Few higher education institutions would question their role in promoting social good, and many publicly take responsibility for fostering a more sustainable society. Institutions can prepare students to lead change, regardless of the degree program they pursue. However, adding sustainability to instructor workload may place additional burden on teachers who may already be stretched to full capacity.

So how can colleges and universities fulfill their commitment to socially relevant teaching without burning out their staff?

The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, or SDGs, provide a broad and compelling framework for teaching core content in the context of the world’s most pressing challenges. The framework can be used to structure lessons in any discipline, but effective teaching of the SDGs requires evidence-based instructional support. course design And educational principles. Integrating core content into complex societal challenges aligns well with high-impact practices, including problem-based and community-based learning, which are pedagogies this can be difficult to implement.

Here are three strategies for engaging instructors in teaching the SDGs that leverage existing curricula, strategic partnerships, and instructor wisdom.

1. Form strategic partnerships, both within and outside the institution

With so many professional development opportunities presented to instructors each year, they may view initiatives to redesign courses using the SDGs as simply a short-lived fad that does not deserve their time and attention. Many institutions support sustainability or SDG learning through their sustainability office and course design and teaching through teaching and learning centers. Consider collaborating with faculty to integrate professional development opportunities for teaching with the SDGs into evidence-based course design frameworks, such as retrospective design, and pedagogies such as inquiry-based learning which are familiar to many instructors. Integrating support for redesigning and teaching SDG courses with support for teaching and learning generally helps instructors view education as a goal. sustainable development not as an interesting “add-on” but rather as a tool to enhance student learning, aligned with best practices.

Another way to align SDG teaching with the instructor’s values ​​is to highlight how SDG teaching advances the institution’s commitment to solving global challenges.

Beyond your establishment, contact regional networks such as the Regional Centers of Excellence in Sustainable Development Education (RCE) and the Association for Advancing Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE) to take advantage of their resources and professional development offerings. AASHE’s online communities and resource center allow schools to benefit from resources and workshops from experienced schools. Rather than creating a new set of educational tools to teach the SDGs, consider building on existing resources and workshops to help your faculty get started.

2. Empowering faculty to act as decision-makers, mentors and recruiters

Faculty members, who respond to many competing demands, are best placed to suggest how to structure professional development in SDG teaching to fit their schedules. How can we empower teachers to shape the professional learning opportunities we offer them in teaching with the SDGs?

For colleges and universities with sustainability committees, faculty representation is a way to ensure instructor input when designing sustainability learning opportunities for faculty. In larger universities with more resources to allocate to the overall program, a permanent faculty committee responsible for leading initiatives to engage faculty in teaching with the SDGs, this effectively strengthens faculty leadership. Whether through a standing committee or informal opportunities to provide feedback, when faculty co-develop professional learning opportunities and identify which ones work best for them, they are more likely to stay engaged.

Aiming for diverse departmental representation on these committees provides a mechanism for local peer-to-peer faculty recruitment when grants, workshops, and other opportunities become available. When teachers are authorized To advance the teaching of the SDGs across the curriculum, they are more likely to develop a sense of ownership of the curriculum and can serve as mentors for beginner instructors.

3. Fostering faculty well-being and advancing interdisciplinary teaching through communities of practice

Faced with often competing professional and personal commitments, instructors carefully assess their ability to invest significant sums time and energy in a new professional development opportunity. Communities of practice can provide relaxing time to share ideas and create community and valuable training. In many large universities, faculty have few opportunities to “talk teaching” with their colleagues, especially outside their own discipline. Personal values ​​and professional incentives motivate many faculty members, and they may find opportunities to regularly engage with like-minded professors attractive. In such cases, lasting commitment is more likely.

A interdisciplinary the community of practice can also support peer-to-peer collaboration that improves the effectiveness of SDG teaching for all participants. For example, when an engineering professor shares a case study he developed that connects core content to several SDGs, his peers in the humanities and sciences can suggest ways to integrate their own disciplinary perspectives in the case of teaching.

When institutions and faculty view sustainability education as a “complementary” option, competing demands for teaching and learning will likely take over. Leveraging internal and external partnerships, empowering faculty to shape their professional development initiatives, and intentionally cultivating community can support effective SDG teaching without overburdening instructors.

Rebecca Watts Hull is the Assistant Director of Faculty Development for Sustainability Education Initiatives at the Center for Teaching and Learning at the Georgia Institute of Technology.