Results: curriculum development at Handels
The survey reveals that, compared to the students, the staff are much more knowledgeable about sustainability issues (the content and meaning of certifications, policies and activity plans). Students rank their education on sustainable development higher than the teachers do, which may indicate that the teachers are rather self-critical because they know the education could be better. Sustainable development education is perceived as very important by 45 per cent of the students and by 57 per cent of staff and researchers. Since the 2006 survey, there has been a substantial increase (on average, about 20 per cent for all groups) in the percentages for all survey participants who rank sustainable development issues and sustainable development education as “very important” or “important”.
Per the survey, the slogan, “To walk the talk”, which refers to sustainable issues, was rated the best way to increase students’ engagement in environmental and sustainable development issues (by 65 per cent of students and staff). Results of this
Sustainable capitalism slogan are visible in practice. For example, Handels has placed about 20 waste sorting containers on campus.
Students ranked “free lectures and theme days” as the second best activity to increase their engagement in sustainable issues whereas staff ranked the development of more interdisciplinary cooperation second. Surprisingly, 40 per cent of the women but only 29 per cent of the men think that “mandatory courses within sustainable development” would be a good activity to increase students’ engagement. 58 per cent of the participants think they have sufficient knowledge of environmental and sustainable issues (64 per cent of staff and 49 per cent of students). Men are more confident of their knowledge about these issues than women (63 per cent of the men and 54 per cent of the women). As far as the goals specified in the activity plans (in nine areas), 78 per cent of the participants think such goals are relevant, and 84 per cent think they are realistic.