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Astles, Paul and Johns, Hayley
(2023).
Abstract
The Open University was signatory of the UN Global Compact in 2018 (The Ten principles: UN global compact, n.d,.) and since then it has been striving to develop sustainable practices. We have written a paper and delivered talks at the Eden conference 2023 (Astles et.al., 2023a, 2023b, 2023c) on the topic of non-tokenistic sustainability in a distance learning curriculum. Our discussions there focused on provoking curiosity about what sustainability means rather than attempting to have all the answers. As a result of this work, we began to develop our thinking about practical steps that could be taken to support colleagues in their journey towards connecting with what sustainability might mean in their context. The most important lesson we have learned so far is that sustainability is complicated. It can be tempting to take the easy path and produce simplistic answers, but this can lead to tokenistic actions which we strove to avoid (Spajic et al., 2019). Indeed, non-tokenistic actions were noted as something that students at our own institution are keen for us to avoid also. This was established via a ‘Question of the Month’ survey conducted with student volunteers. However, it is very clear that students want to see sustainability within their course material (THE, 2021) and it is important that institutions do this in a meaningful non-tokenistic manner.
The next steps in our journey to supporting colleagues on their own path towards engaging with sustainability is multi-faceted. It has become clear that sustainability is not a one size fits all approach and it needs to be thought about as such. There are numerous actions that can be taken to approach sustainability, and these fall in to related yet different contexts. Our submission to the ALT conference will be to deliver a workshop to showcase different ways that it is possible to connect with sustainability in the context of a distance learning curriculum. Since showcasing some initial work at the EDEN conference 2023, we will be looking to share approaches that could be taken in the design of course material. The workshop will be interactive, challenging the audience to reflect on their own approaches and consider where they are at with sustainable thinking. It will be an opportunity explore different ways to consider what sustainability means in the design process and reflect on their own practice in this area.
CORE (COnnecting REpositories)
CORE (COnnecting REpositories)
