Edited by: Marco Rieckmann, University of Vechta, Germany
Reviewed by: Guenther Pfaffenwimmer, Retired, Vienna, Austria; Jodie Birdman, Leuphana University, Germany
This article was submitted to Higher Education, a section of the journal Frontiers in Education
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The paper is part of the broader narrative of transforming curricula in universities in Zimbabwe and Austria. The landscape in higher education globally is inexorably shifting as a result of major global forces of change. For that reason, higher education cannot remain immune to these global challenges and changes. Rather, universities should be the agents of change. Higher education in Austria and Zimbabwe, in response to these global challenges and imperatives, has begun the process of transforming curricula to educate graduates for the future. The paper explores the strategies that universities in Zimbabwe and Austria have initiated to be able to support students to make meaningful contributions to the global learning and sustainability narrative. The two central questions that this paper seeks to answer are: Which additional innovations in curricula and new epistemologies should universities in Zimbabwe and Austria implement in order to educate graduates for a sustainable future? What can universities in the South and in the North learn from each other? In attempting to reflect on these questions, pertinent lessons will be drawn from initiatives in Austria and Zimbabwe to build capacity to achieve the Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) agenda through various strategies.
This study reflects developments at universities in Austria and Zimbabwe. The North-South perspectives will be paramount for drawing lessons from the initiatives of the universities in the North and South with the goal of mutual learning. Sustainable Development Goal 4, aspiration 4.7 stipulates that by 2030 all learners acquire the knowledge and skills needed to promote sustainable development (
From the UNESCO standpoint, education for sustainable development entails integrating key sustainable development issues into teaching and learning. This may include, for example, instruction about climate change, disaster risk reduction, biodiversity, poverty reduction, and sustainable consumption. It also requires participatory teaching and learning methods that motivate and empower learners to change their behaviors and take action for sustainable development. ESD consequently promotes competencies like critical thinking, systems thinking, futures thinking, values thinking, strategic thinking, and collaborative problem-solving (
The concept of global learning has been encapsulated in ESD into a paradigm referred to as Global Learning for Sustainable Development (GLSD) which “includes the objective of resolving global problems, involving critical thinking, skills, and values, as well as socio-cultural awareness” (
The paper consists of the following sections: the context which provides the background to the two cases under study; the next section presents an insight into the reforms undertaken in the North and South to transform the curricula in these contexts; this is followed by a discussion and finally a conclusion to the paper.
The paper compares two cases of approaches used for ESD/GLSD in higher education. It is acknowledged that the cases to be compared are different in many respects, but as pointed out by
Zimbabwe has 18 universities (state-funded and private), 8 polytechnics, and 14 teacher training colleges. Efforts are being made to “remodel university curricula to improve the competitiveness of local tertiary qualifications” (
This transformation agenda has been done through two initiatives, namely, the Education 5.0 thrust that includes innovation and industrialization to the university mandate in line with the Sustainable Development Goals and the harmonization of the minimum bodies of knowledge in the course content in universities with the aim of ensuring that all higher education institutions infuse sustainable development.
Austria has 22 public universities and 14 university colleges of teacher education. The discussion of sustainability in teaching has a long tradition in Austria in the tertiary sector. The UN Decade for ESD was the initiator for sustainability lecture series and both interdisciplinary and inter-university courses at all universities in Austria. With the launch of the Sustainable Development Goals, Austria made a clear commitment for their implementation. The main tool for this is the Overall Austrian University Development Plan. This plan is a technical and strategic planning instrument of the Federal Ministry of Education, Science and Research, which serves to shape the overall Austrian university landscape. It serves as the basis for the development plans and for the performance agreements of the public universities. Sustainable Development is a central topic in the performance agreements between the Federal Ministry of Education, Science and Research and the universities. Furthermore, the Austrian universities are members of the Austrian University Conference (uniko) and signed the uniko-manifest for sustainability that highlights the responsibility and role of Austrian universities to make a significant contribution to sustainable development.
Another initiative shaping the development of Austrian universities with regard to ESD is the Alliance of Sustainable Universities in Austria and its Universities and Sustainable Development Goals project (UniNEtZ), which will be described in further detail in the next section.
This section will present insights into the recent and ongoing reforms that have taken place in higher education in Zimbabwe. The underlying thread of these reforms is the infusion of the Sustainable Development Goals, in particular, Goals 4 and 9, into curricula. The reforms which will be highlighted here have taken place within the past 3 years with the intent of the university becoming responsive to the global changes by starting dialogue on transforming curricula to educate graduates for the future.
