Fundamentals of Sustainable Development (1 cr)

Evaluation scale

Hyväksytty/Hylätty

Content scheduling

The online course provides students with basic knowledge of sustainable development and an understanding of how to act responsibly and in a way that promotes sustainability in working life and other areas of life.

The online course consists of four subjects, each of which includes learning materials and a test:

1. Introduction: from the sustainability crisis towards a sustainable future

2. Environmental sustainability: preserving ecological balance and a healthy planet

3. Social and cultural sustainability: fairly-distributed human well-being

4. Economic sustainability: an economy that serves the well-being of people and the planet

It is recommended to proceed with the course in the above order. However, if you wish, you can progress to other subject modules even if you have not yet passed the test for one of the subject modules.

The online course will be completed independently and according to your own schedule. However, the course will be assessed and the credits registered only in the end of semester. The deadline for submitting all the assignments will be 31.5.2025.

Objective

After completing the online course, the student will be able to:
- identify critical sustainability challenges, their causes, as well as their diverse impacts on the environment and human beings,
- describe the roles various institutions and social actors have in sustainability policies and sustainability transformation,
- recognize the different dimensions of sustainable development and the key concepts and sustainability goals relating to them,
- distinguish various perspectives and conflicts of values and interests related to sustainability issues and solutions promoting sustainable development,
- reflect on their lifestyle and consumption choices as well as the practices of their professional field from the perspectives of responsibility and sustainable development.

Content

- Historical context of the sustainability crisis and the complexity of sustainability challenges
- Sustainable development as an idea(l), sustainability goals, and the related policy process
- Sustainability transformation and ecological reconstruction
- Dimensions of sustainable development and their interdependencies
- Environmental sustainability: preserving ecological balance and a healthy planet
- Social and cultural sustainability: fairly distributed human well-being
- Economic sustainability: an economy that serves the well-being of people and the planet

Materials

Available in itslearning.

Teaching methods

In the Fundamentals of Sustainable Development online course, studying takes place independently and in a self-directed manner, following the instructions in the itslearning learning environment and utilising the instructed learning materials. Students familiarise themselves with learning materials in text and video format and take a test included in each subject section.

International connections

Sustainable development is at the core of the course. The aim is to address sustainable development in a manner that encourages participants to examine their own choices, habits and actions from the perspective of sustainability and to change their own habits in a more sustainable direction.

The sustainability of the pedagogical implementation is enhanced by the fact that all learning materials are in digital format and the course is implemented entirely as remote/online learning.

Student workload

The online course includes four tests based on learning materials. Familiarizing oneself with the course platform and instructions, reading and watching the learning materials, and taking the tests requires a total of ca. 27 hours of student work. That would mean on average 6-7 hours of work per subject section.

The actual use of time depends partly on your starting level, i.e. how much you already know about sustainable development before starting the online course. Time use is also affected by how deeply you want to delve into the topics using the additional materials provided.

Assessment criteria, approved/failed

Passing a test requires that the student has been able to answer correctly to 80% of the test questions. There is no limit to the number of times you can respond.