In line with the National Strategy on Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) – ESD to 2030 and building on previous and existing work across the institution, the University of Galway aims to provide opportunities for all staff and students to develop the knowledge, competencies, values and motivation they will need to be agents of change in creating a sustainable future.

The Centre for Excellence in Learning and Teaching (CELT) supports academic colleagues across the institution in enhancing teaching and learning, encouraging innovation and scholarship, and in ensuring staff are provided with the best tools and environment to support teaching and their students’ learning. To support the development of staff competencies in Education for Sustainable Development (ESD), CELT developed a new module, Embedding Sustainability in the Curriculum. The module was first offered in the 2024/2025 academic year and was available to all staff at the University of Galway as an optional module in the in the Diploma in Academic Practice or as microcredential/module (10 ECTS).

The module was led by two Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) Lecturers in CELT and was developed with significant input from members of staff from across the University, these included: College of Science and Engineering; College of Arts, Social Sciences and Humanities; the Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) Office, the Sustainability Office and the Students Union (SU).

The module was organised as a series of stand-alone workshops, involving guest lecturers, online resources, demonstrations, practical sessions, discussion, research, and reflection. Participants were encouraged to practice their learning in their own subject area.

Many of the participants who enrolled in the microcredential already had a strong interest in sustainability and were part of the wider Community University Sustainability Partnership (CUSP). Others were already very prolific in sustainability research. The microcredential added to all participants’ learning and teaching expertise in ESD, particularly regarding pedagogical and curriculum design strategies.

To enhance reach and appeal to those who were unfamiliar with ESD and those who do not explicitly research in the area of sustainability, we leveraged three pathways: i) the course was offered as an optional module in the Masters in Academic Practice; ii) the curriculum design aspects of ESD were integrated into the CELT Certificate in Teaching and Learning in Higher Education in the module on Course Design, Assessment and Evaluation; iii) the ESD curriculum design element was integrated into workshops across schools and disciplines in the university. In this way, staff across campus were exposed to ESD and made aware of options available in terms of training and resources.

Upon completion of the module, participants were invited to join an ESD Community of Practice (CoP). The purpose of the CoP is to explore strategies and pedagogical practices related to the integration of ESD into the formal curriculum. Practicing the Head, Hand, and Heart model often used in transformative sustainability education, members seek to create a community whereby they share knowledge, discuss experiences and explore best practices, and create a community of support and inspiration for furthering ESD.

The module is now running again in the 2025/26 academic year and is an important vehicle for embedding sustainability across the curriculum. CEL6109 Embedding Sustainability in the Curriculum seeks to provide staff with an integrated and critical ESD experience and all staff across campus are encouraged to enrol.

Intended Learning Outcomes

Learning outcomes associated with the microcredential are as follows.

Upon successfully completing this module you will be able to:

1. Evaluate how issues sustainability and key competencies for sustainability relate to
your own academic discipline and the courses and programmes on which you teach.

2. Identify and utilise a range of pedagogical approaches and strategies related to
Education for Sustainable Development (ESD).

3. Design curriculum that nurtures students’ sustainability commitment.

4. Contribute to communities of practice and work with colleagues and students in
support of more sustainable and just futures.

Teaching and Learning Approach

Knowing about the SDGs is not, on its own Education for Sustainable Development (ESD). ESD involves cognitive, socio-emotional and behavioural elements that go beyond mapping and learning about the SDGs. ESD supports students to develop particular competencies – the knowledge, skills, values and attitudes required to make informed decisions and take responsible actions for sustainability. There are different competency frameworks associated with ESD and in 2017 UNESCO produced a set of 8 key sustainability competencies that are particularly suitable for working across university disciplines. These are systems competency; anticipatory competency; normative competency; strategic competency; collaborative competency; critical thinking competency; self-awareness competency; integrated problem-solving competency. These 8 key competencies were unpacked throughout the module using experiential and transformative strategies to model appropriate pedagogies for ESD that participants can incorporate into their own teaching and instruction.

Assessment Strategy

There were two strands to the assessment of the module:

• Tasks based on the Workshops/Talks: these were intended to demonstrate attainment of the learning outcomes and reflect on the topics raised (Pass/Fail). Participants have two weeks to complete each task and each task should be submitted in advance of the next session.
• Final Project and Presentation/Demonstration: students were required to plan and, if possible, complete a project report in their own subject areas demonstrating how sustainability can be embedded in future modules/work. The report was to be 2000 words (excluding references) in length. Guidance was be provided, and the format of the project/report was agreed on the basis that it demonstrates achievement of the learning outcomes and application of the ideas and concepts covered. A short (5 minute) video, presenting and summarising the work was also to be uploaded to Canvas and shared with other participants.

Impact and Outcomes

Ten academic and students union partners from across the University contribute to the course, with opportunities for co-producing content. Partners included:

• Dr. Gesche and Dr. Caitriona Carlin (Natural Science – biodiversity and nature literacy and place-based pedagogies)
• Molly Hickey (Environmental Awareness and Sustainability Office, Students Union (SU)) – student insights on ESD and the formal curriculum).
• Dr. Nora Ward (Philosophy – environmental philosophy and relational pedagogies)
• Dr. Sinead Sheehan (Psychology – coping with eco-distress and eco-anxiety)
• Fiona Roche (Students Services – coping with eco-distress and eco-anxiety)
• Dr. Liz Coleman (Science (Physics) – climate science with storytelling)
• Dr. Alex Stingl (Sociology – GenAI, technology and sustainability)
• Dr. Una Fitzgerald (Biochemical Science – the green lab initiative)
• Dr. Tanja Kovacic (Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) office – Decolonising the Curriculum)