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Classification of Courses and Research Projects

a Way to Integrate and Make Sustainability More Visible in Higher

Education

also for Faculty

Kaisu Sammalisto@hig.seHögskolan i Gävlewww.hig.se/miljo

Ours students = Future leaders

AIMING AT Sustainable development meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. Sustainable development has three integrated parts: 1. ecological sustainability, 2. social sustainability 3. economic sustainability. Often a fourth dimension, cultural sustainability, is added Agenda 21

STARTING FROM Sustainable development ensures a healthy environmental impact on both the current and future generations. This is based on the understanding that nature is worthy of protection in its own right, and that man's right to exploit nature carries with it a responsibility. Swedish Environmental Code.

What do we mean by environmental/sustainable developmentenvironmental/sustainable development content i courses?

Environment and sustainable development are concepts that can be defined in different ways and the work for environment/sustainable development at University of Gävle does not aim at using one single definition. Our starting point is the Swedish Environmental Code, but we will, at the same time, work towards the wider perspective of sustainable development as defined by the Bruntland commission, the base for the Agenda 21.

This means that the teachers (together with their subject groups) shall classify the courses they are responsible for in different categories based on their environmental (E) and/or sustainable development (SD) content, and based on the definitions of sustainable development above and in accordance with the Policy for Environment and Sustainable Development at the University of Gävle.

Course code: Course name:        The classification of the course is indicated by marking one of the following alternatives:

A. A major part of the

course has E/SD content

B. The course has some

E/SD content

C. The course has not yet any E/SD content, but

has the potential for that

D. E/SD content is not

relevant for the course.

                       

Motivation for the classification:      Signature of the classifying teacher: Date:___________________

Environmental dimension

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90

Humanities and SocialSciences

Technology and BuiltEnvironment

Mathematics, Natural andComputer Sciences

Education andPsychology

Caring Sciences andSociology

Departments

% of classified and motivated courses

4d

3d

2d

M

The percentage of courses with an environmental dimension (M) of sustainable development

Figure 3. The percentage of courses in the five departments classified as having an environmental dimension (M) of sustainable development. 2d, 3d, 4d include the environmental dimension together with one, two or three other dimensions of sustainability (social, economic and cultural).

Social dimension

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90

Humanities and SocialSciences

Technology and BuiltEnvironment

Mathematics, Natural andComputer Sciences

Education andPsychology

Caring Sciences andSociology

Departments

% of classified courses withexplained classifications

4d

3d

2d

S

Figure 4. The percentage of courses in the five departments classified as having a social dimension (S) of sustainable development. 2d, 3d, 4d include the social dimension together with one, two or three other dimensions of sustainability (environmental, economic and cultural).

The percentage of courses with a social dimension (S) of sustainable development

Bidrag till hållbar utveckling i forskningsansökan

0102030405060708090

100

Öve

rväg

ande

Ankn

ytni

ng

Inte

rele

vant

Osä

kert

Inte

gra

nska

t

2005 2006

finally we saw it in a longer perspective, that this is right for us.”

A lecturer in an interview A lecturer in an interview about experiences with course about experiences with course classification procedure. 2006classification procedure. 2006

A process of learning

“Our first reflection was that it is something big, and not relevant to us.

then we started thinking that maybe there is something in it and