Towards Sustainable Development in Higher Education - Reflections

The starting point of Towards Sustainable Developmentin Higher Education – Reflections is a book published (in Finnish) for the higher education sector in Finland (Kaivola & Rohweder 2006). Moreover, it is a followup to several processes initiated by the Finnish Government and the Ministries of Education and the Environment in translating the ideas of the UN Decade of Education for Sustainable Development into teaching practices. The purpose of the publication in hand is to highlight some approaches to enhancing sustainable development in higher education and arousing interest in curriculum development and pedagogical reflection. The fifteen chapters of this book are arranged under four themes. The first theme addresses the framework of education policy in the implementation processes and probes the value base and educational basis of education for sustainable development. In the chapters under the second theme Science and Education for Sustainable Development, academics from different scientific fields discuss the dimensions and underpinnings of environmental, economical and socio-cultural aspects of education for sustainable development. The third part of the book illustrates how sustainable development is implemented in theoretical and practical studies in some degree programmes in universities and polytechnics. International networking in the Baltic Sea region is also highlighted. The last theme Looking Ahead brings the reader back to the frame of educational policy and our responsibility as academics and citizens for the future of generations to come. Addressing the Challenge of Sustainable Developmentin Higher Education In the first chapter Mr. Antti Kalliomäki, the Minister of Education, delineates the current policy guidelines at the national and international levels. He points out that education, research and innovation play a key role in promoting sustainable development. The promotion of sustainable development is an integral part of Finnish education policy and a consideration in the steering of higher education by the Ministry of Education. Professor Ossi V. Lindqvist continues by asking if sustainable development is sustainable. He emphasizes that higher education, by its very nature, is an international and social enterprise, and thus has a duty to provide support all sectors of the society in responding to the challenge of furthering sustainable development. Dr. Liisa Rohweder also addresses the challenge of sustainable development in higher education by considering some aspects of the inter-relationships and inter-dependencies in sustainable development. She illustrates the light approach and the value-based approach to sustainable development in training programmes. The first part ends in a chapter on the ethical challenge of sustainable development. Professor Lars Rydén reflects on the problem of reintroducing ethics into sustainable development and strengthening it further. He draws attention to the fact that many of those who work daily with sustainability issues are of the opinion that sustainable evelopment has recently become too much of a technical issue. Science and Education for Sustainable Development The second theme looks at sustainable development in terms of science and research-based higher education. In the first contribution, Professor Ilkka Niiniluoto, Rector of the University of Helsinki, presents education for sustainable development from the point of view of philosophy and history of science and humankind. He asks, how can scientific research and education best promote sustainable development? He points out several scientific methods that provide tools for investigating the current state of nature and its development. He finds it evident that all areas of natural and social sciences – especially when they work together in multidisciplinary projects – can contribute to furthering sustainable development. In the next chapter, Adjunct Professor Taina Kaivola and Professor Mauri Åhlberg continue by considering the goals of the UN Decade of Education for Sustainable Development in terms of the quality of higher education. They introduce concept mapping as a powerful and practical tool for improving the quality of teaching and learning, and explore ways to assess the impact of education for sustainable development on society. Professor Heljä Antola Crowe and Ms. Johanna Kohl investigate aspects of socially sustainable development under the heading Empowering Higher Education with Hopeful Advocacy. They use practical teaching experiences and research evidence from Finland and from Bradley University in Illinois. The authors claim that our rationalistic-logical academic environments often steer us away from scrutinizing or even acknowledging the way in which social, cultural and emotional experiences affect learners’ daily lives. People, including university students, get disconnected between the indoor and the outdoor environments. The writers discuss empowering advocacies in the light of reflective practices in education and society, among other things, by introducing the concept “ sustainability literacy”. Ms. Lili-Ann Wolff closes the theme with her interpretation and analysis of the concept of Bildung from the viewpoints of both higher education and education for sustainable development. Implementing Education for Sustainable Development The third part concentrates on the present and future role of sustainable development in degree programmes in Finnish higher education. Taina Kaivola highlights the education of comprehensive school teachers, while Liisa Rohweder concentrates on education for sustainable development in the curricula and teaching practices of business schools. Sustainability issues in technology education and technology research are studied comprehensively by Mr. Simo Isoaho and Professor Tuula Pohjola. Dr. Anne Virtanen and Ms. Anne-Marie Salonen continue with a discussion of natural resources and environmental studies in universities of applied sciences, which see sustainable development as a formidable challenge. Professionals working with natural resources and the environment are in a key position in the search for ecologically sustainable ways of exploiting, shaping and protecting our living environment while securing its economic exploitation, our cultural diversity and our social wellbeing in the future. The section ends with a look at joint international efforts to promote sustainable development in the university networks in the Baltic Sea Region. Dr. Paula Lindroos presents the missions and achievements of two interacting networks for education for sustainable development in higher education. The Baltic University Programme (BUP), established in 1991, has grown into one of the largest university networks in the world. The Baltic Sea Sustainable Development Network activities started only some years ago, but have already played an important role in the development of and cooperation in education for sustainable development among universities of applied sciences in Finland and more widely in the Baltic Sea Region. Looking Ahead The last part wraps up some key ideas with a reflective futures perspective. Lars Rydén starts with a personal insight, challenging the reader to take a stand and start to act for sustainable development. The chair of the Editorial Board, Monica Melén-Paaso, reflects on the various education policy processes and co-operation between nations in identifying the challenges of the UN Decade of Education for Sustainable Development. Her writing crystallizes the message of this publication by referring to Søren Kierkegaard, who believes that life must be lived forwards, but can only be understood backwards