Leading from within: capacity building for ESD leadership

Staff

Facilitator-Led

Upcoming

Next Start Date 29 April 2026

Duration 25 hours

Available as Facilitator-Led, Upcoming

Overview

Have you completed one or both of the following Open Courses:

If so, you are invited to register for a new Open Course on ESD Leadership focusing on capacity-building and leading from within.

This is an open course for staff in Higher and Further Education accounting for 25 learner hours over 7 weeks. Participants who complete the course will be awarded a digital badge.

The aim is to develop the capacity of Higher and Further Education staff to take leadership roles in Education for Sustainability. The course explores different forms and levels of leadership for sustainability – taking a holistic approach and going beyond business-oriented leadership approaches (e.g. mentoring, advocacy, role-modelling, activism). Using innovative and reflexive activities and methods, it explores and harnesses the creative arts and humanities to foster self-awareness, empathy, critical reflection, creative collaboration and problem-solving.  

Throughout the course, participants will engage with peer groups to collaborate, share and learn. They will also begin to apply their learning by planning leadership actions relevant to their professional context. They will be encouraged to implement these during the course if possible.

As a cross-institutional, collaborative initiative, it is anticipated that the course will lead to a strengthening of ESD across the sector and develop a network of leaders taking action at a local level.

Pre-requisite
Participants must have completed one of the following courses over a minimum of 25hrs as offered by the HEA National Forum for the Enhancement of Teaching and Learning or their institution:

Embedding the SDGs in the curriculum
Education for Sustainability

You’ll Learn To:

Identify personal values, actions and leadership styles as they relate to the development of a sustainability mindset. 
Examine institutional and societal challenges and opportunities using a cross-disciplinary lens to foster strategic insight
Integrate insights with creative approaches to address real campus or community challenges. 
Apply learning to action in ESD leadership and advocacy.

On earning your open badge award for this course, you will have achieved further recognition in the following domains of the National Professional Development Framework for Staff who Teach:

Domain 2 Professional Identity, Values and Development in Teaching and Learning focuses on the consideration of professional and/or disciplinary identity in given contexts. The domain supports critical reflection, recognising that an individual’s professional identity can change at different stages of their career.
Domain 3 Professional Communication and Dialogue emphasises the importance of excellent, clear and coherent communication skills within the changing learning environment.
Domain 4 Professional Knowledge and Skills ensures the individual remains current in terms of their professional/disciplinary knowledge and can implement teaching, learning and assessment approaches which promote active learning and are underpinned by a strong evidence base.