One transformation that has occurred in curricula in Zimbabwe is the Education 5.0 thrust in higher education. Previously, higher education in Zimbabwe focussed on three missions, namely, teaching, research, and community service. With the changing dynamics in the global arena and with the fourth Industrial Revolution which requires a different set of skills, the form of education that was currently prevailing in the higher education sector in Zimbabwe was proven to be inadequate particularly in light of the global problems that graduates will be expected to deal with at a personal and collective level. In an attempt to foster attributes that promote sustainability and alignment to global learning, the thrust of Education 5.0 includes five missions that focus on teaching, research, community service, innovation, and industrialization with the goal of educating graduates who will be well equipped to contribute to the economic and social development of the country. The overall aim of Education 5.0 is to industrialize the economy through research and innovation which will ultimately promote sustainable economic development. Education 5.0 is couched on the heritage-based philosophy in that science and technology development will exploit the natural resources and environment, local knowledge, and culture. This resonates with Agenda 2030 whose plan of action is for people, planet, and prosperity, thereby this reform will ultimately drive social change and motivate sustainable development.
The reforms in higher education in Zimbabwe as outlined herein are attempts to educate graduates for the future; graduates who possess creativity and innovative skills to produce goods and services and who will ultimately become key players in sustainable development. Further, the heritage-based philosophy is based on a people’s resources, history, monuments, tradition, religion, language, philosophy, physical and metaphysical environment. This means that in teaching and learning, locally available natural resources and solutions will be made reference to in addressing local problems. Education will therefore cease to be divorced from the local context, but is being re-imagined so that it is able to improve livelihoods and promote sustainability. This approach will ensure that quality teaching is achieved and that the knowledge that students are exposed to as well as the knowledge that they access are in sync with transformative teaching and learning (
The other reform in higher education in Zimbabwe is the harmonization of core modules of similar degrees through the Minimum Bodies of Knowledge and Skills (MBKS) program. This reform requires 80% commonality in the core modules offered by universities while still leaving room for the introduction of some minimal (20%) unique aspects at the institutional level. What can perhaps be commented on at this juncture is the room for creativity that has been given to individual institutions. This is where these institutions can take a leaf from initiatives from other countries and cultures in their quest to offer ESD-informed programs.
The MBKS program was formulated and agreed upon by program experts in the different universities. Several meetings involving key stakeholders were held over a period of 1½ years. At these meetings, similar programs offered by different universities had their minimum bodies of knowledge agreed upon so that what is taught in university A is similar to university B. These meetings were attended by faculty/institute heads, selected senior scholars, professional bodies and associations, relevant ministries, and student representatives. Programs and courses/modules were discussed according to disciplines. It was at these meetings that program experts and representatives of the respective disciplines deliberated on and consolidated their academic programs. This approach will facilitate the hassle-free transfer of students between institutions without compromising the quality of their program of study and also without prejudicing their credit scores.
This exercise has played a role in the benchmarking of programs locally. The experience from faculties at different universities who have been undertaking course review attests to the fact that the process has now been made manageable because the reference point has already been established through the agreed course synopses. It is only the 20% that represents the additional content that a lecturer has to develop. The operationalization of this reform is still ongoing, hence lessons that can be derived relate to the process of formulating the MBKS. Vital lessons will undoubtedly be learned in a couple of years once the programs have gone through their cycle.
The Austrian examples were chosen because they are innovative and not isolated initiatives but connected to the University as an organization (Example 1) and are part of an Austrian-wide network (Example 2). Additionally, these examples are selected because the authors were involved in both of the initiatives. Evaluations and reports from both initiatives form the data basis for the selection and the presentation (
The first Austrian case at the University of Klagenfurt focused on an interdisciplinary elective “Sustainable Development,” which is intended as an instrument for the implementation of sustainability at the University of Klagenfurt. The development plans of the University of Klagenfurt since 2006 have included sustainability as highly relevant from a social and cultural science perspective (
In light of some current empirical literature (
The dimension of traditional, regional knowledge comes into play when focusing on local regions in the province of Carinthia where the University of Klagenfurt is located. One of these regions is the biosphere Carinthian Nockberge. In 1980, the Carinthian public made a forward-looking decision: the Nockalm was not to become a ski circus, but was to serve as an exemplary alpine region and as a habitat and recreational space for future generations. Protecting the diverse flora and fauna is just as important as preserving the countrified scenery and local knowledge in agriculture, health, and nutrition. UNESCO recognized these efforts in 2012, awarding the natural protection site the designation Biosphere Reserve. The focus is on the combination of natural biodiversity, cultural characteristics, sustainable farming, and international research. The biosphere reserve Carinthian Nockberge has a partnership with the University of Klagenfurt, called science_link Nockberge, with the goal to support collaborative learning and research, for example, in the context of master’s and doctoral theses (
After the course was held for the first time, an external professional was commissioned to evaluate interviews with the core teaching team. The interview guide covered the process of the development of the course as well as the experiences of the interviewees during the first implementation phase. The six interviews were transcribed and categorized using the method of qualitative content analysis (
Pedagogical innovations are always unique, depending on the institutions involved, the region, historical paths, the educational culture in which it is embedded, and last but not least, the acting personalities.
