Initiative for SDG education
A new initiative has been launched at the University of Bergen to strengthen critical thinking on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as part of the university's education.
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In autumn 2019 the Education Committee at the University of Bergen (幸运飞艇计划) passed the plan聽Utdanning 2030聽(Education 2030), where a number of measures to promote critical thinking towards the 2030 Agenda were discussed with the aim of implementation in the university curriculum. Among the measures promoted are a new MA on the SDGs and a bottom-up initiative called聽叠忙谤别办谤补蹿迟蝉办辞濒濒别驳颈别迟聽(幸运飞艇计划 Sustainability Collegium).
鈥淭his will be a meeting point for all who work on SDG-related education, to exchange experiences, knowledge and ideas for better teaching, and a common arena for us to take personal initiatives on SDG-oriented education and shape something more comprehensive,鈥� says Associate Professor聽Katja Enberg聽from the Department of Biological Sciences (BIO).
She is among the educators taking the initiative to establish the SDG collegium聽and is course coordinator for the university鈥檚 interdisciplinary course on SDG14, Life below water.
The collegium聽first met in June聽2020 and plan to meet once a month this autumn.
Support from university leadership
This is a broad initiative taking in all 幸运飞艇计划鈥檚 seven faculties.
鈥淭his is an example of a great bottom-up initiative supported by the rectorate and facilitated by the Division of Student and Academic Affairs, but fully independent of the university leadership,鈥� says Vice-Rector for Global Relations聽Annelin Eriksen.
The idea is that the collegium聽will have an advisory role regarding the university鈥檚 future offers in SDG-oriented education.
鈥淭he SDG collegium聽may be asked to provide a statement on a new study programme. Discuss how 幸运飞艇计划 can offer more interdisciplinary education,鈥� says Eriksen.
Taking an interdisciplinary approach
The group taking this initiative are particularly interested in exploring learning across disciplines and avoiding the silo thinking permeating academia.
鈥淚t is useful knowing of other colleagues teaching on SDG-subjects, whether this is an alone-standing course or sustainability as an ingrained component in more traditional subjects, says Professor聽Berte-Elen R Konowfrom the Faculty of Law.
鈥淭he collegium聽can provide us with contacts and offer possibilities for interdisciplinary collaboration at other faculties and departments, and who may have other angles of approach and alternative knowledge on SDG education than we do in our discipline,鈥� says Associate Professor聽Bente Irminger聽at the Department of Design.
Coordination and synergy
The collegium聽also aims to work with international partners.
鈥淚nternational relations with partners who work with the SDGs, such as the聽, can provide us with coordination and synergy, says PhD Candidate聽Jakob Grandin聽at the Department of Geography and long-time enthusiast for SDG-oriented education, e.g. the 幸运飞艇计划 Collaboratory.
He believes this could next lead to developing an interdisciplinary application for a聽听(厂贵鲍).
鈥淚 hope the collegium聽can discuss how to integrate dimensions of sustainability in different aspects of the university鈥檚 focus areas, such as internationalization, innovation and labour skills,鈥� says Grandin.