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Publication
Sustainability and distance learning: a diverse European experience?
| Name: | Description: | Size: | Format: | |
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| 764.41 KB | Adobe PDF |
Advisor(s)
Abstract(s)
Higher Education (HE) is experiencing disruption from technologies,
demographics, the globalising world and longer life expectancy.
Historically Higher Education has had a legacy of being seen as the
requirement for an educated ‘elite’, there has been a policy ambition
set in various countries (including the UK) for it to become the
expectation for much wider segments of the population as a whole.
As students become ‘everyone’ and learning becomes ‘all the time’
Distance Teaching and Research Institutions have a tremendous
opportunity but there are also many disruptions and barriers to
overcome. Higher Education institutions have an important role within
Education for Sustainable Development and sustainable lifestyles; one
of the important goals and targets of the United Nations Sustainable
Development goals for 2030. Higher Education can contribute to
sustainability in many ways – social, technical and environmental;
globally and locally. In particular distance-learning universities due
to the flexibility in the learning process, use of technologies, and
inter-disciplinary approach to teaching and learning, constitute key
factors in education for sustainable development. But what will this
contribution look like? In this paper, the responses from senior leaders
in four major European distance-learning universities are presented,
compared and discussed. The tentative conclusions draw out some
strategic imperatives for sustainable higher education in the twenty
first century
Description
Keywords
Education for sustainable development Higher education Distance learning Europe Barriers European perspective Disruption