The process of implementing Sustainable Development (SD) at the University of Klagenfurt started in 2005 when it was mentioned in the development plan; thus, it has been running now for more than 16 years. However, the question still remains: How can SD be brought into existence at the university as a place of organized rationality? Closely related to this question is the one of how the collective process of decision-making takes place within the university.
The internal evaluation of the pilot course by a colleague interviewing most of the participating students and the teaching staff helped tremendously in going beyond a superficial understanding of the course’s successes and weaknesses. It became a useful basis for revising the course.
UniNEtZ brings together academics and artists from 16 Austrian universities as well as external partners. The overall aim of the project is to develop strategies to realize the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in Austria. From 2019 to 2021, an option report will be developed, intended to help the Austrian government to implement the SDGs. As the SDGs are mutually shaping each other and can only be realized through inter- and transdisciplinary thinking, UniNEtZ represents a broad spectrum of expertise from subject areas such as social sciences, science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM), and the arts. A number of synergy effects are likely to emerge as a result of the project, including the implementation of sustainability in research and teaching as well as a stronger collaboration between universities and society.
Member universities have taken on the role of coordination and participation of individual SDGs. While coordinating universities manage and gather activities and knowledge, participating universities engage in terms of content. All member contributions are equally valued and much appreciated. Through this intensive cooperation and professional discussion of SDGs, contributions are collected, critically examined, and modified in order to develop different options. The networking between universities and the implementation of the SDGs in research, teaching, and society is at the heart of UniNEtZ.
The University of Klagenfurt and the University of Innsbruck have taken on the coordination role of SDG 4 “Quality Education” in Austrian higher education Participating members of SDG4 are 14 universities and stakeholders. The SDG 4 group currently has around 80 members. Regarding SDG 4, the latest reports show the positive developments in quality education in Austria in recent years. In the Subgroup SDG 4, the appreciation and reflection of local knowledge is part of the central concepts of ESD. A position paper was developed which resulted out of the expertise of SDG 4 participants as well as existing studies and literature. The SDG groups are currently working on specific options to implement the goals of SDG 4.
The development of (self) critical reflection and process competency is essential not just for individuals but also for groups, organizations, or social subsystems. Such a common (social) learning process requires the development of additional skills, such as the ability to make collective decisions and act on the basis of deliberations. The ability to empathize is also essential. Thinking about others, experiencing and enduring value contradictions, also emotionally, makes it possible to deal with moral claims that result from the normativity of the sustainability concept (
For the purposes of drawing inferences, it can be summarized that the participating universities have taken a move to participate actively through the systemic coordination of the SDGs with the aims of addressing the Sustainable Development Goals across faculty and across the university and identifying possible areas of research. The other aim and perceived benefit of this initiative is capacity building in research in Sustainable Development in lecturers and students. UniNEtZ is a trial that the universities in Austria try to put initiatives in place which drive the Agenda 2030 and create new frontiers of learning and research.
The World Data on Higher Education (
The introduction of the course on Sustainable Development in universities in Austria and the benefits derived therefrom, serve as an impetus for higher education in Zimbabwe to continue with the transformation trajectory. The initiatives from the global North have borne fruits and have imparted key skills and competencies that have transformed the higher education system from being merely examination-driven. This means that if the efforts to transform higher education are supported and implemented, the learning achievement for higher education in Zimbabwe will eventually transform from being “academically and examination-driven” (
Also, the local experiences advocated for ought to be considered within the broader narrative of the pivotal role of indigenous knowledge in education for sustainable development. Local indigenous knowledge should be accorded enough space in the Sustainable Development Goals because in local knowledge ways to mitigate some of the local and global problems are enshrined (
A question was posed at the onset of this paper: What can universities in the North and in the South learn from each other? The simple answer is that cooperation and synergies in various areas need to be encouraged between universities in the North and South for the benefit of both staff and students. These synergies will include pedagogical innovations such as the implementation of active learning strategies, the use of local knowledge, as well as the introduction of guidance for teaching. Staff and student exchange programs can also be pivotal in bolstering the exchange of knowledge and expertise. The synergies will be beneficial to both North and South contexts. The insights presented from the initiatives to transform curricula in universities in the North and in the South are valuable milestones that can be drawn upon to inform the cooperation and also inform future curriculum planning and design. The innovative teaching approaches could incorporate practical problems that call for action research (
The raw data supporting the conclusions of this article will be made available by the authors, without undue reservation.
NM-H and FR: conception of the manuscript, contribution of cases, and writing. MD: co-writing. All authors contributed to the article and approved the submitted version.
The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.
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