We’re excited to share a new series of video testimonials from students across Europe who have taken part in the Sustainability in Motion MOOC. These voices offer powerful insights into how students are taking action, deepening their understanding of the SDGs, and using the course to make a meaningful impact in their studies, careers, and communities.
In this first video, four students—Ashley O’Hara (France), Mallikharjuna Rao Sakhamuri (Ireland), Marzieh Babazadeh (Türkiye), and Benedikt Puhmeyer (Germany)—share how they are already implementing sustainability actions in their daily lives and academic environments.
In the second video, the students reflect on their key learnings from the Sustainability in Motion MOOC. They talk about how the course has shaped their academic and professional paths, and highlight specific modules that had the greatest impact on their understanding of sustainability.
In the final video, the students explain why the SDS4HEI MOOC is an invaluable resource for both students and educators. From its accessibility to its relevance across disciplines, the MOOC offers tools and insights that empower users to understand and act on the SDGs.
These testimonials show the real impact of SDS4HEI’s resources - and the critical role students play in leading sustainability in higher education.
Explore the full MOOC Sustainability in Motion: Your Role in Global Goals here:
👉 https://sds4hei.eu/courses/sustainability-in-motionyour-role-in-global-goals/
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🐦 Follow us on Twitter/X: https://x.com/SDS4HEI
In a world where sustainability education is more urgent than ever, the SDS4HEI project has taken a major leap forward with the development of its Massive Open Online Course (MOOC), “Sustainability in Motion: Your Role in Global Goals.”
But how do we ensure such a course truly meets the needs of learners?
To ensure the course responds to the real needs of educators and students, the SDS4HEI consortium conducted an extensive user-testing phase. This involved:
The user-testing evaluated the MOOC’s objectives, practical application, and key elements such as usability, accessibility, pedagogical effectiveness, and long-term relevance. Participants were asked to assess how well the course supports learners to:
✅ Engage in peer-to-peer communication
✅ Access and interact with the content
✅ Improve their SDG-related knowledge and competencies
✅ Enhance pedagogical strategies for teaching SDGs
✅ Feel inspired and prepared to apply the SDGs in everyday work and life
The MOOC received overwhelmingly positive feedback from both university staff and students, confirming its value, relevance, and accessibility as a learning tool for sustainable development education.
Here are the highlights:
Testimonials underscored the MOOC’s rich content, clear structure, and learner-friendly design. Users appreciated:
One university staff member noted:
“It provides free, valuable materials for university staff, who might otherwise lack the time to prepare such resources without initiatives like this.”
Another student shared:
“It helped me start thinking about how my work directly impacts certain SDGs and how I can be a catalyst for positive change.”
And another emphasized:
“The course offers accessible education on global challenges while fostering essential competencies for the SDGs.”
The course was consistently described as a bridge between theory and practice, a tool for both personal development and institutional progress.
The results clearly affirm the MOOC’s strategic value in higher education. While a few areas for enhancement were noted—such as content depth, technical refinements, and increased interactivity—the user-testing process shaped the final version into a truly user-centered, impactful, and inclusive resource.
Going forward, the MOOC will remain in continuous development, integrating user feedback and technical improvements to better serve learners.
The MOOC is now available for university staff, students, educators, and institutions eager to embed sustainability into teaching, learning, and everyday practice.
🔗 Learn more and access the MOOC: https://sds4hei.eu/courses/sustainability-in-motionyour-role-in-global-goals/
📥 Download the full User-Testing Report PDF
📢 Follow project updates on SDS4HEI Website, LinkedIn, YouTube and X.
On 11th March 2025, the SDS4HEI project marked a major milestone with its final dissemination event “Sustainability in Motion: Your Role in Global Goals”. This interactive online event gathered over 170 participants from across Europe, Asia, America, and Africa, highlighting the global relevance and appeal of the SDS4HEI approach to embedding sustainability within higher education institutions (HEIs).
Co-funded by the ERASMUS+ programme, the event was co-organised by a dedicated partnership of sustainability leaders:
The session opened with a warm welcome from IAT, setting the tone for a dynamic and engaging agenda that balanced expert insight, peer learning, and real-world examples. The opening remarks introduced the project’s tools and encouraged participants to contribute via live surveys throughout.
Central to the event were three narrative-driven presentations, using fictional case studies to demonstrate how SDS4HEI resources—the Framework, Self-Assessment Tool, and MOOC—can be applied in a university setting. Participants explored how these tools help align strategy, evaluate progress, and integrate the SDGs into teaching and research.
Each segment was supported by testimonial videos and Mentimeter polls, bringing in voices from students and educators who had directly engaged with the resources. These interactive elements provided an opportunity for reflection and feedback in real time.
