The HEA ESD Self-Evaluation Tool is a voluntary, developmental resource that supports higher education institutions in reviewing and strengthening whole-of-institution Education for Sustainable Development. It helps institutions undertake structured reflection on current strengths, gaps and progression, identify local priorities and plan practical next steps.
The tool is organised around the five ESD to 2030 Priority Action Areas. For each area, it provides developmental descriptors across three broad stages of practice: Emerging, Established and Leading. It is intended to support dialogue, planning and quality enhancement.
This resource sets out five strategic enablers that can support the implementation of Education for Sustainable Development across all areas of a higher education institution:
1. Collaboration and commitment
2. Holistic and transformational practice, scholarship and leadership
3. Capacity-building and professional development
4. Student partnership, engagement and leadership
5. Reciprocal learning communities
The Enablers translate national and international ESD commitments into shared language, strategic direction and practical prompts for higher education. They address curriculum, pedagogy, assessment, campus operations, governance, leadership, professional learning, student partnership, research and reciprocal engagement with communities.
The resource is designed to support institutional reflection, planning and enhancement rather than prescribe a single model. It recognises institutional autonomy, diversity of mission and disciplinary differences.
This overview introduces the Higher Education Authority’s Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) Framework for Higher Education: a connected suite of resources supporting whole-of-institution ESD across Irish higher education. It explains the Framework’s purpose, its relationship to national and international ESD priorities, and how its component resources work together to provide strategic direction, sector evidence, structured reflection, thematic insight and opportunities for peer learning.
The Framework connects curriculum, campus operations, governance, research and community engagement. It is intended for institutional leaders, educators, professional staff, students and representative bodies, ESD and sustainability leads, teaching and learning units, quality and enhancement teams, community partners and policy stakeholders.
This landscape report provides an overview of Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) practice across the higher education sector in Ireland. It draws together publicly available institutional strategies, HEA Performance Framework Agreements 2024–2028, Climate Action Roadmaps and ESD to 2030 progress reports to outline current approaches to embedding ESD.
Structured as a series of institutional case studies, the report highlights how ESD is being addressed across teaching and learning, research, engagement and whole-institution practice, and identifies opportunities for collaboration and shared learning across the sector.
The HEA Education for Sustainable Development Spotlight Series 2025: Case Studies Compendium brings together 115 case studies from higher education institutions across Ireland. It showcases how universities and colleges are integrating sustainability and the UN Sustainable Development Goals into teaching, research, curriculum design, assessment practices and community engagement. It offers a comprehensive picture of national ESD activity and provides an accessible resource for educators and policymakers seeking examples of practice-based innovation.
These presentation slides, created and delivered by Dr Alex Ryan (Learning Energy) for the Advancing Quality and Leadership in Sustainable Higher Education workshop hosted by the Higher Education Authority (HEA), introduce the principles and practice of Anti-Greenwash Education within the context of Education for Sustainable Development (ESD).
The slides outline findings from the QAA-funded project Students Driving Curriculum Quality for Sustainability and provide a visual summary of how student-led approaches can strengthen transparency, quality, and credibility in sustainability education. They include key concepts, activity prompts, examples of course evaluation frameworks, and student feedback on applying ESD quality principles.
The workshop offered a structured overview of how institutions can embed authentic, evidence-based ESD across courses and policies, connecting workshop learning to wider sector priorities and the Government of Ireland’s ESD to 2030 Strategy.
