International Advance HE collaboration delivers sustainability training and certification for UNSW educators
Published on 19 June 2026
UNSW’s Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) Education Focussed (EF) Community of Practice partnered with Advance HE and UK-based higher education experts to deliver curriculum design workshops and certification opportunities for UNSW colleagues in Sydney and Canberra.
Supported by an Education Focussed grant, the ESD EF Community of Practice (CoP) invited UK experts Dr Alison Calvert (Food Science Lecturer (Education) at Queen’s University) and Dr Kieran Higgins (Lecturer in Higher Education Practice at Ulster University) to visit UNSW for a week-long agenda focused on embedding the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the broader Education for Sustainable Development framework into higher education curricula.
The program included two flagship workshops centred on Advance HE’s ESD Curriculum Design Toolkit, co-authored by Dr Calvert and Dr Higgins, meetings across the University, and tailored one-on-one consultations to help UNSW educators strengthen sustainability and SDG integration in teaching and learning practice.
A first-of-its-kind partnership with Advance HE
In a first for Advance HE, the program offered a co-certification pathway using the ESD Curriculum Design Toolkit, delivered across Sydney and Canberra.
Hosted by the ESD CoP, and led by Dr Calvert and Dr Higgins, the workshops enabled more than 40 UNSW participants to receive Advance HE-UNSW joint certification – giving them recognised credentials in applying ESD principles in curriculum design. Participants spoke to the impact of the workshops in their feedback:
“Truly outstanding workshop! We’ve developed a sustainability-focused business course from first principles and have been looking at how to continue evolving it a meaningful way. You’ve shared an amazing set of resources to structure and strengthen the work we’re doing.” – Professor Kerry Humphreys, School of Accounting, Auditing and Taxation, UNSW Business School.
“It was an excellent workshop that encouraged meaningful reflection on how to embed the SDGs into teaching practice, even within a single module. The most valuable aspect was its practical and implementable approach, which made it easy to see how sustainability principles can be seamlessly integrated into existing course content. Overall, it was an engaging and inspiring session that strengthened my confidence in incorporating ESD in my teaching.” – Dr Faiza Majid, Senior Lecturer, School of Banking & Finance, UNSW Business School.
The workshops explored how educators can embed ESD capabilities and link curriculum to the SDGs in ways that are coherent, authentic and learning-design driven – moving beyond “add-on” content.
Key themes that emerged across sessions included:
- Transformative pedagogy, not box-ticking – ESD works best when supported by strong educational design rather than surface-level inclusion.
- Whole-person learning – ESD aims to develop ways of thinking, doing and feeling in pursuit of sustainable outcomes for people and planet.
- It’s achievable across disciplines – participants explored approaches that can work across contexts, professional fields and subject areas.
“The conversations and enthusiasm from participants reaffirmed the power of collaboration across continents in advancing sustainability education. Together, we can create curricula that not only inform but transform, empowering students to become change-makers for a better world.” – Dr Kieran Higgins.
“I was really inspired by all those we have worked with this week and the eagerness to embrace the opportunities that UNSW has to bring about genuine Societal Impact and Progress for All.” – Dr Alison Calvert.
Building UNSW capability through collaboration
The program was organised by ESD EF CoP academic leads, Emma Mills (UNSW Arts, Design & Architecture) and Dr George Joukhadar (UNSW Business School). The collaboration began after Emma attended a 2024 ISSOTL Conference workshop run by Alison and Kieran. It has since grown beyond expectations into a meaningful partnership, with significant impact for the ESD EF CoP and the wider UNSW community.
Alongside the ESD Toolkit workshops, Alison and Kieran met with colleagues across UNSW and provided bespoke consultations to support curriculum planning and subject redesign. They also delivered additional workshops and presentations, including at the 2025 UNSW SDG Showcase. Across the full week of activities, the series saw more than 80 colleagues participating in person or online.
“I was really struck by the power of global collaboration — when we bring ideas, expertise and energy together across borders, we move further and faster towards meaningful change for our students and our world.” – Dr Kieran Higgins
“We were delighted to co-organise the program which created an important opportunity to move ESD from aspiration into practice. The workshops enabled colleagues to explore how curriculum design can embed sustainability more deeply in teaching and learning and contribute to meaningful societal impact.” – Dr George Joukhadar
“Co-leading this initiative meant UNSW academics across Sydney and Canberra campuses received impactful training in the principles of ESD and how to rethink curriculum design to deliver sustainable outcomes through education.” – Emma Mills
What’s next
Insights from the workshops and consultations will inform UNSW’s ongoing approach in supporting educators to embed sustainability priorities, including the SDGs and the UNSW Societal Impact Framework, in curriculum design. Emma, George, Alison and Kieran are continuing conversations about the elements of the collaboration that could be built upon, scaled up and potentially made adaptable across institutions. Upon invitation by Advance HE, the team wrote a blog reflecting on the outcomes and impact of the collaboration.
The ESD EF CoP is also exploring further opportunities to continue building connection, practice-sharing and collaboration, with the aim of supporting UNSW educators to translate these sustainability ambitions into transformative teaching and learning experiences.
A fast-growing community driving impact
Established in late 2024, the ESD EF CoP quickly became the fastest-growing Education Focussed CoP at UNSW, with more than 270 members. This includes a unique network of 43 external members from universities and organisations across Australia and internationally, including the UK, Hong Kong and Malaysia.