Sustainable and inclusive research practices
Sustainability has rapidly developed to become one of the most prominent discourses in higher education institutions (HEIs) around the world. With university policies around the world increasingly starting to reflect the transition to net zero, students and academics are concerned about current policies failing to highlight the highly unsustainable systemic structures within which contemporary HEIs function. The so-called business model of education that HEIs are based in is resulting in increased amounts of frustration being experienced by staff and students who feel constrained by these systemic structures that hinder eco-social sustainability on multiple levels.
Our group of academics and research students came together through a small project within the School of Education at the University of Glasgow to brainstorm not one-stop solutions, but ways to rethink our fundamental values as educators, and use these core values in forging paths to redesign teaching and learning in HEIs. We started with inviting a diverse group of academics from different departments in the university to discuss the challenges of working within these constraining systems and forging sustainable ways to move forward. This was followed by a smaller group convening to plan and produce future outputs that will include: a shared online resource on incorporating sustainability in teaching and learning cultures at HEIs, a white paper with recommendations to align existing structures to current sustainability objectives and needs, and regular community meetings to update and move the agenda forward. The goal of the community will be to create a space where the discourse on sustainability in HEIs moves beyond tokenism and profitable economic targets, and where radical ideas can be sustained and put to action to fundamentally change how we perceive and practice higher education.