Questions and examples

What developments  do you need to take into account? Which group of stakeholders is best used to map these out? (Management Team/Associate Professor/Curriculum Committee/Development Teams)

The environment of the programme strongly influences the sustainable transition direction. In order to properly map this out and increase sensitivity, it is important to involve different stakeholders and enter into dialogue with each other.

Example: A suggestion for the approach is to ask representatives from existing bodies, such as the Institute Council and the professional field committee, to make this analysis together. The various external factors mentioned above can be a guideline in this regard.

What requirements are included in the HU framework in the area of ​​SDGs?  (Management Team/Associate Professor/Curriculum Committee)

The main HU frameworks in this regard are:

• The HU Ambition Plan in 2026
• The HU Vision on education and research
• The Sustainable Together working model, in which the mission of Sustainable Together is summarised
• The project assignment SDGs in education and the broader assignment for a transition to sustainability education in the Knowledge and Innovation Agenda (KIA) of Sustainable Together

Example: The HU frameworks state, among other things, that we as an organization contribute to the SDGs, that we integrate SDGs into education and that we train students to become change agents.

What requirements are included in the institute framework in the field of SDGs/sustainability? (Management team/University senior lecturer/curriculum committee)

Has a policy or vision been formulated at the institute and/or training level?

Example: Three approaches are dominant at the HU:

• The solution-oriented vision: this involves making a sustainable ideal, such as the SDGs, the Green Deal Sustainable Care or the Circular Economy, central to the vision of education. This suggests that all students learn to contribute to the realisation of this ideal.
• The person-centred vision: here, in addition to professional development, personal development is also named in the vision. For example, educating them to be ‘global citizens’. This suggests that students are being trained for some sustainable role in society in addition to their professional role. But there is no immediate aim for a different interpretation of the professional role.
• The integral vision: the vision is drawn up based on a sustainable interpretation of the professional role. An example is the ‘eco-social worker’ that is being considered within the social domain. This suggests that students begin to fill their professional roles from an integrally sustainable perspective.

Which values ​​recognisable to the profession should be central to the study programme to achieve the SDGs? (Management team/University senior lecturer/curriculum committee)

Tip: first formulate concrete values ​​for your professional practice, and then translate these into the SDGs. The sub-goals/targets and descriptions for each SDG can be found on the SDG Netherlands website.

Example: IICT has made an analysis of the positive and negative impact of IT (developments) on the SDGs. This has been made visible by means of an infogram, together with associated values. For example, IT can make a positive contribution to SDG 4 on good education, by increasing accessibility, but it can have a negative effect on that same SDG by causing distraction.

Towards which sustainable situation should the study programme move, based on the environmental analysis? (Management team/University senior lecturer/curriculum committee)

Use the identified future values, requirements and challenges (from question 4.1) 

• Example ICT: From a current situation in which the focus on short term, profit maximization, fast functionality and direct users results in products that often do not sufficiently take into account sustainable values ​​such as privacy, energy use, accessibility and safety, which harms the SDGs. To a situation in which the focus is on long term, multiple values, quality products and a broad set of stakeholders, resulting in IT products that do take sustainable values ​​into account by design and thus make a positive contribution to the SDGs.
• Example economic domain: The sustainable transition within the economic domain requires a shift from the focus on only economic, financial value to an economy that takes into account economic, ecological and social value.

Where does the study programme currently stand with regard to sustainable development in education? (Management team/University senior lecturer/curriculum committee)

Take a global baseline measurement based on the SDG House. What is the status of the study programme in the parts of the house? Or use the Sustainability monitor for an extended scan of the course.

Example: Use the SDG house reflection canvas as a quick scan. Color the SDG house canvas with a team of teachers or a mixed team (teachers and management). The canvas is a conversation tool: the conversation that is held about it is more important than the colors. After the quick scan, you can use the card set to zoom in on the parts that need a lot of attention and/or the parts that you have the most influence on.

What does the transition from the current to the future situation look like? (Management team/University senior lecturer/curriculum committee)

What does it take to move from the current situation to the ideal situation? What is the gap between the baseline measurement and the future vision?

Do this for all parts of the SDG House. This can also be done by course/module course/module/semester within a study programme.

Example: IICT is working on an integrated approach in which all components of the SDG house and ecological, social and economic SDGs are given sufficient attention in all study programmes. This transition requires a lot of attention for support and competence, and subsequently also clear guidelines. Sustainable integration is fully included in new semester development, the semester coordinators receive support and training in this. In addition, there are sustainable sessions/workshops for lecturers and students.

