INQAAHE Forum 2024
Transforming Society: Social Reponsibility trough Quality Assurance of Tertiary Education
June 11, 2024
Roundtable
Sub-theme 3: Designing curricula for societal impact
From goals to gains: embedding social impact and sustainability literacy into the curriculum
This session addresses principles, approaches, and good practice in evaluating, revising, and assessing curricula in ways that maximize social impact and environmental stewardship. Using an innovative technique called reverse brainstorming, this session engages participants in an interactive process of identifying and overcoming impediments to curricular reform. Premised upon embedding key concepts and issues of the UN Sustainable Development Goals across the disciplines, this forum focuses upon empowering instructors to provide students with the core knowledge and cognitive skills they require if they are to both meet the sustainability challenges of the 21st century and thrive professionally within it. Our shared goal is to improve skills in designing and assessing impact-oriented Education for Sustainable Development (ESD—UNESCO 2030) as a hallmark of both quality education and quality assurance oversight. As such, this forum highlights the important role quality assurance agencies play in both informing the process of curricular reform (via quality assurance indicators on social and environmental impact) and in acknowledging meaningful action therein (via accreditation tied to corresponding data-based student learning outcomes).
Facilitated by:
Scott G. Blair, PhD
Scott G. Blair, PhD, is Content Development Editor at Sulitest Impact, a social enterprise dedicated to assessing sustainability literacy in higher education. His recent roles include: Director of Accreditation and Quality Assurance at AIAASC; Vice President of CANIE-Europe; and Affiliate at the Gateway International Group, LLC. He served on the faculties of the University of New Haven, the Institut National des Sciences Politiques, the Institut National des Langues et Civilisations Orientales, and the American University of Paris. He was Resident Director at Boston College Paris and Director of Assessment & Sustainability at TEAN. His research appears in Frontiers, Routledge and Stylus publications and he is a regular speaker at educational conferences on learning outcomes assessment and international program design around sustainability literacy, ecopedagogy, and the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Blair holds a doctorate in history from the Sorbonne, an MA from Georgetown University, and a BA from Miami of Ohio.
Dr. Kerr Castle
As a Quality Enhancement and Standards Specialist at QAA, Kerr leads and supports a range of activities that aim to improve the quality and experience of UK higher education. Some of his key areas of focus are student transitions, education for sustainable development, and addressing awarding gaps, as well as enhancing teaching, learning and assessment more broadly. He also collaborates with internal and external stakeholders to develop and implement solutions that enhance the student learning experience and outcomes.
If you have any question about the event, please do not hesitate to contact INQAAHE and/or the Forum host, ARACIS.
