A Strategy and a Toolkit to Realize System Integration of Sustainable Development (SISD)
A chain of action research programs on education for sustainable development (ESD) has delivered a coherent strategy to integrate SD into higher education. Based on the ‘tree metaphor’ for education, a range of tools was developed and applied, e.g., the E
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Abstract A chain of action research programs on education for sustainable development (ESD) has delivered a coherent strategy to integrate SD into higher education. Based on the ‘tree metaphor’ for education, a range of tools was developed and applied, e.g., the ESD Checklist, RESFIA+D for SD competences, an introductory textbook, the SD Curriculum Scan, and the AISHE assessment tool plus the ESD Certificate. Together, they enable a university to realize ‘SISD’, i.e., ‘System Integration of Sustainable Development.’The ESD strategy and its toolbox is described, and illustrated through a number of cases.
Keywords ESD Tree model Sustainable development University mission ESD checklist Graduation profile SD competences RESFIA+D Fundamentals of SD Curriculum scan Interdisciplinary Transdisciplinary Assessment AISHE Certification System integration SISD Sustainably competent professionals Pledge
Introduction: The Tree Model In a series of action research experiments in the Netherlands between 1991 and 2012, a coherent strategy was designed to integrate sustainable development (SD) into higher education. The present chapter offers a practical description of this ‘Education for Sustainable Development’ (ESD) strategy and of the ‘toolbox’ that it makes use of. It does not discuss the philosophy behind the ESD strategy or the validation of its tools. These backgrounds can be found in Roorda (2010).
N. Roorda (&) Avans University, Prof. Cobbenhagenlaan 13, 5037 DA Tilburg, The Netherlands e-mail: [email protected]
S. Caeiro et al. (eds.), Sustainability Assessment Tools in Higher Education Institutions, DOI: 10.1007/978-3-319-02375-5_6, Springer International Publishing Switzerland 2013
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N. Roorda
The strategy is expressed in a compact way with the aid of a metaphor, the ‘Tree Model,’ in which a bachelor or a master program in a university is compared to a tree, its parts and its environment, as is illustrated in Fig. 1. For each of the elements of this ‘tree,’ tools and instruments have been designed, validated and applied. Together, these instruments form a toolkit which enables universities to integrate SD thoroughly in all of its activities, starting from modest starting steps, all the way toward System Integration of SD (‘SISD’), a concept which is pivotal to the philosophy behind the ESD strategy. Table 1 offers an overview of the instruments. The Tree Model is a tool in itself. It enables a university (department) to select priorities for organization development, and to define an ESD strategy based on those priorities. This is what the empty 4th column in Table 1 is meant for.
The Genotype: The University Mission Ideally, the university mission is an expression of its identity, translating this into concrete goals and a strategy. An example is the strategy of Avans University in The Netherlands, which is an inspiring example of a university that has decided to become a truly sustainable institution. This is clear from its Mission Statement (Avans 2010
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