Project Overview

This project aims to develop and run the Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) module at Satya Terra Bhinneka University (ST Bhinneka) in Medan, Indonesia. It is a new university built based on the principles of inclusivity and sustainability with a focus on research. The university commits to creating positive impacts on the environment and society. The module development, through participatory action research (PAR), enables lecturers and students to engage with various shareholders to develop an awareness of sustainable development issues, including climate change, and challenges in achieving Sustainable Development Goals. The project is divided into two phases.

The first phase is to develop a curriculum through PAR to shape the ESD module. In this phase, a group of lecturers will work together to create a relevant curriculum highlighting the interdependence of health and well-being of humans, particularly vulnerable groups, and their environments. Lecturers will have access to various literature and reports and meet with local communities, government representatives, media, environmental experts, and NGOs to develop the curriculum.

The second phase is to run the ESD module, where students work in groups to conduct a PAR to address an environmental issue that they have identified. The PAR allows for the democratic data collection process and develops critical thinking and problem-solving skills, shaping the student researchers into active changemakers. Students will also be asked to document their projects in a creative, reflective diary and short snippets of activities. The expected outcomes are two pieces of writing; (1) an academic article (60%) and (2) a popular article (40%). A selected popular article will be sent to local media for publication.

This project contributes to the Climate-U project in three ways; (1) To support local action on climate change, (2) To contribute to theory and understanding of the impact of higher education on climate change and sustainable development, and (3) To build and strengthen national, regional and global university networks and knowledge exchange on climate change.

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