The newly formed UCD Library Green Group wanted to foster cross campus collaboration as they believed this would assist in realising their green goals. They saw the Learning Enhancement Project as a direct route to the student cohort who, motivated by their passion for the planet, would be willing to help the Library with this task.
Initiative
FinGeo Futures: Developing Financial Geoliteracy for Sustainable Futures
About this initiative
This project aims to develop a scalable interdisciplinary pedagogical framework embedding sustainability, systems thinking, and applied problem-solving within Finance and Geography curricula, supporting the development of financial geoliteracy. FinGeo Futures will deliver a suite of interdisciplinary teaching resources integrating Finance and Geography, including case studies (e.g. climate risk, flood exposure, biodiversity finance), real-world datasets, and assessment tools designed for problem-based learning. These outputs will be compiled into a reusable FinGeo teaching toolkit to support adoption across modules and programmes. Additional deliverables include a pilot-tested interdisciplinary learning model, evaluation findings on student learning and engagement, and dissemination through workshops and academic outputs.Stage 4 Sustainability students involved in the project team will contribute to the co-development and testing on interdisciplinary learning materials, providing student perspectives on accessibility, relevance, and applied sustainability challenges.
For students, the project will enhance both disciplinary and interdisciplinary capabilities. They will develop the ability to apply financial tools (e.g. valuation and risk assessment) alongside spatial and environmental analysis to address real-world sustainability challenges. Through structured, problem-based learning activities, students will strengthen key ESD competencies, including systems thinking, critical evaluation, and strategic decision- making under uncertainty in real-world sustainability contexts.
The project also responds to critiques that Finance education is overly siloed, producing narrow ‘I-shaped’ graduates, and supports the development of ‘T-shaped’ graduates who combine disciplinary depth with the ability to integrate knowledge across domains (Bajada & Trayler, 2013).These transferable and applied capabilities are increasingly valued across finance, sustainability, consulting, policy, and environmental risk sectors (Bouchrika, 2026).Engagement with external academic and industry partners will strengthen students’ exposure to professional practice while also supporting transferability beyond UCD, including potential cross-institutional collaboration and future applied learning opportunities.
| Project Lead | Dr Lisa Sheenan |
|---|---|
| College | UCD College of Business |
| School | UCD Michael Smurfit Graduate Business School |
| Partner College | UCD College of Social Sciences and Law |
Lead organisations
Affiliated organisations
Linked open educational resources
Contributors
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