Insights into responsible education for sustainable development: The case of UWE, Bristol

Abstract

In this paper, we argue that it is opportune to revisit profound questions about the purpose, nature and value of higher education in society at a juncture where the context of higher education has been significantly influenced by the global sustainability agenda and responsible management education imperatives (United Nations (UN) Principles of Responsible Management Education (PRME), UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), UN Global Compact, UN Decade of Education for Sustainable Development (ESD), etc.). We take Holman's (2000) work on models for management education and his recommendations as our point of departure in critically examining the practice of embedding ESD and UN PRME (as two complementary schemes) in our institution. We explore the nature and interrelationships of Holman's 5 axioms of management education (epistemic, pedagogical, management-as-practice, social, and organisational) in order to provide a reflective account of our experiences and elucidate deeper understandings of what responsible education for sustainable development may mean in practice. The arguments presented here are grounded in both practical theorising stemming from related literature and concrete empirical illustrations generated through our observations and reflections as participants (in our roles as PRME Leader, ESD champion and SD programme leader) in the PRME/ESD initiatives. We have demonstrated that embedding ESD responsibly across a HE institution is a complex, emerging, evolving and non-linear process of addressing simultaneously the curriculum content, power, structures, identity, values, and external checks and balances. Therefore, a critical attention is needed to all 5 axioms and assumptions that are at play and has to be facilitated by a combination of educational activism, informal academic collaboration, formal measures and reporting, and practical skills of maintaining legitimacy and ownership of creative and innovative pedagogic models while negotiating the meaning of those to align with the institutional priorities.2

Sustainable Development Goals and sustainability teaching at universities: Falling behind or getting ahead of the pack?

“…According to Cicmil et al (2017), responsible education for global sustainability must be facilitated through a combination of approaches: i) educational activism, ii) informal academic collaboration, iii) formal measures and reporting, and iv) practical skills for maintaining legitimacy and ownership of creative and innovative pedagogic models. At the same time negotiation of those approaches need to be aligned with M A N U S C R I P T…”

Exploring Sociology of Education in the Promotion of Sustainability Literacy in Higher Education

“…However, it is very often confined to pure rhetoric and is, to some extent, already part of the normative and/or political [19,32] common sense [7] and sometimes in an uncritical way. This is a still very fragmented field [5,19,33,34], and the concept of sustainability has, to some extent, different definitions depending on the subject area [5,8,1,25,35,36,37]. What is exactly sustainability?…”

“…A relevant question that arises from this topic is the need to distinguish education from sustainable development [33,59]. This positioning seems to refer to something close to sustainability literacy, given the need to attain competencies that are intentionally used as social learning [49,60].…”

“…In this centrality of teaching and learning processes in education for a culture of sustainability [63,64], HEIs have several social, environmental and economic responsibilities. SD in universities implies, then, several elements that relate to each other in addition to teaching and learning [17,18], and changing the formal curriculum does not suffice [18,33,37,62]. It is also necessary: "(1) sustainability-focused education and teaching; (2) sustainability-focused research; (3) campus operations and environmental management; and (4) community engagement around sustainability issues" [66] (p. 418).…”

Towards a Sustainable University: A Case Study of the University of the West of England, Bristol

“…The institution's approach to ESD will increasingly build upon the strong relationship of ESD with the UN Principles of Responsible Management Education (PRME) and will integrate PRME considerations into policy, planning and implementation across the institution. [37], [38] The university will seek to use the UN Sustainable Development Goals as a framework for directing and assessing progress with its sustainability journey [39]. The university will continue to create new knowledge, apply existing knowledge in new contexts and provide syntheses of existing knowledge to support attainment of a sustainable future.…”