TY - JOUR
T1 - Sustainability in higher education in the context of the UN DESD: a review of learning and institutionalization processes
AU - Wals, A.E.J.
PY - 2014
Y1 - 2014
N2 - This contribution is grounded empirically in a review of UN’s Decade of Education for Sustainable
Development (UN DESD) which the author was commissioned to carry out by UNESCO. The review’s
section on the learning processes taking place in the higher education arena forms the basis of this
article. Particular attention is paid to the role of UNESCO ESD Chairs in advancing sustainability-oriented
learning and competences in higher education.
The main conclusion that can be drawn is that Higher Education Institutions are beginning to make
more systemic changes towards sustainability by re-orienting their education, research, operations and
community outreach activities all simultaneously or, which is more often the case, a subset thereof. They
are doing so amidst educational reforms towards efficiency, accountability, privatization, management
and control that are not always conducive for such a re-orientation. Some universities see in sustainability
a new way of organizing and profiling themselves. The UNESCO ESD Chairs mainly play a role in
conceptualizing learning, competence and systems change.
AB - This contribution is grounded empirically in a review of UN’s Decade of Education for Sustainable
Development (UN DESD) which the author was commissioned to carry out by UNESCO. The review’s
section on the learning processes taking place in the higher education arena forms the basis of this
article. Particular attention is paid to the role of UNESCO ESD Chairs in advancing sustainability-oriented
learning and competences in higher education.
The main conclusion that can be drawn is that Higher Education Institutions are beginning to make
more systemic changes towards sustainability by re-orienting their education, research, operations and
community outreach activities all simultaneously or, which is more often the case, a subset thereof. They
are doing so amidst educational reforms towards efficiency, accountability, privatization, management
and control that are not always conducive for such a re-orientation. Some universities see in sustainability
a new way of organizing and profiling themselves. The UNESCO ESD Chairs mainly play a role in
conceptualizing learning, competence and systems change.
U2 - 10.1016/j.jclepro.2013.06.007
DO - 10.1016/j.jclepro.2013.06.007
M3 - Article
VL - 62
SP - 8
EP - 15
JO - Journal of Cleaner Production
JF - Journal of Cleaner Production
SN - 0959-6526
ER -