New international test for HE sustainability knowledge
New international test for HE sustainability knowledge University World News
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A New International Test for Higher Education Sustainability Knowledge
A key assumption at the 2023 UN High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development has been that higher education promotes sustainability. A new test of sustainability knowledge, reported at the New York event, will help measure the extent of that progress.
The Sulitest Association’s Efforts
That was the focus of a side event to the UN forum, staged on 18 July by the Sulitest Association – a non-profit organisation and online platform seeking sustainability universal literacy that will help to drive Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) adoption across higher education worldwide.
The organisation, based in France, already has an established sustainability awareness test that has been used by 3,300 institutions in 60 countries within Europe, North America, Latin America and Asia.
Sulitest asked in a briefing document: “What do we really know about what students are actually learning about sustainability at their respective higher education institutions?
“What data do we have that indicates higher education institutions are making meaningful progress in embedding the SDGs into student curricular learning outcomes? Similarly, what role (and with what real impact) do rankings and accreditation bodies play in both nudging and requiring transformative thinking and change at higher education institutions?”
The TASK Test
As a result, Sulitest has launched a testable standard of sustainability knowledge, called TASK. It measures sustainability knowledge via 112 multiple-choice questions, in English and French, completed in 80 minutes, with scores ranging from zero to 100 – providing a certificate, comparable metrics (by country and organisation), plus reliable data and indicators for sharing.
Aurélien Decamps, managing director and co-founder of Sulitest – a key partner of the UN Higher Education Sustainability Initiative (HESI) – said in an interview with University World News: “How do we leverage data for transforming higher education towards sustainability?”
Sulitest, he said, is delivering a metric of sustainability knowledge that will help people “to take informed decisions – whether you’re an engineer or manager or a graduate from another major in higher education. How can you measure and report on it? This is the role of TASK. We have a psychometric and robust measure.”
A report on TASK was released by Sulitest at a side-event to the UN High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development 2023 in New York, which was convened from 10 to 19 July to support the mid-term review of the SDGs and the 2023 SDG Summit in September.
Called Advancing Sustainability Literacy for the Global Goals, the report said that TASK provides a “research-based, and online assessment process leading to an internationally recognised certificate demonstrating a level of sustainability knowledge”.
TASK, it added, is “accessible via an easy-to-use platform that provides relevant and comparable metrics for monitoring and steering education for sustainability across any educational programme”.
The report said the common assessment would aid changes to curricula and pedagogy, promoting sustainability through forging a common language of sustainability. It provided a base of common knowledge upon which a range of people and groups – such as engineers, managers, biologists and public authorities – could “communicate and use a common language as they work together to build a sustainable tomorrow”.
A key aim of TASK is to encourage decision-makers to consider sustainability constantly, in business, politics and education – including academics and university administrators.
This system was developed by a ‘TASK Force’ of experts, practitioners and researchers; external experts and researchers in sustainability; a Sulitest Impact R&D Committee; and a group of fellows, who assessed scientific literature, existing sustainability assessments and analysis. The people involved were drawn from academia, corporations, accreditation and ranking organisations, student organisations, civil society and NGOs.
Shifting the Narrative
Speaking to University World News after participating in the side-event, Decamps said: “Higher education has a crucial role to play in the context of SDG4 [on education, and] across all SDGs, it has a role to play for future decision makers.”
He added: “We’re convinced that most of the crises that we’re facing right now in terms of sustainability come from human decisions, often taken in a professional context, and very often by people holding higher education degrees. So, we have produced people that take decisions that hinder sustainability.
“There is a big responsibility to shift the narrative – for a new form of leadership for sustainability for higher education, transforming the curriculum to train people [to] acquire the relevant skill sets for building a sustainable future.”
TASK aims to assess students on their sustainability knowledge, before and after higher education studies, to check what they have learned. Demonstrable weaknesses could help higher education managers guide curricula and pedagogy reforms, so that they integrate sustainability concerns, also checking whether academics possess such knowledge.
The tool could also potentially be used by international rankers as they roll out plans to integrate sustainability performance into their rankings – a matter that was discussed at the HESI Forum.
Decamps argued that the tool could help encourage academics to integrate sustainability issues into their courses: “They can identify gaps within the granularity of the matrix.” He said this would help higher education institutions develop core courses on sustainability and embed sustainability into other disciplines.
Overcoming Resistance to Change
The tool, if widely adopted, might be a useful lever to overcome resistance to change in higher education: “If
SDGs, Targets, and Indicators
| SDGs | Targets | Indicators |
|---|---|---|
| SDG 4: Quality Education | Target 4.7: By 2030, ensure that all learners acquire the knowledge and skills needed to promote sustainable development | Indicator not mentioned in the article |
| SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals | Target 17.16: Enhance the global partnership for sustainable development, complemented by multi-stakeholder partnerships that mobilize and share knowledge, expertise, technology, and financial resources | Indicator not mentioned in the article |
1. Which SDGs are addressed or connected to the issues highlighted in the article?
SDG 4: Quality Education
The article highlights the role of higher education institutions in promoting sustainability and the need to embed the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) into student curricular learning outcomes. This aligns with SDG 4, which focuses on ensuring inclusive and equitable quality education and promoting lifelong learning opportunities for all.
SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals
The article mentions the Sulitest Association, a non-profit organization and online platform that aims to drive SDG adoption across higher education worldwide. This demonstrates the importance of partnerships and collaboration in achieving the SDGs, particularly SDG 17, which emphasizes the need for global partnerships to mobilize resources and share knowledge.
2. What specific targets under those SDGs can be identified based on the article’s content?
Target 4.7: By 2030, ensure that all learners acquire the knowledge and skills needed to promote sustainable development
The article discusses the launch of a sustainability knowledge test called TASK by Sulitest. This test aims to measure sustainability knowledge among students in higher education institutions. By assessing students’ knowledge and promoting sustainability concerns in curricula and pedagogy reforms, higher education institutions can contribute to achieving Target 4.7 of SDG 4.
Target 17.16: Enhance the global partnership for sustainable development, complemented by multi-stakeholder partnerships that mobilize and share knowledge, expertise, technology, and financial resources
The Sulitest Association, as mentioned in the article, is a multi-stakeholder partnership that seeks to promote sustainability universal literacy and drive SDG adoption across higher education worldwide. This aligns with Target 17.16 of SDG 17, which emphasizes the importance of partnerships in mobilizing and sharing knowledge and resources for sustainable development.
3. Are there any indicators mentioned or implied in the article that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets?
The article does not mention any specific indicators that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets. However, the TASK test developed by Sulitest could potentially serve as an indicator to measure students’ sustainability knowledge and assess the integration of sustainability concerns in higher education curricula.
4. SDGs, Targets, and Indicators
| SDGs | Targets | Indicators |
|---|---|---|
| SDG 4: Quality Education | Target 4.7: By 2030, ensure that all learners acquire the knowledge and skills needed to promote sustainable development | Indicator not mentioned in the article |
| SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals | Target 17.16: Enhance the global partnership for sustainable development, complemented by multi-stakeholder partnerships that mobilize and share knowledge, expertise, technology, and financial resources | Indicator not mentioned in the article |
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Source: universityworldnews.com
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