Guest speaker Cera Slevin, founder of Climate Matters Ltd and a seasoned climate and energy expert, offered her perspective on university-industry collaboration. During the Q&A session, she reflected on the need for practical partnerships and the shared responsibility between higher education and external sustainability stakeholders. Her experience lent real-world weight to the value of SDS4HEI’s outcomes.
The event closed with an open discussion, inviting participants to share their thoughts and suggestions on how SDS4HEI resources could be adapted or improved to support their own sustainability work. The use of multiple feedback loops ensured the session remained inclusive and responsive to diverse needs.
Participants represented a wide range of sectors including academia, research, and sustainability-focused enterprises. Students made up the largest group, reflecting the project’s commitment to empowering youth with knowledge and tools to act on the SDGs.
Feedback indicated strong support for the tools presented:
All SDS4HEI outputs are freely available online:
If you missed the event or want to revisit the presentation, you can download the session slides below:
👉 Download Presentation – Université Nouvelle: Advancing SDGs with SDS4HEI (PDF)
Are you looking for a free, open-access course on sustainable development?
Do you want to contribute to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) but feel you need the right knowledge and practical tools to start?
Look no further.
“Sustainability in Motion: Your Role in Global Goals” is a Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) developed under the SDS4HEI project to meet the needs of learners like you.
Backed by science, evidence, and user feedback, this MOOC empowers students, educators, researchers, and university staff to integrate the SDGs into their academic and professional journey. Thanks to its interdisciplinary content and user-friendly design, it’s also perfectly suited for any individual or organization eager to strengthen their role in advancing sustainability.
The course is structured into six short modules (total effort: ~3 hours) that cover essential aspects of sustainability:
Each module includes:
Whether you're in a classroom or a boardroom, this course helps you:
✅ Learn about sustainability and the global goals with real-world relevance
✅ Engage in peer-to-peer learning via the MOOC’s LinkedIn group
✅ Apply SDG knowledge in academic, professional, or community settings
✅ Earn a certificate upon completing the self-assessment
Participants can also submit feedback anytime to continuously shape the learning experience—making this truly a MOOC by the people, for the people.
MOOC Key Features are the one thing that can keep you interested!
But, by enrolling in this MOOC, you’re joining a global community committed to embedding sustainability in education and everyday practice. Whether you’re a student, academic, educator, industry stakeholder, policymaker, society representative or other —this is your chance to turn knowledge into action.
Access the MOOC now:
🔗 Sustainability in Motion: Your Role in Global Goals
Sustainability in Motion – Where Knowledge Meets Action.
As part of the European Sustainable Development Week (ESDW) this event brings together educators, researchers, students and innovators from across European universities. Together, we will explore how to transform sustainability discussions into impactful actions.
Join the second dissemination event of the "Sustainable Development Strategies for Higher Education Institution" project and get to know our valuable project deliverables. The event “From Assessment to Action: Guiding Universities to SDG Success” will take place online on Tuesday, 1st October 2024, from 11:00 AM to 12:00 PM (CET).
Why?
We want to bring together teachers, researchers, students and innovators from all European universities as part of the European Sustainable Development Week (ESDW) to discuss the practical implementation of the SDGs in higher education.
What to expect?
Whether you’re looking to refine your institution’s strategic direction, enhance campus sustainability initiatives or enrich student learning experiences, SDS4HEI offers valuable insights and practical solutions.
Discover with us, new resources to implement sustainability strategically and holistically. With our online self-assessment tool, our 7-step process model and our 10 recommendations for action, we want to support in developing effective measures for sustainable development in your institution, your region, and beyond. Keynote speaker and sustainability champion José Alberto Benítez-Andrades from the University of León (Spain) will provide insights into his approaches.
You can register online for the event: https://forms.office.com/pages/responsepage.aspx?id=RVWFR7sAAEimX-eRBOwPxM1G3meUOIVArJK4ox7oUuRURDRHSElQVFRMMkFPNFlCUkhZOFg1RFEyNC4u&route=shorturl
More information can be found on our project website: https://sds4hei.eu/
We look forward to the discussion.
The SDS4HEI project team
We’re excited to share the launch of the SDS4HEI Knowledge Base — a curated collection of free, practical resources showcasing how sustainable development is being implemented across Europe at every level of higher education and governance.
🔗 Explore the Knowledge Base here: https://sds4hei.eu/knowledge-base/
This dynamic library brings together strategies, case studies, and tools from across the continent, helping HEIs, policymakers, educators, and students see what sustainable development looks like in action. Whether you’re building a campus-wide strategy or looking for a single idea to bring to your classroom, the Knowledge Base is your starting point.
Resources are organised for easy navigation across five categories:
This collection not only supports reflection and benchmarking—it also helps identify transferable ideas and tested approaches that can inspire and inform your next steps.
