1. Toolkits & frameworks (for all disciplines)
At the moment, Flinders University does not yet have its own framework or toolkit for embedding sustainability in the curriculum, following a systematic approach. Other universities do, with some good examples below.
2. Learning for teachers (for all disciplines)
For teaching staff who would like to know more about sustainability themselves first.
- A staff training on sustainability, including sustainability in teaching, will be/is available (as of end of 2026) in the Staff Learning Portal (access via your Okta dashboard)\
- Free online short course (3 weeks, 3 hours per week) for teachers who want to include sustainability in their teaching: “This course is designed for educators working in schools or higher education institutions around the world who want to improve their knowledge of education and sustainable development. It will also be useful if you would like to share best practice with others in a global context.” https://www.futurelearn.com/courses/educating-for-sustainable-development-in-schools-and-universities
3. Resources to include in your teaching
Modules, activities, case studies, worksheets etc that you can pick up and add to your teaching.
- All disciplines:
- Sustainability games https://sustainabilitygame.online/. Two games, developed in house by a Flinders team, with instructions on how to play and support the game provided on the site:
- Sustainability game covering basic principles of sustainability through an urban development challenge. Game can be played individually.
- SDG game, a role-playing game where students with different roles (economy, environment, social) need to work together to meet their goal of a future within sustainable parameters.
- Prof Corey Bradshaw has offered to provide guest lectures on environmental sustainability, including climate change, for any topic or course. Please contact Corey on corey.bradshaw@flinders.edu.au to discuss options.
- Calculate your footprint https://www.footprintcalculator.org/home/en - for an understanding of basic principles of planetary boundaries
- Modern slavery and ethical sustainability, this training is designed to support students and professionals across a range of disciplines and sectors, including business, procurement, environmental studies, engineering and construction. It is co-developed by Prof Marinella Marmo. The training can be accessed as a SCORM file, and can be embedded into any professional development or teaching module
- Comprehensive list with teaching resources compiled by the University of British Columbia https://sustain.ubc.ca/education/sustainability-teaching-resource-library
- Health:
- Sciences / Engineering:
- Business / Economics:
- Responsible investment (see Flinders driving responsible investment page) as a lens for sustainability.
- Humanities / Social Sciences:
- Use sustainability literacies, critical thinking about sustainability, integrating Indigenous knowledges
Suggestions year by year
Year 1 (Introductory)
- Activity: Ask students to identify how their discipline connects to one of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). For example: In a business subject – how does responsible consumption (SDG 12) manifest in your sector?
- Activity: A short case-study on a local sustainability challenge (e.g., campus waste / energy from Flinders’ own campus as a “living laboratory” – see Flinders’ resource recovery page or energy page).
- Reflection: At end of semester, ask students to write a short piece: “What is one sustainability issue in my discipline and what could I, as a practitioner/researcher, do about it?”
Year 2 (Intermediate)
- Embed a mini-project where students in discipline X review a process/ system and propose a sustainability improvement (e.g., engineering students analysing a building energy use, arts students exploring sustainable materials in production, health students exploring sustainable healthcare delivery).
- Provide students with a scaffolding worksheet: “Systems thinking & sustainability” (define systems, identify inputs/outputs, feedback loops, unintended consequences) and apply it to a discipline example.
Year 3 (Advanced)
- Capstone or major project: Students work on “wicked problems” of sustainability in their discipline (e.g., interdisciplinary teams including humanities + science + business tackling a real community/industry issue).
- Encourage students to link their findings to at least one SDG and identify measurable indicators of change. Use the SDSN guide for mapping interlinkages. https://ap-unsdsn.org/wp-content/uploads/University-SDG-Guide_web.pdf
- Encourage research-style output: e.g., students present their work as a mini white-paper or public poster
4. Research around adding sustainability in the curriculum.
5. Contact
If you have any questions about this page or teaching sustainability, or additions to this page, feel free to contact the sustainability team at sustainability@flinders.edu.au
