Sustainability: Key competencies
The Learning Design team make use of the UN Sustainability competencies and the RSP Framework when considering sustainability in teaching and learning, and also to help us consider how we can support the development of more general graduate attributes.
A list of key competencies (based on the UN key competencies for sustainable development) are briefly outlined below. Some questions you might consider when planning/evaluating your practice include:
- (How) does your activity/unit/programme help students develop and demonstrate one or more of these competencies?
- Could the competencies be used as part of your marking criteria?
- How could students record their own progress towards these competencies?
- How could students articulate and demonstrate these competencies for future employers or for progression to further study?
UN Key Competencies in Sustainable Education
Systems Thinking – Recognise relationships, analyse complex systems, consider how systems are embedded in different domains/sectors and at different scales
Anticipatory Thinking -Understand and evaluate multiple futures
Strategic Thinking – Collectively develop and implement actions that further sustainability
Critical Thinking – Question and reflect in order to take a position on sustainability discourse
Normative Competency – Reflect on norms and values, negotiate
Collaboration – Learn from others, respect the needs of others, deal with conflict
Self Awareness – Reflect on own role in local community and global society
Problem Solving – Apply different problem solving frameworks
Additional Competencies
Contextual Thinking – Familiarity with historical contexts and their potential impact on contemporary sustainability challenges
Interdisciplinary thinking – Familiarity with relevant scholarship from different disciplinary perspectives (considering the knowledge, skills and approaches of other disciplines to think about and tackle sustainability issues in a more holistic manner).