Brief Overview

The university certificate programme is run as a collaborative effort between the Alpen-Adria-Universität Klagenfurt, Department of Instructional and School Development (IUS) and the Upper Austrian University College of Teacher Education (http://www.ph-ooe.at), as well as additional cooperation partners (the University Colleges of Education of Styria, Lower Austria, the KPH Vienna/Krems, and the University of Agricultural and Environmental Teaching).

Education for sustainable development is part of a general educational remit, which empowers the respective emerging generation to humanise the living conditions. It refers to the capacity for the informed, reflected, responsible co-determination of society in the sense of sustainable future development.

The realization of the objectives of sustainable development requires certain skills for shaping, such as

• anticipatory and networked thinking,
• inter- and transdisciplinary approach,
• participation strategies,
• communication and cooperation skills,
• research oriented development of one’s own action area,
• the ability to solve problems and to take action.

The aim of the programme is to create perspectives for the ongoing development of one’s own professional activities, to support cooperation arrangements, and to firmly anchor sustainability as a thematic area in schools and in teacher education. During the course of the programme, the participants carry out initiatives related to the subject of sustainability within the scope of teacher education at their own institution, and research these systematically.

The programme has been designed for working participants. It is practice oriented and guided by science.

• The starting points are provided by the experiences and interests of the participants, and the aim is to advance these in terms of theory and practice.
• A significant part of the work in the programme takes place within the participants’ own sphere of professional activity.
• Selecting from the field of education for sustainable development, participants define topics for their area of work, introducing questions from their own practical experience, and research these in a professional community, supported by scholars from University Colleges and Universities.
• Research competencies and scientific publications are actively encouraged. Through action research, participants pursue insight – as a result of reflection–, and development – as a result of action.

Target group

• Teachers from all school types (including teams), with control, organisation and coordination responsibilities (ÖKOLOG, SQA, Climate Alliance, and so on) in schools and
• Teacher educators
  • who wish to learn and research with and from each other,
  • who want to professionalize their own work,
  • who are interested in the topic of education for sustainable development.

Certificate and qualification options

The programme „Education for Sustainable Development – Innovation in Teacher Education“ German abbreviation BINE) carries an ECTS value of 36 ECTS credit points, which can be accredited for the programme ProFiL (Professionalization in the Teaching Profession“. The ProFiL programme concludes with the academic degree „Master of Arts in Education (Instructional and School Development)“.

Programme architecture

• 5 three- or four-day seminars (held throughout Austria)
• 4 one- or two-day regional group meetings (AG)
• Completion of an interdisciplinary project at the participants’ respective own institutions on a topic relating to education for sustainable development
• Graduation ceremony including the awarding of the certificates