower recall also seen for 2011 and 2012 first years 2010 cohort tracker
Students report partial coverage of the full range of SD skills whilst in FE First years tracker
High value placed on the majority of aspects of SD, exception being understanding people’s relationship with nature in terms of skills needed during HE Q.14: How important, if at all, do you feel it is that these skills were covered in the last place you studied in terms of skills you might need to study your course in your current university or college? First years tracker
Existing understanding – definitions of sustainable development are linked to Brundtland definition but with an environmental focus First years 2010 Second years 2011 Third years 2012
Entry requirements, reputation and league tables continue to have greater influence over university choice than SD performance Q.16: How important were the following when choosing which university or college to apply to? First years tracker
Intention to carry out (some) environmental ‘behaviours’ evident however lower willingness to take part in schemes or projects and overall intentions decrease throughout university careers Q.24: How likely, if at all, are you to take part in the following actions during the remainder of your time at university / college? 2010 cohort tracker
Importance of skills for sustainable development • Core skills for sustainability are both relevant to their course and important for graduates in their field. • The skills surrounding nature and ethics which are consistently ranked lower than the more ‘generic’ skills throughout the research. • Respondents report practising skills all of the time or most of time in general, however these is room for improvement particularly surrounding the overtly SD skills.
Approximately two thirds of respondents agree that universities should be obliged to develop student’s social and environmental skills as part of their courses Q.40: To what extent, if at all, do you agree that universities should be obliged to develop students' social and environmental skills as part of their courses? 2010 cohort tracker
Students accept responsibility for skills development throughout university careers, along with strong expectation for assistance both universities and future employers Q.17: To what extent, if at all, do you agree with the following statements? 2010 cohort tracker
Evidence of strong, and increasing, inclusion of environmental and social skills across the board by institutions Q.19: To what extent, if at all, do you agree with the following statements? First years tracker
ESD is in demand and continues to be seen as a core agenda for universities Q.46: To what extent, if at all, would you say that you personally agree with the following statements? First years tracker
Skills for SD are seen as increasingly relevant to the majority of students as they progress through their university careers Q.26: Thinking only of your own personal view, how relevant is it to you that the following skills are developed through your university / college education? [Extremely relevant &Somewhat relevant] 2010 cohort tracker
Preference for a reframing of curriculum content rather than additional material Q.43 Thinking of your course only, if a policy were passed to include social and environmental skills within all university / college courses, what do you think the most relevant way of including social and environmental skills within your own course would be? 2010 cohort tracker
Skills around adaptability, planning and problem solving ranked as more important for graduates than explicitly environmental or social skills when looking across the suite of sustainability skills Q.27: How important do you think the following skills are to your future employers? 2010 cohort tracker
Communication and ‘people skills’ seen as most highly valued by employers Q.28: How important do you think the following skills are to your future employers when compared against each other? Where 1 is most important. 2010 cohort tracker – not asked in 2010
For those that do need further assistance to develop skills, internships and work placements are seen as the best way of doing so Q.31: What steps do you think will be necessary to develop these skills following completion of your course? (Asked to those who stated they were not very or not at all confident of putting the skills employers are looking for into action) 2012 research – third years
Demand for employability skills increases throughout university career – 1st years more focused on chosen subject Q.38: We are interested in your prioritisation of social and environmental aspects into the future. For the following pairings, please select which option you think that you would choose in the future. 2010 cohort tracker
Clear preference for employability skills related to their subject, rather than transferable environmental and social skills Q. 39 We are interested in your prioritisation of social and environmental aspects into the future. For the following pairings, please select which option you think that you would choose in the future. 2012 research
Willingness to sacrifice £1000 from salary for an employer with a strong SD record increases throughout university career Q.40: We are interested in your prioritisation of social and environmental aspects into the future. For the following pairings, please select which option you think that you would choose in the future. 2010 cohort tracker
Sacrificing £3000 from salary despite a strong SD record is less attractive, however first years are increasing in their willingness to make the sacrifice Q. 41 We are interested in your prioritisation of social and environmental aspects into the future. For the following pairings, please select which option you think that you would choose in the future. First years tracker
Overarching findings ESD stakeholders need to work in partnership, and holistically to embed and institutionalise sustainability at all levels within their organisations, and beyond; Use these partnerships to develop both formal and informal curriculum opportunities for engagement with sustainability; Take advantage of research opportunities, for example the National Student Survey, to develop further understanding of changes and developments in student needs and desires around sustainability; Develop and share resources on teaching and learning to inform best practice across the curriculum and disciplines.
Three key areas of work Students leave tertiary education as part of the solution, rather than part of the problem
What is already being done? Learning for Sustainability Scotland Course reps training on ESD HEA ESD advisory group Greener Jobs Alliance Student Led Teaching Awards Students’ Green Fund Green Impact Students Unions Excellence Student Switch Off Live Greener - Wales Student Eats
Charlotte Taylor Rachel Drayson