Are the current learning outcomes in line with the values ​​and challenges identified in the environmental analysis and institute framework? (University senior lecturer/curriculum committee)

Analyze the current learning outcomes. Sustainable values ​​are often not yet part of the learning outcomes.

The first step is to make sustainability part of all learning outcomes at a high abstraction level (semester level), then to fill this in more concretely per semester in the various courses.

Example: After an analysis of the learning outcomes of IICT, it appeared that there was still work to be done in most parts of the program. The sustainable characteristics of the learning outcomes had not yet been formulated at both a concrete level and at higher abstraction levels.

What new learning outcomes are needed to integrate these SDG/sustainable characteristics? (University senior lecturer/curriculum committee)

Sometimes there is too big a gap between the intended situation and the current one, which means that completely new learning outcomes and associated education are needed. It is important to introduce a build-up in complexity in the different phases of the study.

Example of a new ICT learning outcome: In a design phase, the student shows how sustainability by design has been included in the different steps and how sustainability is reflected in the acceptance and quality criteria.

Example of an ICT learning outcome at different levels: In the example below, different sustainable values ​​are taught over the years. In year 1, there are two, but the complexity increases.

• Level 1: Student….taking into account accessibility and data protection…
• Level 2: Student….taking into account sustainability, inclusivity, security..
• Level 3: Student…takes… value for the indirect stakeholder. taking into account ethical aspects…

Example of new learning outcomes minor marketing of sustainable solutions: Student delivers a behavioral changing solution for a sustainable product or service of the client using a short-cycle methodology and the latest insights regarding consumer behavior and marketing. Student takes into account the interests of internal and external stakeholders in the process of value creation and actively uses them to activate the entire value chain. Student demonstrates personal and professional growth towards becoming a sustainable professional.

To what extent are the new/adapted learning outcomes covered in current courses/modules?  (University senior lecturer/curriculum committee)

Here you can create a matrix with learning outcomes on one axis and coverage in courses/modules on the other.

Example learning outcomes minor degree programme in marketing of sustainable solutions

• Using a short-cycle methodology and the latest insights into consumer behaviour and marketing, student delivers a behaviour-changing solution for a sustainable product or service of the client.
• Student incorporates and actively engages the interests of internal and external stakeholders in the value creation process to activate the entire value chain.
• Student demonstrates growth, personally and professionally, with respect to becoming a sustainable professional.

What new course/module courses/modules are needed to adequately secure the new and adapted learning outcomes?  (University senior lecturer/curriculum committee)

Answer this question if the intended learning outcomes are not covered in the current course/module.

Example: sustainable learning outcomes CE – Multiple Value Creation (part-time, year 1)

During this overarching course, you will learn to set out the commercial course by creating sustainable value for both the client, the organisation and society. You do this based on analysis of data and research aimed at measuring actual customer behaviour. You know how to translate this analysis into an approach and have an eye for different interests.

Themes:

• Multi stakeholder analysis
• Value creation within the latitude of the budget
• Systems thinking an impact

Which existing courses/modules need to be stopped to create sufficient space in the curriculum to adequately secure the new and adapted learning outcomes?   (University senior lecturer/curriculum committee)

What are the courses/modules, which contain the body of knowledge and skills, competence set and/or didactics, that do not align with the SDGs/sustainable education.

Voorbeeld: Onderwijs dat winstmaximalisatie en de onderliggende businessmodellen als enige doel onderwijst is geen duurzaam onderwijs. Studenten leren minder van centrale hoorcolleges en meer van aan de slag te gaan met praktijkopdrachten, daarbij begeleid door docenten.

Example: Education that teaches profit maximization and the underlying business models as its sole goal is not sustainable education. Students learn less from central lectures and more from getting started with practical assignments, guided by teachers.

To what extent do the current competence set align with the set of chosen sustainable competences?

How can current competences be modified to better fit?

What new competences should be added?

(Curriculum committee/course development team)

Check out the SDG competences (key competences for education from UNESCO) or another chosen sustainable competence set, and first check which ones are already covered in the learning objectives/learning outcomes of the current curriculum.

The starting point for this question is that the study programme works with a set of competences (skills/abilities). Building up over the years and integration where possible is the starting point.

