Partners in Design: Insights from an Innovative Education for Sustainable Development Module Design Process

Abstract

This paper presents a case study of an innovative module design process for education for sustainable development in higher education, specifically in digital innovation to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals that the authors were charged to create. An analysis of the goals of education for sustainable development led the authors to identify intercultural learning groups and authentic situated case studies as key components of an effective module design. This presented the research problem of how to identify both situated, innovative and socio-culturally appropriate development case studies, and groups of learners from culturally diverse locations with whom to partner for the creation of intercultural learning groups. This qualitative reflective case study presents the approach undertaken whereby the authors engaged with higher educational institutions engaged on the ground with sustainability initiatives in key countries (India, Uganda, and Ethiopia) to both identify appropriate case studies for collection and potential student group partners for the proposed roll out of the finished module. The experience is described and challenges and opportunities to this approach presented and discussed.