Education & Training

Sustainability Education: Our Approach

Sustainability education equips people with the knowledge, skills, and attitudes needed to understand complex sustainability challenges and to develop effective, transformational solutions. In our approach to developing and delivering sustainability courses and programs, we combine solutions-orientation, competency-focus and project-based pedagogies.

Solutions-orientation: we guide students how to study and evaluate existing sustainability solutions, explore whether these solutions could be transferred and adapted to the local context, and – if not – how to construct new sustainability solutions.
Competency-focus: we support students in developing competencies needed for collectively working on sustainability changes, including key competencies in sustainability (such as systems-, futures-, values- and strategic-thinking) as well as professional skills (such as effective and compassionate communication, responsive project-management, or caring for oneself and others).
Project-based pedagogies: we seek collaboration with practice partners to connect classroom learning with real-world challenges and contexts; these collaborations range from practice partners giving guest lectures in class, to inviting students to site visits and tours of their operations, to joint projects on real-world sustainability challenges.

See our publications list for more resources on sustainability education.

Training for Instructors

For instructors, we offer training to design courses with key competencies in sustainability as learning objectives, incorporate transdisciplinary projects, or support students in fostering their professional skills.

Brundiers, K. & Wiek, A. (2025, January 13) Solutions-oriented Sustainability Learning [Ringvorlesung]. Center for Planetary Health, University of Freiburg, (DE).
Brundiers, K. (2024, September). Sustainability Key Competencies – A Four-Dimensional Model for Program Design [Workshop contribution]. National Sustainability Society Conference. Seattle (US).
Hiser, K., King, J., Ramey, A. (2023, October 30). Best Practices and Transformative Themes in Sustainability Education. Presentation and workshop [Conference presentation]. Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education 2023 Annual Conference & Expo. Boston, MA, United States.
Brundiers, K. (2022). Designing Transdisciplinary Projects with Key Competencies in Sustainability in Mind [Workshop]. Leuphana University of Lüneburg (DE).
Brundiers, K. (2018). Applied Learning – Interventions for Sustainability Impacts [Workshop]. AASHE Conference, Pittsburgh (US).

Training for Students

For students, we offer training on solutions-oriented sustainability research and practice, as well as developing professional skills for effectively working on real-world sustainability challenges.

Brundiers, K., Ramey, A., Wiek, A. (2025, March 27). From Scientific Insights to Transformation: Applying Tools in Sustainability Science [Presentation]. University of Basel, International Student Conference (CH).
Brundiers, K., Ramey, A., Wiek, A. (2024, September 16). Sustainability Science – Between Problem-Orientation and Sustainability Solutions [Session]. University of Freiburg, Sustainable Pharmacy Summer School, Institut der Pharmazeutischen Wissenschaften (DE).
Brundiers, K., (2025, February 16). Tools for Sustainable Solutions – the Case of Urban Health [Guest Lecture]. University of Freiburg, Masters of Global Urban Health, Module: Environmental Determinants of Health in Urban Areas (DE).
Brundiers, K. (2018). Professional Skills for Sustainability. [Workshop for graduate students]. Leuphana University, Germany, and Portland State University (US).

Our approaches are adaptable to various formats and modalities (in-person, hybrid, online).

Current Projects

Training for Transdisciplinary Interface Managers

Transdisciplinary Interface Managers (TI-Managers) can play a crucial role in supporting collaboration between scientists and practitioners working on complex sustainability problems (see, e.g., Brundiers et al., 2013). But such a role requires a unique set of competencies in cultivating relationships, managing projects, facilitating collaboration, and supporting sustainability transformations.

The TSS group is in the process of co-developing and testing such a program for post-graduate students, scholars, and university staff. The program is grounded in real-world stories and experiences from practicing TI-Managers and experts in TI-Management. These stories have been captured in a video series, “Evidence from the Field,” publicly available on YouTube.

Feasibility Analysis – International Sustainability Solutions Joint Masters Program

Internationally, many sustainability programs have emerged. Yet, most lack a key feature: providing robust training in solving sustainability challenges for students aspiring to work as professionals in firms, public administration or a non-governmental organization aiming to support sustainability transformations in areas like energy, mobility, or food systems.

To address this gap, the TSS group and partners from the University of Basel, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, University of Strasbourg formed a consortium and received seed funding from the EUCOR – the European Campus. EUCOR is a platform organized by France, Switzerland and Germany to facilitate transborder research and education in the Upper Rhein Region. EUCOR aims to encourage student mobility and facilitate intercultural experiences, for instance through setting up joint degree programs among EUCOR universities.

Leveraging this background, the consortium compiles an evidence-informed vision of a curriculum that trains students in the tools and practices of solving sustainability problems. More importantly, it assesses the potential for setting up such a curriculum in the partner universities and with support of practice partners interested in participating in transdisciplinary education. Past experiences show that laying such groundwork and building relationships is critical for the success of implementing such a program eventually.

Explore interactive and collaboratively created tools

Solutions-orientation
Intervention Curriculum For Behavior Change for Sustainability
This is a self-paced course to learn about implementing interventions (on the university campus) to promote sustainability behavior change.

Competency focus
SDG Fitness Test – Key Competencies in Sustainability to Work Towards the Sustainable Development Goals.
This is a self-paced course to assess one’s level of literacy of the key competencies in sustainability. It is offered through the United Nations “SDG: Learn Platform”.

Sustainability Education Resource Portal
This is a self-paced professional development course to learn about the key competencies in sustainability. It is offered through the Sustainability Education Accreditation Commission.

Project-based pedagogies Designing Real-World Learning Experiences
This website offers instructors tested examples and practical guidance to incorporate real-world learning experiences into their teachings and develop collaborations with practice partners to co-create joint student-driven research projects.