Learning and teaching
Our strategic approach to education for sustainable development is targeted at both staff and students, and is:
- Focusing on our distinctive learning principles in the University's Global Changemaker Curriculum Framework, as a foundation for embedding learning for sustainable development across degree programmes.
- Fostering staff development and inspiring practice on sustainability learning and teaching through conferences, events, and tailored case studies.
- Exploring staff and student engagement with sustainable development learning across the curriculum and co-curriculum, to evaluate disciplinary, cross-disciplinary, and global campus involvement.
Supporting Our Academic Staff
Intended learning outcomes underpin effective curriculum design and delivery and capture how education for sustainable development is embedded within teaching and assessment and communicated to our students.
From May 2023 to June 2024, the Learning & Teaching Academy has been supporting all academic Schools and programmes across Heriot-Watt University to refresh their learning outcomes through a workshop, ‘Designing Effective Course Learning Outcomes'.
These staff training and support sessions have provided an ideal opportunity to highlight sustainability learning and the UN Sustainable Development Goals, to-date more than 500 staff have participated in these sessions.
Education for Sustainable Development Case Studies
This collection of Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) case studies showcases the breadth of sustainability‑focussed learning taking place across five Heriot-Watt global campuses.
Sustainable Business
Application of the SDGs to University Challenges in a first-year Sustainable Business course with around 800 business students.
Business Ethics
A student-led sustainability group project within the first year Business Ethics course addresses food waste within the university community.
Global Challenges
An engineering project challenging students to design practical, sustainable solutions to real-world problems faced by a different community each year.
Student Co-Creation
Collaborative learning for how EDI shapes environmental policy and practice, helping students connect their learning with authentic challenges.
AI Tools in ESD
Sustainable Change Management aims to develop students’ understanding of the growing need for sustainable practices across industries.
Entrepreneurial ESD
Students design and present sustainable business proposals, such as Pure Water Refill Services and Go Green: Portable and Affordable Solar Power Kits.
Simulation-Based ESD
Green and Sustainable Logistics embeds the En-ROADS Climate Solutions Simulator to model freight transport decarbonisation scenarios.
Team podcasts
From passive learning to active sustainability practice, developing skills in stakeholder engagement and systems thinking within Green and Sustainable Logistics.
Climate Advocacy
Explore Heriot-Watt University’s climate advocacy initiatives, empowering students and staff to tackle climate challenges through innovative learning, research, and real-world action. Discover how sustainability is embedded across teaching to inspire impactful environmental change.