Recent research into students' attitudes towards and experiences of teaching and learning for sustainability showed that 80% of students want their institutions to be doing more on sustainability (Students Organising for Sustainability UK, 2023). The students said that they want sustainability to be embedded in their campuses, curriculums, and communities. They want to learn about sustainable development both as part of their education, and for their future employment prospects. Students also reported that they want to develop their skills and knowledge through their coursework, projects, research, and dissertations.
When you are conducting your research to write or present your assignments you might want to make connections with concerns of sustainability whether they are environmental, social, or economic. One approach you could take is to see if your assignment topic links to a sustainable development goal. You might also want to consider how key competencies come into your work.
When preparing your dissertation proposals, you might want to consider incorporating a sustainability component in your work. You could extend this into your ethical approval process to think about the impact your research may have on a community and the environment.
The opportunity to conduct research is an opportunity to be creative with issues of sustainability to make your work stand out.
“A range of soft skills are…considered to be increasingly important, not only for green skills, but generally for “skills of the future”, including also those necessary for the Fourth Industrial Revolution. In particular, skills related to design thinking, creativity, adaptability, resilience, and even empathy, are regarded as critical” (United Nations Industrial Development Organization, 2022)
Through your studies you are developing the knowledge, skills, values, and attitudes you need to shape your future. These are often called Skills of the Future, 21st century skills or key competencies. They are also the competencies for sustainability.
Knowledge includes theoretical concepts and ideas but is also involves practical understanding based on the experience of having performed certain tasks.
Skills are the ability and capacity to carry out processes and use your knowledge in a responsible way to achieve a goal.
Attitudes and Values are components which help you to navigate towards your well-being and citizenship. They refer to the principles and beliefs that influence your choices, judgements, behaviours, and actions.
In your assignments and research, you might want to consider highlighting the relationship between competencies and sustainability.
Check out the 'Resources' page to find resources at Essex to get you started.
