Education for Sustainable Development in Academia in the Nordic countries, ESDAN

1. Education for Sustainable Development in Academia in the Nordic countries, ESDAN Project leader Tove Holm E-mail: tove.holm@novia.fi Telephone:+358 (0)44 762 3115

2. Education for Sustainable Development in Academia in the Nordic countries, ESDAN, objectives The objectives for the projects are: to development a process for including education for sustainable development in the curricula in higher education, and as result identify and publish examples of relevant sustainability issues in different degree programs in institutions of higher education in the Nordic countries

3. Education for Sustainable Development in Academia in the Nordic countries, ESDAN, seminars We´ll organize four international seminars during which a process for enhancing ESD will be further developed. The first seminar will be on October 13th in University of Gävle in Sweden, during which the process for how ESD will be developed, on the base of the processes that are in use in the pilot universities. The process will be tested and implemented at the pilot universities. The second seminar will be on March 15th 2012 at Novia University of Applied Sciences in Turku in Finland, third in October 2012 at Roskilde University in Denmark. and the fourth in March 2013, in Finland.

4. Education for Sustainable Development in Academia in the Nordic countries, ESDAN, goals for the process Our goals are that the process can be used in the quality assurance work in the universities, which are audited on basis of national demands, which is based on European demands for quality assurance in universities, and that the process will be so time efficient and useful that it will be put in practice and a benefit for the universities. The process for involving sustainable development in the curricula will include: - guidance for competence development for the faculty and identifying relevant aspects of education for sustainable development, - useful checklists and questions for self-evaluation and audits, - a list of virtual courses and other related material.

5. Education for Sustainable Development in Academia in the Nordic countries, ESDAN The project is connected to the Nordic sustainability strategy by that we´ll develop guidelines for how education for sustainable development can be included in the curricula in higher education, which boost the vision that the Nordic countries will be the leader of enhancing the UN decade for Education for Sustainable Development. The project enhances innovative cooperation for education and research for sustainable development. Scientific research about education for sustainable development is quite new, both internationally and nationally. New knowledge and research cooperation is important for building knowledge and for use of it in practice.

6. Tampere University, SaanaRaatikainen • University of Eastern Finland, SirpaSuntioinen/Tove Holm • NoviaUniversity of Applied Sciences, Tove Holm • University of Gävle, KaisuSammalisto and Matilda Ahl • KristianstadUniversity, JaromirKorostenski • Umeå University, ÅsaBäckström • University of Gothenburg in cooperation with Chalmers, Johan Boman, • Roskilde University, Thomas SkouGrinsted • Copenhagen Business School, Patricia Plackett • University College Sjælland, Thomas

7. Programme, October 13th Ten universities from Denmark, Sweden and Finland will present How education for sustainable development is enhanced at their university. Eachuniversity have 15 minutes for the presentation. Underlagetvarsvarenpå en enkätsom vi harsvaratpå under våren 2011 Enkätenvisadepåatt vi visvaratpåenkätenvarganska bra på ESD.

8. Programme, October 13th • Describe how education for sustainable development (SU) is taken into account in your university’s strategy. • Describe you university’s connection between education for SU and the quality assurance work. • Describe your university’s management system. Is it connected do education for sustainable development (ESD)? • Describe collaborations (current and in plan) with external parties with regards to ESD.

9. Programme, October 13th • Which aspects of ESD have failed at your university and why. • What kinds of resources are needed in order to improve ESD at your university. • What do you think are the strategic benefits to improve ESD at your university. • Does your university provide guidance in developing competence about ESD for teaching staff? • Does your university use checklists for self-evaluation and audits about ESD? • What your university considers are relevant aspects of ESD?

10. Programme, October 13th Workshop during which a tool for enhancing education for sustainable development will be further developed. The objective is that the tool can be used in the management systems of the universities.

11. Afternoon, October 13th Development of a pilot process for including education for sustainable development in the curricula in higher education that can be used in the quality assurance work in the universities, Goals: -the process will be so time efficient and useful that it will be put in practice and a benefit for the universities. The process for involving sustainable development in the curricula will include: - guidance for competence development for the faculty and identifying relevant aspects of education for sustainable development, - useful checklists and questions for self-evaluation and audits, - a list of virtual courses and other related material.

