Sustainability Learning Outcomes and Learning Objectives

Erin Stapleton-Corcoran, IDMPS Instructional Designer
Dec 22, 2023

Sustainability learning outcomes/objectives are statements that outline the specific sustainability knowledge and skills that a student is expected to have gained and demonstrated by the successful completion of a unit, course, or program.

Each set of learning outcomes/objectives is described in depth below and example learning objectives across the disciplines are provided for each set of outcomes/objectives.

Three sets of learning outcomes/learning objectives are shared in this teaching toolkit:

  1. 2018 UIC Climate Action Implementation Plan (CAIP) Learning Objectives and Outcomes for Sustainability
  2. Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Ed (AASHE) STARS Framework Sustainability-focused and Sustainability-supportive Learning Outcomes
  3. UNESCO Education for Sustainable Development Goals: Learning Objectives

The 2018 Climate Action Implementation Plan (CAIP) embodies UIC’s commitment to addressing climate change. Developed with the Chancellor’s Committee on Sustainability and Energy (CCSE), it is a cost-effective portfolio of solutions aiming to make UIC carbon-neutral by 2028 while advancing other sustainability goals. UIC’s Climate Commitments, extending to education and research, prioritize infusing sustainability into curricular and co-curricular programs.

A component of this initiative involves exploring specific learning objectives and outcomes that empower UIC’s community for a sustainable future. These objectives and outcomes offer guidelines for instructors as they craft their own sustainability-aligned courses.

The Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE) aims to improve teaching and learning practices in higher education by advocating for sustainable innovation. AASHE has created the Sustainability Tracking, Assessment and Rating System (STARS), which is a self-reporting framework for colleges and universities to measure their sustainability performance.

The STARS framework is designed to:

  • Provide a framework for understanding sustainability in all sectors of higher education.
  • Enable meaningful comparisons over time and across institutions using a common set of measurements developed with broad participation from the campus sustainability community.
  • Create incentives for continual improvement toward sustainability.
  • Facilitate information sharing about higher education sustainability practices and performance. Build a stronger, more diverse campus sustainability community.

AASHE Student Learning Outcomes

AASHE defines student learning outcomes as statements of what a student is expected to know, understand, or be able to demonstrate after completion of a process of learning as well as the specific intellectual and practical skills gained and demonstrated by the successful completion of a unit, course, or program.

Learning outcomes are distinct from the aims of learning in that they are concerned with the achievements of the student rather than with the overall intentions of the teacher. AASHE has crafted sustainability-focused and sustainability-supportive learning objectives, both of which are detailed below:

United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization’s (UNESCO) Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) is a global initiative aimed at fostering a sustainable future for humanity. There are 17 Sustainable Development Goals, which tackle significant challenges such as poverty, environmental conservation, and social well-being. The SDGs emphasize the importance of collaboration among governments, the private sector, civil society, and individuals worldwide.

The SDGs are universal, urging all countries to align their efforts to promote prosperity while safeguarding the planet, making sustainability a shared responsibility across the globe. The 17 Sustainable Development Goals offer a very broad lens for integrating sustainability in your courses, which will be shared in depth below.

UNESCO Education for Sustainable Development Goals: Learning Objectives

UNESCO has taken the 17 Sustainable Development Goals and crafted cognitive, socio-emotional, and behavioral learning objectives that align with each goal. Additionally, UNESCO has drafted suggested topics, learning approaches, and methods that align with each of the 17 sustainable development goals.

CATE has added cognitive, socio-emotional, and behavioral learning objectives across 20 disciplines to help instructors get started crafting learning objectives for their own courses.