Abstract
The purpose of this paper is to present a concept of Sustainable Development education developed at the University of Turku, which works with excellent results and which can also be transferred or modified to other universities. Sustainable Development Studies (acronym: KEKO meaning “warren”) innovatively engages students of various disciplines into process of creating collective sustainability expertise, agency and deep collaborative skills. Its uniqueness lays in combining research-based learning with emotional commitment to sustainability. KEKO is a multidisciplinary minor (25 ECTS), the core of which is a one-year (10 ECTS) course. During the year, students from different disciplines work both independently in the teams and facilitated by the teachers. They are not given ready answers and solution models by the teachers but they are encouraged to independent thinking and shared expertise. The main pedagogical methods in the course are phenomenon-based learning as well as a flipped classroom. The KEKO consept is internationally benchmarked. In 2018, it was nominated Finland’s representative to the UNESCO-Japan Prize on Education for Sustainable Development.
Presenters
Sari PuustinenSenior Research Fellow, Coordinator of Sustainable Development Studies, Finland Futures Research Centre, University of Turku, Finland
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
Education, Assessment and Policy
KEYWORDS
Education, Sustainability, Transformation, Agency, Expertise, Collaboration, Multidisciplinarity
