By Beds SU
Thursday, 13 June 2024
Beds SU has been advocating within the University to ensure students’ courses are preparing them for future workplaces. As countries and employers race to combat the effects of the Climate Emergency, it’s vital that students are equipped to engage in this as empowered individuals and in their chosen careers.
Our surveys of over 800 Undergraduates in 2023 suggested sustainability could be covered better in the Undergraduate curriculum.
In our 2023 Summer survey, 62% of students in the Faculty of Creative Arts, Technologies and Science told us that their studies did little or nothing to teaching to teach them how to have a positive impact upon the world around them.
Yet 69% of students in the Business School told us that their courses did teach them a lot on how to have a positive impact upon the world.
% of Undergraduates who felt their courses were teaching them little to nothing on how to have a positive impact upon the world around them (Summer Survey 2023)
- Faculty of Creative Arts, Technologies and Science - 62%
- Faculty of Education, English and Sport - 54%
- Business School - 31%
- Faculty of Health & Social Sciences - 28%
Winter Survey
Our Winter Survey, which closed in January 2024, reported that 41% of students in the Business School and 37% of students in the Faculty of Health and Social Sciences said their courses were developing in them a “great deal” or “a lot” of knowledge in environment and sustainability.
Yet fewer than a third of students in the Faculty of Creative Arts, Technologies and Science felt them the same and fewer than 1 in 4 students in the Faculty of Education, English and Sport felt that way.
% of Undergraduates who felt they were being taught a “great deal” or “a lot” in environment and sustainability on their course (Winter Survey 2023)
- Faculty of Creative Arts, Technologies and Science - 31%
- Faculty of Education, English and Sport - 24%
- Business School - 41%
- Faculty of Health & Social Sciences - 37%
The University’s Education and Student Experience Strategy (2021-26) commits to integrating concepts of sustainability into curriculum and refers to the United Nations SDGs, and your students’ union is aware of work being undertaken to embed sustainability into each Faculty.
It is clear that practices differ across each Faculty and much more needs to be done to embed this important agenda into our curriculum.
We have reached out to senior leaders in each of the faculties to ask about their practices and we will soon meet with the Pro Vice Chancellor (Education and Student Experience) to discuss how the University turns its plans into action within your courses.
In the meantime, we’re keen to hear from students on this issue: Did you receive some fantastic teaching or materials to support your understanding of the environment and sustainability in your subject? Do you feel there’s room for improvement in your course?
Get in touch at help@bedssu.co.uk