12. (Lindroos, 2009; Sibbel, 2008; Svanström et al., 2009; WECD, 1987; UN DESD, 2011)

13. Some rectors of HE in Finland: To integrate ESD in the quality assurance and the quality management systems Lack of proper ESD teaching tools and research Swedish Higher Education Act, 2006 Europe NOT in other Nordic countries Strengthen existing networks Nationally and internationally Agenda 21 for Education in the Baltic Sea Region, 2002 Nordic strategy for sustainable development National strategies for implementing the DESD, either separate, or a part of the strategy for SD (Baltic 21 E, 2002; Honkanen et al., 2009; Lindberg, 2010; Ministryof Education in Finland, 2005, 2006; Nordic Council of Ministers, 2009; Parliament of Finland, 2003, 2009; UN DESD, 2010; Vainonen, 2010)

14. Quality assurance in higher education in the Nordic countries European standards and guidelines for quality assurance in higher education, 2005: national quality assurance agencies 2010 Quality Enhancement Framework for Icelandic Higher Education Institutions,(2011-) All higher education institutions were required to have quality assurance, national agencies were established Mid 1990s 2000 1998 1990 The Finnish Higher Education Evaluation Council (1995) Education is evaluated The National Agency for HigherEducation (1995) in Sweden hadaudited all, 39, institutions of highereducation The predecessor of The Danish Evaluation Institute (1999) The Norwegian Agency for Quality Assurance in Education (2003) 1960 (Amaral & Rosa, 2010; Danø & Stensaker, 2007; Franke, 2002; Huisman& Westerheijden; 2010; Saarinen, 2005; Thune, 2001)

15. Quality assurance in higher education in the Nordic countries • The formulation of the criteria in the Nordic countries have been developed with stakeholders. The standards are broad and “soft”. • Some kind of self assessment is a part of the accreditation. • Finland: Indicators for SD are not included in the audit model for quality assurance, but SD can be an optional subject for the audits in Finland, 2011-. • Sweden: nothing about sustainability • Denmark: nothing about sustainability • Norway: nothing about sustainability • Iceland: nothing about sustainability (Danø & Stensaker, 2007; FINHEES, 2010; Swedish National Agency for Higher Education, 2011; The DanishEvaluationInstitute , 2011; The Norwegian Agency for Quality Assurance in Education, 2011; Quality Enhancement Framework for Icelandic Higher Education Institutions, 2011)

16. Useful checklists and questions for self-evaluation and audits, 3/5 • AISHE: Assessment Instrument for Sustainability in Higher Education, based on EFQM

17. Useful checklists and questions for self-evaluation and audits, 4/5 • the AustrianSustainability Award for Universities, http://www.umweltbildung.at/cgi-bin/cms/af.pl?navid=50

18. Self-evaluation Audits Virtualcourses Other materials • Games Films Textbooks • A. Competencedevelopment for the faculty Virtual Continuingeducation Process for including education for sustainable development (ESD) in curricula in higher education • B. Useful checklists • and/or questions C. Materials for education • Identify relevant • aspect of education for ESD: meso→ micro level

19. Pilot universities, goodexamples of guidance for competence development for the faculty Pilot universities, good examples of identified relevant aspects of education for sustainable development Pilot universities, goodexamplesofuseful checklists and questions for self-evaluation and audits Pilot universities, good examples of virtual courses and other related material

21. Task 2: action research • Its harder to adjust the practice than the content in higher education. • Action research in higher education render possible the twin roles of the academics as teachers and researchers. • ... action research is a participatory, democratic process concerned with practical knowing in the pursuit of worthwhile human purposes, grounded in a participatory worldview... It seeks to bring together action and reflection, theory and practise in participation with others, in the pursuit of practical solutions to issues of pressing concern to people... (Reason & Bradbury, 2001,. P.1) (Tormeyet al., 2008)

22. Task 2: to identify relevant aspects of SD • Present the process at your institution on higher education • Test the process (or a part of it, that´s natural considering the work and situation) at your institution of higher education, at the entire/ a department/ a section/ a faculty or a degree programme • Make notes about the development • Document the results at an development seminar • The results should include a) identified relevant aspects of sustainable development (=competences) in the degree programmes/ faculty that is involved and b) how they are documented in the curricula • For identifying, use for example the STAUNCH auditing tool or the table developed in the project of the Nordic Council of Ministers • I, as project leader, would appreciate to attend the seminar, through for example Adobe Connect Pro or other virtual solution, if possible.

23. Results • Positive reflections from piloting the process • Development ideas from piloting the process

24. Task 2 Every pilot university will write a report (1-2, max. 3 pages) of the results and plan a power point presentation (3-5 slides) of 15 minutes for the next seminar, that will be held in Turku in Finland on March 15th. • The deadline for the report and the power point presentation is March 1st. • Name them with the name of our university, for example: University of Gävle_seminar 2.docx. and University of Gävle_seminar2.ppt. • Save your report and the ppt. presentation in the dropbox folder: ESDAN: seminar 15.3.2012.