CIT Teaching & Learning Unit

Project TITLE

CARES: Curriculum Advancements & Rapid Embedding of Sustainability

Project Lead

Dr Aisling O'Gorman (aisling.ogorman@mtu.ie) 

Project Status

• In Progress

Project Lead Home Department

• MTU Cork - Mechanical, Electrical and Process Engineering - Process, Energy and Transport Engineering 

Alignment to HEA and NFETLHE SATLE 2023-24 Themes

• Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) 

Alignment to MTU Strategy Themes

• Learner Education & Experience
• People & Community
• Leading Regional Development 
• Global Outlook 

Project Description

The overarching objective of this project is to dynamically renew curricula across the university to enhance sustainability education, foster global citizenship, support staff, engage external stakeholders and measure the impact of changes made. This project builds on the foundational work conducted in the SATLE 2022-23 project  “Rapid Curriculum Renewal for Sustainability”.  

In this two-year project, the deliberative and dynamic curriculum renewal model proposed by Desha and Hargroves (2014) will be applied. The student-staff team will focus on identifying and addressing curriculum renewal priorities addressing short-term, medium-term, and long-term goals. It is recognised that any successful innovation in education must encompass the following four themes (Dede and Honan, 2005): 

• Coping with Change
• Promoting Ownership
• Building Human Capacity
• Promoting Effective Decision-Making. 

These themes will guide the team's approach to ensure that our curriculum renewal efforts are successful and sustainable in the long-term. 

The key objectives of the project are as follows: 

• Continue to develop an active learning community that includes external stakeholders.  
• Anchor curriculum renewal for ESD by structuring a common first-year module on sustainability and global citizenship based on national and international best practice. 
• Provide support and professional development for staff to empower them to lead transformative changes in their respective curricula. 
• Apply existing frameworks, including the GreenComp framework, as a scaffold for the development of sustainability competencies.  
• Develop quality assurance criteria and metrics to measure the impact of curriculum changes. 

What is the anticipated impact of this project?

The anticipated impacts of this project are as follows: 

Impact On Those Who Teach 

• Will enable peer-to-peer learning and collaborative knowledge-building around education for sustainable development (ESD). 
• Will remove barriers to curriculum renewal in ESD by providing a framework that incorporates best practice. 
• Will strengthen partnerships with industry and other external stakeholders to provide greater understanding of current practices related to the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and related challenges. 
• Will provide clarity and knowledge on best-practice in the field through the input of external stakeholders and national and international experts. 
• Will identify opportunities for interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary collaboration and continued dialogue with external partners. 

Impact On Those Who Learn 

• Will develop and pilot a common first year module on sustainability and global citizenship. 
• Will focus curriculum renewal on the development of recognised sustainability competencies using the GreenComp framework as well as promoting active global citizenship. 
• Will scaffold a sustainability mindset focused on innovation and critical reflection. 
• Will deepen understanding of industrial practices and challenges around meeting the UN SDGs. 
• Will empower and motivate students through a student-staff partnership approach. 

Impact on External Stakeholders 

• Will strengthen and develop a partnership approach through active involvement in a learning community. 
• Will contribute to the development of desired graduate attributes. 
• Will provide opportunities to refine graduate recruitment processes to focus on hiring graduates with the key skills needed to address global sustainability challenges. 

HOW Will the outputs of this project be DISSEMINATED?

The outputs of this project will be disseminated through: 

Journal Articles 

• Targeting high-impact, peer-reviewed journals in the fields of engineering education, sustainability education, and curriculum design. 
• Publishing articles that showcase the project's methodology, key findings, and the impact of the developed curriculum resources. 
• Focusing on disseminating the research-based evidence supporting the effectiveness of the project's approach. 
• Ensuring open access publication to maximize reach and accessibility. 

Conference Papers 

• Presenting our work at national and international conferences on engineering education, sustainability education, and curriculum development. 
• Sharing the project's approach, preliminary findings, and lessons learned through conference proceedings and presentations. 
• Engaging in discussions with peers to gather feedback and explore opportunities for collaboration. 
• Leveraging conferences as a platform to network and build connections with other educators and researchers in the field. 

Workshops 

• Organising and facilitating interactive workshops at relevant conferences and within the participating institutions. 
• Providing hands-on training sessions for faculty and staff on the implementation of the project's curriculum resources and renewal framework. 
• Fostering peer-to-peer learning and knowledge sharing by inviting participants to share their own experiences and best practices. 
• Gathering feedback from workshop attendees to continuously improve the project's outputs and dissemination strategies. 

Team Members