The Knowledge Base complements other SDS4HEI outputs, including the Interactive Process Model and our online course Sustainability in Motion, offering a comprehensive set of tools to support sustainability in higher education.
Take a look, explore the examples, and see how your institution can learn from others, adapt what works, and lead the way forward.
We are delighted to announce the publication of the SDS4HEI Interactive Process Model – a key resource to support higher education institutions (HEIs) in embedding sustainable development strategies across all areas of campus life and operations.
The SDS4HEI Process Model breaks the path toward sustainability into seven clear, easy-to-follow steps, offering a structured, strategic, and practical guide for universities ready to lead the change towards a greener, fairer future. It supports leadership teams, academic staff, operational teams, and – importantly – students, helping all parts of the university community take purposeful action towards the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
🔗 Explore the interactive model here: https://sds4hei.eu/resources/interactive-model/
Each step of the model provides guiding questions, examples from partner universities, and practical tools to help HEIs map their sustainability activities, align with the SDG targets, strengthen governance and capacity, and build strong regional partnerships. It offers not just a strategic framework, but also an invitation to act.
Highlights include:
Whether you are a university leader planning institution-wide change, a staff member leading local initiatives, or a student championing sustainability on campus, the SDS4HEI model provides a practical roadmap you can follow.
This model is complemented by our interactive online course, Sustainability in Motion: Your Role in Global Goals, available here: https://sds4hei.eu/courses/sustainability-in-motionyour-role-in-global-goals/
Together, these resources aim to equip all members of the HEI community with the tools and knowledge needed to drive real change.
Ready to uncover how your institution can lead the way towards a brighter, greener tomorrow? Dive into the SDS4HEI Interactive Process Model today!
Anthony Carty
March 2024
Universities stand at the forefront of the global sustainability movement, embodying a critical nexus for fostering innovative solutions to environmental challenges. This pivotal role is reinforced by the collective insights from several key studies, which advocate for the integration of a 'learning for sustainability' ethos throughout all university operations. Emphasizing the need for both interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary approaches, these institutions are tasked with addressing complex sustainability challenges. By weaving these methodologies into the fabric of university life—spanning teaching, research, community engagement and governance—higher education institutions are uniquely positioned to lead by example, nurturing a generation of leaders ready to champion sustainable development and transformation.
The interdisciplinary imperative within university sustainability initiatives is not merely a strategic choice but a necessity to effectively address the complex and interlinked issues of environmental sustainability. This approach encourages the blending of knowledge from various disciplines, enabling a comprehensive understanding of sustainability challenges that transcend traditional academic boundaries. It fosters collaboration among scientists, educators and students from diverse fields, driving innovative solutions that are robust, holistic and adaptable to changing global contexts. By promoting interdisciplinary research and learning, universities can create dynamic platforms for generating sustainable solutions, preparing students to think critically and collaboratively about the sustainability challenges facing our world.
Research institutes play a transformative role in enhancing interdisciplinary research in sustainability, serving as hubs where diverse academic disciplines converge to tackle environmental challenges. These institutes facilitate collaborative research efforts, bringing together experts from various fields to create innovative, sustainable solutions. By fostering an environment that encourages interdisciplinary dialogue and cooperation, research institutes not only advance our understanding of complex sustainability issues but also contribute significantly to the development of practical, impactful strategies for sustainable development within and beyond university campuses.
Transdisciplinarity in sustainability science transcends traditional academic collaboration, extending beyond the confines of universities to include active engagement with stakeholders across society. This approach is vital for addressing real-world sustainability challenges, fostering partnerships between academia, industry, government and communities. By integrating knowledge from various sectors and disciplines, transdisciplinarity ensures that solutions are not only innovative but also practical and grounded in the realities of those who are most affected by sustainability issues. This inclusive, collaborative framework is crucial for developing strategies that are both effective and equitable, marking a significant shift in how sustainability challenges are approached and solved.
A harmonised approach to Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) within higher education institutions embodies a strategic blend of interdisciplinary educational practices. This approach seeks to engage students from all academic backgrounds, integrating ESD into both existing curricula and dedicated sustainability programs. By marrying traditional discipline-based education with sustainability-focused studies, universities can foster a more inclusive, comprehensive understanding of environmental issues. This model encourages not just academic inquiry but practical, real-world application, ensuring students are well-prepared to contribute to sustainable development across various sectors.
Fostering a unified strategy for sustainability in higher education is essential for preparing future generations to face and solve the complex environmental challenges of our time. Through the integration of interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary approaches, universities can create a comprehensive framework that encompasses education, research, and community engagement. This holistic strategy not only enhances academic understanding and innovation in sustainability but also ensures that solutions are practical, inclusive, and impactful, contributing significantly to global sustainability efforts.
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