Example:

The SDG competency – ‘future-oriented thinking’ is linked to the existing competency proactive action. This is done at three different levels:

• Level 1: ….student recognizes short-term problems themselves…
• Level 2: ..student recognizes medium-term problems themselves…
• Level 3: …student recognizes long-term problems themselves…

For the gaps identified: what existing knowledge/education on sustainable competences can be used to fill them? (Curriculum committee/course development team)

There is quite a lot already developed that fits well, look at Teams at the SDG Community, search the internet, look at other study programmes / universities of applied sciences / research groups and reuse that. Sometimes even a small adjustment is sufficient.

Example

Look at Teams at the SDG Community, search the internet, look at other study programmes / universities of applied sciences / research groups and reuse that.

For the identified gaps: what new education should be developed for the sustainable competences? (Curriculum committee/course development team)

Sometimes there is no knowledge and/or supportive education (yet) that can be put to good use to achieve the sustainable competence; then the key is to develop this yourself.

Example:

• A sensible option is to give students an assignment to think about what the education of the future should look like.
• A teacher can also work out a research question together with a lectorate, or apply for a grant.

To what extent does the current body of knowledge and skills of the course/module match the intended new/adjusted learning outcomes?(Curriculum committee/course development team)

This is an analysis that you can do by course/module/component of study. Which components already align with the intended learning outcomes and where are the gaps?

Example: In the ICT course, a new learning outcome was formulated on how to manage IT as ecologically as possible, taking into account embodied carbon, e-waste and energy consumption, but the content of the course did not yet match this.

What existing body of knowledge and skills and supporting education can be used to fill the gaps? (Curriculum committee/course development team)

A lot of education has already been developed that fits well, look at Teams at the SDG Community, search the internet, look at other study programmes / universities of applied sciences / research groups and reuse that. Sometimes a small adjustment is sufficient.

Example Master Project Management
Mission-driven project management is about contributing to the SDGs in projects.

ExampleICT: an ‘SDG toolbox’ has been developed in which sustainable additions have been made to existing BOK components, in addition to limited completely new content. Aimed at lecturers.

Collection of examples: become a member of the Teams environment SDG Community HU Samen Duurzaam, where good examples of sustainable education are collected. It is a rich source of inspiration

For the identified gaps: what new knowledge/education needs to be developed? (Curriculum committee/course development team)

Sometimes there is no knowledge and/or supportive education (yet) that can be put to good use to achieve the learning outcomes; then the key is to develop this yourself. It might be needed to first educate the teacher. Experimenting with a seperate minor can be useful, before implementing it in the entire curriculum.

Example: At IICT, we work with offering a basic training for all teachers and a range of in-depth possibilities for teachers to integrate sustainability into education. From the program transition sustainable education, workshops for teachers are possible and a teacher training will be developed.

Example: in-depth opportunities on sustainable topics in IICT

• Master Human-Centred Artificial Intelligence
• Minor social robotics
• Minor Accessibility

For the identified gaps: what in the current body of knowledge and skills needs to be removed? (Curriculum committee/course development team)

This concerns matters that no longer match the adjusted and new ‘SDG’ learning outcomes.

Example: Outdated models and theories that focus on the short term and involving a limited set of stakeholders instead of learning to look beyond generations and also including nature as a stakeholder, for example.

How do you support sustainable education from research? (University senior lecturer/researchers)

There are opportunities to apply for a grant to explore the transition to sustainable education

Example: Research that addresses two problems that hinder the integration of SDGs in education: unfamiliarity with the SDGs and inability to act on how to give them a role in education. What this project yields is a good practice of how SDGs can be integrated into ICT education and insights into the effect of this on students, teachers and clients. A set of tools related to the professional tasks and SDGs is also delivered with which other courses/modules can implement the SDGs more easily. Result: the program has concrete tools on how to further integrate the SDGs and thus train better professionals.

(From: Comenius application Joris Gresnigt, 2020). Together with the lectorate Meaningful Digital Innovation and Learning and Innovation.

Is there support for a transition to sustainable education? (Coordinator SDGs/Management team)

The education of the future requires a different mindset from lecturers and students, and more collaboration: both within the programme and between programmes. Colleagues and students may have different views about the future and how education can contribute to this. It is essential to discuss the common values ​​of the study programme.

Examples of conversation methods:

• The good conversation. A methodology developed by the normative professionalisation research group, based on the methodology of nonviolent communication.
• Working with Socionas. A methodology for mapping diversity supported by the Co-design Research Group
• The Socratic conversation
• Deep Democracy
• World Cafe

Is there sufficient knowledge and competence among lecturers to integrate the SDGs into the curriculum? (Coordinator SDGs/Management team)

This can be identified through surveys/polls and interviews.

