Sustainability in our courses

Education is one of the most powerful tools we have for responding to the climate and nature crises. The ideas, skills and values developed at university will shape the decisions our graduates make as professionals, community members and citizens for decades to come. We want every Sheffield student – whatever their discipline – to understand how their subject connects to questions of climate justice, resource use, wellbeing and the future of society.

Education for sustainable development (ESD) is how we bring this to life in the curriculum. It is about asking difficult questions as well as finding solutions: who is affected, who benefits, what trade offs are involved, and how different kinds of knowledge can be brought together to address complex challenges. In practice, this might mean engineers thinking about social as well as technical systems, linguists exploring the role of language in environmental movements, or medics considering the health impacts of climate change.

We are working to ensure that sustainability is not confined to a handful of optional modules, but woven through the learning experience. This includes giving students chances to work on real world problems, to collaborate across disciplines, and to reflect critically on the role their subject plays in wider systems. It also means recognising that students bring their own experience and insight, and that learning about sustainability is a shared, two way process between staff and students.

The campus itself is part of this learning environment. Fieldwork, community projects, placements, volunteering and research opportunities all provide ways to explore sustainability in context – from local neighbourhoods and organisations to international partnerships. At the same time, we are mindful that these activities have their own environmental impact, and we are looking for ways to balance educational value with lower carbon ways of working and travelling.

Our aim is simple: that by the time they graduate, Sheffield students feel informed, empowered and equipped to contribute to the transition to a more sustainable, just and inclusive society, whatever career path they choose.

What does ESD mean for the University of Sheffield?

We're working to embed ESD into the Sheffield student experience, both within the formal curriculum and in the wider student experience while at Sheffield.

ESD has three elements:

What we teach

Enabling our students to access the curriculum content they need to critically understand the key issues facing our world today:

• Understand the concept of sustainable development & its importance
• Demonstrate familiarity with the UN SDGs
• Use knowledge from their studies to discuss key issues in sustainable development, their challenges, and potential solutions
• Explain and explore the importance of the political, socio- cultural and economic context in which change happen

How we teach

Offering our students the opportunity to learn in an applied, collaborative, participatory fashion:

• Explain and explore the importance of collaboration in knowledge creation, and the value of different forms of knowledge
• Translate the findings of their knowledge for different audiences and incorporate the input of different audiences into their work.

Who we are

Helping our staff and students to play their part in a sustainable future through global empathy, solidarity, and a commitment to good change:

• Act in ways that positively contribute to sustainable development Understand the value of reflection, learning and change as a lifelong journey for individuals and institutions
• Help to create environments that are committed to collaboration, inclusivity, diversity, and equality
• Demonstrate a commitment to understanding socio-cultural, economic and political dynamics across the globe
• Demonstrate a capacity to exercise global empathy and solidarity.

Tracking our progress

The ESD Working Group is responsible for driving and tracking progress towards integrating ESD in our courses. It is made up of professional service and academic staff with responsibility for sustainability and curriculum-based decisions, along with student representatives. It includes senior representatives from relevant areas and reports to the Sustainability Steering Group, which in turn reports directly to the University Executive Board.

Membership of the ESD Working Group

Name	Role
SJ Cooper-Knock	Academic Lead for ESD
Ali Riley	Academic Develpment / Elevate
Angela Hoare	Academic Develpment / Elevate
Helen Smith	Associate Director of S&AS (Careers and Employability Services)
James Merryclough	Sustainability Programme Lead
Lily Byrne	Students' Union President
Sustainability and Development Officer	Students' Union Officer
Education Officer	Students' Union Officer
Joanne Thompson	Senior University Teacher - Clinical Medicine, School of Medicine and Population Health
Lee Crookes	University Teacher - Department of Urban Studies and Planning
Rachael Rothman	Academic Lead for Sustainability Associate Director Grantham Centre for Sustainable Futures
Hugo Dobson	Faculty Director of One University Strategy Delivery (Social Sciences)
Dorothea J Kleine	Director of the Institute for Global Sustainable Development
Caoimhe Nic Dhaibheid	Director of Learning and Teaching
Tim Herrick	Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy
Stephanie Butcher	Lecturer in Global Sustainable Development
Pete Mylon	Faculty Co-ordinator for Co-Curricular Activities, iForge

The ESD Working Group reports on a quarterly basis to the Sustainability Steering Group, which reports bi-monthly to the University Executive Board.