Thinking Through Sustainability Challenges with Key Competencies in Sustainability

Welcome to the Key Competencies in Sustainability learning module. Here, you will find an overview of the shared reference framework on Key Competencies in Sustainability. The goal is to enhance the design and evaluation of sustainability and sustainability-related programs in higher education as well as associated practices for teaching, learning and assessment.

This learning module compiles the work on key competencies in sustainability education program at the Global Council for Science and the Environment as part of the Pathways towards Accreditation Initiative, funded through the Mitchell Foundation. It draws on key literature reviews and synthesis including by Wiek et al. (2011), Brundiers et al. (2021), Redman & Wiek (2021) as well as GCSE's Convergence Statement on the Key Competencies in Sustainability and their application in Sustainability Education across the higher education sector.

Course Objectives

Describe the shared reference framework on key competencies in sustainability
Reflect on key features and functions of the framework
Identify potential applications for the framework in their own programs and contexts using the course workbook linked below

Thinking through sustainability challenges with KCs.mp4

This overview course offers participants the opportunity to explore each key competency in sustainability and apply sustainability thinking to a local sustainability challenge using the accompanying workbook. A quiz and short essay at the end allow participants to share their problem-solving approach and obtain a certificate.

What are the Key Competencies in Sustainability Education?

A competency is an educational term that describes a learner's ability to complete a complex task successfully. To perform with high quality requires to have the necessary knowledge as well as the methods and skills, as well as motivations and attitudes to implement that knowledge. Thus, a competency combines functionally related knowledge, skills, and attitudes. A key competency is an umbrella term as it entails various competencies that help fulfill a similar function.

In Sustainability Education, there is a convergence around eight key competencies, each supporting one or several critical steps in collective efforts to solve sustainability problems. As the steps are connected with each other, so are the eight key competencies to support iterative and collective sustainability problem-solving processes. Together, the Key Competencies in Sustainability create a versatile framework that can be used by students, teachers, program directors, and employers to guide sustainability learning and action. Links to scholarship and other learning opportunities are provided in the Deeper Dive Section.

WORKBOOK ACTIVITY:

Download your workbook below. Use the space on the What Do You Care Deeply About" page of the workbook to brainstorm sustainability problems you care about and want to focus on.

This site is designed to allow you open access to all features and pages through the dropdown menu at the top of the page. However, participants are encouraged to follow the course sequence found in the course workbook, or using the navigation buttons at the bottom of each page.