Example: Surveys and conversations with teachers, students, MT and clients in which knowledge and competence are asked and how to improve this.

Are there sufficient resources and time to integrate SDGs into the study programme? (Management team)

Without support from the top, it is impossible to seriously shape sustainable education.

Example of resources required: Funding and time for sustainability coordinator, for sustainable training, and for targeted sustainable projects such as making an SDG game or participating in sustainable consortia. File holders with time for sustainability at both MT and senior lecturers.

What can you do to increase the competence of lecturers? (Coordinator SDGs/Management team)

Consider the formation of a learning network, lecturer training, start with a community of enthusiastic stakeholders and build from there.

Examples ICT:

Start with low-threshold inspiration activities such as SDG workshops, sessions with good speakers, discussion tables and playful actions to increase both support and competence.

Collaboration with specialized organizations on a sustainable subject such as the Accessibility Foundation, especially if you do not have the knowledge in-house.
Setting up internal training on sustainability in the education of your domain and making an overview of in-depth possibilities.

What can you do to increase support among lecturers? (Coordinator SDGs/Management team)

Pioneers regard the SDGs as self-evident goals, but this does not apply to everyone. Have a conversation about whether the body of knowledge and skills of education is still in line with current developments.

Example of what steps to take:

• Ensure embedding in the MT and senior lecturers at the University of Applied Sciences.
• Find the pioneers and make use of their energy.
• Talk with teams about what sustainability means in their education, what they’re up against, what they’d like to see first.
• Show what works.
• Then make the rest of the team join.
• The materials in the SDG House Framework and Toolkit and the Sustainability Monitor are suitable tools to start this conversation.

How do we design the richest possible learning environment? (Curriculum Committee/Education Development Team)

The design team will work on designing interactions between students and practice in rich learning environments. A number of success factors can be included in the design. It helps to think of rich learning environments as an infrastructure that can be designed for. Turn the knobs of the different design perspectives of learning environments.

Example: Learning communities, (knowledge) ecosystems, field labs, workshops, living labs, hubs, challenges and project education

Find out if your current clients are still providing assignments with a positive impact. (Management team/account managers/ work placement office)

Communicate that you only want assignments that have a positive impact, and engage with current clients about it.

Recruitment text for ICT course client: HU University of Applied Sciences Utrecht sees sustainability not only as a logical choice, but as our responsibility. For now and for generations to come. We are sustainable not only in our buildings and our dealings with the environment, but also in our education and research. HU University of Applied Sciences Utrecht has conformed to the UN sustainable development goals. These 17 goals all also have a clear link to IT. Therefore, within project education, we explicitly seek the connection to the SDGs. The following link further explains the SDGs.
For our project education we are looking for clients of projects with a positive impact on people, environment and society within the field of information and communication technology.

What are clients that have a positive impact on the SDGs and how do we form sustainable relationships with them?

What are clients we no longer want to work with? Or specific topics that we no longer want?

(Management team/account managers/work placement office)

Can you enter into long-term partnership agreements with positive impact organisations? Look to e.g. BCorp or Duurzaam Bedrijfsleven (Sustainable Business); join existing networks.

Example ICT: Structural cooperation agreement with the central government (and all major implementers), foundations such as Stichting Accessibility (Accessibility Foundation) and the Nationale Coalitie Duurzame Digitalisering (National Coalition for Sustainable Digitisation), among others.

How do we ensure that the assignments that students execute are done in a sustainable manner? (Curriculum committee/course development team)

Include sustainable aspects in everything the student does from the start, integrate SDG body of knowledge and skills and competences. Connect to interdisciplinary practice issues / challenges

Example: In the Sustainable City Challenge, students from HU, UU and ROCMN work together on solutions to wicked problems. They do this according to the methodology of challenge-based learning and co-design. The Utrecht Challenge Alliance also organizes other challenges.

The Sustainable City Challenge is a good example of challenge-based learning. Students contribute in interprofessional teams to solutions for real-life problems. A week-long pressure cooker provides a lot of useful creative solutions in a short period of time.

Example: Master Sustainable Business Transitions

Much use is made of challenges presented by the business community. Topics:

• Supply chain
• Sustainability standards
• Interdisciplinarity
• Challenge-based education

How can you make sustainability a part of existing learning activities? (Curriculum committee/Education development team/lecturer)

Sometimes minor modifications are needed in existing learning activities.

