HEA Education for Sustainable Development Self-Evaluation Tool

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Creator(s) (alphabetical)

Colin Lowry, Mark Kelly, Ross Woods, Tim Conlon

Organisation(s)

Higher Education Authority, National Forum

Discipline(s)

Teaching & Learning

Topic(s)

Education for Sustainable Development (ESD)

License

CC BY

Media Format

PDF

Date Submitted

Submitted by

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Description

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.

Benefit of this resource and how to make the best use of it

Use the tool as part of a cross-functional institutional review led by an ESD or sustainability education lead, a teaching and learning unit working with sustainability colleagues, or a quality enhancement team. A senior sponsor should support the process and help connect the findings with institutional planning and resourcing.

Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY)

This work is licensed under a CC BY license, allowing sharing and adaptation with proper attribution.

https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
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Lowry, C., Kelly, M., Woods, R., & Conlon, T. (29/07/2026). Hea education for sustainable development self-evaluation tool. National Resource Hub (Ireland). Retrieved from: https://hub.teachingandlearning.ie/resource/hea-education-for-sustainable-development-self-evaluation-tool/ License: Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY).

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