Sustainability Education 101 (SE101) is a self-paced online course developed at the University of St.Gallen. It supports instructors across disciplines in redesigning their courses around sustainability competencies. Together with Claudio Sidler and Bernadette Dilger, I analyzed reflection papers and course prototypes from 21 participants.
- 18 participants emphasized directly applicable content; the Educational Design Canvas was the most frequently cited course element.
- 15 reported a shift from an environmental to a multidimensional understanding of sustainability.
- Constructive alignment was fully realized in six prototypes and partially in eleven.
- Six named fixed curricula and assessment formats as the main obstacle.
The sample is small and the data rest on self-reports. Still, the findings suggest that a short course can shift conceptual framings but cannot substitute for structural change.
Siegel, S. T., Sidler, C., & Dilger, B. (2026). Sustainability education 101. Insights into the development, implementation, and evaluation of an online academic development course. Zeitschrift für Hochschulentwicklung, 21(3). https://doi.org/10.21240/zfhe/21-3/10 (open access)