Resumen de Teaching outward and connecting inward: innovative professional development programmeto connect the curriculum with the SDGs
C. O'Mahony, R. Hally, M. Galvin, M. McCarthy
The reorienting of higher education curricula to directly link to the sustainable development goalsis an important task confronting higher education teaching and learning staff. There is greater expectationon graduates to fulfil a citizenship role and play their part in addressing society’s greatest challenges.We are challenged as educators to reflect that responsibility in how we organize our courses andsupport student learning. One mechanism is through engaging students in community-based learning(CBL). Thoughtful design of experiential learning with community partners can provide exactly theconditions to support students gain these skills and insights. Do staff feel equipped to integrate this approachto learning in their courses and how do institutions grow capacity to ensure community partnershipsare high quality and based on reciprocity? University College Cork (Ireland) has developed an innovativeprofessional development programme for staff that incorporates theoretical underpinnings,key skill development and immersive, experiential learning in a community setting. The design of theprogramme was informed by a scoping of international best practice and key literature. This paper willshare the key findings from this piece of research.
