It couldn’t be easier: Switch on your computer, click on a link and join the Virtual Higher Education Summit 2020 (#HES2020) from 31 August to 2 September 2020. Connect with like-minded and like-hearted colleagues and share experiences and insights on how we can assure quality and transformative learning for sustainable development in this forward looking event.
Among our confirmed speakers are: Rietje van Dam-Mieras, Dzulkifli Abdul Razak, Christoph Grolimund, Elizabeth Lange, Mandy Singer-Brodowksi, Hilligje van’t Land and Marie-Claire Graf!

In our series "A conversation with..." we talk with our members. In this edition, we interviewed Jurgis Kazimieras Staniškis, a transdisciplinary scientist globally recognized for his innovative and transformative systems. Jurgis is an Emeritus Professor from Kaunas University of Technology (Lithuania), full member of the Lithuanian Academy of Sciences and co-author of the 2019 Global Sustainable Development Report (GSDR). Read about his insights into HESD, innovative financing of sustainability initiatives, and the GSDR. 

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University and sustainability, good practices and alliances for the implementation of the 2030 Agenda were the key themes of the summer course “University and sustainability: travelling companions for a great mission”, organized by the Directorate of Sustainability of the University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU). The objective of this online course was to showcase the steps that universities are making to address the 2030 Agenda’s mandate. The CA participated at one of the sessions with other higher education networks such as GUNi, REDS (SDNS), and Euskampus, and presented its approach to transformative networking.

After joining a proposal for an Erasmus+ project at short notice, we have just received confirmation that the project will be launched on 1 September 2020. “OnTL: Pushing the boundaries of online transformative learning” was put together by Legacy17.org (Sweden), Visionautik (Germany) and Isoropia (Croatia), three partners who have also been involved in another project that has led to publication of a fantastic book co-created by TL practitioners: A Transformative Edge (more about this book soon!). The role of the CA in the project will be to establish a stronger link between TL practitioners and HESD research. A call for notices of interest will be issued after project start. Stay tuned, as this might be a unique opportunity to contribute to exploring how transformative learning/teaching can take place online!

Weaving together creative learning, place-based learning, education for sustainable development and futures education, the project will create a participatory, emancipatory and transformative learning experience in 20 classrooms. The project is led by the Society for Creativity in Education, Prague, and builds on the running applied research pilot project "Education for the Future", led by Laura Henderson and Jana Dlouhá at CUEC. Both projects aim to develop school pupils’ capacity to imagine and envision alternative futures, and their self-perception as agents of change in actively creating a just, regenerative society.

The 15th IRDO International Science and Business Conference entitled “Personal and Social Responsibility for a Sustainable Future” was celebrated on 4-5 June 2020 in Maribor, Slovenia. The conference was organized by IRDO (Institute for the Development of Social Responsibility) in cooperation with the University of Maribor and numerous supporting partners. The conference proceedings and conclusions are now available online.

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The COVID-19 pandemic has led Spanish universities to draw roadmaps for the future that inevitably include the implementation of the Agenda 2030 and its 17 SDGs. Several key actions have been promoted within the Conference of Rectors of Spanish Universities (CRUE) and implemented by its working groups in order to support the Spanish higher education system in addressing the COVID-19 crisis through sustainable development lenses. 

Associate Professor Živilė Stankevičiūtė of Kaunas University of Technology, School of Economics and Business, Lithuania, benefitted from the voucher offered by Marilyn Mehlmann on the occasion of the COPERNICUS Alliance Online Conference in 2019: Živilė attended a five-day workshop in Croatia in February 2020, followed by three months of online interaction to improve her transformative learning skills. Read her report on the event!

Two research teams at the Vienna University of Economics and Business are teaming up to fight the Climate Crisis. Our latest research shows decisively: the cheapest way of reducing our carbon footprint by far is to put a fair price on CO₂ emissions. Over 19,000 Europeans have already signed the petition. Learn more and add your signature!

The Environment Centre at Charles University in Prague was pleased to host a 3-day international workshop showcasing a range of innovative teaching methods with the aim to enrich the portfolio of course activities in the area of sustainable food systems.

ASTRALS (Assuring Transformative Learning for Sustainable Development in Higher Education) is a key outcome of our last CA conference – a truly collaborative project proposal that is being developed by CA members and friends. ASTRALS aims to initiate and support a transdisciplinary research agenda that will inform teaching practice as well as the crucial issues of assessment and quality assurance. If you are interested in joining this COST Action proposal, drop us a line!

With the “Campus Planeta Plan” the University of the Basque Country strives for a healthy and sustainable environmental management policy in the framework of the EHUagenda 2030 for sustainable development. This plan aims to be a model for the whole university community to adopt new life and consumption habits in everyday practice at each campus.

The journal Frontiers in Sustainability recently launched a new section on Sustainable Organizations. This section offers opportunities to publish innovative and challenging papers. Interested researchers can get involved as authors or in other roles.

Virtual education has unexpectedly become a global necessity these days. The open source publication "Virtual conferences in higher education: Teasing out their transformative potential for sustainable development" provides insights into this topic.

With the foundation of the Centre for Professors Emeriti and retired higher education teachers, the University of Maribor breaks new ground in this field. Prof. Peter Glavič was elected head of the newly established centre, which will operate at the Rectorate of the University of Maribor. The aim is to close the intergenerational gap and show due honor to Professors Emeriti and retired higher education teachers. 

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Our colleagues from the University of Warsaw critically reflect on the implementation of a newly established interdisciplinary Sustainable Development graduate programme. One of the positive aspects raised is the high rate of foreign students enrolled, which enhances the intercultural approach of the programme and enriches academic discussions. A key challenge noted by the authors is the complexity of coordinating teaching by colleagues from eight university faculties.