24 Developing a Curriculum Design Framework and Toolkit for ESD at Trinity College Dublin

Aims and Objectives

• Develop a curriculum design framework to support the embedding of ESD, applicable by those involved in curriculum design within Trinity.
• Align the framework with criteria used to map the level of ESD embedded in the Trinity curriculum.
• Design a set of resources that support Trinity staff in using the framework.
• Make the resources available on the Centre for Academic Practice website.

Initiative Overview

Trinity’s interdisciplinary ESD Team has researched how Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) is defined and enacted within higher education. This led to the identification of a set of criteria for examining ESD within Trinity curricula. These criteria subsequently formed the basis for the Trinity ESD Curriculum Design framework, which we present in this poster. 

Elements of the UNESCO vision for ESD, specifically the eight key competencies and the three pedagogical approaches (UNESCO, 2017), were regarded as essential components of ESD. However, rather than focusing on the SDGs individually, it was important to develop curricula that cut the three tiers of Biosphere, Society and Economy, represented in the SDGs “Wedding Cake” (Rockström & Sukhdev, 2016). This SDG Wedding Cake recognises the interdependence and interconnectedness of the SDGs and facilitates a deeper understanding of sustainable development.  These three elements, ESD competencies, pedagogical approaches, and the tiers of the Wedding Cake, were used in the development of an undergraduate module, Enacting Sustainable Development, rolled out in autumn 2024. At the same time, a mapping or benchmarking of undergraduate and postgraduate programmes and modules, to determine the level of ESD within existing Trinity curricula, was initiated. The criteria in use for this process focus on the three elements outlined above. This benchmarking is being used to identify to what extent ESD is already evident in the Trinity curricula and to fulfil the HEA Systems Performance Agreement.  

Building on all of this work, and to meet the requirements of policies including the Trinity Sustainability Strategy to further embed ESD, the Trinity ESD Curriculum Design Framework has been developed. The Framework has been made available as a resource on the Centre for Academic Practice website (https://www.tcd.ie/academicpractice/resources/education-for-sustainable-development/), along with a number of toolkits that staff can use to support them in embedding ESD within their curricula. As illustrated in the visual here, there are four elements in the framework. The first element is the ESD Themes, which align with the SDG Wedding Cake representation. For the second element we refer to ESD Competencies, rather than key competencies, in order to distinguish them from other competency frameworks that may be in use. The third element contains the Pedagogical Approaches recommended by UNESCO, and the fourth element is the Teaching, Learning and Assessments Strategies that are known to enact these approaches.

The Framework was designed with constructive alignment in mind, where teaching, learning and assessments are aligned with learning outcomes (Biggs, 1996, 2003). Relevant ESD competencies, in the context of ESD themes, can be incorporated into the planned learning outcomes of programmes and modules. It is intended that SDG content embedded “cuts the SDG Wedding Cake” illustrating the connections between the three ESD themes and helping learners towards a deeper understanding of sustainable development. It is also important to acknowledge the necessity of forming partnerships to achieve the SDGs, thus addressing SDG17 (Partnerships for the Goals). To ensure the three learning domains are considered, use of a revised form of Calvert et al.’s (2022) mapping of competencies to the Head, Hand and Heart analogy is recommended. Finally, teaching, learning and assessment strategies can be enacted to support development of the ESD competencies such that they encompass learner-centred, action-orientated and transformative learning pedagogical approaches. 

Resources to support staff using the Framework have also been identified. These resources provide a step-by-step approach with toolkits and examples of how to recognise and incorporate relevant ESD themes, develop appropriate learning outcomes, and design teaching, learning and assessment strategies known to be effective.

Impact and Evidence of Success

The ESD Curriculum Design Framework and its accompanying set of resources have been available on the Centre of Academic Practice website to Trinity staff and all interested parties since September 2025. It is intended to roll out curriculum design workshops to Trinity teaching staff in the coming months, using these resources. Post-workshop evaluations will examine the effectiveness of the Framework and resources to support curriculum design changes by the teaching staff. 

The Framework has already been put to use to redesign the Perspectives in Teaching and Learning module offered by the Centre to Trinity teaching staff. The module now has ESD embedded and evaluation in the form of a brief survey has shown a positive impact (see visual).

Future Directions and Sustainability

The Trinity ESD Curriculum Framework is currently being introduced to Faculties and Schools through a number of strands of activity including: awareness-raising at School meetings and through the ESD Community of Practice, a suite of professional development opportunities offered to staff by the Centre for Academic Practice, and through formal projects on curriculum enhancement and redesign already underway in specific discipline areas. This work will continue over the medium to longer term and Trinity’s recently published Thrive Strategic Plan centres ESD as a long–term area of strategic activity.

Alignment and Policy Context

• Trinity Sustainability Strategy (2023–2030), Education pillar
• UNESCO Education for Sustainable Development for 2030
• National Strategy on Education for Sustainable Development in Ireland – ESD to 2030
• HEA System Performance Framework 2023–2028

Resources and Supporting Information

• Centre for Academic Practice: Education for Sustainable Development
• Trinity ESD Curriculum Design Framework
• National Forum feature: Trinity develops a framework to support ESD curriculum design

Images

Funding and Acknowledgements

Funding: HEA SATLE funding supported Trinity’s ESD initiatives, including development of the ESD Curriculum Design Framework presented here.