What is UE4SD?
The purpose and focus of the UE4SD Project is to re-orient the HE curriculum for sustainable development by improving support for university educators to develop professional competences in ESD. Please scroll down to learn about the focus, core activities and outputs of the project.
A full list of the UE4SD partners, project communications and resources can be found at the main website: www.ue4sd.eu.
To connect with the UE4SD partnership and take part in upcoming network activities please contact: ue4sd@glos.ac.uk.
SHAPE OF THE PROJECT:
UE4SD has 53 partners in 33 countries across Europe – most are HE institutions, plus 2 Non-Governmental Organisations.
The UE4SD Partnership is a consortium organised into 4 Hubs of partner institutions in their region – North, West, East, South.
The UE4SD Steering Group involves staff members from the 4 institutions that lead the regional Partnership Hubs:
- NORTH - University of Gloucestershire, UK (Project Lead)
- WEST - Leuphana University of Lüneburg, Germany
- EAST - Charles University of Prague, Prague, Czech Republic
- SOUTH - Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Spain
The core aim of UE4SD is to establish an expert group in ESD competences in HE in Europe and to share the expertise of its partners, to inform policy and practice during and beyond the life of the project.
University Educators means anyone who teaches students or works to support student learning in the university sector, regardless of their subject discipline or professional specialisation.
Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) is an approach to education that aims to reorient the learning experience and the capabilities people develop, so they can act in support of more sustainable ways of life.
Professional Competences means the teaching approaches, professional skills and academic leadership capabilities that enable university educators to develop ESD in their own practice and their organisations.
SUPPORT FOR THE PROJECT:
UE4SD is a 3 year-project funded from October 2013 to September 2016. It received funding of 600,000 EURO through the European Commission Lifelong Learning Programme – Erasmus Academic Networks.
UE4SD is also supported in its professional networking and partnership development by Copernicus Alliance, the European Network of universities committed to advancing sustainable development in education, research and practice, through the efforts of the European HE sector.
Core Activities and Outputs:
YEAR 1 Reviewing the ‘state of the art’ and identifying leading practice (2013-14)
Outputs: State of the Art report; 4 regional mapping reports
YEAR 2 Developing new resources and guidance tools (2014-15)
Outputs: Leading Practice publication; Online Platform of resources
YEAR 3 Developing an Academy for ESD in HE (2015–16)
Outputs: UE4SD Academy with professional development materials