Integration into existing activities at IICT: In the design week of a new project, students go through the design phase of a new ICT product via a so-called design sprint. Sustainability is integrated into this by adding questions about sustainability and modified models provided with sustainability features that get students thinking about the impact of different designs on people, the environment and society. As a result, they will also hopefully make sustainable design choices. The lecturer questions the students during the various stages about the choices made and evaluates the students on this along with the client. Sustainable competences are addressed in development interviews and in looking back/reflecting.

What new learning activities are needed for students to acquire the desired competences? (Curriculum committee/Education development team/lecturer)

Possibly you need new activities to teach sustainable competences. What kind of of education sit that goal? 

Example: Suitable methods are, for example, the Socratic conversation/moral deliberation/magic, working with card games such as the envisioning cards and values cards, world café, debates or serious (SDG) games and working on sustainable competences.
For working with the Inner Development Goals, a practical toolbox has been developed by the UU, among others. The material can be viewed and ordered via www.transitionmakers.nl.

Consider whether crossovers with other study programmes are necessary to acquire the competences. (Curriculum committee/Education development team/lecturer)

Work from social issues, organize inter-professional work.

Examples: SDG-challenges, inspirational lectures, sustainable artworks, nature walks, etc.

To which SDGs can the study programme contribute most? How are these SDGs related? Are there SDGs we are not paying attention to now, but should? (Management team/University Senior lecturer /curriculum committee)

The SDGs must be considered in context, and there are always multiple SDGs at stake. It is possible to put the focus on which are the most important per study programme/institute.

Example: In healthcare training, the social side often receives more attention, and the ecological and/or economic side can be snowed under. In ICT, on the other hand, there is a lot of attention for the economic side, there are good initiatives on the social side and there is hardly any attention for the impact on the ecological side.

What requirements are included in the hbo (domain) frameworks with regard to the SDGs/sustainability? (Management team/University Senior lecturer /curriculum committee)

Look at the domain frameworks of umbrella organisations within their own domain.

Can you translate these into your own educational frameworks, if you make use of the HU’s profiling space? Or is action needed to make the domain frameworks more sustainable?

Example: At HBO-I (umbrella organization for IT education), sustainability was not included in the attainment targets. There has been an intervention to change it. Subsequently, sustainable attainment targets were used as a translation to the company’s own training frameworks.

Example: Higher education in economics and management (heo, hoger economisch onderwijs) – higher economic domain. Heo-exploratory report – 6 themes. Theme 1: New economic (value) systems & transition

Example new master: Master Sustainable Business Transitions. The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are integrally incorporated the hbo domain frameworks. Because it is a new study programme, there was a lot of influence on the nationwide educational framework.

What are the most relevant economic, environmental and social challenges/developments for the study programme? What values are visible? (Management team/University Senior lecturer /curriculum committee)

Consider industry abuses that regularly make the news or developments highlighted in reports.

Example: The rapid development of AI is relevant to many disciplines, with a strong contradiction between public and commercial values and challenges in the areas of privacy, security, energy consumption and discrimination.

The massive use of social media is another trend that has a major impact on information provision and health.

What are important (upcoming) legislation and regulations for the study programme with regard to the SDGs? (Management team/University Senior lecturer /curriculum committee)

Both nationally and from the EU there are many (new) regulations in the SDG area such as environmental or working conditions requirements.

Voorbeeld ICT: Many (new) laws and policies with requirements in areas of accessibility, energy use, e-waste, security, privacy, AI, interoperability, discrimination , transparency and openness.

Example Economic domain
From 2024 Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) and legislation on greenwashing.

What are the (upcoming) requirements from the professional field with regard to the SDGs? (Management team/University Senior lecturer /curriculum committee)

Look at job requirements in vacancy texts, and at sector analyses, (trend) reports about the profession.

Example: There are many vacancies in ICT in the field of accessibility, privacy and security (ethical hacking) and in the energy transition. Trend reports reveal new professions such as Ethical Sourcing Manager and AI-Assisted Healthcare Technician. This requires learning sustainability competencies.

How do the requirements from the different factors relate to each other?  Where is friction? With whom should this be discussed? (Management team/University Senior lecturer /curriculum committee)

Sometimes there is friction between, for example, requirements from the professional field and what the study programme itself considers desirable given, for example, the impact on the SDGs.

Example: Companies sometimes propose assignments for students that have a negative impact on the SDGs. For example, consider creating a gambling algorithm for an ICT student. As a study programme we do not want these assignments, which we put on hold in order to discuss with the client. An assessment framework has been developed for this purpose.